Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of traveling down to Virginia Beach to visit one of my very best friends, Lee Anne, and to run my very first 8K with one of my very best friends, Lindsay. Running + Friends = THE BEST TIME EVER! (Though, Lindsay may say otherwise.)
Like the Virginia is for Lover’s Race from February, this race was also organized by J&A. And they did not disappoint. I really can’t express this enough.
I had originally wanted to do the half marathon, but by the time I went to sign up there were no more spots. Not even charity spots. I typically don’t sign up for shorter distance races since I’ve found that I conquer those distances during the week so I can’t justify spending $40+ on a 5K when I could pay a couple dollars more and be able to run further with more perks (aka BLING!). Lucky for me, J&A gives out really rad finishers medals and swag to all participants regardless of the distance.
So, Lindsay and I headed down to the beach on Friday afternoon with our first destination being the closest Sonic and our second the race expo. We have some serious priorities.
The expo kept with the theme and had a giant rainbow with a pot of gold at the end. There were also leprechauns scattered throughout and a ton of green everywhere.
Following the expo, we met up with Lee Anne for a pre-race meal of crab macaroni and cheese and alcohol. And an early night. Seriously guys, you should listen to me about fueling. I am doing the right things.
The next morning, we woke up before the sun and headed toward the beach for the race. The forecast said rain and slightly cooler than normal temperatures. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it wasn’t raining at the start.
We arrived with enough time to hit a secret row of port-a-potties (secret because there were only like 9 people in line in a race of over 9,000) and snap a few photos before heading over into our corral.
Sidebar: For every race I’ve been in lately, I’ve been in corral 4. Maybe next year I’ll get to be a corral 3-er. Maybe.
The race started smoothly. We crossed the start line at 8:06am (Corral 1 went off at 8am). I made sure to get us to the very front of the corral so we could feel like we were elite runners. And we started off a little faster than we intended. I was just so excited to be running my first race with Lindsay that I might’ve caused us to sprint or maybe it was the crowds or maybe we really were elite runners in that moment so we just embraced it.
The course was flat. Like, the only elevation change was when we left the road for the boardwalk flat. I loved it. We started off the race by running down Atlantic Avenue. The last time I went down it, I was walking through for the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half. So to be running felt great. And went by significantly faster.
The majority of the race was spent on the boardwalk. I will never ever complain about running with this view.
Though, I will have to admit that this course was kind of a tease. It’s a double loop. So, we ran with the Finish line in sight but really we had to turn off the boardwalk, go back up Atlantic Avenue were the corrals were and then turn back onto the boardwalk for the finish. Prettymuch looked like a figure eight. Also a major tease if you feel like you’re dying.
I felt great during this race. The temperature was cold, but not windy or terrible. The crowd support was super nice. I ran with my girl the whole time. I wasn’t sick. I didn’t have tummy troubles. It was a short distance. And I knew there would be brunch afterward.
Lindsay and I crossed the finish line together with our time at 1:05. We did 3:2′s (run:walk) to get through the course and did stop for a few pictures along the way.
Immediately after we crossed the finish line it began to rain. A few drops for like ten minutes and then downright pouring. I was totally unprepared for that for the walk to the car but thank goodness for moisture wicking clothing.
The finish line party was on the beach which was a nice touch. We didn’t stick around since we had other plans (read: brunch aka mimosas).
Though, I must say, the medal is quite cute. And functional. It doubles as a bottle opener.
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Anyone else race during St Patrick’s Day weekend? I feel like there was a race EVERYWHERE. Did you have better weather?