2018 Rock 'n Roll Washington D.C. Half Marathon

About a year ago, I signed up online for the Rock ‘n Roll marathon in DC when RnR was offering a presale special- a full marathon for $79? Sign me up!

Of course, when I signed up for this race I had lost the lotto for the NYC marathon, and figured after running the Long Island full in May I would have 10 months to prepare. But then, life happened, and I managed to get into the NYC marathon through New Balance rewards so I wound up taking on NYC in November of 2017. After the city beat me up, I wasn’t sure I was ready to start immediately training for another full marathon, which I would have had to do to get a full 16-week cycle in before the race. 

While I was considering if I really wanted to run a full, Kasey was thinking about running her first half marathon. She signed up for the lotto for the United Airlines NYC Half, and when she didn’t get in, we discussed running the Rock ‘n Roll half in DC. It quickly turned into a plan for a weekend trip involving monument and museum trips in addition to the half marathon, and Emily signed on to come along and cheer. Kasey signed up for the race, and I dropped down from the full to the half. Of course, in the weeks leading up to the full our runs grew longer, and Kasey questioned how I talked her into signing up for a half – but I knew she was ready. Heck, she had more training under her belt than I did before my first half.

So, on Friday March 9th Kasey, Emily and I loaded in my car and got on the road to head to D.C. It takes a little less than 5 hours to get there from Long Island, and with the expo closing at 7 I was keeping a close eye on the clock as I drove. Emily and I had headed to target during the week to make sure we had plenty of road trip snacks, and had a much less healthy ride than Kasey, as we snacked on pringles and skittles while Kasey stuck to yogurt and rice cakes. The sun went down as we grew closer to D.C. and we finally got to the Armory, where the expo was being held, around 6:10. It would be a quick visit with it shutting down so soon, but we would be able to get our bibs without any issue.

We took a moment to stretch getting out of the car, as we had driven straight through from NY, and all agreed that our first stop at the expo would be the bathroom. It took a minute to get into the armory, as we all had to go through a security check, then we made a bee line for the bathroom. Finally it was time to pick up our bibs, and we had to go into the basement of the event hall to do so. Since we were picking up the bibs so late there was really no line, and we were through bib pickup in a few minutes. After grabbing our event shirts I made Kasey pose for a photo, and she was less than pleased with me for this, as our outfits could best be described as “Long car ride comfort.”

Then we were filtered into the shopping area of the expo, and we spent most of our limited time in the “official merchandise” area. They had shirts and banners with all of the runners names on them, so of course we took the time to find ourselves. We both wound up buying one with our name on it, but unfortunately since Kasey’s last name starts with a “B” and mine starts with a “Z,” we were on two different shirts. I also picked up a pin that looked like the medal to add to my backpack, and Emily decided she wanted to get fitted for a pair of rock ‘n’ roll tie-dye brooks, so as Kasey and I headed into the rest of the expo Emily waited for them to size her.

The expo was on the smaller side, and a lot of the vendors were already starting to pack up. Since the official merchandise area let out right next to the united booth, we entered the contest that they were running – a giveaway for two round trip airlines tickets for anywhere in the world – mainly because we wanted the buff that they were handing out as you entered. They also had a giant medal for photo ops, so we snapped another photo. Kasey and I joked that if we won we would be headed to London on the next flight…. But more on that later.

A quick loop around the rest of the closing expo got us some popcorn, a few signs from the world wildlife foundation, and confirmation that the RunDisney booth was already disassembled for the night – a bummer, as I was hoping that they would have early registration for the food and wine half available. We tracked Emily down, having purchased her shoes, and headed back to the car, so we could find the hotel and grab dinner. Emily had gotten a free tech shirt for pre-ordering the sneakers, which she gave me since they didn’t have her size available.

We met Kasey’s parents, my Aunt Karen and Uncle Tom, at the hotel soon after. They had also driven in from NY so they could spectate Kasey’s first half, but were planning on heading home right after the race, so we took two cars to get to D.C. I pulled up google maps to see what restaurants near the hotel were still open, and there was a noodles and co. about a mile away, so we took a quick drive over there to carb up before the race. I decided to live dangerously, and went for a bowl of mac and cheese, despite its dairy content, and for once won the battle against my stomach.

