Registration: I registered online in the comfort of my home with no difficulties. I purchased a 2015 3 pack Tour Pass which made everything really easy since it had saved my information in a special profile.

Expo: The expo was a two day event but I couldn't get up to DC until Friday afternoon and was nervous to be arriving only hours before it closed. A large race can create crowded, messy expos but this went much smoother than expected. Doug and I quickly grabbed our numbers and race bags with nice tech shirts. Next stop was picking up Expo Cash I had earned by referring other racers at the Rock n Roll booth. Easy to find, I quickly picked up my cash and made my way back to the official store to grab a race themed magnet (yay, free!). A few PowerBar samples later we were on our way.

Parking: Not an issue as we could walk from our hotel to and from the expo and to the Start. We took the metro back after the race but Rock n Roll did offer the option to buy parking passes for both expo and race day in advance at a discount. I definitely would recommend mass transit for this event as much as you possibly can.

Start: It was lightly drizzling then stopped as we walked to gear check. I don't understand why RnR does gear check by last name instead of race number. I had to walk past corral 2 to gear check truck 15, then back. It was at least an additional 1200M of walking in the restarted rain. Port-A-Potties at the start had slow moving but not large lines though I didn't notice as many as I have at previous RnR events. Getting into my corral was easy and there was plenty of room to get warmed up on the surrounding streets and sidewalks. The serious rain actually held off until after the race started, which was nice, and we were off right on time.

Course: Hills. Some big ones, some long, gradual ones, some not-so-bad ones and one monster around Mile 6. Get your mental game ready for that one. With the rain coming down steadily for the entire event, it was sometimes hard to tell if something was a puddle, a hole or both. I didn't hit much traffic after the first mile though there are lots of turns through the entire race that pile up a little bit. It was neat running from Mile 2 to the 5k line because you get to see the people in from of you making their return. In my case, the leaders were breezing past Mile 3 as I headed in to Mile 2 and it gives you a little push. This was just a training run and I started taking turns wide and trying to pick up some extra distance while noticing a lot of people not taking the shortest route possible. I definitely recommend shaving turns as much as you can. Hugging the right side curb is not always a good choice.

Course Support: It seemed like there were fewer bands on the course than at previous RnR events but it could have just been a lack of noticing. Water stops were well manned but spirits were damped by the 45 degree, rain filled morning. I know there were Port-a-potties on the course, but I didn't see where they were. There was an enthusiastic GU stop around Mile 8 (?) and I strolled lazily through another well staffed water stop after Mile 9.

Finish: The finish is a nice little downhill to flat section that helps you forget about the hills from earlier in the day. Nice big medals, sports drinks, water, pretzels, chocolate milk, bananas, chips and PowerBars are a handful when you're trying to hold on your RnR heat sheet on your soaking wet body a the cold, rainy day. Unfortunately due to the weather, Doug and I did not hang out at the Finish festival at all.

Swag: A nice tech t-shirt has come with all of my RnR races and this one falls right in line. I don't know if it's my shape but they never seem to fit me right. That's OK with me because I plan on making them all into a quilt anyway but for those who like to sport them, it can be kind of disappointing. The medals are, as always, big, heavy and blingy.

Rock n Roll DC is a fun race in a great city if you're prepared for some serious hills and the potential for bad weather. RnR management did a good job of preparing the course and the participants for the logistics of running in the nation's capitol. With 40 states left to go, I don't think this will be a repeat for me any time soon, but it certainly worth the trip if you're looking for a spring race in the North East.

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.

The 2014 Rehoboth Half Marathon is one of my favorite half marathons to date. Also known as the Seashore Marathon, this race features the option to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles through the beach side towns of Delaware (state #9!). I went into the weekend with no plan. Absolutely no plan at all. I was having some very faint foot pain that I couldn't induce with poking, rubbing or jumping from a really hard run in my light racing shoes on Thursday but I knew it wasn't serious. I didn't want to make anything worse with 13+ more miles of pounding and decided to just take it one step at a time on my tied legs race morning.

