Holiday Half Marathon

Holiday Half Marathon

Tabitha is a 7^th grader from El Sereno Middle School. This is her first year in SRLA. She brings lots of energy and enthusiasm to her team. Below are some of her reflections on the Holiday Half Marathon.

Before the Race

I think the race will be very fun and crowded. I’ve seen the snowflake medals. They are beautiful! I think it will be my favorite medal of the season. I’ve been preparing for this since September with lots of sacrifice and hard work. Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends I practice with my teammates. We run and don’t stop! We practice and practice and practice. All the practice has made me a strong runner. I’m so glad I am a part of SRLA. I know this race will be awesome. I love the support and the cheers the crowd gives us kids while we run. It makes me feel proud of all my hard work. I know the race will be tough, but I WILL get through it by reminding myself of the rewards: accomplishment, pride and that snowflake medal!

After the Race

The race today was very crowded, yet fun just as I suspected. I couldn’t have ran those 13.1 miles without SRLA. I’m not going to lie, I'm in physical pain all over my body, but emotionally I'm very happy and proud because I know “pain is gain.” The medal is absolutely beautiful. The shirts are pretty cool too. This is my favorite race so far. One of the reasons that I liked it so much is because there was a variety of yummy snacks to choose from. Also I liked that they sprayed kool fit because without it I think I'd be in more pain then I'm in right now. I had trouble keeping a good pace toward the end. And then I saw my coaches Mr.Stemnock and Ms.Garcia with their squad and I decided to join them. We sang Christmas songs the whole way to the finish line. I think that was my favorite part of the whole race. I really enjoyed it! Thank you SRLA and thank you to all the volunteers who helped out. We run as one!