The Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k has been a yearly ritual for my friends and I for many years. It was great to participate in the race in its sixth year in Atlanta. What made this year extra special was the 3 and 5 year legacy awards for Atlanta runners. Legacy awards were given to 5k and 15k finishers who ran either race distance consecutively for 3 or 5 years. The awards consisted of a medal and commemorative pin. This is my fourth consecutive year, so I was awarded the 3 year legacy award. 

 The Expo
The expo was held at the World Congress Center. This year it was held in Building A, which was shorter walk than its normal location in Building C. The expo was also smaller, but had plenty of vendors selling various items. Hot Chocolate and chocolate snacks were given out to get us ready for our post race goodies. 

Bib pick up quick and easy. The race also provided goodie bag (jacket) exchange. I choose a men's jacket, that fit well. I got the women's jacket when I paced Hot Chocolate Tampa. I only picked up a HC branded sweat shirt at the expo and my wallet rejoiced. I also met two fellow BibRave Pros who drove down to run the race.

The Race
The weather for the this race series is always a hit or miss. This year it was raining and cold. I have run in the rain and in the cold, but never the two combined. Nevertheless, I ran with my sweeper pacer crew through the rain and all the puddles. This year the course was a bit different in the past. It was classic Atlanta and one big difference was that we didn't run though Turner Field as we have in the past. I still got to cheer for GT as we ran through campus (Go Jackets!)

The race was fine. I am over complaining about Atlanta's hills. I do wish the police enforced better traffic control during race. Other that that, all was well. I am working hard to keep my legacy status, so I will be back in 2019 to earn my 5 year legacy award.

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to the Buffalo Half Marathon race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

I stayed at the Buffalo Regency Hyatt, the host hotel, and they had a great welcome for all the runners. They had signs, a whiteboard for writing messages for runners, and snacks. All the front office staff had on Buffalo Marathon shirts. The hotel was reasonable and check in/out was quick. It was also adjacent to the convention center where the expo and race were held.

The Expo
The race expo was only one day (Sat May 27) from 9 am to 6 pm. Runners were emailed their numbers prior to the race and had to present the number to pick up their bib. I went to the expo soon after it open and pick up was quick. There were plenty of vendors selling apparel, nutrition, and discounted race entries. I snagged a bag of sour apple jelly beans, which I have been unable to find in ATL. There were speakers and I met fellow BibRave Pro Melissa, who was a speaker at the expo. The expo also had plenty of props for photo opps.

The Race
The race started at 6:30 am in front of the convention center. The weather was nice and cool. Everyone was self seeded and corrals were a bit crowded before the race. There were plenty of pace teams to support every pace. I joined the 2:30 corral for the race. As a bonus I had my mother in the crowd to cheer me on.

Once we got started, we were able to spread out. The terrain was mostly flat, with a few rolling hills. Even with the few out and back parts, but there was plenty to see. One thing that was interesting was the large amount of gnats on the course. I ran with my head down during the gnat storm so I wouldn't inhale or swallow any of them. The water stops were every other mile and thankfully it wasn't too hot. I finished in 2:32, which is my fastest half marathon time this year.

Overall it was a great race. I can put a stamp on Buffalo. My suggestion for improvement would be to have a two day expo so that runners can pick up their items on Friday. It would also been nice to have more crowd support from the city.

This was my second time running this race. This I was excited to run without the stress of pacing. This race was also my last double digit run before the Big Sur Marathon at the end of the month.

The expo/packet pick up
This year the race offered packet up at Big Peach Brookhaven on Thursday, which was nice for the Atlanta runners. Town Brookhaven has plenty of parking and pick up was pretty quick. Big Peach also offered a 15% on merchandise at the store. We received a bag with our shirt and a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich (yay!!). The official race expo with vendors was held in Athens on Friday, the day before the race.

Race Day
My friends and I drove from Atlanta to Athens on race day. The trip was around an hour and we arrived a few minutes before take off. The great thing about the Chick-fil-A half marathon is that the runners hang out at the Classic Center in downtown Athens. The Classic Center has restrooms and plenty of room for sitting before the race. 

