Tag Archives: expo

Austin 10/20 Expo

Posted by Melissa on April 13, 2013 1 comment

Yesterday at lunch I made the trip out to Norris Conference Center to pick up my packet for the Austin 10/20. The 3M Half Marathon expo in 2012 was held there but I still managed to get all turned around since I was coming from 360 rather than 183.

The expo opened at 11 and I arrived shortly after that. There wasn’t much of a crowd at all which made getting in out extremely easy. Once you entered the conference center, you picked up your bib (or register, if you hadn’t already) in the room on the left.

Then you headed across the hall to the expo, where you pick up your shirt. When I registered I went up a size to be safe, but for once a race had shirts that were true to size and it ended up being too big. The volunteer swapped sizes out for me without a problem and then hit the expo.

The vendors were the usual suspects: SPIbelt, Spartan Race, CEP, A-Line, Marathon Charms & Gifts, and Active Sol Eyewear. Texas Running Company was there selling shoes and apparel.

I made two loops around the room to make sure I didn’t miss anything and then headed out.

I really liked the shirt this year. Honestly, I’m not that picky – as long as it isn’t white, I’m okay with it. They had gender-specific shirts, which is always a nice perk.

Now I’m on a mission to update my playlist. My iPod has been loaded with the same songs since January and I’m pretty sure I’ve beat it to death. This one already landed a spot:

Completely unrelated to running, but after seeing them perform at ACMs I need to get tickets to see The Band Perry ASAP.

2013 LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on February 16, 2013 6 comments

Yesterday afternoon I headed downtown to the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon expo at the Palmer Events Center for packet pickup and to work the ZOOMA booth with Tricia. When I pulled in at 2:45 there was quite the crowd waiting out front for the doors to open at 3.

Packet pickup was fairly uneventful. The computers crashed nearly immediately after the expo opened but it didn’t seem to be a big issue. As long as runners had their bib number to provide to the volunteers (since they couldn’t look it up) the line moved pretty quickly. Thank goodness for smartphones! There were also booths to lookup your bib number if you didn’t have the confirmation email to verify it from.

Overall, it was a pretty easy process even though I had to wait in two separate lines since my bib number wasn’t anywhere near Brad’s. Afterwards I did a quick sweep of the expo and surprisingly didn’t buy a damn thing. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

Then I made my way to meet Tricia at the ZOOMA booth.

We registered a few ladies for the upcoming Texas race, as well as the newly announced one in Chicago.

Have you seen the swag bag for ZOOMA Texas? It’s pretty awesome, probably the best I’ve seen from any race. Each runner receives a tech tee, yoga mat, reusable bag, and stainless steel water bottle.

Still haven’t signed up? Register using discount code TXAMB2 for 10% off the half marathon or 5K race fee! Wine, massages, and recovery yoga at the finish – what more could you ask for?

Back to Austin – LOVE the participant tee this year. I think this girl would love it too. FINALLY a shirt that is a different color! The lime green is awesome.

Oh! And I also received a limited edition art card from Lasting Commemoratives for each of us. (These were available to the first 1,000 people who claimed one through a link provided in an email from the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon)

This will be my third year running Austin (2011 recap, 2012 recap) and while the course may be challenging, the crowds keep the energy up and it’s really an awesome race.

I can’t wait to run this amazing city tomorrow!

New Jersey Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on May 17, 2012 4 comments

After a 3am wakeup call, two flights, and a minor nervous breakdown in Newark Airport over a lost suitcase, we finally arrived at the New Jersey Marathon Expo at Monmouth Park in Oceanport.

The expo was a bit smaller than expected, but had all of the staples you’d expect to find at many other race expos.

First order of business: packet pickup!

Personally I thought the shirt ran a little small, but the people working the shirt booth were extremely generous and offered to swap out sizes for me without a problem.

Since the race shirt has long sleeves and Texas temps would allow me to wear that oh, mayyybe twice, I decided to invest in a short-sleeved shirt as well.

Due to the aforementioned lost suitcase, I replaced a few packs of Gu Chomps and Shotbloks, and picked up a new stick of Body Glide. Other than that, the wallet stayed shut. I know, I was shocked too.

