Registration: As always with Rock n Roll, I registered online in the comfort of my home with no difficulties. This year was special because I purchased a Tour Pass but that actually made everything even easier, of possible.

Expo: The two day expo was packed with vendors, fun activities and fewer people than I expected. I went Saturday morning right around the 5k's wrap up which I figure played a roll in the lack of massive crowds. I didn't stroll around for long after breezing through packet pick-up because I wanted to get over to the Rock n Blog TweetUp! It was a great chance to put a face with the Twitter handles I interact with all the time and if you have the chance to make it to one, the giveaways aren't bad either!

Parking: Parking for the expo took two tries at different garages but at $10 wasn't too painful. Parking for the race was free and there was plenty of it. I easily found a spot in a mostly still empty lot about 60 minutes before the gun. Due to where I was staying, the light rail wasn't an option for me, but it did seem like many runners used it. Getting from the parking to the start was simple.

Start area: Like at most RnR races, the Start area is a mad house. There are thousands of hyped up runners hours away from collecting new bling and if the atmosphere doesn't get you ready to run, I don't know what will. The full marathon started in a different location than the half, 10k and relay which meant a little less congestion than I've experienced at other events. As I made the long trek from the Start line past 22 corrals to gear check I passed large banks of Port-a-Potties with steadily moving lines. After quickly dropping my gear off with a friendly volunteer, I hopped in line for 5 minutes and was on my way back to towards corral 2 to warm up in the cool morning weather.

Course: The first 5k were flat and fast. The next 10 miles? Not so much. While not 'hilly' in the traditional sense, like in Boston, Kentucky or Richmond with rolling, up-down-up-down, climbs, the course definitely features some inclines. They're mostly long and steady at 7-10% (ish) and will present a tough workout if you're not prepared. I have run much flatter courses at Shamrock, April Fools, Myrtle Beach, Rehoboth and Vegas. The course map details where water, goo and potties will be on on the sidelines and that's exactly where they were. Hydration stations were well stocked with both fluid and staffers while bands at each miles helped keep the energy up. In its entirety, you really get a good feel for being in the valley and the desert scenery.

The weather at the start had been in the low to mid-50s and the warming temperature sneaks up on you because it's so dry. When the course hit a shady section around Mile 10, it was a surprisingly nice breath of cool air. In the two hours between dropping off my hoodie and picking it back up, the temperature had risen close to 15 degrees.

Finish: Another course where the Finish Line is just 200 or so meters after a 90 degree turn. These drive me crazy. But, after you cross a RnR Finish Line, you don't really care where it was anymore. You're handed an awesome medal, water, sports drink, protein bars, pretzels, bananas, chocolate milk and asked to pose for photos. Definitely one place RnR excels.

Swag: A nice tech t-shirt has come with all of my RnR race and this one is no exception. The RnR AZ Half Marathon medal is heavy, gorgeous and will snap in with the next three years' medals to make a super RnR AZ monster medal. There had been a scare that the medals might not arrive due to a shipping problem, but RnR pulled through for 22,000 participants and kept everyone happy with an announcement they had arrived the day before the race. Because I had run RnR Las Vegas a few months earlier, I also received a special edition Desert Double Down medal that is about the same size as the single race medals but recognizes the running of both events. Love that RnR Series does these.

Great swag, awesome course support and good weather make this a must do winter race.