Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon

After running my first 50 miler just 2 months earlier, I found myself taking a much needed recovery break to try and heal up.  Even after the soreness left the body, my usual runs were made it feel difficult to keep up at any of my old paces.  I was a bit distraught in late January when I realized that I had paid the entrance fee for the New Orleans Marathon in February and almost an entire month had passed due to recovery without a single speed workout or long run in the books.  Even though I would not be at my best, who could resist an opportunity to check out New Orleans.  I decided to go with the flow and just enjoy the experience.  My wife accompanied me on this trip which allowed me to view this as a romantic getaway with a 26.2 mile running tour of the city.  I woke up on race day with absolutely zero expectation other than to finish and enjoy the experience.  This mindset was also ingrained due to the previous 2 days being spent in the French Quarter enjoying the sights, sounds, food and drinks. 

This was to be my first Rock n Roll marathon that I had ever ran and even allowed me the opportunity to line up in the starting blocks behind some of my running idols.  Mo Farah, Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan were all there and since I had a decent time on my registration, I was to be in coral #1 behind the elites.  The race was also started by the lead guitarist from Pearl Jam playing the national anthem only about 10 feet from where I waited.  The experience so far was upbeat and full of excitement.  It was amazing to see the start of the race as all of the elites took off in front of me and quickly disappeared out of sight in a pace that looked easy for them but seemed like an uncanny feat for mere mortals like myself.  I later found out that Mo Farah had broken the course half marathon record with a dramatic finish just above the 1 hour mark.

For my race, I decided to coast at an easy 8 minute mile for the start and then consisted of a slow increase in pace as the course progressed.  This was a very flat course at sea level with the temperatures in the low 60’s.  The race goes through some of the historic areas of town in front of some of the prettiest homes in that part of the country.  Many of the homes looked like castles with the French style architecture that gives this part of New Orleans its rich flavor.  At almost the halfway point, the course twists and turns through downtown into the French Quarter with each breath giving a different smell.  One moment gives the aroma of fresh Cajun food cooking at a restaurant and then it immediately changes to the smothering stench from Bourbon Street given from the debauchery and alcohol that had taken place the night before.   The constant shift in smells added to the continuous change to my emotions and physical demeanor throughout the race which is common among all marathons.  One step you feel good and the next is balanced upon wanting to quit.  Emotionally, I would get distraught and be on the verge of tears and the next I would read a sign held up by a spectator and immediately feel uplifted.   One such sign was being held by a homeless looking man which read “free performance enhancing hugs!!”.  I even found a couple of areas in between water stations in which locals

were handing out beer to any runner who felt the need for some extra carbohydrates along the way.  I admit that around mile 23, I decided to enjoy the day and partake of a delightful ale.  If I remember correctly, they said it was Abita Turbo Dog.

Surprisingly, I only checked my watches a couple of times during the race because, I kept the mindset of trying to finish instead of run a fast pace.  As the course neared the end, I started to feel better than I had the whole race and eventually got faster as the time progressed.  When most people were slowing down from fatigue, I began to feed off of the satisfaction of passing another runner with each mile.  I crossed the finish line at about 3 hours and 16 minutes feeling happy with the end result.

Overall, I can honestly say that the product offered by the Rock n Roll marathon company gives a very good experience.  Every mile had a different band playing, to offer entertainment to the runners and spectators (although some were not so great).  The shirts and medals given out were also among some of my favorites in my collection.  The medal and shirt were of a higher quality that I received at Boston and New York.  New Orleans pulled out all of the stops and gave an all around good race day experience.  As I continue to progress through all 50 states, I can guarantee that I will specifically aim to run more RR marathons in the future.   This made marathon #11 with then next state only 1 month away.