Hello L.A.....Weekly Wrap


Last weekend I ran my 17th Marathon. It was the LA Marathon and a very quick trip. Usually I am running  the Shamrock marathon on this weekend and it's always so cold and windy. So, when I had the opportunity to run LA I decided it would be a great time to leave the East coast and enjoy some warmer weather and sunshine!


I arrived in LA after taking a very early flight and called an Uber to take me to the Convention Center where I was going to help my friend at the Expo. The Uber called me and told me he was up a few terminals from where I was so I told him I’d be there in a few minutes. When I arrived I saw two people getting in my Uber, so I raced to get to the car right before he pulled away. He asked if I was Lacey and I said yes. Those two said sorry we almost took your Uber!


I arrived at the expo and I have to say for being such a big marathon I was a bit underwhelmed by it. It wasn’t any bigger than any other expo. 


Most of the booths I have seen before. However there were a few booths that were new to me. One was Normatec. 

They were leg booties that were supposed to refresh your legs after a tough workout. They were super expensive at around 1,400. The guy at the booth said that they are used in some training rooms for NFL players. They  said they normally do not go to Marathon Expos but rather Ironman Expos because those athletes supposedly have more of a disposal income. Well they would have to with that price!  I didn’t really care for these. For the price of them you would think they would be amazing. Heck I like my foot massager I own much better and it was much less. The booties just inflated a bit. At least my massage actually squeezes.  

I tried another massage product out. I don’t remember what the name of it was but it was an electric massager. The pressure was pretty good and had several settings. It sounded like an electric mixer when it was getting used. I liked it, but I do not think I would like doing it on myself. 

My favorite product that I tried out was the Buff. They were actually located across from our booth and they were nice enough to let me take one that evening to use in my hotel room. They knew I would be back tomorrow to work the booth again, so they didn’t mind. It was lovely! 

After not eating all day we were starving so we stopped and got dinner at a nice bar and grill right next to the LA Lakers stadium. It was a home game so it was very busy in there but it was a fun atmosphere.

 I got the spinach and shrimp salad with fried capers and a remoulade dressing. It was delicious!



Afterwards we finally checked in at our hotel. It was a beautiful hotel at the Westin Bonaventure. 



This hotel was in many movies back in the 80s and 90s and the “It” place back in the day. There were many restaurants still in the hotel and even a rooftop bar. It was in a great location too since it was only about a mile away from the Expo. The next day I had to meet my friend at the Expo at a certain time because he had a meeting to attend to and I had to watch the booth. 

While I was walking to the expo, I realized I forgot something back at the hotel. While I was walking back I got a bit warm and wanted to take my jacket off. While I was doing that, my hydroflask slipped out of my hand and fell right on my ankle….ouch! Of course it was a full so it was extra heavy.



 I had a feeling it was going to swell up and I needed to put ice on it. Why do things like this happen right before race day?

After working another full day at the expo we headed back to the hotel and just grabbed dinner at a restaurant inside the hotel.

 I decided on a turkey burger with fries. It was the perfect prerace dinner. Then it was time to get ready for my race and to get a good night’s sleep. Stay tuned for my race recap to come!   -L




                                We will be linking up with Holly and Wendy for their weekly wrap.

51 comments:

  1. I have heard Jeff Galloway talk about the bff a lot! It's nice to know it's as good as he claims it to be!

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    1. There was a poster of him at the booth, so he must stand behind his product.

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  2. I hope your ankle was ok for the race! Looking forward to the rest of the recap.

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  3. Those inflatable foot/leg things look a lot like what they put on me in the hospital after my surgery last summer. They felt great, but kept inflating every 10-20 minutes or so, so I had a tough time falling to sleep LOL

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    1. They inflated but didn't really squeeze so that's why I didn't really care for them.

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  4. That's disappointing that the Expo was underwhelming :( I always think that big races have huge expos but that's not always the case I guess.

    I tried the Normatec recovery boots this week and I really liked them. It sounds like maybe you needed it on a higher setting. When I tried them, they really hugged/squeezed my legs and felt great!

    I hope that your ankle was okay for the race. Looking forward to reading your race recap!

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    1. I probably should have told them to turn up the setting. I thought they knew what they were doing though since they were the experts. The expo was probably the size of Shamrock(which wasn't bad) but for such a big marathon I just thought it'd be bigger.

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  5. What a busy weekend! I hope that your ankle felt ok for the race! Our friends have that buff thing and it does feel really good! Not sure if I would buy it but they are better than using a foam roller for sure!

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    1. So much better than a foam roller, but I don't think i would ever buy one either.

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  6. I love those inflatable leg sleeves--I've had those after surgery and I wish I had a pair at home!

