2013 Rock n Roll Marathon + 1/2 Race Review

Race Morning- Corrals and Snacks

The BF and I woke and headed out to the race early, as recommended by Rock N Roll Marathon organizers.  Anticipating high metro traffic, we headed out a little after 6am (race started at 7:30).  The Metro was fine.  There were a number of runners, sure, but plenty of empty seats to choose from.  Cool.  Things were looking good.

Our view walking to the start line after the Metro

We got to the start line to scope it out.  We had one of the last corrals, because I had an estimated finish time of 3 hours.  The BF also wrote that as his time, so he could start with me.  It wasn't until we were about to start that we realized they didn't put us in the same corrals anyway.  Whatever.  The corrals turned out to be kind of a joke anyway.  People all moved forward slowly as the waves went out, and all the lines blurred.  I'm still not sure what corral we actually ended up starting in.

Anyway, the corrals had port-a-potties right in them.  This turned out to be one of those good thing/bad thing deals.  It was nice that you didn't have to leave your corral to use one right before the race, but the lines also got in the way as the waves headed out and people moved forward.  Nonetheless, we made use of them while waiting for our wave to start, so I'm thankful.

After finding our corral, we headed to the gear checks, (by way of some snack tables).  I grabbed a banana and two little water bottles.  I had my protein bar packed, but I was glad to add a banana to my morning meal.  It was nice that they were full bananas, rather than cut in half like some races (and thus brown and slimy).  I also ended up carrying the second water bottle for the first three miles or so, which was nice (I'll get to the water stop mess in the race summary). 

Gear Check

So, we got VERY lucky with regard to the gear check.  Arriving as early as we did is clearly a MUST.  I'm guessing using the BF's last name initial (S) was helpful, too.  After we dropped our gear and headed back around to the starting corrals, we saw the lines get longer and longer.  They used buses for gear check.  Because it was so early in the morning, it was hard to see the letter groupings labels on the buses, which was a bit annoying.  The only signs we saw were on the back doors of the buses, where they loaded.  It would have been nice to have a bigger sign on the sides as well.

Gear Check near the Washington Monument



Starting Line

I was very cold at the start, and freaking out a little bit about the gear I chose.  Almost everyone around me was wearing way more layers than I chose.  I was wearing my skirt (of course) (http://www.sparkleskirts.com/) and my long sleeved shirt.  That's it.  No gloves, no knit hat, no tights.  I HATE getting over-heated, so I usually err on the lighter side gear-wise, but I was worried about almost everything before this race.  Why not gear, too?

I was not much fun to be around before this race.  I had tons of doubts swimming in my head.  The BF asked if I was excited and got various responses that ranged anywhere from my desire to vomit to my thoughts of bailing.  Of course, I would not bail.  I would hate myself if I didn't do it.  There's also that bit about how I lecture my children about not being quitters.  I wouldn't have a leg to stand on with them in the future.  Perhaps most importantly, I wanted that dang medal!!!

As I said, the corrals were each started a few minutes apart.  We were supposed to start in corrals 32/33, but I think by the time everyone pushed ahead, we started in maybe corral 30 or 31.  Either way, we crossed the start line at 8:19am.  (The first corral started at 7:30).  Being so far back, we barely knew when the anthem was being sung, much less heard it.  That bummed me out, because I really like the anthem.


And we're off!

I fully intended to follow my training by running 4 minutes, walking one minute, and repeating for 13.1 miles.  But forget that!  Early on, there was no way you could walk if you wanted to.  Even in our ridiculously late-starting corral, there were too many runners for the first couple miles to make room for anyone to walk.

That was fine.  I didn't feel like walking anyway.  The weather was perfect.  It was supposed to be cold and rainy, but it turned out to be 40s with little to no wind and overcast.  It even got warmer and clear skies by the end.  Beautiful!  Of course, this Wisconsin girl, who has been tethered to a treadmill for months, would've been pretty good with anything snowless.  :)

Prior to the race, I put on the temporary "pace tat" to keep me at my nice, slow pace.  With it, I was aiming for 2:52 (I told you it was slow).  Early on, my Nike+ told me I was pushing more at a 12:20 pace. 

