Here I was again at RnRVB after I swore I'd never do it again. But, who am I kidding? A RnR event in my town - of course I'd forgotten the 90% humidity at 7am, the amount of water I poured over my head just to attempt to cool off, and the boiling water in my camelback heated from my skyrocketing core temp.

I do enjoy all RnR races and this one has lots of positives. There is an abundance of on course entertainment coupled with the American Music Festival going on in VB the same weekend. This usually means the headliner concert is a pretty good one. The course runs you down the resort area, through neighborhoods, through Camp Pendleton, and ends on the VB boardwalk. Locals come out with refreshments, hoses tied to their mailboxes offering a cool down, and plenty of signs and cheers. This year there were two neighborhoods that did themes - one was pirate and the other were dressed like a NASCAR pit stop. Everyone has fun with this race.

The terrain is 99% road with some gravel bits when you get onto the base. The race is also relatively flat - with one bridge you have to cross twice. If you never run hills you might think this one is enormous - but it's a small bridge in comparison.

The medals were a big improvement over last years - partially because this was the 15th anniversary of the race.

The finisher chute has all the goodies every other RnR race provides. I love free stuff so I take a plastic grocery bag with me folded up in a pocket so I'm not fumbling with water, bananas, granola, and Gatorade.

Two major complaints... One is a constant complaint of the RnR race series - why is the remix medal as far away as humanly possible??? Don't you think people want to get their pic taken right after the finish line with all their friends? By the time I walk another 1/4 mile to get my challenge medal - I'm over it.
Second complaint is the weather. Labor Day weekend in VB is a terrible time to have a big race. For the locals we are used to this level of humidity - but for visitors it can be quite dangerous. My advice for everyone is hydrate hydrate hydrate. You cant have enough water/electrolytes during this race. This weekend is always full of news reports of people passing out and being airlifted to hospitals. When I say the humidity is an issue -i am not kidding. When I crossed the finish line I noticed all my clothing was soaking wet - I realized it was 50% sweat and 50% pouring water over my head and down my back. I sweated so much I shorted out my IPod - luckily the only major casualty of this race for me.

Another positive for the race is that there are plenty of bars and restaurants around to grab food and a beer other than the Mich Ultra provided by RnR (blech).

Today I say I'll never do this race again...but ask me again when I start signing up with my RnR Tourpass and I'm sure I'll have forgotten all about my dead IPod. This race also marked my 10th 1/2 marathon to date - I'm just happy to have survived.

The Baltimore 6 miler is an inaugural race put on by Boston Street Running. I can only imagine how hard it is to organize a race but there were some major complaints and issues I had with this race.

Lets start with the good. The medal was pretty sweet and the post race party featured free flowing beer from Diamond Back Brewery. There were lots of finisher awards for all age groups male and female. I tend to think those things go on and on too long - but they did an ok job hustling the awards along.

The course was nice, your ran to the downtown area and then wound around the harbor for about 4 miles. The last two miles were awful. It was through an industrial park and the roads were chewed up and there was thick sand in some spots on the up and downhill's. I just kept thinking I was going to bust my ass. This last section was a switch back as well - which I always hate. We were running in the road for the first two and last two miles but for an early Sunday the roads were relatively clear of traffic and the police support was very good at the intersections. I never felt unsafe.

The expo was just at the Boston Street store - I didn't expect much so I felt like it was appropriate for the race. I did end up buying a hydration vest and some socks - so I spent as much there as I have at most expos anyway! I suspect because this was a race put on by a running store - there was not much diversity in the runners. Although, everyone was very supportive and many people stayed to cheer in the last runner.

Now the bad. The water situation - or lack thereof was a really dangerous situation. We were also told there would be Gatorade at the stops and there were not any that I could see, unless they ran out after the elites. Many stations were out of water - even early on in the race. Some volunteers were snarky with people who grabbed two waters. Some stations ran out of cups and I saw people drinking from or just taking full gallon jugs as they ran. I was so happy I bought that hydration vest the day before. I only wore it to practice for my upcoming 1/2 marathon.