I almost picked up a pair of heavily discounted Newtons at the Road Runner Sports booth, but unfortunately my feet were a tad too big for the only size they had out on the table. Bah!

And that was that. New Jersey Marathon Expo, done and done. We were in and out fairly quickly, which is definitely a plus. Sure, there could have been a few more booths but I think it would have cramped the space a bit. There were a good amount of vendors for the space Monmouth Park provided.

Side Note: Road Runner Sports, can you please open a store in Texas? Or make appearances with your $50 shoes at Austin race expos, at the very least? I promise to give you lots of money. Thank you!

LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on February 18, 2012 4 comments

Last night another ambassador and I were scheduled to work the ZOOMA booth at the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon Expo at the Palmer Event Center in Downtown Austin.

Rather than make another trip downtown today to pick up my race packet, I headed over to the expo a little before my shift. This proved to be a wise decision as Austin is faced with this today:

Flood Advisory and thunderstorms? No thank you. Perfect day to relax and not have to leave the house, especially with the way Austin drivers approach rain. If the expo attendance last night is any indication of how today will be, it’s sure to be an absolute madhouse. Definitely glad I’ll be avoiding that.

When I arrived at the expo at 2:40 (it opened at 3) there was already a TON of people waiting out front to get in. Once the doors were unlocked I headed straight to packet pickup. We all pretty much had the same idea.

One section was for marathoners, and another for the half. Then each section was divided into individual lines according to bib number. The volunteers were efficient and I had my bag in hand in under 10 minutes.

I lingered at the Marine Corps Marathon booth for a few minutes, professing my love for it and convincing future marathon hopefuls that they MUST run MCM. Best. Race. Ever. I may not be running in 2012, but I’d love to head back to DC/VA in 2013!

After attending countless expos, I’m at the point where I’ve pretty much accumulated almost all of the gear I could want to buy. I made my way through the entire expo fairly quickly, and there was only one booth I wanted to open my wallet at:

And because there’s no such thing as “too much” Nuun:

Citrus Fruit to replenish my almost-empty tube, and three flavors I didn’t previously own: Kona Cola, Orange, and Banana.

Debra found me at the Nuun booth and we did a few laps around the expo together. We’ve connected on Twitter, Daily Mile, and through our blogs but had never met up in person! She’s trying to beat her PR from last year’s Austin Half Marathon. With 3 runs of 14+ miles during this training cycle, there’s no doubt she is going to KILL her time on Sunday. Good luck Debra!!

After doing a little Nuun shopping, it was time to work the ZOOMA booth with Erika.

We had a GREAT time talking to many women (and a few men!) about the upcoming race out at Hyatt Lost Pines. Everyone who signed up for our mailing list at the expo would be emailed a discount code for the race and receive a ZOOMA tee.

Also, Jeanette came to visit! She’ll be running her second (San Antonio was her first) half marathon on Sunday. Get it girl!! Also wishing Trinity the best of luck on his first half marathon – you’re going to have a great time and I’m sure it will be the first of MANY races for you!

After a fun (read: miserable) drive home in a monsoon, I emptied out my race bag to review the contents. I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE how green of a race the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon is. I always end up tossing the paper flyers away, so it’s awesome how they send out a Virtual Race Bag to eliminate them.

Okay, now onto the actual race bag:

LOVE the half marathon shirt design!

Each runner received one of SPIBelt’s new products, the SPIBand.

Oh and I also made a collection of flyers from races I’m considering registering for in 2012:

The timing of most of these is pretty damn close to NJ Marathon, so I don’t know how those plans will pan out. HOWEVER, I definitely have my eye on Dallas White Rock in December.

Despite today’s rain, tomorrow looks like a fantastic day for racing. 43 degrees at the start, sunny & 50 at the finish. Couldn’t ask for better!

Good luck to everyone running the full and half LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon tomorrow!!

3M Half Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on February 12, 2012 2 comments

The 2012 3M Half Marathon Expo was held at the Norris Conference Center off of Burnet Road. It was somewhat of a hidden location and it seemed both locals and out-of-towners alike had trouble finding it.