My Rehoboth Half Marathon began with a three hour drive from Virginia Beach straight to packet pick-up. Both Saturday events were limited to a total of 2600 runners and I'm pretty sure they all wanted to pick up at the same time. It was cramped and crowded but moved right along as I collected my number, long sleeve tech race shirt (like it a lot), drawstring bag and post-race party wristband. Doug and I checked into our hotel, relaxed for a little while then hit the main drag in Rehoboth for dinner. A delicious shrimp and scallop pasta at Summer House was my pre-race meal while Doug had a perfectly seared filet mignon. I hoped the chilly, wet evening would dry out for the next day's race and maybe even warm up a bit. After one more look at my weather.com app, it was time for bed and a not too early rise and shine for the race's 7am Start.

Getting to the Start was very easy. Doug dropped me off a few blocks from the boardwalk and bandstand and a brisk morning walk to the starting area got my Race Day going. I passed locked permanent restrooms and a string of Port-a-Potties with long but moving lines (luckily I didn't need to use one) as I made my way to the wooden boardwalk to loosen up and get warm. My foot felt solid, leading me to choose a goal of finishing the race between 1:40 and 1:45. Around 6:50 the Nation Anthem was sung and I was a little disappointed with the sound system. It took a second to realize what was going on and the young girl who sang it could barely be heard 200 yards from the podium. There were no corrals at the Starting Line, nor were there signs with paces on them to give people a guide for lining up. I headed towards the front and asked a few people to get an idea of what was around me. With a kind-of plan finally in place, I wanted to start with a 8 minute mile pace group then see how I felt as the race went on but expected it was not going to work out that way.

I was right. The 2014 Rehoboth Half Marathon got a little bit of a late start, going off at 7:05 and I crossed the Start surrounded by runners at all paces. The course went straight for a while and I passed lots of people as I clocked an 8:08 first mile. I continued to pass people as the course made a u-turn at the Mile 3 marker, settling into a comfortable 7:50 pace before walking through my first water stop. By Mile 4 I knew I was overdressed in my long sleeves as the morning warmed and I found myself thankful for the clouds that stuck around.

At Mile 5 I walked through a second well staffed and stocked water stop then picked up to a 7:35 pace until the course hit the trails. I knew the course map said trails but I didn't know they were actual trails. The gravel began at Mile 5.5 and stayed with the course all the way to Mile 11. The wet trail was soft but also a bit slippery on top of being less firm and my pace slowed back down a bit. I took the straightest lines I could through the wide, tree-lined path, passing the 10K sign with 6.26 on my watch. I came to a slow walk at the Mile 8 water stop to make sure I got a decent amount of water down and picked it back up to hit the Mile 9 turn around. I had seen the runners in front coming back towards me since early on the trail and knew I might have trouble holding the same straight lines I had taken out on the way back because of incoming traffic.

Over the next two trail miles I cruised on the shortest path I could, passing a few more people and ready to get back on pavement. I was sad to see the peacefulness of the trails go but happy to have a hard surface again at Mile 11 where it became clear I had done a decent job of sticking with those straight lines because my watch read 11.06. I was clicking right along to finish around 1:43 and eased up to another female runner to help me finish with a little kick. A 90 degree right hand turn at Mile 13 finally brought the 2014 Rehoboth Half Marathon Finish into view and I crossed it running easy at 1:42.47.

With my phantom foot weirdness, not fresh legs, soft, slippery trails and no real plan to speak of, I was very happy to hit my sub-1:45 goal. It was definitely a very high quality training run and I couldn't have asked for anything much better. Walking towards the post-race party, I received a huge medal (my biggest to date) and sucked down two small cups of water. Doug snapped this photo before I took my sweat soaked sleeves of as fast as I could and threw on a dry fleece. I wasn't sure if we needed to stay for awards, I had seen that not too many ladies were in front of me with the out and back course design and didn't expect anything but couldn't know for sure. In the post race party tent, computers gave live race results, which was awesome, and I found I was 6th of 116 in my age group. A huge buffet style breakfast spread lines one side of the tent while unlimited beer was served at one end and bottled water hung out by the entrance. One beer and a protein bar later, Doug and I were headed back to the hotel. I wish we could have hung out at the sure to be rocking post race party longer but we needed to get back home for a holiday party.