We headed back to the hotel to call it a night after, and Emily and I made some race signs while Kasey was in the shower, to surprise her with during the race. We set up everything we needed for race morning, packed our bags and designated throw away layers, and agreed to meet my aunt and uncle in the lobby around 7 am to head out, Kasey and I going to the start line while the spectators would head to the finish area to park the car, then head on the metro to wait for us just before mile 5.

Our hotel was close to the start line, so Kasey and I decided to walk to the start area instead of being dropped off, just to get moving a little. By the time we actually left the hotel it was about 7:20, and the race was slated to start at 8 am. We walked up one block before hitting the national mall area, and got to walk by the white house and the Washington monument as we made our way to the start line. When we got there we figured out where our corral was, and then walked to the UPS trucks that were the bag check locations so I could drop off my stuff. Before heading into the corral we spent a few minutes stretching, and Kasey said her final goodbyes to Instagram, as she was almost certain she would die before managing to run 13.1 miles.

As 8 am drew nearer we found a spot in our corral, and I took my pre-race Gu while Kasey opted for some Gatorade chews. We made the final necessary adjustments to our outfits, queued our play lists, and hopped around to keep warm. As the fastest corrals started, we began the final march to the start line, taking off our throw away layers and making sure our garmins were ready – then it was time to start our journey, and we started our watches as we crossed the start line.

Of course, this was Kasey’s first half, and I knew I would be remiss if I did not make a video for us to remember it by – you can find it at the end of this post, and see just how much she hated me at various points of the race, and hear us fight about whether or not it is ok to pause your watch during a race. We had to fight a little – we are family after all.

Now, before we move into the actual race recap, I will ask you to forgive me in advance for not knowing the streets of D.C. very well – while I generally know what mile we were at, I will not know quite where in the city we are, or which monument or building it is that we are running by.

Mile one brought us into the national mall, and the first landmark that we spotted was the Washington Monument. Before we even hit mile one, Kasey almost lost half of her race fuel, as her sport beans slipped out of her SPI belt, since she had just tucked them into the belt and not into the pocket. To be safe we relocated them to my pocket for the rest of the race, so that I wouldn’t have to make another mad dash to rescue them from the pavement. Next we ran by constitution hall, before passing the first mile marker.

There was the first of many on course bands at the beginning of mile 2, and the first water stop happened during that mile as well. It was a crowded stop, so we opted to skip that one rather than fight our way into it. The course started to head towards the Potomac river, and just before we got to the shore we got a peek at the back side of the Lincoln Memorial. Another band greeted us at the end of mile two, and we got to run along the river for the first half of mile three, before going into an out and back section of the course. There was some construction going on along the river, so there was no shortage of distractions on this section of the course. So far we were both feeling good as far as I could tell, and I tried to keep the hill that I knew we would hit at mile 6 in the back of my mind. We stopped for some water at the mile three aid station, and at the turn around point just after the mile marker another band was working hard to entertain us. Mile 4 slipped by, and we were well on our way to mile five, and it was time to start keeping an eye out for our spectators.

I had gotten a text from Emily, so I knew that they were before the mile 5 marker, and Aunt Karen and Emily were stationed near a big red pickup truck that was parked on grass, and Uncle Tom was up on an overpass. I spotted the overpass first, and alerted Kasey to keep an eye out, and they were easily spotted with the landmarks that they gave us – first seeing Aunt Karen and Em with the signs that we had made, then spotting Uncle Tom waving from the overpass, with a huge smile plastered on his face. We stopped for another water station before hitting mile five, and at this point Kasey was less than thrilled with me, and passed me more of her fuel to hold as we continued on. For the 80th time that day, she let me know that she was dying, even though her pace was strong and her breathing was sounding good. I tried to provide some entertainment for her by singing, but she was quick to flop her headset back on and drown me out.

Right by mile five there were spectators dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible – who says Disney is the only race with character stops! Mile 5 brought us through the mile of remembrance, and the course was lined with photos of fallen soldiers. It was an emotional mile, thinking of those who sacrificed so much for our country.

