Exciting races on the horizon!!!

Hwy 1 - the Pacific Coast Highway

I haven't been posting in a while, but I'm deep into marathon training now. Yes, you read that correctly... MARATHON training! Gearing up and preparing for my first marathon on October 26, 2014 - the 39th Marine Corps Marathon. I'm following a 16-week a plan from a book called Run Less Run Faster which I am very happy with since it only has me running 3 times a week -- challenging runs, but I love it. Last year for the half, I only ran 3 days a week, but my effort was consistent throughout. With this program, I have speedwork one day, tempo another, and then a long run on the weekend. Goal times/pace of each are determined from your most recent fastest 5K or 10K time, which will give you your goal marathon pace - for me it is 4:08! Wow! That's super fast. I am hoping for a 4:30 or better on my first (gotta beat Oprah!)!

Anyway, since I'll have this race under my belt by the end of the year, I figured that next year would be the best time to finally cross a bucket list race off my list: the Big Sur International Marathon! In April 2008 (pre-kid times), Joel and I took a trip out to California to visit friends and finally see the other side of the country. We rented a car and drove from LA up to San Francisco, with part of the way traveling up the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was the most amazingly beautiful and breathtaking drive I've ever done. I LOVED it. We stopped multiple times along the course to take in the Pacific air and photos. The one above is one of my favorites that I took. I dream of going back out there... and living out there! When I found out there was a marathon on the PCH, I was excited and knew I had to do it. So, BIG SUR, HERE WE COME! I even managed to get Joel to do it with me!! :D It'll be his FIRST marathon. Crazy, huh?

Speaking of Joel, I've managed to drag him into a lot of crazy races lately (with surprisingly little resistance)... In fact, next month we are both signed up to do an Ultra! The Homestead 10x5k in Ridgeland, SC. Its a 10 hour race that will have participants running a 5k every hour on the hour! I'm pretty excited for it! I'm not really training for it... just using it as an endurance/training run for marathon prep! They add up your times for each 5k for your total finish time. I estimated 6 hours, but would be very happy if I came up less than that. I will run as long as my legs will carry me and hope for the best! Walking *is* an option for me... I really don't want to hurt myself!

We are also signed up for a 6 hour relay in September - the Chase the Sun Ultra in Savannah. I have 18 miles to do that day for my long run, so 3 hours should be enough time - well, I might need a little more than that ;) but Joel will run the remainder of it, which will probably be his longest run to date, if he decides not to split up the time, anyway. (You can divide up the time as you wish)

That's about it on the race front. Oh wait... I also signed up for Savannah's first Women's Half marathon - the Publix Savannah Women's Half and 5K in March of 2015. And I have the Bridge Run Double pump on my birthday this year! :)

I'm still crossfitting, although sad, sad news last month when my beloved gym closed (R.I.P FTC/CFO). :( My "Gym Wife" (friend and Savannah Derby Devil) Skoolyard and I have joined another local crossfit gym in the interim. It really has been a devastating loss on our end, as we didn't know how good we had it at our old box (programming-wise and coach-wise). Well, we definitely DID know because we absolutely LOVED it, but this other gym is just nothing like our old one and we are sad. I'm only going twice a week now, which I think is a good move because I want to keep my strength, however I don't want to be sore all the time. The training runs on my plan are taking a lot out of me and I need the recovery time. I feel like I've lost strength, but I have to realize that I have committed to certain goal and need to train for that certain goal. I still do have plans to do a crossfit competition in the future... just not any time soon. Plus at that time, I hope to be a part of a gym that feels like home again. Sigh...

I am also in the middle of my own Whole Life Challenge... which helped me out a ton last year when I was training for my half. I gained the weight back, but since I started the week of July 4, I have already lost 4 lbs, putting me less than a lb away from being back in the 120s. I actually don't really care too much about losing weight for looks... I have been pretty happy with the way I have been looking and feeling (fit and strong!), but I want to get back down to the mid 120s for the race. Less weight means less effort to move my short butt on the pavement! I want to get faster! I definitely lost my speed from last year, and I want it back!

What Happens When You Don't Train

Joel and I at the end of the race! One of us got a new Half PR! Hint: not me

Yesterday, I ran the Palmetto Bluff Half Marathon. It was my 8th half marathon and my 3rd fastest. HOWEVER, I chose not to properly train for this run. Well, I think the lack of training was due to EXCUSES for not wanting to run. I haven't been keeping up with my weekly runs. I was keeping up with my cross training (crossfit), but my short runs during the week were suffering. Excuses included being out of town, being too cold, it was raining, I was sick...etc. I was very busy last month!

