Latest reviews by Lauren

(2015)
"Race Report: Appalachian Series - West Virginia"
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9 marathons. 9 states.

I have run 9 marathons in 9 different states.

Ohio. North Carolina. New York. Virginia. Tennessee. Alabama. Georgia. Pennsylvania. West Virginia.

I am one state away from joining the 50 States Marathon Club. 1 STATE!

But before I go on and on about how excited I am that this HUGE goal is almost within reach, let's talk about this crazy West Virginia race I just ran.

#1 most important fact: IT WAS HILLY.

3 hills. 6 hills per loop. 12 loops.

At mile 21, those hills became mountains. I did something I have NEVER done in a race. I walked the hills.

but I finished. All those hills. All 12 loops. All 26.2 miles.

The particulars: this race is part of a 7 day series, the Appalachian series, hosted by Mainly Marathons. There was a HUGE 50 State, Fanatics, and Maniacs presence at this race, which makes perfect sense considering you can act like a fanatic or a maniac and run a half or marathon everyday for seven days.

The course went through a park that had beautiful views of trees with leaves that actually change color! The sun was shining but it was still cool and crisp. Pretty much a perfect day. The volunteers were amazing, super supportive and encouraging. My fellows runners were excited, encouraging, and kind. They made the hills bearable.

The cool thing about running a loop is that you become so obsessed with what number loop you're on you forget all about the miles. The first 6 loops flew by. Loops 7-10 were a little rough and the last 2 were all like "YEA! I'm almost done!"

The medal is pretty freaking awesome. It has clips so that you can add more states as you complete the series. So cool. I may or may not have had a brief moment where I was all like "oooo! I want to add more states!" but then I came to my senses.

As I get deeper and deeper into this 50 State quest, I will definitely consider running another Mainly Marathons series. Though small, it is a great way to get the mileage and states you need while surrounded by wonderful and dedicated people.

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(2015)
"Race Report: Spinx Carolina Marathon"
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First, I need to admit a bias. I LOVE Greenville. My family and I spend every Saturday there visiting the Zoo, walking the trails, and enjoying its general awesomeness. I was going to love this race, whether I wanted to or not.

My running partner kindly picked up our packets so I didn't go to the expo but she did pick me up an amazing shirt from the Greenville Running Company. I included a picture for your viewing pleasure.

The race starts outside the local baseball stadium in downtown Greenville, so there's plenty of bathrooms to handle pre-race jitters. This is not a big race, about 500 marathoners.

We got started on time - always exciting - and made our way to to Cleveland Park and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. This trail, also known as the SRT, is one of the coolest things about Greenville. It is a paved path that travels all over the city. It is popular with runners, walkers, and cyclists. It is free from traffic and in most cases surrounded by trees, leaving you with this wonderful "I love nature!" feeling.

The majority of the race is run on this trail so course support was minimal. However, the volunteers and the supporters that were out there were very encouraging. There were adequate water stops but definitely lacking in the porta potty department. There was one bathroom on the beautiful campus at Furman University. It was clean, and there were no lines so that was a win.

This is an open course race, so as the day wore on and more and more Greenvillians were taking advantage of the fabulous weather to enjoy the great outdoors, the trail got a little crowded. Thankfully, everyone was pretty respectful and understanding in terms of who had right of way.

The finish line is located inside the baseball stadium, which is awesome except for the endless number of stairs you need to climb to get to the top and ultimately out of the stadium. It's actually pretty cruel to make people who just ran 26.2 miles climb a long flight of stairs but it's also perfect excuse to laugh at yourself and others.

The swag was cool; a pint glass, a mug, a nice race shirt, and the medal was simple but attractive.

This was a great low key and enjoyable race that I would definitely recommend.

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(2015)
"Pittsburgh Marathon"
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8 marathons.

On May 3rd, I lined up with approximately 30,000 fellow runners to run through the streets of Pittsburgh.

I was so nervous. Nervous about getting to the race on time, nervous about the weather, nervous about hitting the wall and crapping out.