I got mine on Amazon, but their web site is www.pacetat.com

But I felt so great!!!  I couldn't believe it!  A nice, slow, steady 12:20-12:40 pace felt perfect- like I could go for hours.  And so I did!

The hill at mile 6ish was tough.  I had read about it, so I knew it would be my biggest challenge.  Here's the cool thing, though: you can see it coming.  I mean, quite a time before you're there, you know it's coming.  Perfect!  I walked a little bit right before to store some energy, because dang if I was gonna walk that hill.  I am a runner!!!

So, I dug in.  Head down, shortened stride, I ran, (very, very slowly) up that whole hill.  It wasn't even possible to count the number of people I passed who were walking it.  In fact, I only saw a couple other people who WERE running it.  Crazy.  After the hill was the only time in the run where I debated taking a puff of my inhaler. 

Finally, the crowds started picking up.  That was nice, because the race was pretty quiet up until then.  It was nice to get some energy from the people cheering and playing music.  The bands on the course were fun, but just too infrequent to really keep you going.  I was glad I had my headphones.

Finish Line

 Miles 10-12 had mile markers that were difficult to find.  I was glad I had watched the video laying out the course at the expo, because I had a decent idea how far I was.  I also had my Nike+, which was off about .2mile, but still helpful.

Like too many races I've run before, I thought the finish line was difficult to see.  The BF spotted me about .2mile before the end and was there for encouragement.  Didn't need it.  I rocked this dang thing.  Slowly, but it was MY race.  I passed a lot of t-shirts that read "I got this" and I thought, "no, I got this!"  All I wanted to know was where the line was, so I could kick it up a bit at the end, without killing my asthmatic lungs.  The BF told me where it was (around a curve, you couldn't see it until you were almost there), and I headed off to finish.

After the Finish Line

Unfortunately, it was a long time before I would see the BF again.  What a mess!!!

Finishing was sadly anti-climactic.  No BF in sight, some little girl handed me my medal all wrapped up tight in plastic, and I shuffled through with the other cattle to get some food and drink.  Supply was fine.  Obviously, they used more of their volunteers in the chute than they did on the course.  Still, it was a mass of humanity.

I couldn't find the BF, and I was starting to feel junky.  I wandered, slowly and in a haze, looking for his red shirt and white hat.  Nothing.  So, I started looking for the reunion spots.

Not only could I not find the reunion spots, I couldn't find a volunteer anywhere to ask.  When I finally found some medical volunteers, they only had a guess as to where to send me.  So, I slowly wandered farther, chugging Gatorade, toward the incredibly loud band.

Praise God, I started seeing reunion letter signs!  I aimed for the "C" as planned, and stood there.  I stretched a bit, ate a power bar, and stood there.  I looked around, my stomach turned, and I stood there.  No BF.  Where's my BF?  I want to see my BF!  I just finished my first freaking half marathon, where is my BF?!?!?

Yeah, the poor BF was stuck in line at Gear Check for an eternity.  What a mess.  When he found me, we high-tailed it out of the noise and crowd.  Forget the free beer and "after party".  Too much noise for us.

Apparently, many other people agreed.  We didn't get far before we realized the huge block FULL of people standing around near the bus stations was actually the line for the Metro!!!  FORGET THAT!!

We decided to walk a bit and try and hail a cab.  So did many other runners, unfortunately, because any cab we saw was either full or not stopping.  So, after my first 13.1 mile race, I walked another 2.2 miles back to the hotel.  Yikes.

And yet, I survived.  Thrilled at my accomplishment.

After we got showered and settled, the BF gave me a card.  Inside, was a magnet bumper sticker for my car.  I got weepy.  (sniff sniff)  I had always said I wanted a bumper sticker, but not until I could run the ENTIRE 13.1 miles.  The BF thought I needed one when I finished, regardless of how I did it.

Well, here I am, with great pride, holding my medal and bumper sticker (thrilled that I ended up running it all in 2:44):

I DID IT!!!!!!



