I did not put in the training I needed only reaching about 6 miles total in running, so decided I was going to walk some of the course. As I was getting ready and rolled out of bed at 4:45am, (we had to be there at 6am cause the race started at 7am, a truly undignified time of day), I noticed my belly roll has given new meaning to "YouTube" and possibly new meaning to Rock n Roll.
I knew this race wasn't going to be easy to begin with but with the added weight from the holidays even harder. Also, I trained only in my Five Finger Vibrams, therefore committed to wear them in the race. They look goofy, but I really was determined to prove I could go long distances in them. We had a cab driver who after running many yellow and red lights, dropped us off close to the Convention Center and starting line, but it literally felt like he slowed down and we jumped out. We approached the parking lot area, see massive amounts of people, 20 UPS trucks lined up to take our bag of things we wanted to pick up at the end and LOOOOOOONG lines to the Port-O-Potty. Later we realized there were potties at each Carrole. Note to self, bring tissues for potty break on the course, they ALWAYS, run out. Thankfully I was prepared. I was also informed by one of my daughters who was also running that she doesn't like the word potty, so now stricken from my vocabulary. A cool crisp morning, perfect for running, costumes, elite runners, boas, bells, tutus and more. We saw just about everything you could imagine.....Hey it was Rock n Roll and it was New Orleans. So began the wait in our assigned Carroles for our start.....I was in the last Carrole. I really think they use that word Carrole so as not to offend because it felt more like a corral and we were being herded to our fate of 13.1 miles.
It was a good run/walk. My feet hurt just a little only because of my lack of training, but overall it actually felt better to run than to walk. I knew I had to walk some of the coarse and I am glad I did as it helped in the end. After I soaked my feet in an icy pool of water and it helped tremendously especially the next day. I am really impressed how well my feet and calves held up in the Vibrams. My husband and daughter took the 4-1 approach where they ran 4 mins and walked 1 min and finished just over 2 hours...... I did have to laugh at one point in the last 3 miles at a lighted sign that said, "Caution, Rough Roads ahead". Seriously? Most of the roads we ran were rough....so I had to laugh and think "Here's your sign". It was a flat course as it took you from downtown, to uptown and the garden district, back down to the french quarter and over to mid-city to City Park. I am glad I did it and it may become a tradition race for our family......I finished in 3:29. Not bad for an undertrained overachiever.