My long runs on the weekend ranged anywhere from 5 milers to 13 milers. I had no rhyme or reason to how many miles I did. I was winging it.

Leading up to this race I was also eating CRAP. The night before I had a few beers and little sleep. I also ran a hard 4 miles the day before. I also meant to switch out my current running shoes to a new pair (and break them in the week prior), but I was lazy and didn't want to re-lace my shoes (I use and LOVE Lace Locks). Eh...

So I decided last minute that this would be the race that will show me how well/poorly I can do when I have not properly trained. I would run it the best I could.

Well, the first half was great! I was hitting sub 9 minute miles. I think I did the first 10K in 56 minutes. Awesome! But once I got to 7 miles, I hit the wall. The straightaways, despite being beautiful, mossy tree canopies...were so BORING. Mind numbing. I didn't bring music, so I had nothing to distract me from my negative thoughts of wanting to stop, "why the hell did I sign up for this?", and watching people pass me. My gels were making me gag, my legs felt like lead. It was not looking so good for me. I slowed down and had to take a moment at the next water stop. The pack that I was following for the first 7 miles slowly faded away into the distance. Once I got going again, I latched onto a couple. I decided to try to pass them, and I did. However, after about a mile, they caught up and I wanted to stop again. Good thing, because I saw some friendly faces! This was at about mile 9.5 where I stopped over with Missy and Kim (my fellow MRTT mamas) who were awesome enough to come out and cheer us on. Missy gave me an Advocare gel that didn't make me gag and assured me it would keep me going to the finish! After a photo opp and some hugs, I went on my way again.

Beautiful faces cheering me on! <3 MRTT!

This was certainly the hardest part of the race, I just really wanted to finish. The soles of my feet were tingling and numb (I cursed myself for not switching out my shoes the week before!) but the desire to finish outweighed the pain in my feet. I really wanted to walk at some points, but I kept telling myself to MOVE! Because the quicker I go, the quicker this torture will be over!

The last mile was the longest. I kept thinking about what an actual marathon would be like... would the pain be even more intense? If I was utterly miserable at just 10-12 miles into a race, how would I be able to survive 26.2? I guess that will be something I will have to conquer when I get there. Hopefully I will be more physically and mentally prepared for it!

I crossed the line about a minute and a half slower than my finish time last year. 2:04:30. Not bad for not having properly trained. But it was still one of my worst half marathon experiences, from a mental standpoint. I KNOW why I hit the wall, but I have never actually experienced it until this race. Running alone did not help. It was pretty bad. Lesson learned!

2014 - PRs, New goals

Happy new year! I have been pretty quiet on here for numerous valid reasons. Big things have happened since my last entry. I'll go through them briefly...

1.
I completed my 2nd Bridge Run Double Pump in December - and beat my time from last year by 8 minutes! Also, our Moms Run This Town group of Wonder Women WON the group costume contest!!!! I've never screamed so loud in my life. The moment we won felt like we had just won the lottery!

2.
I managed to snag a new 5K PR. SUB 25 minutes!! 24:44 at a local race in Savannah at the end of December.

3.
I did my first unassisted [kipping] pullup!!! Felt amazing... now if I can just do two in a row... or a strict unassisted pullup...

4.
I completed my FIRST 25K race at the Rails to Trails Ultra in Savannah earlier this month. I also managed to complete the 25K distance in under 2 and half hours (according to my Garmin). The course itself was long. It also became my new PDR.

5.
I will be running my FIRST MARATHON this year!!! I signed up to run with a charity (Burma Humanitarian Mission) for the Marine Corps Marathon this October... Which means that if I raise $500 by October, I WILL BE ABLE TO RUN THE MCM FO' FREE! No lottery BS to deal with. So why don't you donate? ;) http://www.razoo.com/story/Marine-Corps-Marathon-Jacy

6.
I signed up to be a running buddy for a girl's program called Girls on the Run, which empowers young women (3rd-5th graders) to take charge of their lives and let them know there are no limits! Running is weaved into the program as a motivator to fitness and they will run a 5k at the end of the program! It starts in February.



Some new goals for this year...

1.
Properly train for and complete (without dying) my first marathon.

2.
Spend more time with my family, more time doing art for myself, sign up for less races, and volunteer more of my time into the running community.