In Summary

A List of Pros:
1) Port-a-potties a plenty.
2) The bands they had were fun.
3) Location, location, location... running in D.C., past Lincoln, the White House, etc. was incredible!
4) Metro in the morning was well run and not too crowded.
5) Photographers were everywhere.  I am already tagged in about a dozen pictures.  Fun for my first half, even if they are NOT flattering at all.  :)
6) Expo was fun, but plan for Homeland Security to slow your entry.


A List of Cons:
1) Not enough volunteers!  The water stops were poorly staffed, and there didn't seem to be enough Gatorade.  Major fail.  At some points, they were dipping cups in buckets of Gatorade to fill them, and using hoses to fill water.  I felt bad for the very few people there were, trying to keep up.  They had no chance.
2) The corrals were a joke.  Nice try, though.
3) Post-race chaos was out of control.  Better signage would've made a big difference.  The BF said it was VERY congested when he finished (about 2 hours) and it took him forever to get through.  That's why he figured he would have time to get to Gear Check while I went through the chute.
4) Transportation after the race was a NIGHTMARE!  Plan something else, or have a cab company in your phone to call... something!  Walking back to the hotel afterward was less than ideal, but it was better than standing still indefinitely waiting for the Metro.
5) Gear Check lines were incredibly long.  Expect to spend a lot of time there.



But did I mention I ran the whole thing???!?!?!??

:)

Thanks for reading.



2013 Rock n Roll USA Marathon + 1/2 - Expo Review

The Expo Day Finally Arrived!

The BF has always giggled at me for saying (with passion), "The expo is important!"  It is important! If it's not enough that you get your bib, t-shirt, and ever-important swag bag, it's also the point where you really start to feel the energy and excitement of what is about to happen.

"The Rock n Roll Marathon + 1/2" (as they call it) had an expo that did not disappoint excitement-wise.  Well, at least it was dang exciting for me.  The poor BF got some heat from me for not walking fast enough to the expo.  :)

When we arrived, I snapped this quick photo of the sign, assuming I'd be able to come back and get another one of me there later.  Unfortunately, Homeland Security was pretty strict there and would not let me back. 

 



I was disappointed in how the race dealt with my registration.  As I mentioned before, they lost me.  I nagged a lot, and they found me, but I had a lot of troubles getting the registration form to print.  In some areas of their site, I was still missing.  Likewise, when my family went to pay the ridiculous $2 to track me as I ran (that should totally be free, that's bonk!), the system couldn't find me.  So, at the expo, I went to their "Solutions" booth to ask them to solve this issue.  They suggested I freaking try again.  I did, on my phone, with their special app, right in front of them, and it still failed.  They said having gotten my shirt and walked through the expo should have magically activated it.  Again, I showed them it did not.  They suggested I try the web site itself and come back if that didn't work.  Forget them!  I was annoyed and left.  So, good news, my family couldn't waste the $2 if they wanted to; bad news, they couldn't track me if they wanted to. 

That was a fail on the race's part, of course in addition to my registration snafus.

But nothing was getting me down at this point.  Instead, I was beginning to freak out.  I mean, FREAK OUT! 

They showed a video on screens of the half and full races.  Man, did that seem long.  I kept telling the BF that I didn't know what I was thinking, and that I felt sick.  His "trust the training, trust the taper" mantras were not cutting it.

WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING???!!?!?!?!



"This seemed like a good idea 3 months ago"



 

 

 

Anyway, I was sure feeling the emotion of this shirt.  It was a rip off at $25 for a crazy thin material, or I'd have bought it.

 

We had fun trying power bars, getting free samples, and looking at gear.  I tried on a Bondi Band and finally got the BF to understand that I am not the kind of girl who can pull one of those off.  He agreed that it was, shall we say, not flattering.  :)  Instead, I got myself a new visor with the race name and year on it.  Yay!

Fun Stuff We Found
 



 

My favorite find of the expo was SHOE BLING!!!  For real!  How perfect is that?!?! 

