I Survived the Los Angeles Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon

Multiple choice question: Does that smile say:

a. Thank GOD that's over.
b. How ya like me now?
c. I know Bret Michaels is rocking out but I want to go eat at House of Pies instead of watching him.
d. All of the above.

If you chose answer D, you win a cool $1.2 million, just like I win every day in my email. (You don't even have to send me your account info to get it. It's virtual money, mmkay?)

Indeed, today I ran the Los Angeles Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon--13.1 miles through deserted downtown Los Angeles. This is the second year of this race--and my second year running it. It was warm and sunny the entire time--I think I upped my skin cancer ante during it. But, here are 10 things I liked about this year's race:

1. Plenty of port-a-potties at the start. There's nothing worse than long lines of runners waiting to go before the start of the race. LARNR had so many port-a-potties that I didn't have to wait at all. The Los Angeles Marathon should take notes. Every year, the bathroom situation at the marathon is a hot mess.

2. Bagels at the finish: YES.

3. Bret Michaels performed at the finish: I didn't stick around to watch him but he sounded good and looked normal. Normal, as in, bandana wearing and glorious hair extensions.

4. Mostly flat course: I don't mind running hills but flat is nice on a hot day. Ugh, the 80-degree weather really got to me today.

5. Scenic fun: The most scenic parts were running through the tunnel on Third Street--the echo in there was awesome and it was shady--and running back towards the city across the Sixth Street bridge. Look at that view of the city:

7. My running club, the L.A. Leggers: I ran with other members, which was fun since it's always nice to have a friendly face, and even members who weren't running came out to cheer us on and offer us orange slices.

8. The music: No, I'm not talking about the bands along the course. I'm talking about the track I rocked on repeat during the last mile. David Tort's appropriately titled "Kalifornia". It's a banger and it helped me run the last mile at a pretty good clip.

9. I have an excuse to eat Halloween candy tomorrow: A guilt-free Halloween. Dang, I should run 13.1 miles every year before Halloween.

10. I got a medal at the end! Bling, Bling. Everytime I come around yo city, bling bling!

Of course, I didn't like everything...

1. Snooze: Although the course was mostly flat, it was also pretty boring. Last year we ran from scenic Griffith Park into downtown. Yes, that was a hilly course, but at least there were spectators for most of the way and way prettier things to look at. This year, other than a turn around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, it was all concrete, office buildings, condos and industrial warehouses. Oh, and I was like, "Look, there's the jail!" at one point when we were on the bridge.  

2. Running the same street twice: If I run south on Figueroa, I don't want to run turn around and run north on Figueroa. I do that kind of thing on training runs and it's just kind of lame to do it during a race. Yes, I know doubling back means less street closures, but seriously, it makes the race even more boring.

In the end, the dislikes are outweighed by the bling. Yes, I'm wearing my medal to bed tonight...I'll be dreaming of crossing the finish line again!