Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon + VIP Experience Recap

Last month I got to run the Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon as a member of the Rock ‘n’ Blog team. As part of the team, I received a Global Tour Pass, which allows me to run any of their races worldwide (travel costs not included). I also received 1 complimentary VIP Experience upgrade for my choice of race.

Having not been to the Pacific Northwest before, we decided to turn this into our summer family vacation and we added Portland and the Oregon coast to our trip. I’ll be sharing some of the highlights from our trip soon, but for now I’m just going to recap the race 😉

We arrived at the expo for packet pickup early Saturday afternoon and it was super quick and easy to get my packet. The expo was busy and felt a little crowded, but this is normal for such a big event. I waited in a small line to pick up my VIP Pass. I was super excited to check out the VIP experience since I’d never done it before and let me tell you, it was fancy! VIP Experiences range in price per event. The Pre-Race Experience begins at $45 and the full VIP Experience is $75+, with Las Vegas being the priciest of them all at over $200! This is in addition to the cost of the race registration.

Here’s what you get when you upgrade to VIP status + my experience from each of the perks.

Reserved Parking: There was no on-site parking at the start line, so the reserved parking for this race was for parking at the shuttle area. Since I was being dropped off, this did not really apply to me.
VIP Shuttles: Didn’t use it since I was being dropped off, but it was super early and I want to say it was even earlier than the general shuttles.
Private Gear Check: This was awesome! The gear check truck was located right by the VIP Lounge area both for the start and finish line!
Pre-Race Continental Breakfast & Coffee: This was another great option. They offered all the basic runner breakfast foods: bananas, peanut butter, muffins, bagels, yogurt parfaits, plus coffee, tea, water. There were plenty of tables and chairs too.
Private Restrooms: Worth it! Oh, so worth it! Indoor bathroom with no line and actual flushing toilets! That would have been good enough, but they also had feminine products, deodorant, hair spray, Vaseline, sunblock, wipes, etc. Talk about being spoiled! For the Seattle venue, they offered the restrooms that were inside the stadiums and adjacent to the VIP area, inside the stadium.
Private VIP Lounge: The set up was really nice and private. There was plenty of seating. However, I will say that I’m not a real social butterfly, so it was kinda lonely. Normally, if I’m running alone the hubs will be with me for moral support and company until it’s almost race time. I did speak to a few other runners and such, but I think this would be way more fun with a friend or group.
Post-Race Massage: When I went over to check this out, there was a pretty long list of names ahead of me. Since I didn’t purchase VIP passes for my family that was waiting outside for me, I didn’t want them to wait too much longer, so I didn’t stay. However, there were about 4 massage therapists and it looked like some legit massages. Not chair massages and they were about 10-15 minutes long.
Yoga Stretching Area: They also had an area with mats for stretching and foam rollers. I took advantage of this and loved it!
Post-Race Changing Tents: At the Seattle race they didn’t offer the tents, but we were able to change in the indoor bathrooms in the stadium. It was so awesome to just grab my bag from gear check and be able to change into clean dry clothes and freshen up! Seriously, it was awesome
Catered Buffet: They offered a post-race brunch too at Seattle and I’m not sure if they offer this at every race but it was a great spread. They had fruits, salad, sandwiches, pasta, fish, bread, desserts! Lots of options to choose from!
VIP Bar: The Bar only had beer, but a mimosa would have been nice too! The beers were unlimited but I didn’t want to be a lush, so I only had 2 🙂
Exclusive View of the Post-Race Concert: For Seattle this was awesome! Because the VIP area was at the top of the stadium stairs and the concert was at the bottom courtyard area, we had a great view of the entire post-race festival.

So, is it worth the extra cost? In my opinion, yes, it can be worth it. If you only run a few races or even just one race a year, if you have the extra funds and want to treat yourself, or as a gift from someone! It’s definitely a fun experience to try at least once!

Now, on to the race itself. It was a lot better than I expected. Coming from Las Vegas, I was really enjoying the cool overcast weather and all the green!!! The course was beautiful and ran alongside the water and gorgeous homes. It wasn’t as hilly as I was expecting it to be and I was very grateful for that! There weren’t as many spectators on the on-course as other Rock N Roll races, but I still think it was a great race with plenty of entertainment, scenery, and fun!

Gear check and then right up those stairs to VIP area or you can use the VIP elevator. I'll let you guess which one I chose ;) — Gear check and then right up those stairs to VIP area or you can use the VIP elevator. I’ll let you guess which one I chose 😉

The post-race brunch spread! So tasty!!!

Great vantage point of the post-race concert!

Have you ever purchased the additional VIP Experience package? What are your thoughts? Worth it? Wast of money? Would love to hear what you think!