 

I was all over it!  I bought the one below, as well as a heart shaped one with tons of sparkle that said "I rock DC 3/16/13".  (I can never pass up a two-for-one deal.)  I only put the smaller one on my shoe for the race, because the BF reminded me of the "no new gear for race day" rule.  I felt comfortable with the little, light one (below), but the heart worried me.  In hind sight, I would've put both on.  I never felt it at all, but I did feel the joy of my blinged-up shoe.  :)

 

 

Please note that the "." in the "13.1" is a little rhinestone.  Fun!

 

Anyway, to get your own, go to www.beecausecharms.com

 

 

 

While at the expo, the BF and I also found these great dealios:

 

 



I don't have it closed up correctly, because I just threw it together to take a picture, but you get the idea.  They're a little Velcro do-dad that you slip under your laces (no need to undo the laces) and then tie your shoe, and then close it up with laces inside.  Even the BF broke his "no new gear on race day" rule to use these.  LOVED THEM.  I never once thought about my laces during the race.  They were so light, I never felt them, and there was no worry of the laces coming untied.

 

I think the man who designed and makes them was the man in the booth at the expo.  He said his son did a lot of cross country, and was having trouble with his laces.  So, the dad made these.  Awesome!  I bought them not only because they made sense and there was a two-for-one deal, but because I liked the guy selling them.  Made in the USA, clearly, and by this cool guy.  Try them!  You'll love them.

 

www.lacelocker.com

 

 

 

 So, all in all, a fun and fruitful expo.  The metro to and from was smooth, and we got there at a good time before it was too crowded and crazy.  I'm very happy with my shirt (women's cut, nice!)  and bag, as well as all the fun free goodies we got while we were there.  Here's the haul:



 

Since we didn't get the photo at the expo entrance, the BF got this one of me after we left (I'm still wearing the dress I wore to my work conference that morning.):

 

 

 



Race review to follow soon.  Thank you for reading!

 

 



5th Annual Festival Foods Turkey Trot

As my Achilles is on the mend, I decided to keep my plans for the Festival Foods 5th Annual Turkey Trot in Appleton.  Just before my tendinitis kicked in, I was at about 4.8 miles max.  This was a five mile run.  I hadn't run more than the 4.37 miles of Tyranena in at least a month or two.  I was ambitious, but cautious.

Race shirt and bib pick up was Wednesday, the day before the race/Thanksgiving, from 2-6pm.  With the weather predicted as unseasonably warm, I expected the 5-6pm after-work hour would be a busy time to get my packet.  It was full of volunteers and tables in a large room, making pick up a cinch.  There was no bag of junk, nor goodies for that matter.  There was no bag at all.  Just the bright orange shirt and bib.  The bib, however, included a pull-off tab good for one 5-inch pumpkin pie!  Yummers!

I was totally jacked to have a bib that said "5 mile run" instead of "2 mile walk" like the Turkey Trots of my past.  For once, I was going to be in the division of a race that was the farthest distance offered!!!

The BF and I went out to eat, as has become our night-before-race tradition, and got the gear ready for the morning.  We were pumped about the forecast.  40s!  The wind was the only variable.  We weren't sure what it would do.

In the morning, after breakfast, the BF and I headed to the race.  What a crowd!  Tons of people racing, and thankfully, tons of volunteers.

The race had separated walkers and runners, and made people with dogs start behind. Lovely plan, until the runners with dogs catch up to slow pokes like me.  Even worse when two dogs ram into the back of my legs. 

So, it is official: I absolutely HATE dogs in races.  No offense to the dog lovers of the world, but it is just way too much chaos for me.  I almost fell from those giant, uncontrolled beasts, and it's not like the race can effectively determine which owners are good vs. bad.  Of course there are some who keep good control over their dogs, and running with them is a better experience for them.  But, seriously, I HATE IT!

ok, done ranting for now.  All in all, I'd do it again.

(The pie was yum!  ;)

The BF and I before the race:

The Turkey and I:

Tyranena 2012

     The BF and I had heard buzz several months ago about the Tyranena Races.  Intrigued, we signed up way back in early August.  In spite of my continuing achilles issues, I ran the "sixth of a barrel" route today, as planned.

     Because it is ever-so-important, I'll start with the swag...