This was the first year the race featured an expo.

As was the case last year, packet pickup was quick, efficient, and pleasant. All volunteers were friendly and helpful.

The expo itself was quite small, and took only a few minutes to zip through the booths.

The Austin 10/20 race was offering a $15 discount on the registration fee. I unfortunately wasn’t able to take advantage of this deal because I had previously registered.

Also, I met up with these lovely ladies while I was there:

Me, Tricia, Lesley, and Courtney (thanks for the photo, Courtney!)

Okay, now onto the goods:

The contents of the bag were pretty similar to last years. As for the shirt, I’m not really a fan. It looks like an old, dingy white tee – when in fact it’s a pale grey color. I would have preferred a darker grey, with the race logo on the front, and the sponsors on the back. The “Fast. Easy. Fun. Run 13.1” on the front was clever, but seemed a little basic. Maybe I’m nitpicking. Overall, it wasn’t my favorite.

In case you missed it … 3M Half Marathon Race Recap

Race Recaps from Fellow Bloggers: Tricia, Lesley, Courtney

Rock n Roll San Antonio Expo

Posted by Melissa on November 16, 2011 15 comments

Saturday morning I picked up some coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and met up with Carly at her place. We packed our bags into the car and once Jeanette arrived we were San Antonio bound!

First stop: the Alamodome for the expo.

We went straight to the Check-In area to pick up our bibs

Then we grabbed our shirts, swag bags, and headed into the merchandise/vendor area.

Nutrilite was our first stop. I traded in an old bottle of GNC vitamins for a 90-day supply of theirs.

As was the case with last year’s expo, it was enormous. Tons of vendors, a few freebies – basically anything your little runner heart desired was in the Alamodome.

We admired Rock n Roll’s 2011 Heavy Medals collection

And I fell in love with the one I’ll be receiving in the mail shortly for completing both Dallas and San Antonio this year:

Oooh, ahhh. Sparkly.

I replaced my near-empty container of Strawberry Lemonade Nuun and picked up the Citrus Fruit as well. Added bonus – another free water bottle!

Josh Cox was speaking about hydration and nutrition the day before a race:

Clearly I was very excited about my bag of swag:

Carly invested in a very appropriate Slightly Inappropriate Mantras tee

I invested in this Raw Threads shirt:

Carly bought us cheetah (!!) headbands to wear during the race. We had searched high and low for cheetah kneesocks in the weeks leading up to the race but came up empty handed. Headbands it was!

About an hour and countless dollars lately, we decided we had seen all the expo had to offer.

We took a peek at the finish line on our walk back to the car. It wasn’t done being set up yet, but still cool to see it completely empty and quiet.

We then parted ways with Jeanette to check into our respective hotels. We clearly hit the jackpot with our mini-suite. Plenty of room for us!

And courtesy of Carly, here is our fully stocked fridge:

All of the pre-race hydrating essentials: Smart Water, Vitamin Water, and wine.

While getting ready to head out to dinner, we dumped out our swag bags:

We LOVED the shirt. Super cute. The rest of the contents of the bag weren’t incredibly exciting, but when are they ever? There was a Gu flavor we hadn’t seen before – Island Nectar. That was about it.

Next up – dinner on San Antonio’s Riverwalk!

Marine Corps Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on November 2, 2011 2 comments

After a quick and painless trip from Austin to DC, we headed to the Marine Corps Marathon expo at the DC Armory.

The expo was run very efficiently. You first picked up your bib in a large white tent out front, and then continued into the armory to retrieve your bag and race shirt. You were then released out into a sea of vendors, all ready to help you empty your bank account as fast as possible.

The only item I purchased that was branded with a race logo was a black Brooks 1/4 zip long sleeved shirt. I loved the jacket they had for sale, but living in Texas I just couldn’t justify the purchase. In hindsight, I’m disappointed I didn’t splurge on it. Maybe when the remaining MCM gear goes on sale in mid-November I’ll be able to pick one up.

The USAA booth was giving out commemorative coins for the race, which I thought was pretty cool. I had heard about it prior to the expo, so I made sure to stop by to pick mine up.

