This was my first year running for Student Run LA.  The day of the marathon was the day that I have been working for, since the beginning of the first SRLA meeting.

Before the race took place, I had to just look back to all the good memories I had gone through with the SRLA team at my school. Like remembering that we had gone to the LA Kings Holiday Ice Rink to ice skate, but then the fun part was when I got to meet NBA player, Chris Paul and his family. I got to talk to him for while, but only for an interview for my school newspaper, www.bulldogbugle.com.  Another part of being in SRLA was when the whole team ran to Jack’s Wholesale Candy & Toy because we had accomplished running 18 miles.  The fun part was running in the rain, just to go to get candy from a store.

         Now the day before the LA marathon, the whole team went to go eat at this restaurant called “Palermo Ristorante Italiano.”  We had problems while trying to get to the restaurant, like we took the wrong subway and we got there late. We may have gotten late to the restaurant, but I had fun during the trip to the restaurant because I took a lot of selfies while on the bus and while walking to the restaurant. When I finally got to our destination, I walked through the doorway and was happy to see that the restaurant has an Italian theme. The food was so delicious that I kept on getting more and more food. Yes, I wasn’t suppose to eat a lot before the race, but I still ate.

          On the day of the race, I put two alarms (my phone and my dad’s phone) so if one didn’t work at least I would have another alarm. I woke up at 4:00 and got at school at 4:35 and then waited until 4:45 for the bus to come. The bus then came and took my school’s SRLA team to the Dodgers Stadium, where the beginning of the race started. I waited there for the morning until 7:30.

Standing in the line for the race to begin, I was feeling anxious, nervous, and worried, but then I calmed down by remembering all the memories I have gone through with my SRLA team, remembering the good and fun memories. Next thing you know I hear the horn to begin the race.  I had just lost my partner, Moises, who I was going to run the whole marathon with.  I start running to try to find and catch up to my friend, and eventually I did.

           I ran with Moises for the whole marathon. It was great to have a friend who  supported me throughout the race because it would have been harder if I would have ran by myself. We ran all the way throughout the marathon. I saw many of my teachers and cheerleaders from my school that went to support me. I felt happy that I had support from my teachers and the cheerleaders because they kept on screaming to me that you are almost done, you can do this.

           When I saw the twenty-four mile mark, I was tired, walking, feeling exhausted, and felt like I wanted to give up because of the hot weather, but I told myself that you didn’t come this far to just give up. I told my friend, Moises, that we should begin to start running again. So we did.  When I turned around the corner, I finally saw the the finish line. I ran, and ran , and ran. When I got closer to the finish line, I heard people in the crowd screaming, hurray, hurray, you’re almost done!I  Then I started running faster and faster.

Finally, I was finished. I started to walk, to go get my medal. I felt happy that I had finished my first marathon.