2013 RnR New Orleans - Race Recap Part II

Sunday,  February 24th - Race Day

We woke up at 6:00 a.m and headed to the starting line, just a few blocks from our conveniently located hotel.  Our friend Greg was already at the VIP tent talking to his favorite runners, Olympians Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan. What a lucky guy!  He also hung out with Gold Medalist Mo Farah the day before the race.  No words! We met Greg and a couple of blogger friends & running celebrities before walking to our corral.

George Melichar, ambassador of the RnR Series.

With my blogger friend Monica Olivas from  Run Eat Repeat

The race started at 7:00 a.m after Pearl Jam's guitarist Mike McCready performed an unusual version of the national anthem to a crowd of 16,000 runners. I was excited to run next to my husband. He was wearing our GoPro 2 camera on his forehead to document the event. The first mile was a slow one. I couldn't pace myself as it was packed.  I was probably running 10 min/mile. I couldn't tell since my Garmin couldn't locate the satellites until after about the mile 1 marker.

From mile 2-7,  we ran on St. Charles Ave and the beautiful Garden District with its well-preserved collection of charming southern mansions.  At mile 2, I saw Mo Farah running  flying the opposite direction. The crowd went wild. At mile 4, we passed Loyola University and circled back on to St Charles Ave going the other direction. There was amazing entertainment along the course including good jazz bands, rock bands and people dressed up in all kinds of costumes with their motivational posters. If you run in New Orleans, leave your iPod behind.

From the Garden District, we headed to the French Quarter via Peter St. and Decatur St. We were running parallel to the Mississippi river. We passed Jackson Square where I learned the day before that there is indeed a museum, in NOLA, dedicated to "Los Isleños".  This was very surprising to me. I knew that Spanish colonist came to Louisiana to populate the state and halt British colonial expansion. What I didn't know is that they were from the Canary Islands, my hometown. If interested, you can read more about it here

Giant Brooks RnR dude

Few minutes later, we passed the famous French Market or the oldest public market in the country. We made a left turn on Esplanade Ave, another historic street with beautiful mansions, townhouses, and a classic New Orleans cemetery. This is where French Impressionist Edgar Degas lived in 1873. 

We ran on Esplanade Ave. for the last 3 miles. The roads were in bad conditions and I almost twisted my ankle several times so I decided to take it easy the rest of the race. I must say, though, that the amazing views compensated for the poor state of the roads. Some of the properties were breathtaking. The other thing I really like about this last stretch is that we could see the mile markers on the horizon, up to a mile away.  I arrived at the Roosevelt Mall Drive soon after. Finishing in 2:17, one of my slowest times in the last 2 years. Still, not bad considering all the partying going on the day before :) See RnR NOLA - Part 1

Post-race eating options for the runners. Yumm, I should have brought some cash! 

After finishing this race, we had to walk at least 1.5 miles to take the shuttle back to the city. I didn't realize that we were that far from the starting line. I am glad I downgraded to the half marathon because I wouldn't have made it back to the airport in time. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this race. You can definitely set a PR on this fast and flat course ... as long as you don't spend too much time on Bourbon Street the day before ;)

2013 RnR New Orleans Race Recap - Part I

Race Date: February 23rd, 2013

Start Time: 7:00  a.m.
Distance: 13.1 miles
Start Line:  Poydras St. at Camp St.

Finish Line: Roosevelt Mall in City Park

New Orleans is the city of music, food and beautiful houses.  I loved it!

Saturday, February 23rd

We arrived in New Orleans at 9:30 a.m. after an 8 hour flight from San Diego.  NewOrleans is the birthplace of legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong. You can hear jazz music the moment you land.

After a quick stop at the hotel, we headed to the expo.

My husband is running this time around. Woohoo!

We arrived just in time to hear olympian Kara Goucher speak.  Perfect!

Thanks to my friend Greg V, we scored front seats. I owe him one. By the way, Kara, Greg and I have something in common. Guess what it is? No, it has nothing to do with our running speed. Take a closer look. Yes, we are The Visitors and we smile a lot! :)

After picking up our running packages, we left the expo and stopped by Magnolia Praline Company to snack buy a tutu. Thanks Pretty for the recommendation.

