Rock n Roll Virginia Beach: Sharing the Race Experience

 

 

We arrived at Virginia Beach ready for a fun weekend. First up was picking up our packets and VIP passes at the Expo. Since it was Jay's first half it was his first time at an Expo so he enjoyed looking around at all the different booths. He was wondering why everything was so expensive. I just reminded him that is how it is at every Expo. He still ended up buying a shirt and of course a sticker to put on his truck. After the Expo we met up with some friends for lunch and enjoyed the Steve Miller Band on the beach that evening. The next day we went for brunch then it was back to the house for a relaxing evening and grilled out for dinner. 

Race morning arrived too early. Neither one of us had a good night sleep. After slowly getting around it was time to head out. Luckily since we had VIP Parking we were able to park right in front of the Convention Center. They offered plenty of snacks and coffee inside. There were even foam rollers and mats you could use prior to the race. The best part was being able to use the restroom and not the port-o- pottie, and there was hardly a line. Soon enough it was time to get to our corrals. I asked him one last time if he wanted me to run with him. I really didn't mind since it was his first one. But he insisted on me to just run my own pace. I told him I'd meet him at the finish line and then we went our separate ways.

 

This is the first year since the last three years I ran that it was not extremely hot at the start. It was still warm but it was overcast. It even started to drizzle in the beginning. I was hoping that it didn't start raining anymore. Wishful thinking I suppose, because it did start raining a bit more, I wouldn't saying pouring but enough to be uncomfortable. Luckily it only went on for about three miles. Soon enough it cleared up and the sun did eventually come out and it made for great day. During the whole race I felt pretty good. I was hoping that Jay was feeling the same way. After I finished I thought to myself that I could've pushed a bit more since I didn't feel exhausted afterwards. I think a lot of us

 have the feeling after a race, like what could have we done differently. We are our own biggest critic and we just have to appreciate what we can do, not what we should've done.

After completing the race, I found a  really good spot at the finish line and waited for Jay. I was so excited watching him cross the finish line of his first half marathon. Now it was time to celebrate his accomplishment. We met up with some friends on the beach then it was time to enjoy our brunch and mimosas at Rock Fish. I wanted to hear all about his race while we were eating. He said he ran a lot further than he thought he as going to before taking his walk breaks. He didn't want to waste any time waiting in line for a port- o-pottie so he jumped in the woods and ended up hitting a brier bush and cut up his legs. But that didn't stop him, he continued on his way and finished strong!

Later that day we went to a friend's house and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the pool and the hot tub. After playing a couple rounds of corn hole it was time to get read for the headliner Sheryl Crow. We thought we had the VIP for the concert since we received Race Day VIP so we didn't eat dinner because we thought it was included. When we arrived, they said that Race Day VIP and Concert VIP was different. We thought that was odd because the last few times that my sister and I were invited to be VIP, we got to do the dinner before the concert and have preferred viewing.  Regardless, it wasn't a big deal and the concert was fun and Sheryl Crow put on a great show.

 

Here is what the 15th anniversary race shirt looked like! I think it's pretty cool!

 

I know this wasn't a very in depth look at this race but I've ran it now for several years in a row. If you are thinking about signing up for this race but need more information about the expo, race day, the course, or any of the VIP events, please feel free to check out our other posts. They are more in depth. I promise.  -L

 

2014

 RnR VA Beach  Race Remix Challenge ( Mile on the Sand and Half Marathon)

 

2013

RnR VA Beach Expo ( The best one ever)

RnR VA Beach Race Day ( Half Marathon and Relay)

RnR VA Beach VIP Experience

 

2012

RnR VA Beach race and VIP experience

 

Comparing Rock n Roll Races ( not all are considered equal)

After running the Rock n Roll Virginia Beach race for the past three years, I wondered if all the Rock n Roll races were just as fabulous. As you know from yesterday's post, I got to run the Rock n Roll Philadelphia race last weekend.  Now I can see what the difference is between the same race series in a different city.