My last gripe is the t-shirt. I think these were sized for children.

Boston Street Running has some major work to do for next year - but they were so welcoming of feedback I am sure they will.

First off let me say I am a HUGE fan of the RnR series of races. I also know that every race is at the mercy of the weather and terrain as set out by city officials. With all that in mind - this race was by far my worst 1/2 Marathon ever and the weather was shockingly bad. I wasn't prepared for the extremely high temperatures nor the high humidity levels - and I suspect RnR and all of Chicago wasn't either.

The expo was ho-hum. I think this is more a reflection of RnR as a whole rather than just Chicago. The expos have been getting smaller and smaller with more smaller booths from local businesses. The SWAG shirts for this race were pretty nice - I'm always hoping for more SWAG than just a shirt though.

Transportation - I stayed in a hotel nearby so was able to walk to the start and walk home from the finish. I did hear from some others that the shuttle dropped them off about a mile plus from the start line of the 1/2. We did have someone in our group doing the 10K and that start line was 2 miles from the start of the 1/2 - transportation there was also a challenge. She was able to take a cab from the hotel

The course - Running though the downtown area was nice - you got to see a lot of sights you wouldn't see just visiting for a weekend. I am really not a big fan of a lot of turning and zig sagging through city streets but I did like crossing over the river several times. One bridge didn't have the grating filled in and I think this causes some panic for some runners. The downtown area also really messed up my Garmin and several people in my group had the same issue - everyone got put into lap mode. The heat downtown was also just unbearable - the buildings offered no breeze to get through and it just felt like an oven there. When I saw the course was going to double back on itself around the hospital I was initially irritated. I really don't like the switchbacks - feels like a cop-out. However, this was by far the best part of the race. Everyone was so friendly, hand slapping, and cheering - I think everyone felt like a rock star during this mile. I got to see all my friends and where they were in the race. Nearly every face was a friendly one - a lady even stopped me to take a pic. Why I don't know but it was exhilarating! All streets were locked down very well and I never felt like, even though I was running through a major downtown area and city that I was in danger of being hit by a car. Trust me this is not always the case. However, we did have to run against traffic on a section of highway and an off ramp - no bueno ever!

I do commend RnR for adding water stations along the course - they knew the heat would be a problem. I always use water stations to count my place in the race and I knew there were 8 stops. I'm pretty sure there ended up being 11. That's the good. The bad is that several of the water stations were severely under staffed. I came up on one and they were pouring water out of a hose cup by cup for each runner as we stood in line.

The most shocking negative I have is that there were only 3 bands along the entire course. Come on RnR get it together! That's your entire theme and instead of bands in places we got clowns on stilts. SMH!.

The post race party was one of the most organized due to the tremendous amount of space they had in the park. There were plenty of post race snacks - even for a late comer like me :-).

All in all if you get lucky enough to get some good weather I would recommend the RnR Chicago race but be prepared for the heat and humidity in July.

I love the RnR series and this race did not disappoint. This was my first destination RnR race - I don't count DC since I used to live there.

I chose the Hard Rock Hotel since it was close to the expo and the finish line for the 1/2 (walking distance for both). The expo was well organized as usual and there were plenty of vendors. I stocked up on socks, gel, and inserts. I always get a long sleeve zip up RnR shirt from every location - the ones for San Diego were orange with an embroidered surfboard. LOVE!

The start line was quite a distance from my hotel and I had to take a cab. I can only imagine if you were a local or not staying in the downtown area that getting to the start would have been quite a hassle. Side note - for the 5K you could drive and then walk about 2 miles to the start and then back to your car. The start at this race seemed to be a bit disorganized and I felt like we waited a really long time for the race to start. I think I took off an hour after the race was supposed to begin. I'm not sure what the hold up was but I was happy that I had an extended check out at the hotel or I never would have made it in time.

