Rocky Top Running Review

Before it gets too far for me to remember all the relevant details, I wanted to share a review of the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon event of which I participated in the half marathon.  Ten days ago, I had the opportunity to complete one of my bucket list HMs and sweet it was. Now I preface this knowing that what may be particularly wonderful for me was running through my hometown. So possibly this post will inspire you not to join me in Knoxville next year (although happy to have you) but to seek out a run through your hometown or college town to absorb the same joy boost.

Here's how it went down...

Pricing - Full price close to run date is $85 but registering early in the year was around $55. There are a marathon and relay options.

Swag- for that price, it includes a medal and a short sleeved female cut t-shirt.

Packet Pickup/Expo - is the day before at hotel conference center next to starting line. Packet pick up was easy and the expo is quite large with lots of booths.

Race Day Starting Line- my father dropped me off just a block from the starting line. I was loaded down with my bag with gloves, extra sweatshirt/pants as the temperature was 38 degrees. Was already planning on using bag check and brought all this extra stuff for the anticipated 45 minute wait at the start. HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they allowed all of us to wait inside of the Knoxville Convention Center lobby which was just a stone's throw from the starting line. I waited inside until the very last minute, dropped my bag off and jumped into my corral. Easy Peasy.

Course & Course Support - to me this was all awesome, again perhaps the hometown thing.  From the Start at Worlds Fair, couple miles on the Neyland Greenway along the Tennessee River, into my father's neighborhood -Sequoyah Hills, up a helluva hill, onto a few miles on the lush and beautiful Third Creek Greenway back on UT Campus with a rush of a finish into ever-so-large (seats over 100k)  Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers.   Yes, it is hilly-it is East Tennessee after all, but I found the course a nice run other than that one need-a-belay hill. Plenty of water stops and gu at mile 6.3 There were at least 8 bands or musicians set up along the course plus there are neighborhood shenanigans that kept the course interesting. One neighborhood crowd was the entire cast of Top Gun, another Star Wars (Jabba the Hut was my fav), another grandmas and then sign after sign of funny sayings and encouragement.  The sign set that brought me the memorable chuckle was the one that started with:

Naked Cheerleader 1/4 ahead

Then, a very large bra and panties in the trees

Then a sign that said Naked Cheerleader on break

 

That just gives you a taste of the character of the crowd support. There were many high fivers, lots of children along the course with signs and fist bumps. I was not up for most of the high fiving as the healthcare worker in me immediately thinks germs (sorry,can't help it). As I was approaching the horrible hill (they tell you it is coming in signage), I saw a neighborhood pack of cheerers. My memory flashed to high school friends, brother and sister, that lived just off that horrible hill. My mind flashed to my friend, Pace that I had lost touch with. For whatever reason, when I ran past this pack of people high fiving, germs be damned, I reached up to high five the first person in the pack. As I lifted my hand and she went to high five me, I looked in her eyes and ta da...it was PACE! Time seemed to freeze as we figured this out and off I went without much more than us saying each other's names. Knew she was in Knoxville but had no idea she settled near her parents' homestead. Guess it was the universe giving me something to think about as I tackled that really yucky hill. Possibly saw her brother almost near the top but it could have been delirium.

 

Course support descriptuion would not be complete without a huge thank you to my wonderful husband who got up early with the kids and popped up two places along the course.

 

Finish & After Party - I won't deny that tears suddenly came upon me as I entered the stadium. Kvelling of emotion was all there to feel this moment of accomplishment of this bucket list item. This was most upsetting as, the last mile, I had been contemplating my finish line photo pose. My long time Southern Sole Sisters will recall we got some training on this from the Another Mother Runner gals-Dmity and Sarah at a Zooma expo.Thus, I has put some serious thought into this and the last thing I wanted was an ugly cry face to accompany my arm's up finish line cross. (Arm's up seemed appropriate as I was wearing long sleeves and the extra arm skin/fat woggle would not be visible.). If you were to look really closely at my finish photo, you will not see a smile but a face that the face of a person trying way hard to keep it together.

 

Logistical note, the event organizers make it so easy for your family and friends to come to the stadium for this finish moment. Free close parking and entry into the stadium. Your name is announced over the loud speaker and then there you are on the big screen. Thanks to my husband, kids, father and stepmother who were in the stadium for my finish! Medal , immediate water bottle, a photo station and then a nice walkway around the stadium to meet your family at the field exit.

 

 

Then to bananas, fruit, chocolate milk and all the other post race recovery food that SHOULD BE THERE. Take note Atlanta Track Club & Jeff Galloway who provides none of the above but rather a gluten free, soy free, dairy free, politically correct food substances-no-one would ever want to eat after a HM, snack box. There are all kind of vendors with food and other items for purchase, massage tables, injury stations, etc. This post race party is located within the stadium concourse so protected from any potential weather elements.

