Rock n Roll VA Beach Half Marathon

This past weekend was the Rock n Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon. I have been running this race the last four years and each year it has been just as hot and humid as the years  before. I didn’t think that this year would be any different. Weeks leading up to the race it had been unbearable with the heat and humidity. Therefore my longer runs did not happen. I was just going to use this race as a long training run. My running buddy and I decided to run it together, since he wasn’t going to “race” it.  This is how it all went down.

              

            

Before
The week before the race the forecast was calling for a tropical storm to come that weekend. We thought maybe that will bring a little relief to the heat wave that has been here. Friday night I went to pick up my race bib and packet and found out the concert that night was canceled as well as the mile on the sand the next morning (glad I didn’t sign up for that). And the
band for the following night was moved into the Convention Center. Everything was on schedule for Sunday morning at this point.

Cute race shirt for this year!

Luckily I didn’t have to work on Friday night, which I was very happy about because I would have hated to be on my feet all night long. I needed to rest, because on Thursday I went paddle boarding with a friend. We went in the ocean this time, and with the storm coming the water was a little rough, which resulted in me falling off a few times. The next morning  I was running and wondered why my calf was sore. I came home and saw a bruise on it the size of a baseball. I iced it and prayed for the best.


The Storm
Friday night was the calm before the storm. It wasn’t until about 1 am when it started. It was so loud with the wind and rain that it woke me up and I could not get back to sleep until hours later. The storm was still going on when I woke up later that morning, and of course now we had no power. Well my roommate and I both needed coffee and breakfast. So IHOP here we come. Everyone else must have known IHOP was opened because we actually had to wait to get seated. We had a great breakfast and took our time while we charged up our phones. Because after all why would we rush home with no power? It wasn’t until later that afternoon the power eventually came back on.
We got another email saying the race was still on the following day, but the Headliner Concert was moved into the Convention Center. And the concert for right after the race got moved to another stage on the Boardwalk. There was going to be limited entertainment and props throughout the race due to the gusty winds that were still supposed to be in effect.

Race Morning
I woke up race morning and grabbed my pre-race breakfast, a bagel. I went to cut it in half, and cut my finger in the process. What a way to start the morning off. After eating my breakfast and coffee we were headed to the race. Luckily I had VIP parking so we didn’t have to leave super early. When we arrived I was able to head inside the Convention Center to use the restroom and get VIP bag check. Then it was time to line up for the start.

From the Runrocknroll IG. See, no start banner.

It looked different this year from years past since they didn’t have the Rock n Roll banner up at the start like they usually do. Soon enough the gun shot off and we were off. We wanted to keep a conservative pace since neither one of us planned to “race it” I always start off way too fast in the beginning of races and I usually pay for it later. This day was different. Right from the start I was feeling great and we were keeping a good pace. I think the weather had a lot to do with it. It was cool and windy with little humidity, so much different from the previous years. I remember telling my friend I don’t feel like I am running a race. I feel like it is just a weekend long run, and he agreed. Maybe it was because of the weather. Either way, we’ll take it!

Running on the Cours
We were about half way through the race and he asked me how I was doing and if I needed to back off on pace to just let him now. I responded that I was still feeling good, but I would tell him if I needed to. He told me if we kept up this pace that I was heading for a PR. I thought to myself I didn’t want to get too confident since we have quite a ways to go but that did give me a little more pep in my step to continue going at that pace. Runs always go by much quicker when you have someone running with you. Chatting along the way always helps too. Even if you are not talking, just knowing that the other one is there and you can motivate each other to continue on when the going gets tough.

We had just passed the 10 mile mark so a 5k is all we had left to go. I try to always break down the mileage in a race. I find that it always helps, but maybe it’s just a mind game. I thought to myself we already ran this far so three more miles is nothing. The course is always the same so if you ran this before you know what is coming, back over the bridge, around the inlet, and down the boardwalk to the finish line. You always see people walking by this time, especially over the bridge. I wouldn’t say it is that steep, but having run 11 miles prior to this, it feels like it. I think at this point the adrenaline kicked in and I kept on pushing through. After the bridge, we were running around the inlet at this point and I told him I really wanted to pass the guy wearing a Yoda backpack. I mean come on, this guy is about twice my size and who knows what he is carrying in that back pack.

 My friend asked if I had it in me to pick it up. I told him not quit yet but maybe once we got on the boardwalk. Soon we hit the boardwalk and there was a major headwind, so needless to say I wasn’t able to pick up speed. He went ahead of me a little to try and block some of the wind, but that didn’t help much. It was hard to see the finish line because there were no banners above, but I knew we were getting close. We crossed the finish line at the same time and congratulated one another. And Yes, I managed a PR…Yay! I thank my friend for helping me out with that. The weather also helped. Why can’t every year be like this at Rock n Roll Virginia Beach? This is just what I needed to keep me motivated to continue my training for Chicago.

Post Race
After the race, I went to Rockfish to get my gear check back and have my VIP brunch.
 It was delicious, and the mimosas hit the spot. After arriving home I relaxed in my Jacuzzi tub before
napping the rest of the afternoon. That evening we went to the concert at the Convention center. This year’s Headliner was Culture Club and the Romantics opened for them. Maybe I am too young but I only knew about two of their songs. In years past, I felt the Headliners were more well-known bands that appealed to more of the population. At least we did have VIP so we able to have complimentary food and drinks during the show. Overall it was a great weekend. I am writing this the day after the race and I wish I didn’t have to work this evening, because yes, I am sore! But it was worth it! -L

We are linking up with the gals from the Friday 5.