3.
Continue to get stronger with crossfit, lift more heavy things and make many strength PRs. Crossfit goals:
Unassisted strict pullup
string 10+ double unders in a row
Perform a handstand push up
More confidence on OLY lifts

4.
Running goals:
1 Mile - sub 7 minutes
5K - 24 minutes or less
10K - 52 minutes or less



:)

NEW 13.1 PR!!! Savannah Rock 'n' Roll 2013

Sorry for the lack of blogs this year, life gets hectic. What else can I say. I'm not a writer, so this stuff doesn't come natural to me. As my BFF Shonna put it, I'd much rather be living it than writing about it!!

Anyway, this race certainly deserves a post.

Long story short, I ran my ass off at the Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Half and I achieved my ultimate goal of getting a sub 2-hour half. Something that last year, I didn't think I would EVER be capable of doing. The closest I have ever been was at the Palmetto Bluff Half at the beginning of this year when I came in at 2:03 - but even that course was short (12.8 miles), so it probably would have been more like a 2:05 or 2:06. My goal for this race was to beat 2:05 at the very least.

First off, I have to apologize to MRTT – I didn't really participate in very many group runs this time around. I was very selfish in the way I wanted to train for this on my own, in my own way. I ran mainly on my lunch breaks because I didn't want to get up so early to drive somewhere to run (I am very spoiled since we moved to a house next to an awesome park. I got used to running alone again, but I didn't mind. Now that my big race is over, I hope to be more active in the group runs. :)

The week before the race, I had just completed a Whole Life Challenge with my awesome gym - the FTC. It was an 8 week lifestyle challenge. We did baseline testing and the final testing was a week before the race. My numbers didn't change THAT much in terms of weight or inches lost. The only significant improvement was that I was able to add 10# to my 1RM back squat (new PR of 160#). I'm proud of that, but the area that I thought I would improve on the most was the 1 mile run. I got a new PR, but only by 8 seconds (7:20). :( That was a bit discouraging as the race was approaching.

So since the challenge was over, I pretty much did what you should NOT have done after changing your diet... I ATE CARBS! You know, the BAD ones! It was glorious! I told myself that I'm just fueling for the race. Pasta, rice, white potatoes - in various forms. Oh baby. Shonna and her family came down Thursday and we had Mellow Mushroom pizza. YUMMMM. Then the night before the race we had ribeyes and potatoes. Oh and birthday cake and ice cream - it was Scarlett's birthday (Shonna's daughter)!

Birthday girl Scarlett, photobombing my flat mama!

On race morning, I ate an English muffin with peanut butter and chia seeds. I also had half of a banana on the way there. It wasn't as cold as I was anticipating. We took photos with MRTT and then went to get in a long port-a-potty line. We made it just in time to run over to corral #6, which was where the 2 hour pacer was. A couple minutes later, we were off! Woohoo! Then, oops, I forgot to start my watch... good thing it was only late by a few seconds.

just a few MRTT that were running this race of 18,000 runners!

Shonna and I ran together, following the 2 hour pacer as best as we could. The pacer was a fast little lady! A 2 hour half marathon pace is about 9:10 pace. My first mile was 8:35! WTF? I think I psyched myself out thinking there was no way I could keep up with that pace. The pacer did slow down for the 2nd mile - never quite to 9:10 though. It was so crowded with people all over the place that short lil me could barely push my way though people. I felt like I was saying "sorry" a lot to other runners that I bumped. Shonna managed to stay close to the pacer, but I was struggling to keep up for a while.

At about mile 5, the course entered downtown and the lanes opened up a bit, thank goodness. Shonna and I managed to run ahead of the pacer! I knew the downtown section would be fun with all the spectators and energy. Right after we crossed the 10K mark - the pacer caught up to us and eventually faded away into the distance. I swear, I think she was on pace for a 1:55, not 2:00. I ran into Shiloh's son who started in the same corral. I told him I'd try to follow him since we lost the pacer, but we eventually ate his dust too!

When the course left downtown around mile 8-9, I looked at our pace and we were still hitting high 8 minute miles - even without the pacer. I was surprised by this. I felt fine and thought I could keep that pace until the end. But it was here that I parted ways with Shonna. Though we didn't run the whole thing together, I don't think I would have been able to make it so far and keep that pace for that long. Thanks girl!!! xoxoxox! So from then on it was up to me, myself and I to make my goal!

