mainly because i've had my mind elsewhere in training, working out, tweaking my eating habits and lifestyle, working hard at my incredible job, and enjoying one of the best weeks ever.
we headed to beautiful San Diego, California last Wednesday to set up our booth for the Rock n' Roll Marathon expo on Friday and Saturday. EONI coupled with Dan and Jackie Evans, season 5 contestants of the Biggest Loser at the expo in preparation to promote the Biggest Loser Run/Walk series that will be launching in the fall of this year. so exciting!
since we were already in SD, they sent a driver to pick us up from our hotel friday morning, the same day i was supposed to pick up my bib number and race chip for sunday!! and if any of you have ever run a RnR marathon before and know the rules, well, they won't let anyone else pick it up for you. you have to be there in person and show your ID or you don't race. Aaaahh! my anxiety hit the roof when i realized the car was supposed to pick us up at 10am and the expo didn't open until 1o! thank heavens we were exhibiting and were able to enter the building beforehand. so i asked a very nice gentleman who worked for RnR if he would be so kind to let me get my packet before the expo started, and sure enough, my dreams came true! such a relief!
as we made our way into the exciting downtown LA area, our driver offered to take us by a few of the well known touristy areas such as the staples center and the chinese theater. here, he let us out to walk around for a moment and see the hands and feet of the many stars of hollywood, including Marilyn Monroe, the cast of Harry Potter, and Robert Downey Jr. (whoa!)
we were also bedazzled by the homes of beverly hills on the way to our hotel..the Beverly Hilton:) they definitely hooked us up! our room was amazing and had a wonderful view of the area surrounding.that night, we were to catch a bus to the Grove theater to attend the screening of Katy Perry's movie 'Part of Me' in 3D, which i would recommend seeing; and then we were left to stroll about and do whatever we would like for the rest of the evening. matt and i stumbled upon an astonishing farmer's market that is in the same shopping mall area as the Grove theater, and there we enjoyed a delicious asian dinner and then moseyed on to discover what else was in the area.
Oh Em Gee...Lil' Wayne!!!!!
yessss, we saw lil' wayne in a macy's we had walked to a few blocks down. matt wanted to do a little shopping..yes matt, and not me for once haha and when we walked inside, we noticed a large group of people with cameras flashing, security guards at their posts, and a stage where lil' wayne was taking pictures and autographing memorabilia for the first 150 people that purchsed shirts and hats from his new Trukfit clothing line. it was quite a misfortune that i wasn't able to have my picture taken with him or
KP pool party!
When we arrived at the Katy Perry pool party, we were lavished with a plethora of delicious things to eat and drink. So as we anxiously waited for KP to make her grand entrance, we chowed down on endless amounts of mini sliders, chips and dip, pizza, candy pops and dp. Not the best choice at a pool party..can you say food baby! Oh well. About an hour passes and we're told that KP is ready for her meet and greet, YAY! She is quickly led to an area where her body guards have pulled curtains closed around a lounge area, and we're to stand in line to see her two by two(the winner of each contest and a friend). Our turn comes and I immediately give her a hug..whaaat! My family hugs everyone so I thought it was fine haha Apparently she was a little caught off guard. In the 5 minutes we get to speak with her, she manages to charm us with her sweet and sincere personality, and tells Matt and I that we're the cutest couple ever(since we both are freckled, light haired Irish kids) haha She also said that she and I were about the same size and could share clothes..OKAY! in my dreams. I loved the beautiful cream lace dress she was wearing. We got our picture taken with her as well as a poster of her new movie with a signature and said our goodbyes.
Nervous about being ready for my first half marathon the next day, we didn't stay out late that night. We took a stroll down Rodeo Drive, went out for some pasta to carb up for the race, and hit the sack early to catch our 4 o'clock ride back to San Diego the next morning!When the alarm struck 3:30am, I had to calm myself by taking deep breaths while I was getting ready. I put my race gear on, packed my bag and told the driver I HAVE TO MAKE IT! As we got closer, I kept checking my phone for the time and distance from the start line. I pinned my bib number on and ate my banana. I had exactly 10 minutes till the race began, so the driver dropped me off as close as he could with all the traffic. 10 blocks away, I jogged towards the crowd and of course..had to rush to the restroom where I waited 35 minutes to go to the bathroom! aaahhh! Thank heavens there were multiple corrals, so when I exited the restroom I entered the race in corral 28 and took off! I was trying to stay in contact with my cousin and two friends who started 15 corrals ahead of me, but was only able to receive texts about what mile they were at and wasn't able to send any texts. Thanks AT&T :/
MILE 6! I finally caught up! :) I was so happy to have found Tory and Jackie. I walked with them for a while and chatted about KP, my ride in, and how amazing the weather was for the race day! We wished each other luck, and I ran on. I was overtaken by joy with the feeling I had. I was running the best race in my life! My energy level was great and the atmosphere of other runners, cheerleaders, and bands was invigorating! Then mile 11 hit me like a brick. This is where I had to use the mind over matter technique to keep pushing through. My legs were wearing out, my feet were heavy and there was only a few miles to go. I could soon see Sea World(the Finish Line), and kept a good steady pace. When I made it to the last .1 to finish, I kicked it into high gear. I smiled for the camera while crossing the line and couldn't believe I had just completed my very first Half Marathon!!!
Later that day, after being treated with the best massage ever, the girls and I decided a beach day was in store. We headed over to Coronado Island to unwind, play some beach volleyball and take in the ocean breeze. A great end to a great weekend!