Jocelyn blogged about working the Nuun booth this weekend. I stopped by to pick up two new flavors (Tri-Berry & Lemon-Lime) and received a free water bottle with my purchase.

Right next to the Nuun booth was a vendor I had visited at the Austin Marathon expo back in February. I grabbed the last 26.2 keychain on the table and mentally knocked on wood that this wouldn’t inflict bad luck on Sunday’s race.

The race shirt was the traditional long sleeved cotton mock turtleneck shirt. I’m not sure if I’ll ever wear it, but one thing is for sure – this one will certainly not ever be donated to Goodwill.

After I was done at the expo, we waited out front for the shuttle to the Hyatt Regency for the First Timer’s Pep Rally.

Even after waiting nearly 30 minutes for the shuttle, we still arrived at the hotel with an hour to kill. We decided to do some sightseeing. The Capitol building was just around the corner from the Hyatt.

Just before 7pm we headed back to the ballroom where the Pep Rally was being held.

The event was open to all race participants running their first marathon. The price of admission was $5 per person, and for an additional $5 runners were allowed to bring their non-running counterpart.

A spread of food was provided, which included crudite, beef & chicken dishes, tortilla chips with queso & salsa, and pretzels. I was under the impression we would be having more of a substantial dinner, but the food was good nonetheless.

After about an hour, we made our way to the Metro to head back to the hotel. Our early morning of traveling combined with a ton of walking made for a long, exhausting day!

Next up … the race recap!

See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on October 9, 2011 No comments

Yesterday morning Carly and I headed downtown to See Jane Run’s 1/2 marathon packet pickup at the Courtyard by Marriott.

The hallway leading to the entrance was filled with inspirational quotes:

The signage directed us to look up our bib numbers and then head inside to pick up our bib and packet.

Not before posing for a quick photo with Jeanette though!

After we picked up all of the things we needed, we worked the room to decide on the things we wanted. As usual, a familiar gravitational force pulled Carly and I to one particular section of the room

Yep. Once again we were able to sniff out the wine at a race expo.

Carly filled out cards for a giveaway for us. One of the questions was “How often do you consume wine?”

Do we recommend wine? Why yes, yes we do.

The expo was fairly small and only featured a few vendors: SPIbelt, iFitness, Luna Bars, Barefoot Wine, Glam Headbands, Arbonne, and a couple shoe booths.

We then tore into our race bags and launched into photo-shoot mode:

We were on our way out when a familiar face flagged us down – Tricia!

We were on a mission post-expo to find Carly a new pair of shoes, as one of hers decided to kick the bucket today:

RIP left flip-flop, Carly will miss you. We made a quick stop at the Round Rock Outlets, Target, and then headed home. It was time to see what was in our swag bags!

Not bad See Jane Run, not bad at all! Love the race shirt – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a purple one before.

The course, however, is less than desirable. It’s not in one of the nicest areas of Austin, and according to Tricia, it’s a pretty hilly course with plenty of speed bumps. Yes, speed bumps.

Oh, and the weather. Let’s talk about the freakin’ weather. Don’t get me wrong, Austin NEEDS the rain in the worst possible way. We haven’t had a good rain storm since back in May. But … it would be nice if it could hold off until at least noon. Or if the rain won’t go away, can we at least see a drop in humidity?

Pretty please?

One thing is for sure – it is going to be an interesting race!

A year in running … and shoes

Posted by Melissa on April 26, 2011 5 comments

It’s hard to believe last year at this time I wasn’t running.

In May 2010, I started a lengthy training plan in an effort to prepare myself for my first big race: Disney Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon. In those six months, I went through several pairs of running shoes on the quest to find the perfect ones (for the record – still haven’t found ‘em), invested in a Garmin, ran my first 10k, discovered Gu, and made myself a regular on the Town Lake Trail. I became a runner.

I’ve read several times how running is such a cheap sport, just lace up your shoes and go. I quickly learned this was not the case – well, for me anyway. Race fees add up!

