Rock 'n Roll Denver Half Marathon Recap Part One: The Expo!

First of all, I am thrilled to report that even though I ran 13.1 miles for the first time ever yesterday (and yes,  I am going to be bragging about that for at least two more weeks, so get ready), I am not feeling too bad!  Right after the race yesterday, I started having cold-like symptoms: sneezing, a bad cough, chills, etc.  I was worried that maybe I had pushed myself too hard and was too far down, but I think I just needed some good rest!  And compression tights work wonders... but more on that later :)

The whole Rock 'n Roll weekend started off on Saturday morning when I dragged my Pops to the expo.  I was originally planning on going Friday by myself, but I'm so glad I waited because it was really fun to have my dad there with me.  I could not believe the expo!  I'm used to pretty low-key 5Ks where you can pick up your race packet and t-shirt half an hour before the race starts, so this was a mind-blowing experience for me.  It was huge and there was so much going on!  Not to mention loads of stuff to buy, and obviously with my shopping addiction, I spent a pretty penny :)

The first thing that I did when I got there was find my race number on the big boards outside (there were so many people registered!) so that I could confirm my registration and pick up my race packet.


My dad loves to take pictures from behind me.  This is the first one that didn't make me rethink liposuction.

I found myself!  Turns out there was another runner with my first and last name doing the half as well.  I'm glad we didn't get confused since my expected finish time put me 5 corrals behind her.

Once I'd found my number, it was time to venture into the expo!  Well, actually it was time to take some goofy pictures and then venture into the expo...



I think my dad snapped this one right before I was going to do my signature thumbs-up-with-obnoxious-face pose.  So glad he got this gem instead.

Much better.

RED CARPET!  I did kind of feel like a rock star...

After I strolled down the red carpet like I owned it, I picked up my race packet and t-shirt.  Then I drifted into the actual expo and honestly... I was completely shocked.  This was so not a 5K.  I walked through all the Rock 'n Roll merchandise for at least 15 minutes before I even realized that there was more stuff beyond that.  And then of course I bought most of the merchandise... a fashion show will be conducted for your enjoyment later this week.  And by that I mean that I will force David to take pictures of me modeling all of my new gear for you.  

There was a massive Brooks area that was SO COOL that I could barely stand it.  I wish I'd taken more pictures of stuff, but I was too busy walking around with my jaw down by my knees.  If I have one regret about this whole experience, it's that I didn't have my camera duct taped to my hand - I missed some great Kodak moments.  But I was soaking it all in!  Regardless, the Brooks area was probably my favorite part of the expo.  It was all carnival themed which was super cute, and they were giving tons of stuff away.  I won a headband and a free t-shirt (both of which will be part of the fashion show, don't you worry) and then went into this little interactive trailer that had really odd running shoe related things. They were hilarious!  There was a massive Brooks shoe, for example, and you could pick up a little headphone thing (English is my first language, I swear) and listen to a bit of a story about it... I can't remember it exactly, but they were saying that the rumor was that the shoe was made for Big Foot, but the CEO of Brooks denies that and claims it was made for an one-legged Eastern European circus performer.  Weird, right?  Oh well.  I was laughing, even if no one else was.  I also saw this in the Brooks carnival, which made me laugh out loud because I might as well live here.


Eventually, I was carnival-ed out, and went around the corner to discover that I hadn't even really hit the expo yet.  I was still in random merchandise area.  The expo was even bigger than I'd thought!  There were tons of booths and I stopped at a lot of them, but the whole area was pretty packed and I was turning into hungry grumpy Jessica, which is not the best version of me.  I checked out some Sweaty Bands, which was entertaining with my dad because he was a little taken aback by the price.  Lucky boys not having to worry about sports bras and hair accessories!  I also checked out some other booths, including the Hot Chocolate 15K which I am sorry isn't happening this December here!  But I'm hoping to still be able to do it next year... any race that involves Ghirardelli is a winner in my book.  I did get slightly distracted by another booth...

But can you blame me?!!!

I am still a little sad that none of the Disney races fit into my schedule for a little while... I would even run the Tinker Bell Half Marathon if I could and I hate Tinker Bell.  Unfortunately, I'll be too busy starring in Cinderella here in freezing Colorado to jet off to Florida or California to run some races.  I really am not complaining about that.  Races will also happen in 2013, but me getting to sing "A Lovely Night" constantly for my adoring fans has a time limit!  But I digress.  The runDisney booth was super cute, and they had tons of medals on display - the Rock 'n Roll medals are pretty awesome, but of course Disney puts them to shame.  I was especially jealous of the latest medal from the Disneyland Half, especially because if I'd gotten my butt in gear sooner, I could have run that baby!

AHHHH!  So awesome.  I guess I just have to stay in half marathon shape so I can run it next year :)

I hit a few more booths before I left, and even tried some Shot Roks, despite having just read an article that said absolutely do not try any new foods before the race.  Oops!  I actually did regret that, because I thought the Shot Roks were disgusting.  I tried the peanut butter flavor and it tasted like peanut butter death.  Mostly, they were just super chalky and kind of bland.  Not a fan.  Love Shot Bloks, though!  

Obviously I made my dad snap a picture before I left - because the sign was thanking and telling me that I was going to ROCK IT!


Coming soon... Rock 'n Roll Denver Half Marathon Recap Part Two: The Race!

2 comments

  1. Congratulations on the finish! Awesome recap thus far, don't keep us hanging on the actual race!

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  2. @Jackalope

    THANK YOU! The rest of the recap is up now! It turned into three parts instead of two... who knows, maybe a fourth part will even happen! Thanks for reading!! :)

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