The last 3 miles of the race was a blur. I remember grabbing an orange slice from someone, stopping for a split second to ring the Gordonston bell "for power" and seeing someone run to the side of the road and puke. Miraculously, I felt great, never had to breathe very heavily - but I told myself that I would push it on the last mile. On the final long straightaway, I knew there would be small hills (hills that I cursed last year!) but then the turn to the finish wasn't far after the last hill. When I crossed the 12 mile mark I looked at my time and realized that even if I ran the last 1.1 miles in a 10 minute pace, I would still get a sub 2!!! I think I got a bit verklempt for just a few moments thinking that I was about to achieve something I thought was impossible.

Once I reached the last turn to the finish, I knew I was golden. I ran it in pretty strong with a huge smile on my face. After I crossed the line, stopped my watch, looked down at it and saw this:

1:57... OMG!

I screamed a scream of joy and badassness, the guy next to me did too and we gave each other a high five! His hand actually slipped off of mine and he kind of slapped my face, but I didn't care!! I was so damn excited!!! I found Joel in the madness of the finish line and he PR'ed too - a redemption for his run last year. Shonna came in shortly after with a shiny new PR! PRs for everyone!

Me, sandwiched by my BFFs!

In this race, I hit a 10K PR as well as 10 mile PR!!!

Things that made this possible:
1. Fueling at miles 4, 7 and 10 (thanks Hammer!)
2. Running with a pace group and running buddy (thank you Shonna!)
3. Fleet Feet Savannah CREW's intermediate half training plan (Thank you CREW!! I ran 3x/week: speedwork one day, tempo day, long run one day)
4. Strength training and conditioning with crossfit at the FTC!!! (Thanks FTC!! I cross-trained on my running off-days)

Holy crap, how'd I do that?

With all those things, I knew I could trust my training and just go for it. I knew my lungs and body would be able to handle it because of crossfit -- I've pushed myself to what I thought were my limits, but realized I had more power in me to dig deeper. I actually never really got to the point where I wanted to quit. The only thing I was really worried about was my feet. I knew the pounding would kill my feet. Luckily they didn't really start hurting me until mile 12. I also knew that I'd probably have to hit the bathrooms pretty hard after my running effort. I was right. As soon as I sat down to rest my feet, the cramps started and I had to take my wipes with me to the port-a-pots! LOL I never forget to pack my Immodium!!

So what's my new goal? I told myself that if I ever hit a sub-2 half, I would start training for a marathon. So Marine Corps Marathon 2014, here I come!!!

Update: Yep, I'm still here!

After my awesome 10K PR last month (which I still need to blog about... which brings my total races UNblogged to XX...I have no idea...), I got injured. I guess I ran so hard that I messed up my knee. It's runner's knee on my right knee. I also got the hip soreness again. :( Ugh. I took 2 weeks off from running. I have not run over 6 miles since July 4. I'm still dealing with it but, am definitely keeping my runs short (3-4 miles during the week, MAYBE a 5 or 6 miler on the weekends) as I recover and build strength on my right side. I hope I can get back to the 13.1 distance by the Diva in September!! I really don't want to push it then if I am not ready, because I am still determined to make a sub 2 hour half at the RnR this year!

In the meantime, I have continued to strength train. I joined a crossfit gym/box whatever you want to call it. I went for the first time a couple weeks ago and got my a$$ kicked. I could not raise my arms for about a week after that first class! Another goal of mine is to be able to do at least ONE unassisted pull up or chin up by the end of the year!

I'm maintaining my weight loss for the most part. I try to keep the scale under 130, but would like to be more in the mid 120s. I hope to build a lot more muscle and trim the fat! I am currently doing a 10-day Advocare cleanse, so we'll see if I have trimmed don a bit in a couple days when it's over. I had a few cheat meals here and there... I hope I lose something!

Weight Loss – 12-week Challenge

For the past 12 weeks, I have been participating in a weight loss challenge that was organized by my friend (and fellow mommy of a December 09 baby) Tiffany of Mommy's Losing Rolls. The challenge ended yesterday.

This was taken maybe 2-3 months after I had Liam (early 2010) - the first time I went running after baby. I probably weighed 165 lbs.

