Latest reviews by Jessica

(2015)
"Santa Rosa Marathon Race Recap"
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I ran this marathon with my husband this year. It was my 5th marathon. If you are looking for a fun, great swag marathon with a little fun to be had afterwards, this is a great race. I was expecting what the website promoted: a flat fast course. Here are a few things we loved about the race:
Likes:
1. swag - great wine bottle for full finishers, nice tech shirt, and the expo had lots of inexpensive wine for runner's to purchase and was gorgous to visit
2. medal - ridicoulous big! Very nice to add to your collection
3. weather was great for late August (compared to Texas)

Dislikes:
1. Course was not flat
2. course was crowded because it was so narrow
3. potholes were bad (5+ people were injured in the sub 3:45 full/or 1:30 half group in the first 6 miles requiring medical assistance which crowded course even more)
4. very little crowd support
5. training for a summer full in Texas is brutal (doesn't have to do with the race but the race's date does affect whether I would do it again).

My husband and I were surprised that 6 miles in, we hit a trail that was sloped for 5-6 miles (and it's an out and back course so had to run that same sloped road again). During that stretch of paved sloped trail, there wasn't any place for crowd support to be had, and the sloping caused serious issues with our gait. We tried to take turns as to who got the more sloped side every few miles but our hips and back definitely felt the unevenness. I was coming off a toe infection, so my time did not reflect my training because I had to take 2 weeks off just shy of the race. I'm not disappointed about the race because of my time because I understand you reap what you sow. Perhaps Texas flat and California flat are different (aka Californians call slanted road flat).

I still enjoyed the experience and my husband and I made a great trip out of our visit to the Napa Valley with this race. I just wish I had known these factors prior to signing up for this marathon.

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(2013)
"Be prepared for a crowd!"
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Rock N Roll races in my opinion are a catch 22. They are super fun, but super big. You'll be in the chute aiming for a 1:45-1:50 and the people in your chute are in the 12 min mile crowd but guessed their finish time incorrectly and are hoping for a miracle. Nevertheless, the crowd support at these races is amazing! The local bands at each mile are awesome and loud! And keep you going. This was a great race to do with girlfriends. We all were looking for a fun time.
Likes about this race:
1. great crowd support
2. great expo
3. nice swag
4. fun afterparty
5. not too hilly for San Antonio

Dislikes:
1. crowded
2. parking is obsolete
3. volunteers rush you out of the finshline area to make room for everyone (I understand but catching your breath and taking a photo with your medal is nice)
4. It's nearly impossible to find your friends afterwards (even if you come up with a meeting spot (it's just that huge)
5. weather is unpredictable

I've done this race in 2011 and 2013 and it's one I like because it's my hometown but there definitely are things to consider if you are making it a destination race.

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(2013)
"Cowtown Full Marathon 2012"
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I had recently moved from San Antonio to DFW (I mean like a week before this race). So when running Cowtown, my experience with running the DFW terrain was pretty much zero. I came from running the Texas Hill Country.

I was delighted by the organization, swag and number of portapotties :). This was late February and very cold out (near freezing). Nevertheless, I felt ready for full marathon number 2. As the course got going I was excited to see Fort Worth. Heck I'd just moved here and really hadn't been around much. It was pretty and we got to run the thick of the marathon through the Stockyards. The dreaded mile 9 that I'd heard was all uphill came, and surprisingly, to me, seemed just like a gradual accent. (Thank you, San Antonio). My body was warming up and i settled in to the second half and I knew I was going to finish happy. I have no complaints about this marathon! It's one I'd do over and over again, and hope to eventually do the ultra distance. I highly recommend this race even if mile 9 probably is a big hill. I finished with my second best (out of 5 now) marathon time, a sub 4 hour race for me. The post race celebration was also amazing!

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