I ran the Los Angeles Marathon today.

My legs are sore. Sitting down hurts. My chest is chafed up and appears like I have a weird sun burn. My waistline is worse thanks to my running pants and the iFitness fuel belt I wore low on my waist. I screamed the moment hot water hit my wounds in the shower. My ankles are bandaged up hiding the few cuts on each. And I have a crazy appetite but little desire to eat. Food upsets my tummy. I’m sleepy, but when I tried to sleep all the caffeine in my system kept me up.

But I’m happy. Elated, really.

I ran a marathon. I ran it soaked from head to toe. I ran in an intense storm, the kind we rarely get in LA (think 2 inches in some parts and floods in others). I ran smart paces (sorta). I ran happy, smiling, interacting with spectators, and cheering on my fellow runners. And I met my goals. Namely, finishing and clocking in at 4:30 or less. I’m happy with my 4:23:56 finish, a 10:04 pace.

I’ll be back with more on hanging out at Dodger Stadium at dawn, running in a crazy storm, bloody ankles, the cool SRLA student carrying a Mexican flag, those “smart” paces, my favorite signs, splits (for my fellow running nerds), my new found love for GU Roctane, admiration for spectators and volunteers braving the rain, the great support and signs from my family and Sean, the final few miles I ran choking back tears, finishing strong (!), post-race family reunion and subsequent misery (I was cold and wet, y’all, I think I was on the verge of hypothermia), and recovery.

Follow my progress on Twitter or sign up on the race day tracker.

If I wasn’t running the LA Marathon, I’d drag myself out of bed early Sunday morning and head to the part of the course nearest to me. That would be somewhere in Beverly Hills (mile 16-17). I’d likely lose my voice yelling out for the runners, “Go, [random name spotted on a bib]!”

And I’d hold up a sign. I’m not sure what would be on it. I’d probably stay away from toenail jokes as they’re pretty common (but that sign above was popular in NY).

I’d probably pick something from below:

¡Sí se puede!
Short, simple and reflecting the bilingual nature of this city. I held this sign while cheering for Lori at the Surf City Half Marathon and lots of people, Latino and non, liked it.

RAWR! (Dinosaur for “run fast!”)
Something silly. It would work best with a drawing of a dinosaur.

¡Echále ganas!
Another Spanish one meaning, loosely, “give it your all!”

Dale, dale, dale / No pierdas el ritmo
This little diddy is used when kids are hitting piñatas. I think it could be applied to running. Translation: hit it, hit it, hit it/don’t lose the rhythm.

Kick some asphalt!
A little pun never hurt anyone.

The beach is that way —>
Of course, I’d have to make sure I put the arrow facing west.

Nice legs!
With all that running, they do tone up nicely.

Just keep running
This one would work best with a picture of Dori from Finding Nemo. I like her mantra, “Just keep swimming”

4+ hours to get from the Stadium to the sea? Wow, LA traffic is BAD!
Might be a little long, for a sign, but I had to find a way to make a dig at LA’s traffic and congestion issues.

Finish line = tacos!
You could substitute tacos for other goodies like cupcakes, ice cream, cookies, beer, cheeseburger, In-N-Out, champagne, wine, etc.

Run like the Tarahumara
Well, not in the deserts of Chihuahua and not in huaraches. But, still fast, strong and for long distances.

I hope LA spectators amuse me and my fellow runners with some clever signs.

Everything I’ve read on pre-marathon week preparation stresses two things: hydration and rest.

I’m a pro at drinking plenty of water. Rest? Not so much.

I love DST and longer days, but the effects of losing an hour are tough on my circadian rhythm. Add to that nerves about the marathon and worries about school. It’s enough to keep me up tossing and turning until 4 a.m. Fortunately, I have a flexible work schedule and work from home some Wednesdays. I made up some of the hours of sleep I lost and slept in.

Since I’m tapering, I’ve only run a little bit in the last two weeks. I feel like I’m slacking off, but I know the taper is important. On Saturday I ran 6 miles then took two days off. Tuesday I ran 3.1 miles at goal marathon pace and I’ll do the same later today.

The rest of the week will be race day prep. Friday morning, I’ll go to the expo at Dodger Stadium to beat the Saturday crowds. I’ll pick up my bib — #5339, almost the same as my La Puente Main Street 10K bib number, 339 — and wash my running clothes. I’ll finalize my playlist, a mix of my favorite running and LA-centric songs, and charge my Garmin.

Saturday will be spent helping out at a fundraiser at my parents’ house (more on that later) and topping off my glycogen stores, or carbo loading. That might include a donut. I ate one the day before the LB Half Marathon and accomplished my goals. What kind of athlete would I be if I didn’t have a silly pre-race ritual?

Despite my nerves, I feel good about Sunday. I’m a little worried about the rain; I’ve only done short runs on rainy days. Still, I’ll take rain over blazing heat and clear skies. That’s nice for a day at the beach, not a day running 26.2 miles to the beach. Ideally, the heavens will wait until late afternoon to begin pouring and we’ll have a cool 60 degree morning and cloudy skies. I’ll petition las ánimas de mi tía Macaria and hope she comes through.

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If you’d like to track my progress Sunday, follow me on Twitter or check Facebook. No, I won’t be tweeting during the race. I’ve set up the race day tracking to update my social networks. I’ll tweet as I cross certain points. You can also sign up to have updates sent via text.