ZOOMA Annapolis 2014 is officially in the books!
Jake and I had the rare opportunity to head down to Annapolis solo! We arrived at the host hotel, the Loews Annapolis Hotel, with plenty of time to check in and relax before heading to the race expo.
What a nice touch on the custom ZOOMA room key! Well done Loews!
The expo had quite a few vendors as well as all of the race sponsors. And, I really happy to catch up with some familiar faces like Mar, Lara and Kara! Hmmm… didn’t plan the rhyme. After catching up with some friends, I headed to dinner with some of the fellow race ambassadors before making our way back to the hotel for the Honest Tea Mocktail Party.
Top Row: Me, Erika, Courtney, Natalie, Cynthia & Sue
Front Row: Colleen, Heidi, Lindsay & Mar
Kara!
And, as usual, ZOOMA did not disappoint with their race swag. Each reusable bag contained the Annapolis race shirt along with a hat and pair of Feetures socks!
On Saturday, I felt pretty calm when I woke up the morning of the race. Despite having a pretty restless night of sleep, I was excited to meet up with some friends and get this race under my belt. My training wasn’t exactly where I wanted it to be for this race but I felt as though I could run a fairly strong race. After all, this was going to be my redemption ZOOMA run!
Once Jake and I made our way to the stadium, we were parked very quickly and made our way over to the bathrooms. With no lines, it was back over to the Blue Angel to meet up with the other ZOOMA race ambassadors.
Jake and I made our way over to the corral area and I seeded myself around the 2 hour pacer. I ended up spotting Natalie and Kara before the start. Kara and I ran a few races together last year {Beach to Beacon and the LLBean 10k – What can I say, we love Maine!) and she is such a great pace buddy! I was so glad I bumped into them because it is so much easier to run with someone and I am far less likely to quit if I have someone tugging me along. Before we knew it, it was go time!
The beginning pace felt easy but I knew that the challenging portions of the race were around those middle miles. So with that in mind, I tried to remain focused on feeling light and easy as we made our way around the stadium and into the downtown area of Annapolis.
Mile 1: 9:00 / Mile 2: 8:47 / Mile 3: 8:44
We continued to cruise through the downtown and by the Naval Academy {Go Army, Beat Navy!}. There were a few out and back sections where I spotted Jake, Courtney, and Colleen {she was in the zone and didn’t notice us at all!}. It was really fun to see them and it put some pep in my step before we hit the few rollers that lead into the bridge.
Mile 4: 8:58 / Mile 5: 9:06 /Mile 6: 9:29 / Mile 7: 9:52
And, then the wheels fell off. Well, not really, but I allowed myself to walk a bit after the Severn bridge. And, well, it was all over once I started to walk a bit. I have to say that it was really nice to have company and chat with Natalie. I think we were dying around the same time. I’m pretty sure that it was during these miles that we let Kara go since she was still running like she had some pep in her step! Again, the out and back sections of the course were awesome because we got to see Mar and Cynthia.
Mile 8: 10:19 / Mile 9: 10:54 / Mile 10: 11:09
Right before we headed back over the bridge, Natalie had to make a pit stop and I decided I was going to try and pick it up again with three miles left. I somehow caught up with Cynthia again as we made our way over the bridge. And from there, I tried to use the downhills to my advantage and push as much as I could. As usual, I forgot that there are still some rollers along the way to the finish but I was pleased that I felt strong and re-engergized for the final few miles.
Mile 11: 9:27 / Mile 12: 9:31 / Mile 13: 9:23 / .1+: 7:31
Final Time: 02:06:05
It wasn’t a course PR for me, but I finished feeling strong and much better than last year. Plus, it was so much fun to run with some of my fellow ambassadors and chat along the way. All in all, it was a great race experience and my third ZOOMA Annapolis is officially in the books!
I was really happy with some of the course changes that were made from last year to this year. Although, I later learned that a few of the lead 10k runners missed the turn to the finish due to poor signage. I know this was a problem spot last year as well and hopefully this can be remedied so that those speedy ladies can snag their spots on the podium!
