2015 Louisiana Half Marathon Vlog

I know it’s been a while, but I finally got around to making a vlog from the Louisiana Half Marathon I ran last month.

This race was especially difficult for me as I was sick and attempting a PR. Even if I accomplished my goal or not, I decided to document the journey through video and enjoy the ride!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love this race! From the expo to the  flat course, the crowd support, the scenery, and the post-race party….you just can’t beat it!

Missed any blog recaps? Check them out!

• The Louisiana Marathon & Half Expo
• The Louisiana Half Marathon Recap

Here’s a vlog recap of the Expo and race itself. Sorry for the shakiness of the clips during the race – we ran the entire thing without stopping!

Thanks for watching!

Are you a fan of local races or do you prefer to travel for races?

2015 Louisiana Marathon & Half After Party

Continuing on with my Louisiana Marathon/Half Recaps, here’s a look at the super fun and incredibly TASTY after party!

If you’ve missed any recaps so far, here they are:

• Louisiana Marathon & Half Expo
• Louisiana Half Marathon Recap and a PR

As soon as  I crossed the finish line and regained my ability to walk upright again without feeling like I was going to fall over, I began to feel really cold. Remember, I was sick on top of everything else and definitely didn’t want to make anything worse. When my mom found me, I remarked that either I wouldn’t be able to stay at the post race party long, or I would have to find/purchase a jacket somewhere. I now see the benefit of checking a bag – which I’ve never done. I also didn’t think to give a jacket to my parents to bring to me after the race, either. Lesson learned.

Thankfully, my cold natured mom was well prepared and super bundled up, so she gave her jacket AND her gloves to me! Score! (It wasn’t really THAT cold outside, but I was freezing.)

After meeting up with Kayla, we began the short walk to the post-race party…but not before saying hello to the state capitol first!

It really was a beautiful day!

We also ran into my cousin who ran her 2nd half marathon that day! So proud of her!

Around the Finish Festival Stage were several vendors (a lot from the Expo), official race merchandise, and awesome bands! You could even get your medal engraved if you wanted to. We didn’t have time, otherwise I would have!

For the after party, each race bib included a wristband. The wristband had six potential “punches” on it – which meant that each runner could obtain up to six items at the Food Village! Talk about a lot of goodies!

Here I am with a delicious bowl of Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. I loved how each of the food booths were southern traditional foods! There was even a vegan section, y’all! I also sampled the chicken with rice. Beverages counted as stamps, too…so I also got a powerade and a water.

We hung around for a little while, used as many punches as we could (we were getting full really fast), then we said goodbye!

On our way out, I spotted this lady! I was so excited to see Nicole!! We ran Rock N Roll New Orleans together last year and I haven’t seen her since! So excited to see familiar faces at local races! :)

Back at our hotel, I took this picture of the bracelets I wore on my wrist for the race. Thoughts of both helped keep me going during this race! <3

After a yummy lunch at Walk-Ons (yes, we wore our medals inside), we stopped to say hello to Mike the Tiger and LSU Stadium (aka Death Valley).

He was soaking up the sun and enjoying the beautiful day!

There’s no better feeling than the accomplishment of a long-term goal!

Kayla actually jumped up on Mike’s back for a picture. My legs were so stiff, there was no way! Hah!

Mike likes the taste of victory!  :p

The rest of the day was uneventful! We drove home, I washed clothes, then got ready for work on Monday morning!

That medal didn’t leave my side for a long time. It even stayed in my work scrub pockets for several days! :D

Thanks for a great overall event, Louisiana Marathon! You guys sure know how to put on a great race and a fun party! I can’t wait to return next year!

Do you typically stick around for post-race after parties?

The Louisiana Marathon & Half Expo

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all have a great start to your week!

Last night, I returned home for a very productive weekend at the Louisiana Half Marathon. Tomorrow, I’ll recap the race itself but today, let’s start with the Expo!

Let me tell you, from the first time I ran this race in 2013 to now, I’m AMAZED at how much this event has grown! I was impressed with 2013’s Expo but was even more with this year’s event! Major kudos to the Louisiana Marathon for continuing to expand and grow their event…I loved it all!

Ok…back to the weekend. It all started on Saturday morning. I woke up around 7 a.m. to finish a few odds and ends around the house. I realized I couldn’t find my ipad and I immediately panicked. I was 90% sure I didn’t leave it at work but then again…I might have. After tearing the house apart, I decided to drive to work (about 40 minutes round trip) and see if I left it there and guess what? I did. Whew. Crisis averted.

My parents met Kayla (my sister in law) and I at my house around 10 a.m. to begin our journey for Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Excited for new race adventures ahead!

After lunch at Cracker Barrel, we made it to Baton Rouge with only a little hiccup in traffic. The Expo grew so much this year that it moved locations from the hotel to the nearby River Center.

We followed the signage and found it without any problem!

#GeauxRunLA was the official hashtag for the weekend and it was displayed everywhere!

The entrance, not the actual expo itself. I just liked the sign!

We studied the course map for a while, then headed on into the Expo floor.

After locating our bibs (we thought Kayla’s was lost and we all had a moment of panic), we took a few pictures in front of the backdrops!

My parents were confused! Teehee!

I finally got a coffee mug (yay!) in the official gear shop (they ran out during 2013’s event) and I was so excited!

The same company that makes Raw Threads shirts was also the company that made the Louisiana Marathon’s official gear merchandise (the stuff for extra purchase, not the official race shirts)! I thought that was pretty neat!

Time to shop!

Kayla and I both tested out an electric foam roller and oh my gosh it was incredible! It’s called the bff and was really impressive!!

We also stopped by the Sweaty Bands booth because we both had to add to our collection (of course)! The ladies at the Sweaty Bands booth were so excited to see our Raw Threads shirts, they snapped pictures of us and text them to the Raw Threads people (who were at the Star Wars Half in Disneyland)!

After hanging around the Expo for about two hours, we headed to our hotel for check in.

My Expo loot. Stay tuned for a post on an amazing Expo find that pandora lovers will fall in love with!! :D

After a little deliberation, we finally decided on dinner at Whole Foods. All of the area restaurants had super long waits and Whole Foods had pizza, so Whole Foods won!

We also topped our dinner off with a little Frozen Yogurt (a pre-race ritual for me)! It was delicious, too!

We returned to our hotel and I laid out all of my clothes for the race the next day, then said goodnight!

Thoughts of worry and doubt kept creeping in my head because of the sickness I was dealing with. To top off my Friday’s Urgent Care visit, steroid shot in one hip and antibiotic shot in the other, a stupid croupy cough set in on Saturday and I just knew it was going to hold me back.

However, I didn’t dismiss the idea of trying for my goal of a Sub 2 Half Marathon anyway. Y’all, this girl is stubborn. I determined to hang on as long as I could and if I had to drop off at the end, then oh well. Did I reach my goal? Stay tuned tomorrow to find out (or you can check out my instagram and facebook because you’ll find it there, too)! :D Even if you do, still come back tomorrow to read about my race experience! It’s definitely a race to remember! :)

Does your local hometown have a Half/Full Marathon event? Tell me about it, I want to hear! I love hearing about new (to me) races!