Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Half Marathon became my excuse to visit the city of Cleveland Ohio. This…read moreevent was never really on my radar until I saw the promotion of it on my Facebook feed. After researching the event, its location, and its registration prices, I was sold! And it turned out to be the perfect reason to visit the city the best way I know how--by running!
My training regime for this half marathon varied. It primarily consisted of spin cycling, but outside of that, I alternated my strategy each week. One week I focused on running longer distances at a comfortable pace, and the next week I focused on speed work, running shorter distances at a faster pace. The day after doing speed work, I gave myself at least 48 hours to recover, which is something I am striving to do more consistently to avoid injury.
For the Health & Fitness Expo and packet pickup, we had to pick up our bib number and t-shirt at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Plaza, the beautiful space where the museum sits. Having the event on-site gave me the chance to peek inside and catch a glimpse of the museum, which built anticipation for a visit.
Since this was my first year participating in this event, I did myself a favor by booking a hotel within walking distance of the starting line. This made for the perfect warm-up walk prior to the race. Because I had not run any long-distance events in three months, I did not have any specific goals set. However, I preferred to finish in under 1 hour and 57 minutes, though I would have settled for 2 hours if my body did not perform up to that standard. These goals were based on my Strava performance predictions, which gives me something to strive for.
The run elevation for this half marathon event was downhill, but of course, there were some climbs--nothing wild, though! In the end, I crossed the finish line in 1 hour and 49 minutes, which was 8 minutes faster than my preferred finishing time. One thing is for sure: I have a strong heart and a strong will to succeed! In the times when I wanted to walk, I reminded myself that I was moving and would get to the finish line. Mile 7 was where my pace started to drop, which exposed my lack of long-distance running during training. The last three miles were the worst for me along this entire course; and where I needed the most self-encouragement.
The highlights encountered for me were starting downtown near the Great Lakes Science Center, Huntington Bank Field, the Cleveland State University campus, the lovely cultural gardens along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Lake Erie, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum--which reminded me that the finish line was just ahead. Along the course, each mile was accurately marked, and volunteers staffed hydration stations featuring water and Gatorade at designated points. The volunteers working at those stations were incredibly supportive of all the runners, and it was great having them there. A few portions of the course had spectators cheering us on, even if it was just one or two people at a time. Although I may have appeared strong, I consciously limited my interactions--greeting spectators and police officers with a quick "thank you" or raising a fist to volunteers--to preserve my energy. With the name of the event being 'Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Half Marathon' the only band I saw on the course was near the finish, which makes me recommend a name change for the race. As the years go on, I recommend placing more than just one band along the course. Even if you only have four scattered along the route, it will make a difference--but that is just my opinion. As a music lover, who absolutely loves music, I was completely sold on that, so I was disappointed not to see it.
As for the swag, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Half Marathon T-shirt was black, with a vintage-style guitar on a vinyl record background with the slogan "Born to Run", paying homage to Bruce Springsteen's iconic rock anthem. After completing the run, I was given a finisher's medal, which I kissed after receiving from the volunteer. The finisher's medal featured the design of a rock guitar, with "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Half Marathon" written below it. I am so grateful to add yet another finisher's medal to my medal collection--a collection that goes back to 2007, when I first started running. In addition to this collectible medal, and t-shirt, half marathon participants received free admission to explore the actual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum, which will surely lead me back to Cleveland.
With my Garmin Instinct GPS watch on my wrist, a sparkle in my eye underneath my sunglasses, a Peloton cap on my head, black shorts with a glittery gold design by Nike, and Hoka Bondi 7 running shoes on my feet, I took on this half marathon--and conquered it! Even though I questioned my life decisions while sore after the run, I would consider running it again because it is another excuse to revisit Cleveland.
~Gonna run 'til I don't jiggle. ~
Thomas G