Then I applied for a race ambassadorship and got into the program, which included free race entry to the distance of your choice.
And I signed up for the half marathon.
The second I completed the transaction and got the confirmation email I started freaking out. The race is touted as "America's Toughest Road Marathon." (So naturally the shorter distance races are also ridiculously tough.) Then I was reminded of this quote:
When I went to the DC RnR expo, fortunately there was a booth for this race. In the short time I had, I spoke with the race rep and he essentially said that it's a great race, but don't expect to PR. That made me feel a whole lot better, especially after seeing that there was a 6 hour cut off time for the race.
Shortly after that conversation and looking at (and playing with) the race map, I decided to set my goal time of under 3 hours. It's 35 minutes more than my half marathon PR, and allowed for a generous 13:43 pace.
Before I knew it, I was packing my bag to head down for race day. The weather wasn't looking great and called for rain so I told my husband I would drive down to the race without him. I asked my Oiselle teammates for advice on what to wear and I was pretty insistent on wearing a rain jacket. They basically talked me out of that and into wearing my singlet, capris, a hat and arm sleeves. I was skeptical, but took their advice and was so glad I did. I threw everything into a bag and started the 4 hour drive to Roanoke.
The expo for the race was small just as expected. First you walk through the lines outside to get your bib, which went really fast. Along with my bib I was handed a ticket to receive my free Farm to Feet wool socks.
Inside the expo after passing a Roanoke tourism table, you immediately saw an area for Foot Levelers to perform an analysis of your feet.
I actually opted against the foot analysis. I am currently fighting plantar fasciitis. I don't need somebody else to tell me what to do to help it because it's actually starting to get a lot better through massage and wearing proper footwear.
I walked past that and got my free socks in the Roanoke style. (Farm to Feet is a company in Mount Airy, NC and all the styles of socks are named after cities in southwest Virginia and North Carolina.)
Then I headed up the stairs to the left to get my shirt!
The shirt is super soft and I love the design! (However the fabric is a little thin.)
Afterwards I headed to the other side of the building and checked out the race merchandise being sold by Fleet Feet Roanoke. There was a good range of items at different price points--mugs and stickers to hoodies, posters and hats. They also had the basics for sale just in case you forgot anything at home.
Since it was getting late in the day, I decided to head to one of my favorite restaurants (Macado's) and get some carry-out for dinner. I got one of my favorite sandwiches and a bag of pretzels and headed to my hotel to start winding down for race day.
I brought in all my bags and immediately turned on the tv and found a movie on television to watch while eating my sandwich on the big comfy bed. It was basically the perfect way to spend the evening after a long drive and before a long race.
There was one problem though: I just could not get into the race mentally. I was there physically, I had everything I needed, but I did NOT want to do it. The weather kept going back and forth between rain and thunderstorms. But I kept telling myself: "You made this drive. You are doing this race. You may not PR. But you will finish. You've got this."
Shortly after that conversation and looking at (and playing with) the race map, I decided to set my goal time of under 3 hours. It's 35 minutes more than my half marathon PR, and allowed for a generous 13:43 pace.
Before I knew it, I was packing my bag to head down for race day. The weather wasn't looking great and called for rain so I told my husband I would drive down to the race without him. I asked my Oiselle teammates for advice on what to wear and I was pretty insistent on wearing a rain jacket. They basically talked me out of that and into wearing my singlet, capris, a hat and arm sleeves. I was skeptical, but took their advice and was so glad I did. I threw everything into a bag and started the 4 hour drive to Roanoke.
The expo for the race was small just as expected. First you walk through the lines outside to get your bib, which went really fast. Along with my bib I was handed a ticket to receive my free Farm to Feet wool socks.
Inside the expo after passing a Roanoke tourism table, you immediately saw an area for Foot Levelers to perform an analysis of your feet.
I actually opted against the foot analysis. I am currently fighting plantar fasciitis. I don't need somebody else to tell me what to do to help it because it's actually starting to get a lot better through massage and wearing proper footwear.