    What booth were you working? How fun that you got to be out there. I can't wait to read your recap.

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  7. My chiropractor has the Normatec sleeves & I got to demo them once but I don't think I'd shell out $$ for it. I prefer my massages. :)

    You're such a tease! I know you finished, and I'm hoping now that it went well!

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    1. Me too! No product is that great that it would take place of a massage. Haha...I guess I will hold you in anticipation. Race recap will be up for TOTR.

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  8. The LA marathon always sounds like it would be a fun one to run. See any celebs? I have tried those boots before and they did massage quite a bit. I guess there are different brands. Look forward to the race recap

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    1. I didn't see any celebs but I did meet an Olympian after the race.

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  9. Leaving us in suspense! I hope the ankle felt ok! I knew a few people at the race too and the weather looked ok for it. Looking forward to the recap

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    1. Yeah it was perfect race weather. I have heard it was much warmer in years past.

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  10. My Dallas chiropractor has those boot things, but I never used them. I prefer hot tubs for recovery, along with Epsom soaks in the tub. Then compression socks and foam rolling. Costs way less than that price!

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    1. Yes it does! I love hot Epsom salt baths as well. That and some wine,a great recovery!

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  11. I think the biggest expo I go to is for Cherry Blossom, but even then I rarely see something "new". I have so much running gear! I usually like the food at Westin hotels -- a burger and fries would hit the spot for sure.

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    1. I almost chose a fried avocado that sounded delicious but figured that wasn't a good meal prior to a race.

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  12. I really want to try those Normatec pants...people seem to love them! But wow, expensive.

    Excited to hear about the race!

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    1. I think I would have enjoyed them better had the setting been up higher.

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  13. I get overwhelmed at large expos, so I would have liked the smaller expo at LA. I wonder how many Normatec devices they sold? That seems pricey for the average runner. A neighbor of mine went out to run the LA Marathon but I haven't had a change to catch up with her yet. I look forward to reading your race recap. I hope your ankle was OK. Thanks for linking!

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    1. I asked, and they said they only sold a few, and that was towards the end of the second day even.

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  14. I expect big races to have big, fabulous expos too. I was underwhelmed at the NYC Half Marathon expo. Hope your ankle was ok for the race!

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    1. You would think, the larger the city the bigger the expo. I guess not.

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  15. Ouch!! Hope your ankle was okay for the race - I will be back for the race recap! It's funny I was saying to my husband the other day that so many random things always happen to me leading up to a race!

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  16. Did standing on your feet at the expo both of those days tire you out?

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  17. Wow Lacey, I'm impressed that you worked the expo two days standing on your feet then ran a marathon! Those inflatable boots sound good but yeah, for that price, a massage would do just fine for me. Lol Can't wait to read the recap!

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    1. I was happy to have a chair to sit in during the expo. Yes they were way pricey!

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  18. I look forward to hearing about the race! I tried out the buff when I was at Disney for the marathon and really liked it. It was a bit pricy for my budget but I got a car buffer instead that works pretty well!

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    1. That's what it reminded me of. So you use the car buffer on your legs? Maybe I need to get one of those.

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  19. Sounds like a fun intro to the city. Sorry you hurt your leg though- hopefully it didn't impact your race!

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  20. Interesting take on the Normatec boots. I've only heard people RAVE about them. I agree that they better be freaking AWESOME for $1400. Sheesh! Can't wait to read your recap. LA is on my list!

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    1. I guess I should have suggested them put a higher setting on.

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  21. I don’t own a BFF but i love that thing and try it out at every expo! They were so nice to let you borrow it! :) sounds like a fun day besides the ankle mishap!

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    1. I like that much better than the booties. I wish that was cheaper too.

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  22. I'm honestly not much of an Expo person. Most of the time they're too crowded for me to really enjoy myself. Or they're too small to have anything I actually care about. Ha! I'm impressed you worked a booth then ran a marathon!

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    1. I like expos. I am always hopeful to see something new at one. Although that's when I end up spending too much money!

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  23. Oh goodness, I hope that your ankle was okay the next day for the race. I can only imagine how frustrated you must have been!

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  24. I wish I had known you were running LA-we definitely could have met up! I had to go to an event across the street from your hotel on Saturday. I am looking forward to your recap-I really struggled through this race and was so happy to finish!

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  25. Congrats on another half marathon! I hope your ankle was okay for it! That hotel looks really pretty and your food looks delicious! Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks! It was a full marathon, so that yummy food really fueled me for the weekend.

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  26. Oh no I hope your foot is okay! I've heard such great things about the LA Marathon, I hope you had a great race!

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