Southern California Half Marathon

Blair High School:

This is Blair's first year with SRLA and the first team from Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley area.  We are very excited to take part of this wonderful program.  I first heard of SRLA during the ASICS LA Marathon when I saw thousands of students in the Pavilion at Dodger Stadium when I did my very first marathon.  Throughout the race I witnessed such great camaraderie amongst the student runners.  My most challeging moments where turned into the most memorable because I realized that these young individuals had made it so far.  It helped giving me the push that I needed.  One learns so much about themselves during a long race and I knew that our students would take so much from such experiences.  Today, I am brought to tears of what our students have accomplished and the growth we have seen from them.  Blair's team leaders Teresa and Raul have been great support in Blair's running family.  We are looking forward to the next races that once seemed impossible but now we approach with confidence and excitement. 

 

-Veronica Y, Blair Team Leader

 

Saidy, Senior at Blair High School

 As we began the half-marathon my mind was blown away at the turn of the first corner we took. About 1500 students and leaders wearing SRLA t-shirts ran along the trail that I’d soon be running on like ants on a sand hill. In that moment I had gained one more reason why I love running which is that I never run alone. Seeing how so many people had chosen to wake up early on a Saturday morning to run 13.1 miles along with me reminded me of the reason why I joined SRLA in the first place. That reason was to accomplish a goal. That morning our goal was to run 13.1 miles however, we all know that that was just a stepping stone for the marathon. Although 26.2 miles may seem impossible there was a time when running a half-marathon was only a dream but SRLA helped me make it a reality. I am truly grateful for the people I have met, the lessons I have learned, and everything I have achieved through SRLA because I never did it alone. Now as the marathon approaches with each day I feel confident in my ability to finish it because I know I will not be running it alone.

Tal, Junior at Blair High School

This is Tal, an 11^th grader at Blair High School who came from Israel a month after our team started training.  She came into our team and hit the ground running as if she were there from day one.  This is what she writes:

After every race that I have participated in, I always come to the same realization. Running incredibly long distance is as much as an individual sport as it is, for lack of a better term, a team sport. It is very self-centered, in the sense that you are all alone, mentally and physically competing against yourself. However, I found that you can run for as long and as fast as you can, but what makes it fun, is the enthusiasm and excitement that is shared between the runners. Not to mention the support that is shared between all the participants, as if we were all one big team.

After running for over an hour and a half in the Southern California Half-Marathon, I remember feeling tired. Maybe it was because of my lack of sleep, or because I was feeling nauseous that morning, but I recall wanting to stop running and walk my way to the finish line, which, by the way, was very foolish of me. However, the feeling of being cheered on by runners and volunteers alike was the most divine feeling at that time. And it most certainly propelled me straight to the finish line, without a second thought.

As mundane as it sounds, the weather was great for a race. I probably would have liked it better if there were some clouds to block the sun, but that didn’t discourage me from running and finishing the race.

As for the highlights from the race, I remember enjoying the live band that was posted somewhere along mile 4 or 5. Also, my friend absent-mindedly ran into a pole, while we were talking during the race, which was very funny. I also clearly remember that by the time I reached mile 13, I wished I could go back in time to build Marathon a little closer to Athens, so I wouldn’t have to run that pesky 0.1 mile, which I always seem to forget about.

I also overheard two girls fighting over what they were going to eat after the race. One girl said she didn’t want to get fries, while the other ensured her that by the end of the race she will passionately crave some french fries. As for myself, after the run, I kept my tradition and stopped by Costco for a victory churro and sundae.

Since my pacing-buddy had to use the restrooms during the race, I allowed myself to stop my own stopwatch during that time. By the end of the race I beat my (only) personal best time by a total of five minutes. I couldn’t have been more proud. Prior to joining my SRLA group at school, running was only a fun hobby. Never would I have imagined that I would run and finish, not one, but two half-marathons. I can’t wait for March.