Rock N Roll San Diego Remix Challenge | Race Recap

During the first weekend of June I completed my first Rock N Roll Marathon Series Remix Challenge in San Diego! The Remix Challenge medal is earned when you complete two days of running during a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event. Any combination of distances qualifies for the Remix Challenge Medal. You need to complete one event on Saturday and one event on Sunday during the same Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event weekend. I chose to run the 5K distance on Saturday and the half marathon distance on Sunday.

This is my first year as a member of the Rock ‘n’ Blog team and I am loving it so far! As part of the team I received a Global Tour Pass, which allows me to run any of their races worldwide (travel costs not included). My next tour stops will be Seattle, June 18th for the Half Marathon and Las Vegas on November 11-12 for another Remix (5K and Half Marathon).

We left a little later than we wanted to on Friday afternoon from Vegas, so we arrived for packet pickup with just under one hour before the expo closed. The good thing about cutting it so close was that there was no line to get my packets 🙂 I was given a specific wrist tag with my bibs and was explained that I was to wear it on Sunday’s race to pick up my Remix Challenge medal after the race (woohoo!). Afterwards we walked around the Gaslamp Quarter and grabbed some sushi for dinner before checking in to our room and crashing!

This was my first really big 5K event and it was a great experience. The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone was ready to have a good time. Although, I told myself I would take it slow, I couldn’t help but get carried away by all the excitement and I took off a little faster than I wanted to. But after the first mile or so I slowed myself down and started to enjoy the sights of Balboa Park. Jason was right there cheering me on at the finish line and then we made our way to the beer tent. As ya’ll know, I am much more of a wine girl myself, but after a race there’s nothing better than a cold beer. Trust me on that one!

The rest of the day was spent doing a little shopping and catching a movie, which is a rare treat for us to do without the kiddos. We then made our way to Ocean Beach for burgers and beers at Hodad’s and to catch a glimpse of the ocean! Do yourself a favor and check it out next time you’re in the San Diego area. It’s got a great vibe and the burgers are delicious!

The next day, was a little less relaxed, as thousands of half marathon and marathon runners made their way to the starting line. But, it was still a Rock N Roll event and the atmosphere was one of fun, if not a little more focused on the longer distances to be conquered that day. I know I was feeling nervous and excited too! The half marathon course was a blast and although my legs felt a little sluggish the first few miles, I found my groove and had a strong finish! The best part of the race was running through the Normal Heights neighborhood, where the neighbors were out supporting the runners with everything from jolly ranchers to alcohol. Loved the makeshift bars they set up serving beer, mimosas, and even shots of liquor! I chose to pass on the libations, but it was super entertaining to run by and see other brave runners take their shots! Another favorite was when we finally got the the nice downhill area along the park! Running downhill is my favorite, so a downhill finish was a great relief from an otherwise kinda hilly course.

As with all big races, the finish line area was crowded and busy. Jason was looking out for me so we met up soon after. We made our way to the festival area and to the Heavy Medal tent for my Remix Medal! And then of course, it was another race so another beer at the finish! It was also great to see some friends at the festival who had ran the relay race. We chatted a bit with them before we had to get going to check out of our room and make our way back to Vegas!

But, first we had to stop at our favorite Temecula winery, Wiens Family Cellars, for some wine tasting. We brought a few bottles home with us too and way may have also signed up for their wine club (again!)

If you’ve never ran the Remix Challenge, I definitely suggest you try it at least once. Not only do you leave the weekend with 3 awesome medals, it really makes it for a fun-filled running weekend. Plus, you get to doubly enjoy what the Rock N Roll Marathon races are all about: fun, community, bling, music, and just an all-around good time!

Even though it was a weekend with 2 back to back races, the hubs and I still got to spend a much needed weekend away without the kiddos. It was the perfect start to summer break and I think we may have to turn it into a yearly tradition, with or without a race 😉

Zion Half Marathon | Race Recap

April 1st was my first half marathon of the year, the Zion Half Marathon! I would love to say it started off amazingly, but when your first mile is 18+ minutes, you kinda know it’s gonna be a doozy!

My friend and I took off from Las Vegas early Friday afternoon and the drive took us about 4 hrs. Yay for the S-Town Podcastfor the in-car entertainment! Packet pickup was at Zion Ponderosa Ranch which was north of Zion National Park from the direction we came in. So, we had to pay the $35 admission to the park to drive across. Seriously wish there would have been some mention of this on the website. Anyhow, we made it just in time for packet pickup and our spaghetti dinner. The weather was very cold and it was super muddy. The race directors had communicated this to us via emails, updates on facebook, and even text messages, so we knew what to expect when we arrived. As a matter of fact, their communication throughout the evening and race morning was very good.