 

I will say I am partial to Virginia Beach since I used to live there for several years. My friends would always say "Nothing like paying to run in your own city where you run everyday". 

 So lets compare Apples to Apples, shall we....?

The Rock n Roll series is all about the bands and the concerts.
 

In Virginia Beach your race bib gets you in to all the concerts throughout the weekend. What is so special about Rock n Roll Virginia beach is that the race weekend is held in conjunction with the American Music Festival. The Music Festival Starts with bands on the Main Stage ( on the beach) Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday evening and then the Headlining Act on Sunday Night after the race. Throughout the weekend there are other bands that play on the other stages along the ocean front then of course on race days there are some smaller bands that play along the course. Even if you are not running any of the races that weekend, you can still buy a ticket to any of the concerts that take place on the main stage. That is what our friend did this year when we went to see Train play.

 I like that the main concert after the half marathon is later that evening.  This gives you time to go back and relax before returning refreshed and ready to enjoy the show. Others may disagree. Depending where you are staying it may be too much to come all the way back to enjoy the concert. But personally for me, I don't like sticking around after the race. I want to eat more than a post race banana, take a hot Epson salt bath, and get off my feet.

In Philadelphia there is no Music festival going on. There are several small bands along the course and then the main concert is right after the race on Sunday. I did not stick around to watch the show.

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Parking
 

In Virginia Beach, I don't believe finding parking is an issue. I have always been fortunate enough to be able to ride my bike though.  Even if you do have to pay for parking it usually is a set rate for the day, not hourly. There is always free parking at the Convention Center. If you park here, you are right at the start line but are a few blocks from the finish line. In the past there has been a shuttle to drive people from the ocean front back to the convention center if you didn't want to walk. 

Philadelphia is another story. Parking will always be an issue. I can understand having to pay to park race morning ( which we did have to do) but to have to pay to park just to walk in to the expo to pick up your race packet  is ridiculous.  Especially for those people who plan to go right in and right out!
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Corrals
 

I think the starting line was a bit more congested at Virginia Beach. I think it was a bit smaller of an area than in Philadelphia. The lines for the port o potties at VA Beach race start are always SO long.

There was more room in Philly for all the corrals. I think there were 21 of them. The issue was getting into your corral for those who waited until the last minute. I saw people crawling in between the gates just to get to their corrals.  On the other hand, there was no problem getting to a port o potty. Maybe they had more potties in Philly then they did in VA Beach?

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The Course

Throughout both races I felt the bands didn't disappoint. There were bands every few miles in Virginia Beach and in Philadelphia. There was even a band there with saxophones singing the Philly anthem "Fly Eagles Fly". Other than that, I didn't hear much of the other bands just because I zone out listening to my own music. 

Both courses were fairly flat, which was nice.
In Philly, it was pretty neat to run pass historical sites such as Independence Hall, Benjamin Franklin's grave, Franklin Institute, and the Liberty Bell.

And How about finishing the race in front of the iconic Rocky stairs? pretty Cool!

 

 

But then again, there is nothing like a Boardwalk finish at Virginia Beach and enjoying a refreshing dip in the ocean after the race.
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Weather

Obviously weather is something that we can't control, but when we sign up for RnR VA Beach, we know it's always going to be hot. VA Beach is always over Labor day weekend, so hot and humid is just part of the race.
RnR Philadelphia is three weeks after VA Beach so I thought it would be cooler, but it was actually a bit warmer than what I thought it would be. I wore a tank top and didn't even need to have a long sleeve in the beginning. When I woke up it was already in the high 60's. By the time the race started it was in the 70's. A bit humid, but it was overcast with a slight breeze which was prefect for me.
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Challenges and Bling
 

Both of these races offered the Remix Challenge.
In Virginia Beach the Challenge was to run the mile in the sand on Saturday ( which was a lot harder than it sounds) and then the half on Sunday.  If you ran both, you walked away with three new medals.

