A Warm Run Through A Cool Borough- Rock n' Roll Brooklyn Recap

"Disclaimer: I received free entry to Rock n’ RollBrooklyn as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

My goal for 2017 was to run double the number of half marathons I ran in 2016 (2), meaning I planned on running 4 this year. My fourth and final race of the year was supposed to be Rock n’ Roll Philly in September and then I was going to take a nice long break after months of racing and training. But when the opportunity to run in a new state (New York) through one of the coolest borough (Brooklyn) with the BEST company (Bibrave!) came about, I knew I had to jump on it.

It seemed like I was waiting to run this race FOREVER! I couldn’t wait for race weekend to come! Finally this past Friday I got in my car, drove the 150 miles to Brooklyn, and got ready to run my little heart out!

Friday was a bit of a blur since I literally drove into town, parked, and then got onto the subway to head into Manhattan for the expo. I was staying with friends in Brooklyn which was super convenient for the race and found it a little strange to have to travel into Manhattan to pick up my packet. Luckily, I thought ahead and brought a book for the subway ride and life was good.

The expo was at the Jacob K. Javits Center, which I am quite familiar with (my husband and I try to go to the NY Auto Show every year if we can). It was rather easy to get to via subway, even if it was a long-ish ride from Brooklyn and once you were inside the Center it was really easy to find.

 I would say that when I was in the expo I was quite surprised at how…cozy it felt. I was super pumped to be in “the big city” and get a big expo. I was even prepared to spend a little cash on the latest tech. I was a little disappointed at the lack of vendors compared to previous races I have run. There were the usual vendors that are at most Rock n’ Roll events, which were nice to see, but it felt a little lackluster to me.

A smaller expo did not mean longer lines for bib pickup though! I walked right up to the table, handed over my signed form, and walked out with my bib. Simple as that. All of the volunteers were so friendly and wished me luck as I went along, which I thought was delightful!

Come race morning I was quite happy that my friend’s apartment was less than a mile from the starting area. I didn’t have to worry about parking or the subway, which definitely took away a lot of stress. So I took a nice short and steamy walk to the starting line.

I came into the starting area at the Soldiers and Sailors Arch and made my way toward the security lines. I’m glad they told us about them at the expo, otherwise I would have been totally thrown off. The lines move super quickly and the police officers were friendly in the early AM. Thankfully I didn’t have a bag or anything, as nothing bigger than a water pack was allowed in the corrals.

Once you got past security, finding your corral was easy. I didn’t waste any time getting into mine and immediately went looking for a friend. I was running alone and wanted someone to talk to before we started. Running with someone is always more fun for me! I happened to find the 2:30 pacer (which might have been a bit ambitious) but she and her group were delightful.

After the National Anthem played the race started shortly after and we started our slow march up to the starting line. I finally crossed the starting line about 30 minutes after the official start, which I thought was great!

My first Bibrave Race!

I was off, trying to keep the 2:30 pacer in my sight (she had snaked her way up somehow!) and just trying to get into a comfortable rhythm. The first 3 miles were slightly downhill which made me feel so fast! I had to keep reminding myself to slow down a touch since I knew it was going to be a fight the rest of the way.

Once we hit mile 4.5 I got into a little mental game with myself. I knew I had entered the out and back part, which I was trying to enjoy. I was hoping for some exceptional architecture or something to take my mind off the fact that it was 5 miles along the same stretch, but it was mostly just cute Brooklyn houses. Don’t get me wrong, they were REALLY nice houses. And the bands along the route were great. But 5 miles along the same stretch of road during a race is a long time for me. I know why they had to do it, but I much prefer looped courses to out and backs. That’s just my personal preference.

Once the out and back ended, we turned into the park and that’s when the fun started. There were crowds! There were hills! There were bands! It was GREAT! I’m not going to lie, I walked up the HUGE hill at mile 11, but it’s all good. My favorite part of the whole race was probably the section inside the park, big hill and all. The crowd was amazing in the park and it was really gorgeous inside there.

Done and Done! Thanks Brooklyn!

 Overall, I thought it was a fun race and I’m glad I got to check another state off my list. I think there is room to grow and establish RnR Brooklyn as a powerhouse Rock n’ Roll event. Brooklyn is only in its second year and I think it’s well on its way to being awesome. I had a great time and I hope to come back in the future, big hill and all.

-Happy Running!