I have always wanted to lose my baby weight - just never really made much of an effort. I made it back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I still had areas that I felt needed work - mainly my midsection. I figured with my half marathon training last year, it would have just melted off. Not the case. In December 2012 (my month off from running), I dabbled a bit with the 17-Day diet and got results from that, but I found that I don't like to follow any real plan. So with my food, I took ideas from the recipes from the 17-day diet and just modified and ate what I wanted (or felt like making - I am not a great cook by any means).

June 2012 - probably around 145 lbs.

Instead of following a real diet plan, I started counting my calories with My Fitness Pal and made an effort to eat cleaner. I even bought a Polar heart rate monitor to track my calorie burn with my workouts - WHICH I have learned, that my calorie burn is not quite as much as I had been estimating. I always thought that generally 10 minutes of exercise equals a 100 calorie burn. Nope. I'm lucky to get 70 calories burned in 10 minutes. I'm thinking maybe it is because my heart is just working more efficiently? For instance I ran my fastest half marathon in February, but I only burned 999 calories in about 2 hours of running at a pretty consistently moderate effort.

It's not all about the diet, though. I have been going to a bootcamp class twice a week, running, rowing on my rowing machine, doing planks and other exercises that I can fit in at any given free moment. :) I feel abs under my baby belly!!! Like I mentioned in previous posts, and as you can tell from all my new PRs, I am becoming a faster runner - as well as one who doesn't suffer from as much hip pain as before!

Anyway, it's been quite a journey. Here are my results from the 12-week challenge, starting on 2/14/2013, ending 4/29/2013 (Note: I am 5' 1" tall):

Starting Weight: 137.2 lbs / Ending Weight: 126.8 lbs (-10.4 lb, 7.58% loss)

Starting Measurements / Ending Measurements:

Chest: 35" / 33.5" (-1.5")

Waist: 30" / 29" (-1")

Hips: 38" / 37" (-1")

Thigh: 23" / 21.5" (-1.5")

Right Arm Flexed: 11.75" / 12" (+0.25")

I came in 8th out of 32 participants! I was surprised to be a part of the top 10! Woohoo! Thanks so much to Tiffany for the challenge and motivating me to lose the weight! :) I feel great, look great and I am just SO DAMN PROUD of myself for accomplishing this!

So what's next? I plan to maintain this weight loss, maybe try to lose a bit more. I want to get stronger and gain more muscle! I'm already signed up for another fitness challenge, oddly enough organized by another Tiffany! I'm going to be pushing myself pretty hard again this time. I can't wait!

Half Marathon #5: Blue Ridge Half Marathon

I know I totally am behind on my race recaps (as well as yet ANOTHER 5K PR 3 weeks ago...), but I wanted to immediately write down my thoughts on the half marathon that I did this past Saturday, April 20, 2013: The Foot Levelers Blue Ridge Marathon and Half in Roanoke, Virginia!

I signed up to be an official blogger for this race, which sounded like a dream race to me: to run in the Blue Ridge mountains!? Who could pass up that opportunity!! Where I live (in Savannah, GA) and where I am originally from (DC), there are no mountains, let alone hills at all in Savannah. I've always dreamed of building a house in the mountains. You can have your beaches, give me mountains!

Anyway, I signed up for the half and my husband also signed up as well. The drive up to Roanoke from Savannah was not bad at all; very scenic and took about 7 hours. We stayed at a hotel near the airport and mall (Hyatt Place), which was very convenient because there was a race weekend discount AS WELL as a free shuttle to and from the race. SCORE! Not to mention free hot breakfast and free WiFi! :) Plus Downtown Roanoke was just a quick 10 minute drive away!

The night before, we went and picked up our race shirts and bibs at the Market Building and then went and met up with my fellow Moms Run This Town members for a carb loading dinner! I had a couple beers which I probably shouldn't have, but this weekend I allowed to be a cheat weekend so I had to go a bit overboard! :)

When we got back to the hotel, we got our race clothes ready for the morning - checked the weather: mid 40s at start time (7:35am)! Burrr!! So glad I remembered to bring my running sleeves! I took a "flat mama" pic to share on various social media sites and then hit the sack.

We woke up to some WIND howling outside our window... and I was having St. Augustine Half flashbacks! LOL It wasn't too bad, though. When we got to downtown, the Market building was open. We met up with my friends and took our "before" photos - Shelli, Kelli, Katie, Natalie and me! This race was a special one for Kaite and Natalie, as it was to be their FIRST ever marathon!!!

Savannah Moms Run This Town!!