And, to finish off an accomplished morning, I was able to catch some friends post-race, enjoy a little foam roller action, drink some banana Muscle Milk and soak in the sights and sounds while enjoying my new bling! Let’s face it, that was my motivation for running the half and not dropping to the 10k. All in all, a race-cation success.
Have you ever run ZOOMA? Did you run Annapolis this year or in years past? How was your race experience?!
Lisa
Disclaimer: As a race ambassador for ZOOMA Annapolis, I received a complementary entry into the half marathon. But, my poor husband that I suckered into running another women’s race, happily paid his race fee…
I loved the Zooma Run room key! I kept mine:)! Boy, I love the Annapolis 13.1 course, but it was challenging! The Severn bridge really did me in! I have to run that course again next year!! I really enjoy the Zooma Run Race-Cations!
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I kept the key too! I love the course too… even though it kicks my butt every single year! See you in Maine!
Nice job Lisa. It was probably just as hot and humid for you as it was in Asheville last weekend. I had to laugh when I read your disclaimer about Jake paying for another women's race. He is a very good sport!
Yes, he is always a good sport when it comes to my running. Although, I think that he is "over" Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend… the princesses are just getting too fiesty for him!
yay, your recap! that was SUCH a fun weekend. have you decided yet on RLRF v Hanson Method?
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I think I am settling into the RLRF plan… I really want to focus on strength training too and I'm not sure that would work so well with the other plan since there are more days per week running. The paces definitely SCARE me though!
HA Jake is a good sport! 🙂 Glad you had a good race, despite those hills. This course sounds to tough! I think I have thought that every time I've read your recap of this race. 🙂 Perfect way to gauge your training for your fall marathon.
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Poor Jake 🙂 He is totally a keeper!
So, I'm thinking I'm in better shape now than before my last marathon. I ran this course about ten minutes slower last year. And, I'm close to my 5k PR time right now…. I hit that PR during the middle of marathon training last fall. I hope that means that if I stay healthy, I can nail my training and settle on a good training plan! And, I will probably still text you to whine 🙂
I've run ZOOMA Atlanta, in its last year of existence! I'd love to do another though, as its grown so much and I'd love to give it another shot. 🙂
Congrats on a great race! And high fives for the hubby!
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I remember the days of ZOOMA Atlanta! I wonder where they will head next since they continue to expand. Annapolis is a great race, it's just a super challenging course!
haha, I looked at your splits and was like, yup that's where I kinda lost it too!! unfortunately for me I never was able to pick it up again and my last few miles were my worst. BUT it was awesome seeing you, GREAT weekend, and that bling looks awesome on on my wall!
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Seriously, I just kept thinking about the medal!
Congrats on finishing another half marathon. Glad to hear you had fun, finished strong and were able to run with friends! 🙂
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Thanks Kristen!
Congratulations on your finish! I love when you can do the same race and compare times. It's such an accomplishment!
Maybe next year, I might be able to meet you 🙂
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I know! I can't believe that we didn't cross paths that weekend! You never know, maybe we will meet at another race!
So awesome! I'm not a runner, so it's all sort of unimaginable, but it looks like you had a good time!
Yes, definitely a lot of fun and a great way to meet other bloggers!
Sounds like a great race, Lisa! Congratulations! Love that race swag!! :0)
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Thanks Karen! ZOOMA certainly does a fantastic job with their swag. And, now that they are offering medals, I'm even more smitten!
Nice job Lisa! Sometimes the most difficult ones mean more and are certainly more work than the ones we breeze through, yes? We lived in NoVa for 4 years, so it's like home to me. Never ran Zooma, but I love the DC area. Congratulations!
Thanks Lisa! The hard ones always make it more memorable.
It was so great to meet you and your husband! Hope you had a great weekend away 🙂
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Awesome race!! Congrats!! I have never done a Zooma race but I am dying to do one! Napa is the closest one to me but it could potentially be hot! I am thinking next year!!! 🙂