I walked past that and got my free socks in the Roanoke style. (Farm to Feet is a company in Mount Airy, NC and all the styles of socks are named after cities in southwest Virginia and North Carolina.)
Then I headed up the stairs to the left to get my shirt!
The shirt is super soft and I love the design! (However the fabric is a little thin.)
My race shirt, socks and bib!
The back of the shirt. (The shirt did not photograph well by itself--the top picture is a better representation of the color. But it does show how see through the fabric is! Fortunately while on it was not that obvious.)
Afterwards I headed to the other side of the building and checked out the race merchandise being sold by Fleet Feet Roanoke. There was a good range of items at different price points--mugs and stickers to hoodies, posters and hats. They also had the basics for sale just in case you forgot anything at home.
Since it was getting late in the day, I decided to head to one of my favorite restaurants (Macado's) and get some carry-out for dinner. I got one of my favorite sandwiches and a bag of pretzels and headed to my hotel to start winding down for race day.
I brought in all my bags and immediately turned on the tv and found a movie on television to watch while eating my sandwich on the big comfy bed. It was basically the perfect way to spend the evening after a long drive and before a long race.
There was one problem though: I just could not get into the race mentally. I was there physically, I had everything I needed, but I did NOT want to do it. The weather kept going back and forth between rain and thunderstorms. But I kept telling myself: "You made this drive. You are doing this race. You may not PR. But you will finish. You've got this."
After eating I laid out my clothes and confirmed I had everything I could possibly need and then some.
I was ready as I would ever be for this race. Soon after taking the picture I moved everything over, set my alarm, and went to sleep. It would be a long day.
The next morning I woke up feeling well rested and somewhat ready to race.
At 6:30 I hopped into my car and headed to the Elmwood Park Garage. I was definitely nervous about the parking situation especially when having to navigate the street closures, but quickly felt relieved when we came upon the 3rd level and there was plenty of parking left! (That's one thing I miss--parking is always plentiful and usually free in SWVA!)
After parking and taking a couple deep breaths I got out of my car and walked the short distance to Elmwood Park. (Seriously. It was like a 5 minute walk.) I then got my bearings of where everything was and made my way to the VIP area. (Being a blogger sometimes has its advantages--along with the free entry to the race, the organizers gave me access to the VIP area!) One of the perks of the VIP area was pre-race snacks!
And the view was pretty sweet too despite the cloudy morning!
Oh, and of course there was access to the inside of the library. And more importantly: THE BATHROOMS! YOU GUYS!!! I HAD ACCESS TO REAL BATHROOMS!!!
And I took full advantage of that.
I also took advantage of the chance to meet some of the other bloggers for the race. One person was attempting the double marathon and had just finished her first loop when I came out on the patio. I heard her say the Mill Mountain star was all lit up that night and I can only imagine how awe-inspiring it was to see that bright star up close.
At about 7:20 I made my way to the starting line for the 7:35 start time. All three races that day were set to start at the same time. There was a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon. (The few people running the double marathon were set to start their second loop of the full marathon with everyone else.)
At this moment it got real. OMG. I was about to start the country's toughest race.
Somehow I managed to pack up all my stuff, get a quick shower and check out with 4 minutes to spare. Once I got into my car I took a few minutes to eat my pizza, check my email and text with my husband letting him know that I was about to head home. Just as I pulled out of my parking space, the rain started. It was perfect timing, however it rained the entire drive home. Once I arrived back home and comfortable, I saw a message from a friend showing me this post on the race's Facebook page.
And the view was pretty sweet too despite the cloudy morning!
Oh, and of course there was access to the inside of the library. And more importantly: THE BATHROOMS! YOU GUYS!!! I HAD ACCESS TO REAL BATHROOMS!!!
And I took full advantage of that.
I also took advantage of the chance to meet some of the other bloggers for the race. One person was attempting the double marathon and had just finished her first loop when I came out on the patio. I heard her say the Mill Mountain star was all lit up that night and I can only imagine how awe-inspiring it was to see that bright star up close.