In Philly the remix challenge was a 5K on Saturday and the Half on Sunday. Again, if you did the challenge you got three medals.

Mile on the beach, Remix, and 1/2marathon medals for VA Beach. Bell to Beach and 1/2 marathon medals for Philly

There was a bonus this year. If you ran both VA beach and Philly, You got the Beach to Bell Medal!
All the medals I've earned from these races are fabulous! Rock n roll gives out some great medals.

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In 52 days I will be participating in yet another Rock n Roll Re-mix challenge when I run RnR Las Vegas!  Have you seen the super cool medals?

They glow in the dark. RnR medals never disappoint, no matter what city you get them in!

Have you ever ran the same race series in multiple cities? ~L

Rock n Roll Virginia Beach : Health and Fitness Expo

A great way to start off any race weekend is a stop at the Health and Fitness expo!  The Rock n Roll Race expo was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  This race was sponsored by Brooks and they really did a great job with the expo. It was one of the most fun and interactive expos we’ve been to.

We started by picking up our race credentials.

 

 Brooks had a part of the expo called “Run Happy Island”.  This was really fun.  When you entered you signed up for a “race passport” and took it to different booths to win prizes. 

 

 

Various prizes included T-shirts, hats, key chains, visors, and even some Brooks running shoes!  Unfortunately neither of us won a pair of shoes, but here are the fun prizes we did win!  ( Although a bit goofy, that visor did come in handy at the beach the next day)

This is the market where you won your prizes.

 

Participants got to “ride” the Brooks shoe ( which was similar to riding the mechanical bull). That thing was pretty wicked but I stayed on!

 

This next activity was really fun. You raced against others by running on this mat. The faster you ran, the more the little guy moved up the mountain. The first person to get their guy to the top of the mountain won a prize.  I ran against my mom and sister!  ( This is obviously not us in the picture!)

 

We then spent time at the various vendors here. We visited some old favorites and also found some new favorites! I talked to the rep for The Stick and he showed me some new techniques to use. I also saw my picture at the Big Sur booth as they played a slide show of this year’s race!

 

We were sad to see that the RunDisney booth was not here this year. That booth is always a favorite! One year ago on this day, at this expo, is where I signed up for my first  Disney Marathon!

 

What booth do you most look forward to seeing at a race expo?

We will be looking forward to hearing your reply because one of the vendors that were at this expo will be doing a give away on our blog tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

Happy Day Friday!

It's Friday! Congrats to all our friends who got up this morning to run the Disneyland 5K!

We however, are beach bound!  As most of you know, My mom, sister, and I will all be running the Rock n Roll VA Beach Half Marathon this weekend.  We will be headed down to the beach later today, possibly going to the  race expo at the VA Beach Convention Center, and hopefully visiting a Sweet Frog. 

Last Weekend Before Big Races ( Including Rock n Roll and Disneyland Half Marathons)

School may be back in session in some areas but it’s still summer in our little part of the world!

After doing some yard work yesterday, we spent most of the day swimming and hope to do more of it today! 

 

I say it is still summer for us because we still have much to look forward to.  Next week at this time we will be at the beach preparing for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon.

 

At the same time, some of our friends will be participating in the Dumbo Double Dare at Disneyland in California. If that is you, best of luck to you!

Photo from RunDisney.com

Yet others will be participating in various races over labor day weekend.

Where ever you will be racing, we all have one thing in common. This is our last weekend to get our training in.  I don't know about you, but I'm kind of nervous!

I know I'll be doing a long run today, leg strengthening exercises on Saturday, and another long run on Sunday.

 

If you have a race over labor day weekend, how are you training these next couple of days?

If you don't have a race, how are you spending the rest of the summer?

We'll be Rockin'

We’ll be Rockin’ at Virginia Beach over Labor Day weekend!

We are all signed up for the Rock n Roll Half Marathon series!  I will be running the entire half marathon again this year and Meranda and mom will be running the half marathon relay. This will be great practice for the Disney half marathon in February.