I loved the 2014 Rehoboth Half Marathon and can't wait to run it again someday. Maybe I'll shoot for the full 26.2 (eeek!). The course was mostly flat with a few slight grades to give the legs a little something different, the scenery is beautiful, the weather was perfect, water stops were solid, the medals are massive and the post race party is fantastic. Crowd support is sprinkled but when they're there, they're enthusiastic. I didn't for one second notice there wasn't music on the course most likely because I train without it and also because the scenery is so lovely. The Start area was spacious and being able to watch the sun rise over the ocean isn't too shabby but some kind of pace organization would have made those first two miles a little more comfortable. Doug had some issues with the text timing alerts not being on time and the timing mat breakdown here doesn't match my race at all. I think the 8.5 mile mat was actually at 9.1 and caused the problem but the Start, Finish and average pace are dead on, so I'm overall happy with the timers. If you ever have the chance, I definitely recommend making the trip to Delaware's shoreline for the Rehoboth Half Marathon.

Meredith

The inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon in Norfolk, VA is in the can. I teamed with two other runners to pace the 2 hour group and had a wonderful race day.harbor lights halfRace Weekend kicked off with a trip to the Half Moone Cruise Center to pick up my race gear and work the pacer booth Friday afternoon. It was so much fun getting to meet people I would be helping on Sunday while harbor lights halfcarolers got everyone in the holiday spirit and Bon Secours In Motion held free mobility and muscle imbalance testing. My short shift flew by, though little did I know I probably should have hung out a bit longer. Leaving the expo was an absolute disaster. I got into my car at 4:38pm and didn't get out of the City of Norfolk parking garage until after 6. Not only was this a massive pain in the rear, it cost me an additional $2.50 and wasted plenty of gas. I'm not sure who is at fault for the fiasco but hope the horrendous situation is resolved before the 2015 edition of the Harbor Lights Half Marathon.Harbor Lights Half

I had a nice relaxing Saturday and got ready for Race Day. After the previous week's debacle, I was excited to get a solid training run in while cheering on some fellow runners to new PRs. I popped out of bed Sunday morning, dressed for the cooler temperatures, fueled up with breakfast and an E2 then headed to the course. Doug dropped me off before going to do his own harbor lights halflong run and I met up with all of the other pacers, including my two hour buddies, Mike in a turkey suit and Tony with an apron and plastic knife, before using one of the numerous Port-a-Potties. No lines! I then dropped off my gear and slid into Corral 3 just as the National Anthem began.

Before we knew it, Corral 3 was off. The course started with a slight incline to really get my body moving and we had some serious GPS issues. Quickly we decided to work off of total time rather than the watch splits. The course travels through several scenic areas of Norfolk and it was nice to be out on the quiet morning streets with a few hundred friends. Much like when I paced the Rock n Roll Virginia Beach, I paid little attention to the course's details as I was more worried about clocking steady miles and helping those around me. I did, however, make some general observations.

Course support was great. There were sprinklings of fans who were quite enthusiastic on an early, chilly morning and fully loaded, well staffed water stops helped everyone stay hydrated. Later there were gels around Mile 7 and around Mile 9 (I think) a Baker's Crust pie stop. Port-a-Potties dotted the sidelines and the timing mats at 5k, 10k and 10 miles were very visible.

The course itself was narrow at points, especially when you hit the cobblestone stretches and everyone opted for the sidewalk. Most of the race was run on one side of the road or the other with light morning traffic passing by. I struggled to find a flat surface because of this which started to bother my knee and I found myself on the sidewalk for a few minutes to even things out.

Turns and hills. There were lots of turns on the overall flat course but there were three large reverse hills, meaning we started going down under a road and came up on the other side to break up the flatness. Mile 11 felt very long and Mile 12 has you run past the post-race party before making a sharp right turn and weaving back to the Finish Line along the river's edge.

