19 Mar 2017 - Anthem Half Marathon

Gazing at Neptune statue on the beach.

Rain, cold, wind, and more rain.  These are descriptions of the weather for the most part in Virginia Beach, Virginia during our visit.  The best news is I survived the rain, sleet, low 40 degree temps, and 20 mile an hour winds to finish the half marathon and earn my medal. This makes 16 states I have completed a half or full marathon in.  Virginia Beach was another fun adventure for us in spite of the weather. 

Kids races were a hoot to watch!

This race is part of the Shamrock events weekend.  They have kids races, an 8K race, half and full marathons.  The kids races were a hoot to watch.  They raced 1 year old kids, followed by 2 year old and all the way through 5 years old.  The 1 and 2 year old kids were really fun to watch as some could barely walk but they were out there running their race.  The 8K was held on Saturday and included the top age group athletes in the country.  On the flight out I ran into several folks from Colorado that were racing the 8K.

The view from our hotel room

Our hotel was called the Oceanfront Inn and was located right on the beach.  I would recommend this hotel as the prices were great and customer service was terrific.  From our balcony we had a fantastic view of the beach and finish line.  In fact for much of the half and full marathon race, Julie sat on her perch and watched the racers arrive at the finish line.

The race expo was about a mile walk from the hotel.  It included many vendors and was fun to visit.  I didn't really find any great bargains there and the freebies very were limited but there was lots to see and experience.  At most larger expo's Power bar or other nutrition freebies are handed out.  These were all absent at this Expo.  The race packet didn't really include much other than our running bib and race shirt.  The shirt was a green (St Patrick's Day) technical shirt that I really like. 

Let's get this thing started!

Nice running conditions at race start.

On Sunday morning it was cold, windy and rainy.  We bundled up around 6am and walked about 1/2 a mile to the start line.  There were plenty of porta-potties at the start and the start was well organized.  We were organized into corrals based on our expected finish time.  I was overly optimistic on my expected finish time but it did earn me a spot in the 2nd corral which meant less time standing around in the rain.  To be honest much of the race was a blur.  With the rain and wind in my face for most of the first half of the run I just tried to stay focused on running.  There was an impressive amount of fan support and plenty of water/gatorade stops throughout the course.  I remember the course being very flat.  We ran on city streets, in a wooded area, on a military base (Little Creek-Fort Story), and on the boardwalk adjacent to the beach. On the military base, I remember running by the intersection for Omaha Beach where the wind was so strong it was blowing sand across the street for us to run through.  In the second half of the race I remember running by the light houses, wind at my side and also wind at my back.  Unfortunately when the wind was at my back I was unable to take advantage of it.  My training for this race did not go well as I dealt with breathing problems and knee bursitis.  Luckily I didn't experience much of this during the race.  I felt pretty good until the last couple miles when my knee started to bother me.  Overall I was ecstatic with my effort considering the conditions.

Proud  half marathon finisher!

The finish line ceremony was incredible.  They announced finishers names and gave us our medals once we crossed.  There were plenty of snacks and drinks and they also gave us a finishers hat, finishers towel and race bag.  After this we headed to the big tent where we were treated to up to 4 Yuengling beers and some Murphys stew.

Sporting my finisher's towel and race hat.

Enjoying free Yuengling refreshment!

It was a short trip but we did experience a few things in Virgina Beach other that the rain.

Our first experience with uber.  We didn't rent a car and instead used Uber for getting around.  It worked out cheaper than renting a car but was much more inconvenient.  The inconvenience was mostly around waiting for the ride and having to walk a mile to the lighthouse since uber drivers were not permitted on the military base.  In a large city I can definitely see uber being useful for future trips.

The beach in our winter rain gear!

The aquarium.

Duck donuts!  Wow they make your donuts to order while you wait.  Who would have thought maple syrup and bacon on a donut would be so delicious.  These are dangerous delicious!

Tour of the Cape Henry lighthouse on Little Creek-Fort Story joint military base.  This was Julie's first time on a military base.  It was fun learning the history and climbing to the top on tired legs.  

By the Numbers:

My Finish Time            :   02:05:21

Overall (all finishers)   :   1782 out of 5437  (Top 32%)

Age Group (55-59M)   :   71st out of 177      (Top 40%)

Male finishers               :   1001 out of 2162 (Top 46%)

What's next for me?

• May 7th 2017 - Wallis Sands Half Marathon - Rye NH
• Oct 8th 2017   - Portland Half Marathon - Portland Oregon