Done, state #17.

I got in Nashville after 4pm.  I wasn’t sure whether to call for a shuttle or take a cab to the hotel but my new friend Laura told me that a friend of a friend (Jeff) was at the airport with a car and could give me a ride to the hotel.  Sweet!  Perfect timing too!

He was going first to the expo so I went with him.  I did not wait long for my bib which was nice. Check out the cool bracelet I received!

I love Rock ‘n’ Roll expos but I’ve been to a few of them and didn’t need/want anything.  We walked around and saw Frank Shorter.  I had to take a picture with him.

Later that night Laura and I went out for dinner.  We stopped at The Old Spaghetti Factory but the wait was 45 minutes.  We left our name on the wait list but left to check out other restaurants and possibly get a beer.  We ended up at Rock Bottom Brewery and ate dinner there and drank beer.

Wake up time on race day was 5:15 am.  The hotel was nice enough to offer race participants a ride to the start line.  We went down a little after 6 and waited in line for about an hour.  I was a little annoyed because I don’t like waiting but was glad I did because at least I waited indoors and not at the start line since it was raining.

The rain damped my mood.  It rained all through the race.  I wore shorts, short sleeve shirt, light jacket, and a plastic bag.  I made a mental note that I had to purchase a water resistant jacket (I bought one on Sunday).  I chafed in many places and was in pain when I took a shower.

My goal was to finish in less than 2:30.  Finish time was 2:29:39!!!  And yes another hilly course. Obviously if it hadn’t rain that much then the race experience would have been so much better!

My mile splits were:
Miles 1 through 4-10:12, 10:39, 12:10, 12:39
Miles 5 through 8-11:43, 10:24, 10:48, 12:16
Miles 9 through 12-11:18, 10:41, 11:28, 11:18
Mile 13-12:38

The best part of this race/trip was meeting Laura.  She is such a sweet and amazing person!  She ran the full marathon and finished in 3:55:26.

Done, state #15.  Well, I know Washington DC is not a state but let’s pretend that it is for the sake of this blog and my running goal.  I was very happy with this race because of my finish time (2:22:43) and the weather (it did not rain). Also, the shirt was kind of cool.  So far I’ve received three shirts from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series and this is the second one I like.

I did not write a post about the expo because it was pretty much the same from other Rock ‘n’ Roll expos.  I like the expos but did not find anything that I really wanted or needed.

The weather forecast called for rain on race day.  I don’t mind running in the rain but do mind it when it is cold too.  It is such a miserable experience! Luckily, there was no rain on Saturday.  It was kind of cold so I went back to the hotel (the start line was 2 blocks from the hotel) to put on my long sleeve shirt.  I am glad I did because there were times in which I was cold.

I felt really good for most of the course.  It was boring but I listened to music so that helped a bit. There was great crowd support in parts of the course. And then there was this massive hill around mile 6.  Now, who does that?

I felt a few drops around mile 10 and prayed that it would not rain.  I mean I was almost done and was cold and did not want to get wet.

My favorite part was running towards The Capitol.  Such a pretty view and great because it was mostly downhill.  Not good for my quads but made me feel like flying.

It was a challenge to get to the finish line.  I remember it being mostly uphill.  I was very happy when I crossed the finish line and got my medal.

I love how there is so much food at these races.  There were so many people that it took me a good 10 minutes to get out of there.  I had to meet my friend, Jaime, because we were taking the Metro back to the hotel.

I LOVE Washington DC and am so glad I went for a race.  My visit was not complete until I went to see the White House.  Mission accomplished!

I enjoy reading race recaps.  And even more when they’re of races I’ve ran too.  Here are a few good ones I’ve read of the half marathon this past weekend.  I LOVE how they remembered so many more things than I did about the race.

• Absolut(ly) Fit
• Losing Weight in the City
• Sweat Once A Day

Just Keep Running!

Done, state #13.  Is the number 13 really an unlucky number?   This would have been a “perfect” race (flat) but yet it was a tough race for me.  I am still racking my brain trying to figure out what went wrong.

My finish time was 2:28:22.  Yeah, not happy with it.   I did so much better in Phoenix and that race was just as flat.  The weather?  Both races were sunny but this race was a bit warmer.  I remember that I was sweating before I finished mile 1.

I was tired by mile 6. My legs felt like lead.  I could not make them go faster.  I tried.   I was trying to enjoy the race but it was just too hard. I want to run a race but also have a little bit of fun.   I just couldn’t.

The course was boring.  The best part of it was the last three miles.  There were beautiful houses and amazing crowd support.  I even managed to take a few pictures which I never do during a race.

I was happy to see the finish line and high fived the announcers.  I think one of them was John Bingham aka The Penguin.

As usual there was delicious food after the race.  Unfortunately, I could not stay long because I had to get back to the hotel for my 11am check out.  Too early I think.

I wish I could say I liked this race but I just can’t.  Of course this is just my opinion as other people would say just the opposite.

As for the medal, sigh, kind of boring. What do you think?

Hopefully March is a better month.  I will be in Arkansas for the Little Rock Half Marathon and in DC for another Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.

Just Keep Running!