At about 7:20 I made my way to the starting line for the 7:35 start time. All three races that day were set to start at the same time. There was a 10k, half marathon, and full marathon. (The few people running the double marathon were set to start their second loop of the full marathon with everyone else.)
At this moment it got real. OMG. I was about to start the country's toughest race.
Brave face.
I totally accidentally took this picture while walking to the start, but it was so appropriate for how I felt.
Game on, Guys. Game. On.
The first mile or so was pretty easy. Then we hit the beginning of Mill Mountain. Not a hill. Legit MOUNTAIN.
My face in that picture seriously says it all. The humidity was insane because of the impending rain. It was also feeling a little warm. I was SO happy to not have worn a jacket. My legs were screaming "WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?!" Then as we started to hit a little plateau, a weird thing happened as my feet started to level out with the road. This huge wave of relief hit my legs. Then I had to keep going up.
When I finally saw the back of the Mill Mountain star, I felt like the worst had passed. It was the longest incline of the whole race, and I had made it to the top of the mountain I had driven past so much. And the sky appeared for just a little while.
We then made our way around to the front of the star. It was simply breathtaking to see that star upclose.
And then of course there was also the view of the Roanoke Valley.
At this point one of my Oiselle teammates caught up with me. It made that downhill so much easier. That whole climb to the top I kept contemplating downgrading to the 10k and sending my husband a text saying I was having a hard time. But then when my fellow bird caught up with me and helped get my mind off of the race, it made life so much easier. Soon we had to part ways and I continued on the Roanoke River Greenway.
The rest of the race was a blur and mentally cursing every single incline. And getting passed by the top marathoners. (Remember: They left at the same time as everyone else. So these guys were seriously fast.) The rain finally came during miles 7.5 to 10 and it was perfect timing. It wasn't too heavy (the trees also helped deflect some it) and came just as I was really starting to feel warm.
Soon we were back in the city and I was headed down to the finish line. I could hardly believe it. There was nobody around. It was my chance to finally do a great finish line picture by myself. (Everytime I try to go for one, somebody gets in front of me or sticks an arm out blocking me.)
Head up, wings out!
Afterwards I got my medal and made a couple rounds through the snack line. (They kept putting out new things--the first time I went through they only had bananas and water. Then they put out granola bars.) Once I finished my banana and bottle of water #1, I remembered I still had VIP access. So I made my way back to the balcony and got coffee along with a few more snacks. After chatting with a few other VIPs, I realized the time and had to get back to my hotel and on the road home. On the way back to my car, I saw that some pizzas had been delivered to the snack table and grabbed a couple slices for lunch on the drive home.
Somehow I managed to pack up all my stuff, get a quick shower and check out with 4 minutes to spare. Once I got into my car I took a few minutes to eat my pizza, check my email and text with my husband letting him know that I was about to head home. Just as I pulled out of my parking space, the rain started. It was perfect timing, however it rained the entire drive home. Once I arrived back home and comfortable, I saw a message from a friend showing me this post on the race's Facebook page.
I couldn't believe it. I had finished about 2 hours before this happened, but was leaving the city just as they were starting to pull the runners. I heard a lot of runners kept going, but many also just accepted their fate and got on the buses. I was so thankful to be able to finish the race.
Post race recovery was definitely tough. On Saturday I could walk fairly normally. Sunday I felt very stiff and even just stepping off a curb made me wince. (We won't talk about stairs.) I massaged my quads as much as I could with my tiger tail roller, but that could only do so much. I couldn't walk normally until the following Wednesday. (Which worked out perfectly since I had to leave for my Ragnar Trail race the next day.)
Overall, I would totally do this race again. It was worth every moment of agony going up every mountain. The crowds were fabulous, the volunteers were wonderful and the views made it all completely worth it even if they were obscured to some extent by the rain and clouds. It's also kind of amazing to have the ability now to say "I ran the country's toughest half marathon!"
