Rock N Roll Liverpool: The Need to Know

Disclaimer: I received a free entry to Rock n Roll Liverpool race as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

It’s race week for Rock n Roll Liverpool! I arrived Wednesday morning in Manchester, England. To say I was a bit nervous is fair given the events of Monday night in Manchester. I’m here through Friday before I take the train an hour and change to Liverpool for race weekend. I’ve done my fair share of homework of the whats, whens and wheres, just because of this being the furthest I’ve traveled for a race (read, 4,000 miles!). RnR Liverpool is smart enough to have a race app and race center weekend website for essential information, but here’s some good to know information, especially if you’re coming from further away

Events: 5K on May 27 (9:30 am and 10 am start times depending on bib color); on May 28th, Half Marathon (9 AM start time), Marathon (10 AM start time), Fun Mile (1 pm start time). limited full marathon registration will be at the expo as all other events are sold out

Time Limits: 6 Hours for the Full, 3.5 hrs for the Half Marathon [from GUN TIME!]

Confirmation Sheets: Follow this link to look them up. MUST be printed and brought to the expo (not pulled up on your phone!)

Expo: May 26 from 1-7 pm; May 27 from 8-10 AM for the 5K and 10 AM to 5 PM for all other distances at the ACC Convention Center, King’s Doc. NO RACE DAY PICK UP for the Half, Full or Mile races.

Race Security: Full details here and on RnR Liverpool’s Facebook site. In short, bag check only available between 730 AM and 430 PM, bag sizes no larger than 50 cm x 30 cm by 20 cm and expect heightened security given the events in Manchester

Runner Tracking: Download the SportHive App!

Travel/Parking information: Take a look at the recommendations and come early!

Hopefully this helps put everything in a quick, easy to find spot. Stay safe, have fun and enjoy Liverpool!

So you’re running your first half, huh?

This past weekend I ran the St. Luke’s Half Marathon in Allentown PA and was reminded how much I hate their hills.  The race was also 25% newbies, meaning this was their first half marathon. Ever.  I ran into someone at Kathrine Switzer’s booth at the expo who lost 125 lbs and was running her first half.  This weekend, I’m running the Cap City Half (and was stupid enough to go for a run today) and it sounds like there’s going to be another good crowd of newbies to the half marathon running scene.  On the Cap City Facebook page, they asked for advice from the veterans to people breaking their half marathon virginity.  It got me thinking, so here’s advice from yours truly (ME, of course!):

1. Don’t show up at the expo 5 minutes before it closes on the last day.  Make sure you get to the expo with plenty of time to get your bib, swag bag and shirt and to take care of any unexpected problems (like your 6′ tall husband registered the both of youand ordered you a large shirt when you’re 5’2 and 120 lbs) or if there’s something wrong with your registration.  You don’t want to get locked out!!
2. Bring your confirmation sheet with you (For Cap City, go to the Confirmation Page, look yourself up and there should be a print button to print out your ticket).  It eases things up on you when you’re picking up your bib.
3. NEW ADDITION: Make sure to fill out the medical info on the back of your bib.  If something happens to you (and yes, I’ve seen runners passed out on the side of the course or taking breathing treatments from medics and having trouble speaking), this is the first thing medics go to.  Be honest here!!
4. Enjoy the expo!  And scout out free stuff, there’s usually a lot of it.
5. Carbs. And carb loading.  2 nights and the night before, make sure you have some pasta (or something of the like) to get yourself enough fuel before race day.
6. Don’t try anything new.  This goes for diet (so you don’t mess up your GI system) and sleep.
7. Get a good night’s sleep 2 nights before the race.  The night before race day, you’re going to be too excited AND you have to be up bright and early the next morning to get to the start.  Don’t make me get Bart Yasso to yell at you!
8. Hydrate before the race!  And by before, I mean at least the day before. You’ll be sweating through whatever you’re wearing and you’ll have salt dried to you after the race.  Be nice to you’re body!
9. Have a certain type of Gel, GU, Powerade Chew, etc that you like?  Bring it with you race day.  I don’t go anywhere near gels, I gag on them.  I always tell people (for me personally) that the only way their getting me to use a gel or a GU is if I’m being threatened with an IV.  For the record, I’ve found that powerade chews work for me so they come with me every race.
10. Traveling for a race? Check the weather.  Or bring a few different clothing options if you’re not sure.  Or both.  I usually have shorts and capris, a short sleeved and long sleeved shirt.  For events early or later in the year, I plan accordingly.
11. Run your race.  If you’ve been running 10 minute miles, go with it.  Don’t try and run with the Kenyans and Ethiopians- you’ll hurt yourself and you’ll be miserable the entire time!
    

