Rock -n- Roll Series Virginia Beach 2012

I was very excited to run this race, since a lot of my friends from my running group (Hampton Road Runners) were doing it as well. This would be the first race I would be doing that I could consider myself a local. Last year I was unable to do it because I was moving the same weekend, so this time there was nothing in my way that was going to keep me from doing this race. Another reason that I wanted to do this race was because I've heard nothing but great things about the Rock and Roll Series. My mom and sister were meeting me here for the weekend to partake in the concert series and of course watch me run the race.

The Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Series started on Friday, August 31 with a Health and Fitness Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  The Expo continued on Saturday and I went on both days. I was excited to see that Run Disney had a booth there so I promptly signed up for more Disney races. I also got some cool goodies for doing so.  Here are the bags we got:




I got these bags for registering for more Disney races. The sling bag came in handy all weekend as we rode our bikes along the boardwalk.

Another highlight from the expo was getting to meet biggest loser contestants Dan and Jackie Evans from season 5. They were there promoting the Biggest loser Run Walk event that they are doing in cities across the US. Check out the website and see if the event is coming to a city near you!

Biggest Loser Run Walk




 

The morning of the race I woke up at 5 am and stepped outside and it already felt like 90 degrees  and humid!  I love the heat and was hoping to not have to be chilly at the beginning of the race. Another good thing about this race was it was so close to my apartment  so we walked to the starting line.  It was me, my mom, and my sister with her “designer” sign in tow. My last Half Marathon I did was in February at Disney. I completed that in 1:57. So of course my goal was to beat that. I thought I had a good chance of exceeding that goal, since I had been running a lot over the summer with my running group.  As we got into our corals I noticed many people that dressed for the occasion. We thought Disney was the only place people dressed up for races, but we were wrong. We saw runners dressed as Elvis and many 80’s rock icons.



The race started at 7:00 am in front of the VA Beach convention center.  The course continued down 19^th street towards the waterfront and a right on 18^th street until we got to Pacific Ave.  We ran Pacific Ave to General Booth Blvd, which was probably the longest part of the run.  After mile 6, we turned left on Prosperity Rd, did a loop around Birdneck (via Jefferson Ave and Headquarters Rd).  Right after Mile 10 we were on the home stretch running Southside Rd all the way to the Boardwalk entering on 2^nd street taking us that last part of the mile to the finish line on the Boardwalk at 17^th street.

The finish line is right on the boardwalk.

During the race I felt really good. I was pacing myself well, and was in a zone by listening to my ipod. Music does really help! I was very comfortable with the course since I had been running it often with my group. By being a Rock and Roll Race I was expecting so much more music and entertainment throughout the race. Maybe I just didn't hear much, since I just said I did zone out with my own music. Either way, I was proud to say that I completed it in 1:50 even with the heat and humidity! My fastest Half Marathon to date, but surely not my last!

 

Completing my first Rock n Roll Race.

 

After the race was when the fun began. Not saying the race itself was not fun, but it is always a good feeling to be done! It was especially fun for my family. Days prior to the race I met the Vice President of Course Operations of the Race. He was nice enough to pull some string to get us VIP treatment! After the race, we had a complimentary brunch at Rockfish Grill at the Ocean Front with mimosas. Also, he was able to give us passes to get in to all the concerts on the beach for the weekend. The line up included The Wailers and O.A.R ( Friday), Soul Asylum  and Cheap trick ( Saturday), and the best concert of all was after the race on Sunday night, Andy Grammer and three time Grammy award winner Train!  This was followed by a fireworks show on the beach.  What a perfect way to end a great race weekend over Labor day!   We can’t wait for Rock n Roll VA Beach 2013!



Rock n Roll race medal for 2012. It is suppose to be a wave.

 

 

Thanks for reading!
-L