The Course
The course has changed since I ran the race in 2015. It was still pretty hilly. We ran through a large portion of the UGA campus, but we did not run through the stadium. There was plenty of course support and the volunteers had interesting costumes. One thing I really missed this year was the parachuting stuffed cows. In the past, they were given at mile 6. Other runners reported that they were able to get a cow, but they were not available during my run. After we finished and received our medals, we went to an outdoor festival for food and the finisher festivities with vendors. 

There were a few things that could have been improved. For example, they ran out of chicken biscuits for the finishers. I was able to get one, but my friend wasn't as lucky. Another improvement  is making sure all the water stations are stocked. The first water station was not set up to dispense water and no volunteers were present.

Overall it was an okay experience. I am on the fence about running it next year.

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This year I had the opportunity to run the Big Sur International Marathon in Big Sur, CA. This is my second marathon of 2017. I gained entry to the race through the lottery. The scenery is absolutely beautiful, but the course was very difficult. It made the Publix Marathon course designers look like amateurs. Here's my race recap.

The Expo
The expo was small with many vendors. Bib and tee-shirt pick up was quick and easy. We also received our free bus ticket for our race shuttles. Asics is the main sponsor and they had a large section of the expo where they were selling Big Sur branded items. I bought a headband, pin for my jacket, and a tee-shirt. Other vendors were selling apparel, nutrition, and medal racks. All the marathon runners names were printed on the name wall banner. The runners who ran the first Big Sur Marathon were highlighted in white. Runners could attend workshops all day at the expo. I choose to skip the workshops and explore Monterey. 

Race Day
We had to take a shuttle to the start line in Big Sur. I stayed at the Monterrey Tides Hotel and I caught the bus from the Embassy Suites (5 minute walk). The bus shuttles started at 4:30 am. Thankfully my body being on EST time worked in my favor, since 4:30 PST is 7:30 EST. The bus ride was about 30 minutes to the drop off point. We walked a half mile to the starting line since it was inaccessible to the buses. At the starting line there was coffee, porta potties, and no cell phone signal. One cool thing was I got to meet one my Instagram buddies. 
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I joined Corral 3 (4:45-6:00 finish). Since we were in the back, we lined up first and moved back. Even the views from the start line were breathtaking.

​​The Race
The race started at 6:45 am. The first 10 miles of Big Sur felt like running in ATL. The hills were rolling and the views were spectacular. There were cows along the course. They reminded how bad I wanted Chick-Fil-A sweet tea on Sunday (I can only dream). The drummers were our cheerleaders as we started our 2 mile climb to Hurricane Point (miles 10-12).
 
​​Miles 10-12 were the most difficult parts of the race. I was so grateful that my pace was great (sub 13) for the beginning of the race, because my pace really slowed down for the rest of the race. I did redeem myself for mile 13 since it was downhill to the Bixby bridge and the piano player. 
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​​Mentally, I just wanted to quit at mile 14 and just run to the beach. I took my warm GU and got back to the task of getting to the finish line. The remaining 12 miles were rolling hills. I ran my 2:1 intervals as much as I could. I really took advantage of downhills since the terrain was tough. I was able to take a few more pictures and made some friends along away. I also had the infamous strawberries at mile 23.

One thing I really liked about the race was the attention to protecting the environment. Each water station had places to fill up your water bottles. The race organizers also planned to compost the cups and gel wrappers. 
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The mile markers were also very entertaining along the course. The mile 26 marker was my favorite (the end was near).

​​Thankfully I made it past the two time points at miles 15 and 21 and crossed the finish line before the 6 hour cut off. Crossing the finish line felt like winning the lottery, in which I was awarded the Big Sur International Marathon medal.

​​Post Race Party
The Big Sur post race party had massages, a finisher's store, and food. I had planned to visit the store to buy a shirt, but due to the time I grabbed my food box and headed for the shuttles for the hotels instead. 

Overall it was a great experience, but I can say that I am one and done with this race. I can add the Big Sur International Marathon to my completed bucket list races. I am so grateful that I had Jenny from Ekiden coaching to help me train for Publix and Big Sur. I am going to love the flat course at the Chicago Marathon. Now that marathon training is over, I am looking forward to training for the Peachtree Road Race 10k.
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