We stayed in Kanab, UT which was another 30 minutes north of the start line at the same Zion Ponderosa Ranch. Traffic was expected for race morning and we were told to plan at least an additional 30 minutes to our drive. However, the night before the race, we were given notice that the parking area was being moved to their Plan B location due to the muddy conditions at the original parking lot. This created even more traffic and congestion as there was only one entrance to Zion Mountain Ranch and cars were simply parking alongside of the road. We then had to walk back towards the main road to where the buses were picking up runners. This ended up being about a mile away from our car. We finally arrived to the buses, waited in line, and boarded the lovely warmth of the bus! Kudos to the volunteers for being out there in the dark and cold morning in such good spirits! They rocked!

Once we arrived to the start line area we found out the race was being delayed due to the traffic congestion caused by the parking lot change. Once the race finally started it was pretty confusing and rushed so we ended up way in the back of the pack. I thought we’d be ok once we started running and we found our groove but that never happened for me. Unfortunately, all the melted snow created some pretty muddy trails that were nearly impossible to run through. Runners ended up just walking along the edges of the trail or completely around the trail so we just all walked in a row behind each other. Yup, more congestion. By the time we were out of the 1st muddy mile, it’d been 18 minutes and I was feeling pretty defeated. The downhill course that was promised was not really downhill. It was way more hilly and more of an up and down course. Add to that the super muddy trails where we were forced to walk most of them and we had ourselves a PR for slowest half marathon! It was definitely not the race I was expecting. Having to run past our cars around mile 7 was especially cruel!

This was right before the finish line! Hardly a downhill run....Ugghhh Thanks @penguincity for capturing this shot! — This was right before the finish line! Hardly a downhill run….Ugghhh Thanks @penguincity for capturing this shot!

Clearly, I was not the only one who was a bit disappointed. @gimmeapaw was spot on with her post!

It hurts me to write this recap because I’ve seriously loved all the half marathons I’ve ran. I understand no one can predict the weather and the havoc it can cause on race day and the race directors did a good job handling it. I think they did the best they could with the weather conditions. They also gave all this year’s runners a discount for next year’s race and sent a very well written email afterwards. However, it wasn’t just the weather that did it for me. I wish I could say it was just the wet, cold, muddy conditions that made it difficult for me to enjoy the race, but it wasn’t just that for me. I was also expecting a much more scenic race and the locations we ran through just didn’t have spectacular views. For this year only, the race was east of Zion National Park, so maybe the regular location is much more scenic, but I’m not sure. Ultimately, I know a race is what you make of it and I am glad I experienced this race. It taught me that I need be prepared for everything and sometimes races just don’t go as expected. I need to learn to go with the flow. This race was definitely a mental game for me and I gave up quickly. I did not give it my all and I let unrealized expectations, bad weather, and muddy conditions defeat me. Lesson learned.

I gotta say, I do love that big wooden medal and now I can mark off running while it snows from the bucket list! Ok, it was just flurries but still…

Did you run the Zion Half Marathon? I’d love to know what are your thoughts of the race.

Rock N Blog Team 2017

I am so excited to be a part of the Rock ‘n, Blog Team for 2017! Rock ‘n’ Blog is a community of like-minded folks who love to run and have fun and earn some awesome bling along the way. This is my first year being an ambassador for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series and I’m really looking forward to running as many races as I can with them! In 2013 I ran my first half marathon, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas and I’ve been hooked on running ever since. So, yea the Rock ‘n’ Roll has a special place in my heart.

They put on a great event! If you’re looking to run your first half marathon, I definitely think it’s a great race for beginners. The energy from the crowds, your fellow runners, and the music really keep you pumped up throughout the race. The series also offers the full marathon distance and depending on the city, they also offer relays, 10Ks, 5Ks, and kid races. There is definitely something for everyone!

Here’s what I have planned for the Rock ‘n’ Roll series this year:

Who’s ready to join me? How about a discount code to help convince you? Use code RNB15 to get $15 off your half or full marathon registration!

Ventura Half Marathon | Race Recap

You guys I PRed!!! Woohooo!! I am so excited to give you all the details from the Ventura Marathon & Half Marathon event earlier this month. I got to participate in this awesome race thanks to RacePlace. As an ambassador for RacePlace, I was offered this race entry at no cost, but this review and recap are my own thoughts and opinions.

The marathon and half marathon took place on Sunday, September 11 but they had fun events on Saturday too. There were also various bike race distances, an adventure race, 5K, kids races, and K9 Shuffle! Packet pickup and expo were held outside right next to the pier and there was a live band and some food trucks too. It was definitely a beach party atmosphere!