Husband and I

 After hugs and bathroom breaks, we all went out to the start line. I started my Garmin inside, but the damn satellites never synched up until after the race started! :( It was a cold, windy start and after the gun went off it took a while still to warm up. But as soon as we passed mile 1, the ascent onto Mill Mountain started!! Woohoo! I won't forget that sight of people running straight up a super steep road! At about 1.5 miles in, my Garmin FINALLY synched!

I tried my best not to walk until I absolutely needed to. Many people were walking already. I felt like I was going super slow, and I was, but I wanted to at least keep the motion of running with my legs. It was a killer uphill for the next 2 miles! I was trying to keep up with a guy that was ahead of me, but then when we got to about mile 3.75, I succumbed to the mountain and had to take my first walk break (of many to come, lol). The entire way up the mountain was absolutely GORGEOUS. The road was lined with green trees and pretty purple trees popped up to add in some spring color. That, along with the sun peeking through the leaves was just a breathtaking experience. I LOVED IT. It's what I had hoped the course would be.

After my first walk break, I continued on and what do you know, here comes mile 4 and the STAR at the top of Mill Mountain!! With such an AWESOME view of the city!! I had to stop here and take photos at the overlook. Did I just run up this mountain?!?  Hell yeah I did!!! It was such a great feeling!

"I can see my house!"

The Mill Mountain Star!

Me at the top of the mountain! It was windy!!!

After instagramming and FBing this photo, I grabbed some gummi bears at the aid station and made my merry way. I was so HAPPY to now be going DOWNHILL!! But let me tell you, this descent was no joke either! I was so afraid that with one slight slip of my foot, my injury-prone self could be rolling down the mountain!! I took it easy, yet kept a good pace. I passed a few people, but didn't let the momentum get to me too much. Plus, I knew my knees were not loving this part of the course. At least my heart rare got to go down for a bit.

We entered the city and made our way through some beautiful neighborhoods. There was an awesome Fleet Feet aid/cheer station that I remember filling up my water bottle at and high-fiving people. But honestly after that, I can't really remember where the course took us for the rest of the way. There were so many turns and hills that it kept me wondering what was coming next!! I loved it!!! So much better than the normal straightaways in the halfs I have done in the past. I like not knowing whats coming next, what could be around the next corner, etc.

There was so much change in the scenery that before I knew it, I was at mile 12!!!! Woohoo! The hills started to flatten out and I just put my legs in autopilot and flew to the finish line!!! I think my last mile was around a 9 minute pace, which I didn't think I could even hit because I figured my legs would have been super tired from the mountain and hills. But nope! I had so much energy left in me that when I crossed the finish line, I felt like I could keep on running!

And speaking of the finish line, I loved how they pronounced my name correctly AND they even did a shout-out to my Moms Run This Town!!! It was on my shirt! When I heard my name and my running group and had the finish line in sight, I know I have must have had the biggest smile on my face! I finished strong and felt like a badass to boot!! ;) I crossed the line with my right hand over my heart as a tribute to the Boston Marathon. I received my medal from a pretty girl with a tiara

My 5th Half Marathon Medal!!!

My official time was 2:21:28! My slowest half marathon to date, but I was not expecting to PR on this. I was glad that I finished under 2:30! I knew the mountain was going to be rough. It was certainly challenging, but I enjoy a good challenge. I am tempted to try to do it again next year or at least again in the future to see if I can improve on it. My score for the Blue Ridge Half Marathon: A!!

There are also a few important/cool details that I didn't mention:

• Race bibs had names printed on them!
• The course was marked VERY clearly - I knew where to turn even when there was no one directly in front of me!
• Instant race times displayed on a large screen at the finish line!
• The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
• Pete (the race director) and the social media team was very helpful in answering all the questions I had regarding the course before race day
• Lots of crowd support in the neighborhoods!
• Awesome water and aid stations! (Loved the gummi bears!)
• They gave out cool Boston bracelets and stickers to wear on race day to keep the Boston Marathon in our hearts as we ran the race

The only bad things I can think of (which are not even that bad) were the size of the expo/packet pick-up - it was small, not many vendors there. No swag bag, other than the cool Boston bracelets and shirts. And no free beer at the end ;)

{ EDIT: Thanks to Heather who commented that there WERE, in fact, some pretty cool swag bags with noisemakers and stuff! Darn, we got in too late and missed them! }

Thank you Pete and the city of Roanoke for the awesome race!! Hope to see you again soon!