     The swag bag was extremely minimal.  It was a plastic shopping-type bag from the Tyranena Brewing Company.  Makes sense.  Inside, there were a few flyers for other races, my t-shirt, and the tickets for the meal and beer.
     I was happy there wasn't a ton of miscellaneous junk in there that I would throw out anyway.  While there wasn't any of the other little fun things, the lunch and beer tickets were way cool.

The BF got himself the beer deal, but I'm not a beer lover.  I dig the girly running beer bottle on the shirt.  The shirt was way soft, too, which I LOVE.  So, all in all, I'm gonna give a thumbs up for the swag bag.


     Having only been running very minimally the last several weeks to baby my achilles, I was a little nervous for this race.  I had no idea what to expect of myself.  I'd read the course was hilly, and I have not trained for hills much.  I hadn't run more than three miles in quite some time, and when I did run, it was slow and easy.

     I started out a little rushed, feeling the adrenaline of the crowd.  I was thrilled to only have to navigate around one group of walkers and NO dogs or strollers.  While I felt rough for the first half mile or so, I found my groove before the first mile marker.  I felt great!  The achilles was apparent, but nothing I couldn't trudge through.  My new inhaler had the lungs in a happy place (in spite of the 40 degrees), and I was thrilled to find a happy pace.  I felt like I could go for ten miles like that.  I slowly passed a number of people, and kept doing so the remainder of the race.

    But, I mentioned the hills, right?

     They weren't terrible, actually.  I shortened my stride and took them easy.  I loved the downhill time, too. They didn't kill me or anything, but as the race wore on, they definitely took some energy out of me.  Nonetheless, I was able to enjoy the beautiful neighborhood and scenery.

     In the end, I finished my 4.37 miles in about an 11 minute pace.  Not too bad, all things considered.  The BF said the hills on the "half barrel" were pretty significant.  He did great, too, but I'm not sure he would say that.  :(

    I was so excited to see so many ladies in skirts today.  Many, like me, chose to wear running tights underneath them due to the cold.  I saw some fun patterns, and many black ones.  I love my fun patterned one, but I'm looking forward to a new black one.  It's so much easier to match things to black.  Anyway, that's just rambling.

    Since the half starts an hour before the sixth, I was alone for a while.  I put my feet up and fiddled on my iphone.  Not ten minutes after I finished, the BF crossed the finish line as well.  It was fun to see him start and finish, but strange to have run my whole race while he was gone.  I joked that he wouldn't have known if I had just skipped it and drank beer instead.

     The lasagna lunch was super yummy, and the post-race snacks were really great, too.  The lines, however, were a little long.  It's not cool to have to stand completely still in a chute for quite a while immediately after finishing a race.

    Here's my take on the race overall:

Pros:
 -fun, soft t-shirt
 -yummy lasagna and post-race snacks (cookies, peanuts, bananas, etc.)
 -drink tickets.  I particularly enjoyed that I could get other drinks instead of beer.
 -beautiful route.  If you've never been to Lake Mills, you should check it out.
 -lots of other ladies there in skirts! :)
 -great deal on their beer for runners.
 -no hassle of navigating around walkers, strollers, and dogs




Cons:
 -Fun medals were only for half finishers.  (I'm always whining about not getting a medal, though.)
 -If you're a person who needs the crowd to keep you pumped, this is not your race.  There was hardly anyone along the route.
 -Long lines.  The chute was way too backed up, and while we got in the meal line at a great time, a lot of people were stuck for a very long time.
 -No live person singing the anthem.  There was a recording.  For reals!  This is a biggie for me, because I'm a singer.  How hard is it to find some local person or high school kid to sing the anthem for you?  Heck, I'd do it.  There's always someone willing.  I refused to applaud a silly recording of the anthem.



Other things I'd change:
-Make the starting horn louder or longer.
-Have more than one guy passing out the medals (although he was really sweet and congratulated everyone).
-Get recycle bins.  All those water bottles in the trash is just sad.



Here are our drinks and the BF's medal:

Me and the BF in the tent post-race:

Me, in my skirt, relaxing outside after lunch.  It was great to stretch on the grass.

Thanks, Tyranena!  Maybe I'll do it again in 2013.

http://www.tyranena.com/beerrun/