 

In summary:

LOVED IT. DOING IT AGAIN.

 

It was a great event, eventwise for a half marathon but it had that extra special boost of being meaningful every step of the way.

 

Friend, who was a marathon pacer for this event,  told me CHKM was one of his very favorites. This was his 48th marathon. He said my hometown really knew how to put on a run. Then, he told me about the other stadium finishes he experienced and suggested me and my crew might want to consider a tour of the SEC Half Marathon  with stadium finishes. Most of the SEC schools have them. Few of you have already finished at Athens and loved it.  Hmmmm, it is a thought. if not the SEC, what about a town or school special to you. ..I think I might have already planted a seed with  Bea about a Notre Dame stadium finish....

 

Rocky Top Will Always Be...

Sadie

 



 

Got a little out of the habit of actually typing out a weekly blog, however several blog posts have been swirling in my head since our Seaside trip. Gonna pump out a few over the next couple of weeks to clear my backlog and hopefully put out one or two that are actually interesting reads or maybe bring a fleeting smile to your face.

Being a runner sometimes seems to interject the content of  conversations with all things running especially if you put a bunch of fixin' to run southern sole sisters in a room together. Watch this video from College Humor and see if rings familiar or maybe you will just get a laugh.

If People Talked About Other Hobbies Like They Talk About Running

ANYway, in the week leading up to the Seaside running event there was a bit of this in us.. what shall I call it, obsessiveness....no, let's just call it extra special focus.  Well, the us that made up the rather large contingent of Southern Sole Sisters who set out for the Seaside Half Marathon (HM) and 5k. At one point, we even laughed at ourselves as we were asking the same people the same question and getting the same answer. Zelda knows the answer was Hot Chocolate Sweatshirt. This prompted me to make a list of the topics we all seemed to discuss a thousand times leading up to Seaside. By the way, please know I am not trying to call out any one sister and most often the one talking about the same topics, c'est moi.

• Weather, Weather, Weather...what if we had a dollar for every time one of us checked a weather app? We did our very best Al Roker or Kurt Mellish impressions to determine the exact weather in Seaside, Florida for every minute would be out in the elements walking to, running or relaxing after our running event.  And one weather app will not do. I would hazard to guess, we had at least four apps in play at any given time. Will it rain? Will it be too hot in the second hour of the HM. Hourly, you say, your app shows? Well, this one shows down to the minute.
• What to Wear? Naturally the weather discussion spawns the what are wearing for the event. Let me be more specific with these questions. What are you wearing to walk to the starting line and wait for the start? Are you wearing any throwaway items? Wearing on your bottom half? Top half? Head? Gloves? Sleeves? What are you bringing to wear after? (answer: Hot Chocolate sweatshirt) Functionality versus fashion is just as daunting when the weather is just a bit colder or hotter than expected.
• Consumption. As focused as we are on wearing the right clothes, it is always nice to feel rested, hydrated and fed with the right mix that will not haunt you over a long haul run. Not only does this come into play as we sit down for our lovely Great Southern Brunch but carries on through dinner and into the breakfast before "the" run. We seem to do all right until we are presented with the brunch Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's that are so delicious and lighten up the day. Then dinner, to have a alcoholic beverage or not....I'll never tell what exactly happened but all made it across the finish line so the choices must have been good ones!
• C to the E.  Not as pleasant of a topic but what goes in must come out. consumption=>elimination. Yes, we cannot get away from a girls trip like this one and not have discussed exactly what we need to do to be "ready" to run with all business completed. We do have a few who have been known to have sensitive stomachs.  Proud to report that all fared well with no emergency visits to a porta potty. Heck, one gal even finally tried the morning coffee and discovered a whole new flow.
• To Bag Check or Not to Bag Check..that is a question that required several rehashes of the same conversations. It was nice that Seaside offered bag check this year. You bringing your phone? Money? ID ('cause you might need it to buy Modica Mimosas after) Credit Card? Sweatshirt? Towel? Oh my goodness, wish we had recorded our first conversation and then hit replay, everytime an inquiry was made. But you have 9 women, not all always present for a topic and then maybe add in maybe little wine or whatnot. This requires the revisit of the bag plan at least seven times. 
• Getting There/Back also took on a life of its own. As we were not staying as close to the start/finish line, we had several options: Walk to the bus shuttle, ride a bike or just hoof it the extra distance.  Maps studied and gmap pedometer used to measure the exact distance and time. Trial walks made from start to house. This decision was not made lightly. Happy to report, we got there and back, all nine accounted for and none worse for wear.

I certainly own up to my own brand of "extra special focus" and was happy to be surrounded by others of my kind during this trip. Love ya, girls. Can't wait for the next group event to discuss all these same topics again (and again and again). XOXO