So, now I have a timeshare. Every now and then, the timeshare company calls me up with a great deal for lodging at one of their resorts in return for a two-hour timeshare update presentation (where they try to get you to buy more points). Last year, they called me up and offered a pretty good deal on a place near Phoenix, AZ. I hadn't run a race in Arizona yet, so I decided to use the deal for the lodging for the Arizona race. That is how I decided on Arizona for my seventh state.
My Training Plan: I used the Bart Yasso created training plan that I had used for the Richmond marathon. I figured that, until I broke 4 hours again, I would try that training plan since it had worked before. My longest run during training was a 22 miler.
Weather: The weather was chilly and overcast the entire time. The race started in the 40s and ended in the upper 50s. Cold getting there, but perfect running weather.
Running Attire: Pink 2 Timothy 4:7 technical short-sleeved shirt, pink Nike visor, and black Mizuno shorts with pocket for food, and iFitness double belt to keep water, my phone and food in.
Who I ran with: I was by myself for this race. Although I talked to some people along the way, I don't remember anyone that I stuck with for any length of time.
The Course: The course was flat for the most part, with some hills toward the end. We ran past Camelback Mountain, which was nice and brought back memories of my three-month stint in Phoenix while with Ernst & Young (I hiked Camelback Mountain back then). But other than that, the course was pretty boring.
Organization: I was a little disappointed in the organization of this race. This was my first rock 'n' roll marathon, and I've always thought highly of them prior to running one (due mainly to my experience with the Nashville 1/2 marathon, which was very positive). The expo was very good. They had a lot of good vendors and goodies. I purchased an iFitness belt to carry my phone and food, and I use it almost every time I run now. They also had the 110% vendor that sells clutch tights with pockets to put ice packs. It's like an ice bath without actually having to get into the cold bathtub! I met some former Biggest Loser contestants at the expo.
The morning of the race, there were not enough signs to direct runners to where to park. Runners had certain parking lots that were free to them, I tried to follow the map, but when I got closer and roads were closed, it was harder to figure out where to go. Because there were no clear signs, I started following cars, and ended up at the half marathon parking garage. I had to ask the volunteer who tried to point me in the right direction. I got lost one more time before finding the right parking garage. Once I got there, I took the train to the start. The train was free to runners, so that was a plus. When we got off the train and arrived at the start, they announced that due to the train schedule they were delaying the start. Apparently the train had gotten in the way of runners last year so they wanted to make sure it was out of the way before starting. Our 7:30 start ended up being delayed until about 7:50. The water stops were fully stocked with both water and sports drink, so no problems there. But there was no water stop between mile 24 and the end.
Swag: The technical race shirt and medal were both nice. We also got a bumper sticker that said I Rocked 26.2. They also had sunscreen and lip balm in the swag bag. I want to say there were some other goodies in the bag too, but I can't remember what they were.
Starting Line: The starting line had a row of porta-potties close by, which is always nice. Like I said before, they ended up delaying the start to wait for the train to go by, so that was a little frustrating. They had both corrals and pace groups. The corrals were set up to align with your estimated finish time, so it was easy to hop into the 4:00 pace group from my corral.
Fans: The fans were not as good as I expected them to be. Being a rock 'n' roll marathon, there were bands at every mile, but it seemed like they were always on a break when I was running by.
Finish Line: The finish line was pretty good. They had lots of food and vendors at the end. You had to weave your way through the vendor tents to get to a more open space. It was a little difficult to find a place to stretch afterwards, because the finish was in a huge parking lot with not a lot to lean up against. It was also a long walk back to the car.
How I felt: I started out with the 4:00 pace group and felt pretty good. Around mile 21, though, I could feel myself slowing down. I slowed down for a water stop to fill up my water bottle on my belt. The pace group got further and further ahead of me, and I was too worn out to catch back up. I knew it was going to be rough going toward the end with the limited water stops. I had brought some Jolly Ranchers to keep my mouth from getting dry toward the end. I must have looked pretty rough at the end, because after crossing the finish line, a volunteer came up to me and asked if I was okay.
Travel/Tourism: I love Phoenix. It was one of my choices for where I wanted to go after I graduated college. It has great weather (I love the heat!) year 'round. The city is easy to get around because it's set up in a grid, for the most part. If there are problems on one block, you can go over a couple of blocks and have no traffic. I spent May through July of 2006 in Phoenix while with Ernst & Young, and loved my stay (although the work conditions weren't the best). Sometimes when I run along the Cochran Shoals river trail it makes me think of my runs along the canal in Phoenix.
Traveling to Phoenix is pretty easy. The Phoenix airport is average size and set up pretty well. We stayed at my timeshare resort, which wasn't too far away from the airport. We went bowling and to a restaurant at the top of the mountain that had a bull outside, live music and a slide inside, and some amazing steak. We also went to In and Out Burger while there - Rob's first In and Out Burger experience.
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