The course was really nice and the weather was perfect. We saw a lot of different areas of San Diego - Balboa Park, neighborhoods, downtown, etc... This is definitely a hilly race. As a person who always studies the course for every race - I'm not sure how I missed this. What made it worse was it seemed like every two miles along with a mile maker was a steep hill. there was also a one mile downhill around mile 11. This race really did a number on my legs. The only real negative I have is that part of the course through the neighborhoods had some really rough roads. I'm always tentative about my footing and this slowed me down for sure. I know this was more a city issue than the race but I thought it was dangerous in some places. There were also a couple switchbacks with I loathe.

The water/Gatorade stops were fully stocked and volunteers were on the ball. There was also a fair amount of locals course support throughout the race - especially in the neighborhoods.

The chute seemed cramped but everything was stocked and fresh when I came through.

This 1/2 Marathon medal is one of the best I have ever gotten after a race and definitely the best of the RnR races I have done.

The after party was in PetCo Park - which is the baseball field just one block away. Directions to the park and the entrance were horrible - there were lots of us on the street that couldn't figure out how to get into the stadium. Here's may major gripe with the race - THERE WERE STAIRS to get to the after party. UGH! Yes, there was an escalator if you walked even further but as I had walked around nearly the entire stadium to get in I just took the stairs. However to get out of the party you had to take the stairs there was no other way that I could see.

Also, a constant problem at the RnR races is the Remix Medal. Why is it so far away from everything? I had to walk through the entire after party to get my medal. Come on - why cant it be at the end of the chute like at every other challenge race? Id like to get my medal and then get my pic taken by a photographer right after the race not after walking a mile to get the Remix Medal.

San Diego is beautiful - if you get a chance this is a race not to be missed.

Oh and I saw Meb!

This race has me conflicted. I had a great time with my girlfriends and it was my birthday weekend - so in that regard I had a great time. However the race felt a little bit like I had walked into a Vegas Strip club - grown women swooning over "firemen" and no freebees.

Lets start with the expo. Terrible. For a national race series this was the smallest and worst expo I have been to in all my races. Yes, it had everything you needed - but not much more. It filled the gym of a local high school with plenty of room to spare. The Diva merchandise was appallingly under stocked and the sizing of the shirts was not reflective of the attendees at the race. All the shirts were women's cut and were about two sizes too small. That is if you could find a shirt larger than a M. There was a shuttle service from the parking area to the school which was quick and make getting around very easy.

You did get a pink tutu as part of your SWAG. I cut mine up and wore part of it on my head. :-)

The host hotel was no where near the start or the finish line - which I find curious. Parking the day of the race was easy if you got there early - which we did. So either you stayed at the convenient hotel and then had to move for the post race party or you drove to the start line and returned to your hotel for the party. Odd.

The course itself was relatively flat and wound though neighborhoods. There was no beach part of the run at all. There were two sections where we were running along a major roadway and through the neighborhoods they had part of the street blocked off with no officers to monitor how fast the traffic was either going behind us or coming towards us. At times you could be running VERY close to a vehicle.

Less than a mile from the finish there is a boa and tiara stop. I appreciated this because who in the world wants to run sweaty with a feather boa. Once you came through the chute you were given your medal by bare chested "firemen" (cough couch - strippers). This made for a chaotic finish line as women were trying desperately to get photos with either the entire group or each one. Once you got through the chute there was the champagne and chocolate touted so much on their website. We were rushed though and got a half serving of champagne and skipped the chocolate. The we were our in the crowd. There were a lot of participants and spectators at the finish. We ended in a shopping district and there was very little seating and it became very crowded.

We came back to the hotel and washed up and changed for the big after party at the hotel. Mind you I think by the time we got to the hotel it was a good 4+ hours later and the party hadn't even started. There were no real drink or food specials. I'm pretty sure the party got going after we left - but everyone was hungry and didn't want to wait.

I do have to say the medal is no joke at this race. If you are a bling whore this is definitely one to add to your collection.

I had a great weekend with my friends but as for the race itself - I'm glad I did it and it is off my bucket list. But, I wont be rushing out to do another one anytime soon.