Mike, Tony and I crossed the Finish Line at 1:59.59 and the race couldn't have gone any better. It was a blast to run with the two hour group, especially when we were call and responses of harbor lights half'gobble, gobble...beer, beer' under every bridge. Congratulations abounded as we walked through the shoot collecting water, bananas, pretzels, race logo glassware, inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon bottle opener medals and heat sheets. It was very rewarding to have so many runners thank us for pacing them to new PRs and we all went on to celebrate at the Post Race Party.harbor Lights half

Unfortunately the heat sheets weren't as helpful as I hoped because the sun wasn't out to warm them but J&A Racing did another great job putting on a fantastic post-race party. While we partied, Jerry of J&A Racing continues to work hard to make sure every single runner has a good experience. Such a nice thing to see. The party featured Right On Band, who always put on a great show, Blue Moon beer there was never a line for and quickly served delicious Baker's Crust Stew. A bonus? No post-race Port-a-Potty lines either! The event swag included a women's cut tech t-shirt that I actually really like, a nice big bottle opener medal and a logo glass I was quick to pour my post race libation in.

The Inaugural Harbor Lights Half Marathon was a great late fall race and I hope J&A puts it on again next year. As long as the early expo parking problems are ironed out, I'll be there.

I ran the 2014 Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon to complete my South Carolina state race and check another location off my 50+1 list. Doug also ran the half marathon, his first in over four years, and even though it's not an arduous journey from home in Virginia Beach, we stayed an extra myrtle beach miniday post race to relax.

We had a leisurely Saturday morning while the Coastal 5k went off then made our way to packet pick-up. The expo was small but well organized and I thought it was interesting you had to walk through the vendor area to pick-up your race shirt at a different location than your race number. With our myrtle beach mini newly acquired numbers the rest of the day was spent relaxing, watching college football and hydrating before a nice big salad and bowl of pasta for dinner. I went to bed a bit before Doug with my alarm set for 5:20 and got an OK night's sleep on the firm hotel bed.

Race day dawned chilly like we expected, but that meant good running weather and I was very happy with the 60 degree morning. We fueled with breakfast, bagel for me, oatmeal for him and both downed an E2 en route the the Start. The race was point to point, beginning at the Coastal Grand Mall and finishing on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. There was more than ample parking and the Port-a-Potty lines were fairly short when Doug and I walked over. A few minutes later the lines started to lengthen, which was problematic because the portable toilets faced the road and people waiting were forced to stand on a curb trying to stay out of the incoming race traffic. After avoiding that mess, we made our way back to the car, folded our sweats into gear check bags, checked them (hence no start photos) and made our way to the corrals.

We wished each other good luck and I slid happily into the front of the 7-8 minute mile corral. A short time later I listened to the National Anthem and took off with the crowd just about right on time. The course began with a loop around the mall for Mile 1 and I did a good job of being sure not to take things out too fast as I clocked a 7:30 first mile. Coming into sight of the Mile 1 sign, I was running between two gentlemen and within a few seconds of one another, all of our watches beeped. Before the marker. I was at 1.06 when I ran past it and knew I had to be very aware of taking the shortest route possible for the remainder of the race.

The course wasn't anything spectacular on a mile by mile basis until the last few. Through Mile 9 it was pretty flat with only one big bridge to conquer, a few gentle grades and a paved trail around the Mile 6 mark. My left glute got a little grumpy climbing the bridge but it loosened back up quickly as I ran on. Miles 2 through Mile 10 were between 7:18 and 7:21 and I did a very good job of taking the straightest lines I could through each curve and turn since I didn't pick up any additional distance. When I passed the Mile 10 mark my watch read 10.06 and I was ready to go for the last 5k.

