I ran the Rock 'n Roll Philly race back in 2012 as my third half marathon. I haven't been able to work it into my schedule since but was very excited to return this year!

Rock 'n Roll weekends always start with the expo experience, followed by the race. The Philly Rock 'n Roll Health and Fitness Expo was held at the PA Convention Center in Center City on both Friday and Saturday. Runners are able to pick up their bibs, t-shirts, and other assorted race goodies.

I arrived when the expo opened on Friday. Getting my bib was no problem however, I was surprised (and a little disappointed) to find out that the race shirts had gotten held up in transportation. The kind volunteer at the shirt table provided several options: wait until they expected them at 2pm, come back the following day, or pick up the shirt the day of the race. I opted to pick up the shirt at the race, which was not a problem.

Race management sent out an email regarding this at 11:15, which was too late (in my opinion). I was already in the city at the time, having traveled there from my home in South NJ. I wish I had known about it earlier because I would have changed my plans and attended the expo on Saturday. Not a huge deal but it did sour my mood for the rest of the expo. I realize that this is definitely the exception rather than the rule with this race series.

Besides the shirt snafu, the Rock 'n Roll race management knows how to host a great expo. Since they're such a big racing series, they have the flow of the expo down to a science, leading attendees from one section to the next with plenty of signs and helpful volunteers. If you aren't able to make it to the expo, you can have a friend pick it up. The friend is able to pick up two packets for "free", after that there is a $20 charge per packet. There is no mail option, but with more races having that option, it's something I know many would appreciate.

This is the 40th year that this race has been run, having been known prior as the Philadelphia Distance Run.

Saturday morning were the 5k and 10k races. The 10k distance was newly introduced this year; I had many friends who ran and had a positive experience.

Sunday morning it was half marathon time. Philadelphia is about a half hour drive from my house/nearby train ride. I chose to take the train and walk a mile to the start line, which is my standard mode of transportation for Philly races. Easy peasy! I always aim to get into the city about an hour before the start of the race (although I was in corral 21 so I knew I would have plenty of time!).

Once I arrived I tracked down where I needed to go to get my race shirt. Since I had a hydration pack, I decided to stuff it in there (rather than check a bag).

Rock 'n Roll's race village is huge and there's plenty of things to do and see both pre and post race. I wandered around a bit, chatted with plenty of people and seeing fellow BibRave Pros. Philadelphia's Rocky Steps (aka the Art Museum) is always the backdrop of big races in Philly and this was no exception.

The first 5 miles of the half course have to be my absolute favorite. I love running in Center City and the energy is always terrific. From about mile 3.5 to 5 is an out and back stretch along Fairmount Avenue, which I love because you can see the other runners and the cheering from people along this stretch is fantastic. Very motivating!

The second part of the course leads you along the Schuykill River on Kelly Drive, across Falls Bridge, and back the other side of the river on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The miles seem to stretch here and while the scenery is picturesque, this is where I wish they would stack the bands and entertainment. I appreciate everyone who was out there, including the band who changed the lyrics to The Indigo Girls "Closer to Fine" to "Closer to the Finish Line."

I knew I wasn't going to break any personal records during this race so I enjoyed, took my time, and had my phone out nearly the entire time to take many pictures and videos along the route. I made a friend during the last mile that I had been leapfrogging with from mile 10 and we finished the race together, which was really nice!

The medals for this year were money, baby! The half marathon medal was Ben Franklin with a sweatband on his head 13.1 bill. Too funny!

Immediately after the finish line, they were handing out water and a sports drink. Directly after that there was ice cold chocolate milk, which hit the spot! They were also giving out ice cold RnR towels, which was perfect on my neck. There were snacks directly after but unfortunately, juggling everything became a bit of a challenge!

Post-race celebration included the band Big Head Todd and the Monsters (never heard of them before but they were entertaining). There was also a beer garden but I completely forgot about it until I was walking back to the train station. Whomp, whomp.

Fun way to kick off fall racing in Philly!

In need of more pics/video? Swing by: http://www.scootadoot.org/2017/04/03/birthday-race-recap-philly-hot-chocolate-15k/