The start of mile 6 was lined with individuals from “wear blue to remember” holding flags, cheering runners up the biggest hill of the race. Kasey pulled over as we ran up the hill, and eyed me with some resentment – but we hadn’t quite reached mile 10 hatred.

What is mile 10 hatred you ask? Well, in 2016 when I ran my first half marathon, my running partner was Kasey’s younger brother, Ryan. The two of us had spent a few months training, but most of our runs were 2-3 miles around the neiborhood with maybe 3 “long” weekend runs that capped out at 8 miles – and we couldn’t run those 8 miles through, there were walk breaks thrown in there. So, when we went into our first half, we were a bit undertrained, and a bit unaware of that fact. The looks that Ryan was throwing me by mile 10 of that race – that is mile 10 hatred! I have never had someone look at me with as much resentment as he did at that point. But we made it to the finish line, and even went on to run one more half together after.

So Kasey pulled over for a minute as we headed up this hill, and I urged her to keep moving, even if it was a walk. But Kasey really did not want to walk. I’m pretty sure she would have been on board to lay down and nap before she was willing to walk. After a moments rest, she agreed to continue up the hill, and soon after reaching the top of it we passed the marker that indicated the half way point of the race. We slowed the pace a little to make up for the effort that was put into the hill, and kept moving, running by a few bands as we got through the next few miles. During mile 9 we went under a bridge that felt kind of sketchy, and I was happy to have behind me.

As we ran by our spectators for the second time, Emily caught the exact moment that Kasey yelled out "I'm literally dying!"

Emily, Aunt Karen and Uncle Tom had made their way to a spot just passed mile marker 10, and as we ran by them Kasey threw out her tag line for the race – “I’M DYING.” I’m pretty sure anyone near us during the race must have thought that Kasey lost a bet to me, and that was how I roped her into this. But let it be known: She signed up of her own free will! I wasn’t even with her and typing her info into the registration sheet or anything!

We were running through city streets that were lined with houses at this point of the race, and plenty of people had set up cheering stations on their front lawns, offering drinks and snacks to passing runners. A few girl scout troops were even selling cookies – this was the one stop I seriously considered making, but I couldn’t figure out an easy way to carry a box of samoas for the rest of the race.

Mid way though mile 11 we started to employ the “I’ll run again when we pass THIS LANDMARK” method of pacing, but we were still making good progress. There was more running than walking, and we managed to pick up the pace for the last mile of the race. Once we passed mile marker 13 we entered the finish line chute, and had only a tenth of a mile between us and the finish line – so of course I rallied us to push the pace for that last stretch, and we ran right through the finish line, feeling strong, and Kasey joined the ranks of half-marathoners in our family. She even managed to beat her brother’s PR by about 30 seconds, so maybe I can use that as grounds for talking him into taking on another race with me…..

Anyway, after Kasey stopped for a moment to recover in her usual pose, we claimed our medals and started the long walk to the post-race festival area, collecting the usual post-race heat sheet, snacks, Gatorade, water, and of course, chocolate milk. I called our spectators and we agreed on a meeting spot, and I left Kasey there while I went to collect my checked bag. Once we had all found each other we snapped a few photos, and then headed to the car. We had pre-purchased the parking that rock ‘n roll offered on their site, but when my uncle arrived at the garage that morning they told him it was not open yet, bummer! So if you are considering pre-purchasing parking I would advise against it, as he was able to find parking on the street easily enough.

We grabbed a celebratory lunch at chipotle before my Aunt and Uncle headed home, and Kasey Emily and I spent the rest of the weekend exploring D.C.

While the driving through out the weekend got me a little stressed out, all in all I would call it a successful trip. Kasey rocked her first half marathon – which just 6 months ago was a distance she swore she would never run, we found a few places to eat some excellent food, from burgers to breakfast, and had fun exploring the national mall and assorted museums – although we still need to go back to fully live out Kasey’s national treasure dreams.

Oh, and remember how I mentioned that Kasey and I entered a contest to win two round trip flights from United? Well, to my shock, I actually won the contest! I may already be scheming about using the flights to run the London marathon next year.....

Also, Kasey has requested that I point out that while she beat her brother's half PR by about 20 seconds, she beat the time of his first half by over 20 mins. Nothing like good, old fashioned sibling rivalry.