We walked to the famous French Quarter to grab a bite and do a little bit of sightseeing. It's my first trip to NOLA!

Oh my!

My grandpa hung out at this place when he came to the city as an exchange student back in the day. 

Omggg I ♥ this Bourbon Milk Punch. Who is running tomorrow?

We walked to Jackson Square and back to the hotel via Decatur St.

We were famished so we decided to stop by Carmo, a tropical restaurant cafe with ample options for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters. This place was recommended to me by Happycow's and it was very close to our hotel.

We arrived starving but the kitchen was closed.  Nooooooo! One of the owners told us that she could make something for us, an Esmeralda Salad and some vegan Casserole.  YES, please!

The Esmeralda salad had quinoa, black beans, corn, peppers & cilantro. It was tossed with coconut chili lime dressing & topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. It was simply delicious. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. It's usually served with cotija cheese but I left it off since I don't eat cheese nor faux cheeses. The dressing was tangy and flavorful.

The Caribbean Casserole had vegan smoked chicken and vegan sausage, stewed white beans, sweat potatoes, kale, pepper and potatoes. It reminded me of a Spanish Fabada  but without the "chorizo" and "morcilla".

All I can say is that I was in heaven.  If you ever go to New Orleans, you MUST  eat at this restaurant. It's to die for or I should say to live for :) The owners are 4 partners who moved from the San Francisco area. There is a couple that lived in Brazil as well. You can tell as they have incorporated some of these amazing flavors in their dishes. Two of the owners sat down with us at the end of our meal and treated us to a shot of delicious "acerola" juice. Wow, I have found my new favorite vegan restaurant. 

I might sign up for the RnR New Orleans again, just for the excuse to be able to eat at this place.

See RnR NOLA - Part II 

2013 Rock N Roll Pasadena Half Marathon Race Recap

Race Date: February 17th, 2013
Start Time: 7:30  a.m.
Distance: 13.1 miles
Location:  Rose Bowl




Saturday 16th - Expo

I arrived at the expo on Saturday at 3:55 p.m. I quickly picked up my running bib, shirt, goodie bag and headed to the stage area. One of my running idols, US Olympic Bronze medalist Deena Kastor was scheduled to speak at 4:00 p.m. Thanks to my friend Greg, I was able to sit in the front row. She offered great advice and shared with us her training leading up to the RnR Pasadena Half and later on the LA Marathon next month, March 17th

After this amazing encounter, I walked around the expo promising myself not to buy anything.  I didn't need anything after all. Of course "need" and "want" are two different things. I ended up buying a  really cool RnR medal hanger with 7 hooks. Perfect for my 2013 RnR Challenge: To become a Rock Legend or run 7 RnR races in one calendar year.  To learn more about Heavy Medals, click here

This is my new medal hanger, from SportHooks. Don't get jealous, my friends! You can also purchase it online. By the way, the owner, Marcey Futris was super nice and offered me a great discount.

From the expo, I went to dinner with my friends Greg and Pretty whom I just met. We found this really nice restaurant called Tender Greens. Everything in the menu looked delicious. Happy healthy carb-loading to us!

 Happy Vegan ( wheat with cranberry and hazelnuts, quinoa with cucumbers and beets, green humus, tabbouleh over mixed greens). I am in HEAVEN!

Sunday 17th - Race

My friend Caro picked me up at the hotel at 5:30 am. We were staying 25 miles away from Pasadena as we couldn't find hotels in town for the weekend. It was a little early but we were told that there was going to be a lot of traffic that morning. Better safe than sorry! We picked up Greg and Roush and carpooled to the starting line where we met the rest of the gang.  As for traffic, not bad at all!

Viva Las Vegas Pasadena

I arrived at this race without any training. I ran the Surf City Half  two weekends before but I couldn't run in between due to my work schedule a million excuses. I also learned at the expo that the course was going to be a hilly one. Oh my! When the gun went off, I started very slow. I knew there was going to be a hill around mile 1 and I wanted to save my energy. What I was not prepared for was the low temperatures. My feet got wet in the grass while waiting at the starting line and I couldn't feel my toes at all, for about 30 minutes. This was a new sensation for me. I started to panic. "Is this going to be my first DNF ( did not finish) race?" Yep, these were my thoughts at the beginning of the race as we climbed to the city.  "Ohhh it's going to be a long race". But my negative thoughts vanished by mile 3.