We left Vegas Friday morning. Totally let the kids skip school for this trip! Every year we take a 3 day weekend getaway to the beach right before school starts and this year we just didn’t make it. So, this became a fun little race-cation! More on that part of our trip in another post 😉

We kept to our plan and got to the beach right around 11am or so after our huge brunch at Cajun Kitchen Cafe right on Main St. in downtown Ventura. First stop was packet pickup. Like I mentioned, the expo was held outside right next to the pier. It was super easy and quick to get my bib and swag bag. I loved the goodies we got! Just look at all the stuff I got! I really like that hat and the bag is great too. Roomy and useful. I gotta say I was getting tired of the drawstring bags mot races are giving. Plus, race photos were free!

The expo itself wasn’t super big but that was fine with me. I don’t particularly enjoy those big expos where it’s inside and stuffy and there’s a ton of people all around you! Anyhow, once we were done looking around and getting the kids some ice cream we spent a relaxing day on the beach. Dinner was my usual carb-loading pizza with some protein and lots of veggies 😉

Race morning was smooth and easy. Jason was just dropping me off, so parking was not an issue for us, although it seems there was plenty of parking options. The folks that were directing traffic were friendly and showed us where he could park to drop me off. I had forgotten my Garmin in the room, so we had turn around and grab that for sure! I got to the race, which started right in front o f the pier, with just enough time to get my headphones on and line up near the 2:30 pacer before we took off. Everything seemed organized and relaxed.

I went into this race with zero expectations and just happy there were no hills and it was a flat course. My training had not been as regular as it should have been. I did get my long runs in each week, but only running 2-4 miles once or twice during the week. So you can imagine my surprise when I ended up passing the 2:30 pacer and felt great around mile 5. I was so sad when around mile 6 I had to stop and pee in the port a potty. I considered not stopping, but of course, that just made me have to go more! LOL I sped up a little bit to try to catch up to the pacer again but I reached the turn around point (it was an out and back race) and still didn’t see them. I slowed down a bit and maintained a steady pace until about mile 10. At this point in a half marathon I always feel anxious and ready for it to be over. I found a really nice groove and kicked it up a notch. Once I spotted the 2:30 pacers I took off. I was a woman on on a mission! I came up to them and they told me I was doing a good job. I replied back with a thanks and told them I had been trying to catch up with them the whole race! It was great to hear them cheer me on as I kept going and passed them. I knew I was going faster than usual, but I was still feeling great. I didn’t want to look down at my garmin and see my pace out of fear of slowing down once I saw it! Crazy, I know. I just ran for myself and only when I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch did I see I had a new record! I finished in 2:24:26 beating my previous record of 2:25:27. I don’t know how it happened, but I’m so happy it did! Maybe I can finish my next half in 2:20 😉

Thanks agin to Raceplace for the race entry and to the race directors and volunteers who made this my best half marathon to date! And of course, thanks to my ever supportive family for coming along and cheering me on! They’re the best! XO

2015 A Year in Review: Travels, Races, and Family Fun

With just a couple of days left in the year, I thought it would be fun to revisit 2015 today. The year started off rough and we had lots to deal with as it went on with Jason’s injury and following surgeries. There were days that we just could not see the light. But, we aren’t the type to let our lives be dictated by our circumstance. Sure, things were not ideal, but we knew they could be much worse. So, we made the best with what we had. We kept positive and moving forward with our lives.

Even with the ups and downs, we had such a full year. We got to travel to some fun places with our family and Jason and I even got away without the kiddos to San Francisco+Sonoma County. We took the kids camping in Utah for the first time. We spent a super fun weekend with our family in Huntington Beach, CA! The kids and I hiked to the Colorado River. We got to go boating in Lake Mead. I ran my first trail half marathon in Red Rock Canyon and my 3rd Tough Mudder. I won a free registration from Pace Per Mile to Walt Disney World’s Wine & Dine Half Marathon, so we all went to Florida for 8 days! The kiddos ran the Disney Kid 1 mile race. We visited all 4 Disney parks and visited with friends that are like family. I also ran the Disneyland Half Marathon to complete the Coast to Coast Challenge. I ran 3 Spartan races (2 with the hubs) and got my 2nd Trifecta. The kids ran the Spartan Kid race too. Lastly, I won another free registration to the Run Laughlin Half Marathon in December, which turned out to be a great race.

I’m looking forward to starting 2016 with new goals and plans. I’m looking forward to fun adventures with my family and taking on new challenges. But, for now, I’m happy to look back and reflect on all the good things that have taken place and not to dwell on what could have been or feel bad for the huge curve ball life threw our way. Today I choose to be grateful for all the wonderful things and places I’ve been. I’m grateful for my family’s constant support. I’m happy to be where I am in life. It may not be exactly where I want to be, but it is a lot closer than I was before. And for that, I am grateful.

What’s your favorite memory of 2015? Are you looking forward to 2016? What goals do you have for the new year?