We are two more days away from
the Los Angeles Marathon, and even the most calm ones among us are
feeling some pre-race jitters and anxieties. We are exhilarated, and
then we have our solitary moments of self-doubt. While most of us just want to pick up their Bib, attending the Nutribullet Health and Fitness Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center can be encouraging, inspiring and motivating.
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| Nutribullet Health & Fitness Expo, 2014 |
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| Bib Number #17040 |
At first we find ourselves in an impressively long line to get into the building. While we are waiting, we learn about the running journeys of the people waiting in front and behind of us, even swap phone numbers and personal tips (I now understand why some runners check in toilet paper). I met Luisa in her 60s, who is walking her first marathon from the stadium all the way to the sea: "If I don't do it now, I'll never will." And Jaimé in line behind me is running her second marathon in memory of her brother, an avid runner, who made her promise "to keep a runner in the family". At the time, she had not run a mile in her life. And I? I am running this one in recognition of Dean Prator and his wonderful charity organization, dedicated to help financially challenged students pay for a college education.
Swapping running stories passes time quickly. Soon we find ourselves inside the Convention Center amidst a colorful running wonderland of shoes, clothes, fuel food, and more. We discover our name in the big bold letters "We Run LA", and we cross paths with people from the world. Today it is official; we have our Bib numbers and timing chips. Soon we will be running LA: We are a marathoner.
"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. I can't keep up, and I can't back down... it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to lose."
