Rock-n-Roll New Orleans Half Marathon

The Rock-n-Roll New Orleans Half Marathon is one of my favorite races. I ran it in 2012 but last year it fell on the same weekend as The Princess Half and I couldn't do both. I'm so glad I got to run it again this year. It fell on my birthday weekend. Which means I got to visit my family AND run a race for my birthday- what could be better?!

Rain was in the forecast, but I conveniently decided not to believe it. I probably should have. I really need to start just bringing a garbage bag to the start whether I need it or not. Putting my phone in a ziplock bag all the time doesn't sound like a bad idea either. But C'est la vie. I hung out at in Lafayette Square (the starting village) until the race started and the portapotty lines went down (works every time!) then headed to my corral. 

Around mile 1, a girl ran up next to me and asked if she could run with me. I said sure and explained I was doing a run/walk. She looked like she was struggled a bit, so I was hoping I could distract her with small talk. Then she said "I don't think I'm going to make it"- what?! Girlfriend, this was mile 1 of a 13 mile race; ain't nobody got time for talk like that! It's cool. We got this, just think positively. She admitted she didn't train and her legs were hurting. I believe she signed up for the race on a whim, which is awesome- for a 5k maybe. But when you think "marathon" is synonymous with "race" and sign up for a "half marathon", that's not really the same thing (which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Race Organizers PLEASE stop marketing 5ks as "mini-marathons", this is why people are confused but I digress). We got to the 1st medical stop and parted ways. I told her not to give up on herself and kept going. I hope she finished! 

I'm really glad they didn't change the course that much from the last time I ran it. You really get to see so much of the city. Sadly, the weather didn't hold up and it was hard to really enjoy the sights. The out and back is usually filled with gorgeous houses to look at along St. Charles Ave. This is also about the time it started raining and all you could really do was keep your head down and just keep swimming. Once it stopped, you were in the French Quarter, but it was so foggy, you couldn't see any of the awesome landmarks.

You could barely see Rocker Dude until you were right up next to him.

We ran past the St. Louis Cathedral but you would've never known.

I should've stopped, there was no line!

Once we turned on to Esplanade, the weather got a little better. It was still a little warmer than I would've preferred, but I figured it was good training for The Princess Half at the end of the month. I kept trucking along, trying not to push myself. I just wanted to enjoy the city and try not to get hurt. My hips and knees were achey but nothing too painful and I wanted to keep it that way.

I also noticed the water stops were all on one side of the road, which was weird and kind of annoying. Now that I think about it, I didn't see a Gu station either, but they might have run out by the time I got there. I did see a salt station, though, and that was awesome! 


Once The New Orleans Museum of Arts was in my sights, I texted my family to let them know I was close to finishing. Having them at the finish line was definitely one of my favorite things about the race.

Loved having my family at the finish line!

We stopped at the merch tent and I noticed they had finisher's shirts, which I definitely needed in my life. I think this is the norm at Rock-n-Roll races lately, and I love that they're doing it! Again, I'm a sucker for my hometown merch. Rebirth Brass Band was one of the headliners for the post race party but sadly we couldn't stick around to catch them. My post-race meal was going to be my mom's cooking (and I helped!), so we had to get going. 

I forgot to mention in my expo recap that Rock-n-Roll had special bibs for all of the legacy runners (people who have run all 5 races since Rock-n-Roll took over) as well as a couple of commemorative items for them. Kudos, Rock-n-Roll! What a great thing to do for your loyal runners. I hope they keep it up, and offer it for other cities as well. 2 more years and I can be legacy for RNRBK ;)

If you're looking for a great excuse to add a new race-cation to your list, I highly recommend this one. When the weather is nice, you get a great look at a lot of New Orleans and the post-race meals are endlessly delicious no matter where you go. For me, it's the perfect excuse to squeeze an extra trip home during the year and I will continue to try to make it as often as possible. 

Where else can you get your medal on a Mardi Gras bead? 

Does your family come to your races if they're in town?