Rock ‘n’ Roll LA Half 2015: Part 1, Expo

October 23, 2015 by Tam 1 Comment

The Rock ‘n’ Roll LA Half weekend is always such a great event that I had to write it in two parts! The expo was held at the LA Convention Center and as always, was easy, well-organized and fun! All Rock ‘n’ Roll events are great!

I looked up my number quickly on the tablet and signed the waiver there.

I was excited to see that Sir Mix-a-Lot would be performing at the post-race concert! Super cool!

I ran into my friend and former teammate, Michael! It’s always fun to run into friends at the expo.

I walked into the Check In area and looked for my bib number range. I showed my ID and got my bib.

I picked up my shirt after that.

I decided to check out a different size and easily exchanged for another.

Merchandise was next and there was plenty of gear!

I always like to buy the pin as I now have a collection of Rock ‘n’ Roll pins from all of the ones I’ve run. The pin looked just like the medal.

Now for the fun! I went after work on a Friday and didn’t have much time explore the expo but checked things out quickly. The Rock ‘n’ Roll LA expo is intimate with just the right amount of booths to check out.

I visited my friends at Momentum Jewelry first! I love their Motivate Wraps, Foot Notes, leather Wish Wraps and Suede Cuffs. I love looking at them for little reminders of inspiration when I need them. Use my link to save 10% on your purchase!

After Momentum, I wanted to visit my friend, Sandy, owner of BIC Bands. I have been a big fan of her non-slip headbands for years and was looking forward to checking out her new BOCO technical trucker hats. She supported my Team Muscle Makers fundraiser and I wanted to thank her in person! We talked a lot about BIC Bands, running and the new hats!

I love these hats! They’re technical trucker hats made by BOCO with Sandy’s designs. They fit well and I love the styles and colors. Thank you Sandy, for my new hats!

All in all, like all Rock ‘n’ Roll expos, this was was well-organized and was easy to navigate. I went after work and only had 45 minutes to get everything done but was able to do so as it’s a smaller expo. As always, the expo got me pumped up for the race! Yeah! I’ve been doing this race since its inception so I’m excited to be a Legacy runner and continue this tradition!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Race Recap Part 2: Rock ‘n’ Roll LA Half 2015

October 19, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon is a super fun event! I’ve run the race since its inception and am proud to be a legacy runner for this race! From the expo (read about the expo fun here!) to the post-race festivities, this race is one I can’t miss!

The fun starts at Staples Center, near LA Live. Gear check was near LA Live this year.

I met up with my good friend, Emelia @halfcrazymama.

I found my Coyote friends!

I found my AREC friends, too!

We got into our corral. I found another friend, Smitha @runningwithsdmom and she asked me if I wanted to run her pace. I wasn’t sure I could keep up but I said I’d try.

Smitha and I pretty much ran the whole race together, which was great! I felt good and we just had fun and took tons of photos. We ran into Carlee @carleemcdot who looked so cute as Rosie the Riveter!

I got to meet Andrea Barber finally! My friend Linzie is always talking about her so I was so happy to meet her! And I was a fan of the show, “Full House.” 🙂 She was cheering us on which was so cool!

There were some course changes this year due to the 6th Street Bridge closure. There were actually more hills on the course!

We were treated to the Walt Disney Concert Hall at the top of the hill!

We ran downhill toward City Hall. Only bad thing is we’ll have to run up this 1st Street hill later on. This is a dreaded hill on the LA Marathon course, too. I was telling Smitha about this, too, since she’s considering running LAM.

I loved the Divo girls!

We ran through Little Tokyo which was great! This part of the course was different from previous years.

I saw fellow INKnBURN Ambassador friend, Kristy, in Little Tokyo!

We ran near the Art District.

The DJ was playing groovy house music in this section.

We ran up the 4th Street Bridge.

Unicorn and the Gnome!

I stopped to pay homage to the 6th Street Bridge across the way.

We ran an out-and-back on a side street which was boring except that the race tried to make it fun by making it the Toyota Inspiration Station. There was an announcer, a DJ and cheer squads. So that was cool!

My friend, Wil, caught me zombifying the Inspiration Station!

Selfie by Wil!

Wil was scurrrred!!! Lol!

We headed back over the bridge.

The view of DTLA is pretty!

We ran by one of my favorite ramen spots, Daikokuya! Yumm….craving ramen!

We ran up the dreaded 1st Street hill! After this, the course is pretty much downhill and flat.

Finish line! Yeahhh!!! We had great weather. I liked the course more than before, even though there were more hills. It was well organized, as always, and I loved seeing friends on the out-and-back sections.

I got to see my fellow Orange Mud Ambassador, Amber, at the finish!

Dunkin Donut coffee at the finish, too! I’m in heaven!

I had SunRype fruit strips to share with my friends. Zombies love SunRype, too! I hurried and changed so I could catch the post-race concert with Sir Mix-a-Lot!!! The line to get into the beer garden was long but it moved fairly quickly.

I missed about 10 minutes of the concert and stayed till the end.

The best place to celebrate is at the post-race concert!

I loved the concert! Sir Mix-a-Lot was jammin’! He played new songs and of course, the songs everyone knows!

He needed audience participation for his most famous song! Haha.

He even came into the crowd to greet his fans! Woohoo! I got a couple of selfies!

Best post-race concert ever! It was so much fun!

After the concert, there was a costume contest. This guy ran in his Red Solo Cup costume the whole race. He won first place.

The Headless Horseman costume was pretty awesome, too. He ran in this costume the entire race, as well.

My friends and I always close out this beer garden and have breakfast. I couldn’t hang out to have breakfast this year so I was bummed but I was glad to see them for a bit. I love Rock ‘n’ Roll LA! Great course, awesome bling, fun post-race concert and lots of friends! I love LA!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Let’s Connect!