    Don't run so you're looking like Homer Simpson!

12. Run to enjoy the race.  You only get one first race, so it’ll be your PR no matter how you look at it!  Don’t worry about times, you have the rest of your running life to compare times

NYC Marathon- taking on Friday And Saturday!

I leave for NYC today!!!!  I’m so excited- I don’t get to leave until later tonight, but there’s definitely some things I’m looking forward to.  If you are already in NYC for the marathon, I’m jealous!!!  However, us runners have some stuff that we look forward to.  Wondering what’s going on today and tomorrow? Here You Go!!! Also, can’t find the NYC Marathon Pamphlet they sent you?  Here’s the link

Friday November 4th (TODAY!!! Go Enjoy it!)

• The EXPO! The all important place where you pick up your bib and visit all the vender booths.  It’s open from 10-7 today so make sure to print out your registration sheet from your login page and bring it with you in addition to your ID.  Apollo Ohno will be at the Subway booth at 1 today
• International Taste of Travel is 2-5 at the Marathon Pavilion
• Opening Ceremony 6-8
• Fireworks at the Finish at 7:30 by Poland Spring Water

Saturday November 5th

• At 2 AM Saturday going into Sunday (so 2 AM of Nov. 6th) is Daylight Savings Time.  Don’t forget to set your clock back 1 hour before you go to bed tonight!!!!!
• NYRR Dash to the Finish 5K- family want to get involved? Here you go!!
• 9 AM- Shake out run with Runner’s World!!!  I will be there working out my travel kinks so I’m good to go on Sunday!  Head over to the Jarvis Convention Center to join in.  Meet at the PUMA Booth!!!!
• The Expo (again!!)- 9-5.  Lolo Jones (11-12), Ryan Hall (1-2) and Deena Kastor (2-3) will be making appearances at the Asics Booth
• Marathon Eve Dinner- NYRR does it’s thing.  The best thing about being a charity runner? Team Dinner!!!  THe Jack’s Fund Team is meeting for a few hours to get to know each other.  YAY US!
• Go see a play on Broadway.  There’s a Ticket booth inside Times Square where you can get discounted tickets to plays and productions.  I’ve never seen a bad show with these tickets!

Relax, hydrate and carbo load.  I’ve already started!!!

When Running Expos Get Interesting

This morning I spent a good 5 hrs at the Broad Street Run(BSR) expo volunteering.  It involved me sitting and looking up bib numbers on a computer when people forgot to bring a print out of their number confirmation or couldn’t pull the email up on their phones because they deleted the email.  I was suppose to be there at 7:30 but since nothing really goes on the first 20 minutes or so, I ended up getting at the expo (over at the sports complex) at 7:35 and found the entrance for volunteers after walking aimlessly and

The design on my volunteer and running shirt

following in venders.  After signing in and getting a shirt (which turned out to be the same design as the running shirt I picked up yesterday with my bib and gear), I headed over to my station with 3 comrades and waited for instruction (think like 755).  Even at 755, we got no official training on how to actually look things up (this includes the people who actually showed up on time).  Thankfully we were smart enough to figure it out as there was only 3 or 4 links on the computer and only 1 which actually made any sense to click.  The nice thing is we could search people’s email, phone number or address in addition to last names (but that’s besides the point).  We got waves of people so sometimes we were busy, sometimes we weren’t.

Anyways, every once in awhile, one computer wouldn’t find someone’s number but the computer next to it would.  Apparently it has to do with when the fancy IT people update the systems on the computers.  As they go through, changes are made so not all the computers have everyone for some reason.

My story of the day in bib looker upper station is this.  A husband and his wife came to look up their numbers and the numbers of a friend of theirs and the friend’s bf.  We find the husband, wife and the bf of the bf/gf team.  We search the gf’s name, email, address and phone number (work, home and cell numbers) on 2 computers and the gf was nowhere to be found in our system.  The husband of the husband/wife team finally calls the gf of the gf/bf team.  It turns out, the bf registered himself but forgot to register her even though he said he would do both.  That stings (yes, stings, not stinks).  For the record, if it were my bf, I’d yell at him then take his number and run the race myself if I didn’t hurt him first.  However, the gf should have double checked this.  BSR sold out in 5 days and I wouldn’t trust my registration on anyone.

The only story that tops this is the little 3 yr old working next to his dad helping pass out bananas at a nutritional education table.  When I picked up my bib and shirt (and lack luster swag bag that had nothing good in it- more in the race review on that), I stopped to get a banana (free food and I was hungry).  The little kid handed me a banana and then proceeded to tell me to have a good race.  CUTEST. KID. EVER.

So sometime tomorrow morning (830 AM to be exact) the starting line of BSR 2011 will look something like this