At mile 4, I saw Deena Kastor coming back from the opposite direction. It was mile 7 or 8 for her. She was flying and everyone was cheering.  I was now enjoying the race. I could feel all my toes. I was running 9:15 min/mile. We passed Colorado Boulevard where we ate the day before.  "Oh, familiar territory. I would love to eat some quinoa now!". We ran a lot of "out and back" but I didn't mind it. At mile 6, we passed Caltech and looped back. The sun was coming out but the streets were full of trees providing us with nice shadows.

At mile 8, we crossed the famous Colorado Street Bridge. There is a spectacular view of San Gabriel Valley. There is also a scary view of an upcoming uphill on the other side of the bridge. It's not a long distance though.

From there, it was all down hill to the Rose Bowl. In perfect circumstances, this would have been a PR course for me. I love hills. Unfortunately, today was not the day. My piriformis started acting up after we crossed the bridge. To the point that I almost had to walk the rest of the race. The good news is that I didn't. I trotted until mile 11 where I gathered all the energy left in my body to obtain a strong finish. My time was 2:15:20. It's slow for me but I am wasn't disappointed. I hadn't trained for this race and I have been dealing with piriformis issues lately. Yes, I will come back to Pasadena! What a beautiful place!

Deena Kastor won the race. Her finishing time was 1:12:57

2013 Surf City Half Marathon Race Recap. Beach Cities Challenge completed!

Race Date: February 2nd, 2013
Start Time: 7:45 a.m.
Distance: 13.1 miles
Location: Huntington Beach

This was my final race in the Beach Cities Challenge. The rules are that you complete, in consecutive order, any combo of full or half marathons at the Surf City Marathon, the OC Marathon and the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon and you get an extra beautiful medal. Since they extended the Beach Cities Challenge one year, the finishers where given the option to choose between two medals.  The 2012 medal features a big surfboard. The 2013 medal weights 3/4 pounds and just looks great on you! :)

2012 and 2013 Beach Cities Challenges Medal

This was a very special series for me. I signed up for the OC Full Marathon in the very last minute, on a Saturday at the expo around 5:00 p.m ( less than 12 hours before the race) after finding out that there were not more spots available for the OC Half Marathon. I remember being excited and nervous at the same time.  I've just had ran the RnR Madrid Full Marathon 12 days before and I wasn't sure if I was ready to run another 26.2. This turned out to be a great decision. I PRed at this race ( 4:32) and became a Marathon Maniac ( #5389) the next day. You can read more about it here and here

The next race was the Long Beach Marathon. I originally signed up for the half marathon but my friend Tessa texted me at the expo and convinced me to upgrade in the very last minute. I closed my eyes and handed my credit card to the Solutions Desk staff member after talking to my encouraging husband. I fell in love with this race. It was a beautiful course unlike the second half of the OC Full Marathon. I also enjoyed running with my friend Tessa who is way faster than me. My finishing time was 4:33, my second fastest. You can read the recap here. 

The third race was the Surf City Half Marathon. I am kind of glad that the full marathon was sold out. Otherwise, I'd have probably upgraded in the last minute again :)

This race was also important to me since I got injured running it in 2011 and it had become my nemesis. I remember back then it was very cold, foggy and I couldn't run pass mile 9. I experienced the painful plantar faciitis and finished in my worse time ever. I was worried that this would happen again this year. Because of this, I decided to run conservatively, at least until mile 8. This time around it was really hot but I didn't care.  I ran and smiled, ran and smiled, ran and smiled non-stop until I crossed the finished line in  2:11:39.  Not bad considering I ran the Goofy Challenge ( 39.3 miles ) and the Tinker Bell Half Marathon two weeks before. 

After the race, I picked up my Beach Cities Challenge medal, met my friend Caro and headed to the gear check tent.  This guy comes to me and asked me "Can I take your picture? You are the first Marathon Maniac I've seen with the new Beach Cities Challenge medal". I replied "Yes, why not?" I take a closer look at him and said out loud "OMG, it's Steve Yee, the founder of Marathon Maniacs and he is asking me for a picture". He laughed. Perfect way to finish this Beach Cities Challenge series!