Well – even 2 weeks after being cleared to run in “baby-steps” from my Dr, I actually had the nerve to run the Arizona Rock n Roll 5K and Half Marathon. Neither of which fit into the criteria that was given to me; short and slow. I don’t quite know what I was expecting. This was my first ever 5K and my first non-runDisney event. So let’s jump right in and recap my experiences!
AZ Rock n Roll 5K Recap
The 5K was Saturday morning, and my first impression is that it was cold! I was willing to deal with it since I was finally going to get to run with Lil WO! We had a expected finish time of 40 minutes, so as time got closer, we found our way to the corrals. No big production there, not like runDisney. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that there were only about 1200 runners for the 5K. I was following Dr’s orders as much as possible, so I was running 30 sec:1 min intervals. WO left right from the start, but it was nice that the boy wanted to stay with me. Until Mile 1 that is.
That was the last time I saw him until I crossed the finish line. The course itself was nice and easy… no terrible hills and it never felt crowded. Since I had never ran a 5K race before, I didn’t know what to expect about water or aid stations. Since I regularly train without water for anything up to 5 miles typically, I wasn’t too worried. They did have one water station, but the cups were tiny (think of the dixie cups you got in Kindergarten) and weren’t even half full. But hey, it was just a 5K. There was a single stage with a band for entertainment at about the halfway point as well. They sounded pretty good, and it’s always great to sign “We’re Not Gonna Take It” through an underpass. The medals were actually really nice as well as the Tech Shirt and swag we got at the Expo.
AZ Rock n Roll Half Marathon Recap
The next morning was the Half Marathon, and I admit I started out with some comparisons and expectations in my head based on my runDisney experiences. Well… In my opinion the start line was a little chaotic. I hadn’t realized that the 10K and Half Marathon started together. So, at first I was worried that we were in the wrong spot. We knew our corral number, but they weren’t very clearly marked, and no real distinction of where one corral ended and the next one started. But finally we were underway, and I was very impressed how quickly the corrals each got started – no 5 to 10 minutes of pre-race ceremony. My plan was still 30 sec:1 min intervals to spare my hip as much as possible, so WO was gone before the first mile was finished. But he was trying to PR and get a new Proof of Time for future Disney races.
The course, which everyone told me was flat… was not so much, at least to me. There were a few lower grade, long hills and then the hill that killed me at about mile 9. The scenery, running through Papago Park, was beautiful, but the hill was a killer. I seriously hit a wall afterwards, and had my first true bonk in a race. All I wanted to do was sit down and cry. Also, other than Papago Park, the course was unremarkable. Again, the only races I can compare it too is runDisney, and lets face it – they are running us through the parks and you can’t really top that.
So, this is the Rock n Roll series, and they really play up the entertainment aspect of their races. There were a good variety of bands playing a pretty good range of music. They were far enough from actual course that it was a little hard to hear them as I ran past. But what truly disappointed me was the number of spectators along the route. The past races I have run there have always been at least 1 High School Group (either the band or cheerleaders) or other groups there to cheer runners on. I know my daughter volunteered with her school last year, and they dressed up in a 50’s theme. I think I ran past 2 total groups. Even regular spectators were few and far between when we were running through areas you would typically expect them. Maybe more people come out and cheer along the Marathon route, but there were some lonely stretches of road for me.
Support was ok. Medical tents were well staffed. I won’t lie, I had issues with the number of port-o-potties available. One or two each mile or so…typically with a ridiculous line… just didn’t seem like enough to me. Water was another issue. I wasn’t at the complete back of the pack, but there were many water stations that seemed just about empty – no cups on the table, even though the volunteers did have cups in hand. The size of cups and amount of water in each also varied greatly. Thank goodness it wasn’t too hot of a day. I have never run with water during a half, but this experience is making me rethink that practice.
But I guess it all comes down to – would I run it again? Probably. I would like to run when I am not injured and have actually trained for the distance.
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