No one talks to me at start lines and I'm starting to think that its because I look like I might possibly cry at any moment. or throw up. No one wants to deal with a potential headcase before they embark on running 26.2 miles.

As it turned out, I had nothing to be nervous about. Yes, it was hilly, but not as bad as my last race, the Chick-fila-A 1/2. Yes, it was hot but the race handled it wonderfully by handing out ice cold towels throughout the later half of the race. Those towels saved me. Being able to wipe my face, neck and arms was not only physically cooling but also boosted me mentally. The course and crowd support was awesome; every mile had people cheering their hearts out.

Often, I find that when a marathon and a half are being run on the same course, the first 13 miles are gorgeous and the last 13 miles are run on shoulders of highways and through sketchy, lonely neighborhoods. This was NOT the case with Pittsburgh. The course was well thought out and considerate of marathoners who need an extra boost of love and support during those last long miles.

If you need a spring marathon, definitely consider Pittsburgh - even if you are a Browns fan.

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(2015)
"Race Report: Chick-fil-A Half, Athens, GA"
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I never intended to run this particular race, the Chick-fil-A Half Marathon, due to a somewhat already loaded race schedule.

However, one day on Twitter, the Chick-fil-A Connect race series (@cfaraceseries) reached out and suggested that I sign up for their half marathon in Athens, GA. I told them that I would love to but I had already blown my race budget for the year (I have the world's most understanding husband). They kindly offered me registration in return for writing a race report. How could I say no?

I ran a CFA race last year and was impressed by how smoothly it was run, how accessible and easy the website was to use, and the kindness and excitement of its volunteers. This race was no different.

Registration took minutes and there is no additional service fee that you often have to pay with other races. There was both expo packet pick up and same day pick up - which is awesome and so helpful for a Mom of 3. Parking was right near the start with lots of bathrooms and the race actually STARTED ON TIME. The course, although ridiculously hilly, was clearly marked and loaded up with upbeat and encouraging volunteers. It takes you through both residential sections of Athens and through the UGA campus, By the stadium, volunteers were throwing parachuting stuffed cows down upon the runners. I caught one and didn't even break my stride.

The only negative thing I can say about this race is about the finish. The finish line was located inside the Classic Center, and I continue to be confused by this phenomena. I'm not sure why races do this. It's usually so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone figure out where the post race food is or why your running partner wants to take another sweaty picture of you. Plus, it smells. Runners smell. Especially after running 13.1 miles in very humid and sticky weather. It was downright nasty in there by the time I crossed the line. Anyone have any insight into this new trend?

Overall, though, it was a great race. How could it not be with cow mascots, bits of chicken on a stick, iced coffee, gels, and oranges on the course? Basically, it was a party.

And here's the best part...

Funds raised by participants, sponsors, and partners went directly to Athens' own Habitat for Humanity to help build their 82nd house in the Athens area. So not only did I get a stuffed cow, an awesome medal, but I helped make our community a little better. #winning.

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(2015)
"Race Report: Callaway Gardens Marathon"
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The day before the race, I was so nervous that I was practically unbearable to be around. After one particular icy moment, my husband looked at me and said, "Lauren, I know you're nervous but you need to get a grip." I couldn't even get mad at him - he was right.

This was a super small race. I'm terrible at estimating but I'm pretty sure there were about a 100 people there, both half and full marathoners. The course itself takes place entirely within the Callaway Gardens property. It's an out and back loop course which normally would be boring but when you're running through the woods all the trees look the same anyway.

Pros: There is little to no crowd support but I'm not a big fan of spectator selfies or high fiving little kids so that didn't bother me that much. There were adequate water stops and porta potties and due to the size of the race all of the runners were super friendly and encouraging.

Cons: I would have loved some post race chocolate milk and the medals were kind of lame but hey you get what you pay for.

Overall, this was the perfect race for what I needed it to be. I needed a January race in Georgia that wasn't too far to travel to and not too expensive.

Oh and guess what?

I placed second in my age group!

I didn't think that would happen until I was 85 and there wasn't anyone else left alive in my age group.

Small races rock.

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