A turn at Mile 9.5ish had the course running south, parallel to the ocean, and a mile later a lovely a 10-15mph headwind kicked up. An annoying headwind is something I'm used to but never keen on at that point in a race, especially one where I'm pushing myself. Miles 11 and 12 averaged a slightly slower pace (7:23, 7:24) but I felt good in spite of the slower times because I was ahead of my goal time by over a minute. When I passed the mile 12 marker with 12.06 and myrtle beach mini1:28.26 on my watch I was thrilled. In all of my excitement, I made the turn onto the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and don't recall when I saw the Mile 13 marker, or even if I noticed it at all.

Turning left onto what I thought was the final straightaway, I quickly became frustrated. Running on what's known as the Promenade, this last stretch was not the friendly, straight Boardwalk I had expected. The Promenade is narrow. It is twisting. It felt never-ending. When I finally hit the wooden boards, it was completely demoralizing. The Finish Line, like the last two races I've run, isn't visible until you're practically on top of it. I took a glance at my watch and noticed I had run much more than 1.1 miles since that Mile 12 marker. With 13.18 on my watch, I could see the clock ahead and realized I still had more than 100 meters to go. After feeling so great about the first twelve miles of the race, terror sank in as myrtle beach minithe seconds ticked away and I thought I might not make my goal due to the extra time additional distance had eaten up.

I made it by the skin of my teeth, crossing the under the Myrtle Beach Mini race clock as it flashed 1:37.25. Even though I averaged a 7:20 pace for the race, I was incredibly frustrated when I hit the stop button on my watch. I had run 13.29 miles in 1:37.24 when I had expected to run 13.16 in under 1:36.45 just nine minutes before. My frustration took a while to dissipate as I collected my massive medal (these things are huge), water, pretzels, a banana, an apple and finally cruised over to the gear tent. I settled onto a bench to trade shoes for flops and give my feet a little air, used one of the large number of finish area port-a-potties and started to calm down. No matter what had myrtle beach minihappened during that last mile, my race had been a success. It proved that my training paid off and next target race will definitely be faster.

Waiting for Doug to run past me as he came off the Promenade himself I decided to check the results online. Citing my frustrating finish and the large number of people who had taken off in front of me, including the 7 min mile pace group, I didn't feel good about placing in my age group. I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open when the page opened and said I was first in my age group, 13th female and 79th overall. I had correctly guessed there were a lot of people in front me, luckily they happened to be mostly men.

Moments later Doug ran by, beating his goal time by two minutes and just as frustrated by the Promenade section as I. In the end, Doug ran 13.30 miles, I ran 13.29, several people I chatted with were anywhere between 13.18 and 13.31 and apparently myrtle beach minithis non-USATF certified course is not coined a half marathon because it's longer than 13.1 miles but shorter than 26.2. We enjoyed our complimentary beer while waiting for the awards ceremony and here I am with the other female 30-34 award winners.

Other than the length of the course, it was sparsely populated with spectators until the oceanfront portion and even though I wasn't stopping at the well staffed water stops I did notice, and have Doug confirm, the final stop seemed a disproportionately long way from the penultimate one. There are lots of positives about the Myrtle Beach Mini, too. The course is fairly flat, the water stops are well stocked with volunteers, water and Gatorade, there was tons of parking at the start, the medals are massive, the awards ceremony was great, the band was very good and it was well organized.myrtle beach mini

We snapped this photo while waiting for our shuttle back to the start and that was quite an adventure itself. When we lined up there were three buses departing for the 3.5 mile trip back to Coast Grand Mall and our parked cars. We waited on a cement sidewalk for close to 20 minutes before a bus finally returned. It seemed like this could have been spaced out better or communicated to the participants. Once a bus load of people had boarded, we were on our way. It was a quite a bumpy trip as the bus seemed to have trouble shifting out of first gear and possibly needed some engine or transmission work. We finally safely arrived back at the car and made our way back to the hotel for some serious foam rolling and refueling.

I don't see myself running the Myrtle Beach Mini again but recommend it if you're looking for something in the area. There was construction that forced the course to be changed this year and I think that might have been the source of the additional distance. Myrtle Beach is a great place to visit off season, especially in the beginning of the week and we had a great time exploring the Boardwalk area on Monday.