Operation Honor Our Heroes 10k

Disney Wine & Dine ½ Marathon

IBM Uptown Classic 10k

Rock n Roll San Antonio ½ Marathon

Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot 5m

3M ½ Marathon

Austin ½ Marathon

ESPN the Weekend Champion 5k

Rock n Roll Dallas ½ Marathon

While the Austin races are basically get-up-and-go, destination ones are killer. I won’t even allow myself to tally up all the expenditures on airfare, hotel, food/beverages, and expo purchases in October at Disney. Nope, can’t do it.

And speaking of expos, let me be honest here, I’m a sucker for them. I stock up on as many freebies as I can get my hands on, but I haven’t quite mastered getting out of there without whipping out my wallet. Maybe I should learn to leave that at home…

Disney Wine & Dine ½ - wine glass (duh, how could I not?!), shirt, Bondi Band, and an iFitness Belt

Rock n Roll San Antonio ½ – Zensah Compression Socks

Austin ½ Marathon – Yurbuds, Clif Shot Bloks, Sweatyband, and 13.1 key chain

Rock n Roll Dallas ½ – 3 Mission Skincare items, CEP compression sleeves, new iFitness belt

Self-control? What’s that?

Last Friday on my way home from work, my car veered down an unfamiliar path. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself in the shoe department at REI. I walked in intending to purchase a replacement pair of Yurbuds (I lost one of the buds, boooo!), but I walked out with more. Money is going to be tight for the next few months, so with my quarterly bonus hitting last week I knew it was best to invest in a pair of shoes for marathon training which is JUST AROUND THE EFFING CORNER! If I didn’t buy them now, I wouldn’t be able to get them later.

I had my gait analyzed on a treadmill for the first time ever at the Dallas expo. In running stores they basically had me frolic around the store and watch.Hmm, maybe that’s why I was never put in the correct shoe… The Brooks guru recommended either the Ariel or the Adrenaline with green Superfeet. I tried on the Ariel, and WOW did it make a huge difference, but also WOW they were incredibly heavy and unattractive. I know, I know – I shouldn’t care what the shoes look like but I felt like I had bricks on my feet. I’ve tried the Adrenaline on before, but I felt the toebox was too tight so I wasn’t a fan of that option either.

After much research, I decided my best option would be the Asics Gel Foundation with green Superfeet. And what do you know, REI had both in stock for me! I took ‘em for a spin around the store (holy crap I miss running) and decided it was meant to be. Yes I’ll take both of those, please & thank you, and where are the headphones because I damn well better get what I came to buy in the first place!

I REALLY hope this is the last brand/model I have to try. I’m ready to stick with THE ONE. I’m so sick of spending money on running shoes only to find out a month later that they aren’t alleviating my shin splints.

How long have you been running? Can you imagine your life without it now?

Rock n Roll Dallas 1/2 Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on March 29, 2011 1 comment

Friday night after work I headed up to Dallas to spend the weekend at Megan’s. We grabbed a quick dinner at Ozona’s, and then went back to her apartment for wine, dessert, and a movie.

Saturday morning we hit the Corner Bakery for breakfast (AMAZING french toast), and made our way to the Mockingbird Station to take the DART to the expo. Easier said than done.

We assumed the ticket machine would take credit cards, but unfortunately it did not. It is 2011, right? We quickly found an ATM, but it’s card reader wasn’t a fan of Megan’s debit card. I gave mine a shot, and thankfully it worked. I fed the ticket machine a twenty dollar bill, for a four dollar fare, and wondered how I would get change back. While I was looking for a slot for bills to come out of, I heard *cling cling cling cling* coming from below. The machine was dispensing my change in COINS! After realizing they were dollar coins rather than quarters we were slightly relieved. But still…

The race expo was only a short DART ride away.

If you’ve seen one Rock n Roll expo, you’ve seen ‘em all. The setup was nearly identical to San Antonio.

However, I have to say, the expo kind of sucked. I was blown away by San Antonio and the amount of vendor booths they had set up. The Dallas expo was much, much smaller and was missing staples such as Cascadian Farms and SoyJoy. We were pretty disappointed.

Of course, this did NOT stop me from spending money there. First up, I registered for a race!

The $15 discount enticed me, so I added Rock n Roll San Antonio to my race calendar in the fall.

SkinnyRunner discussed compression on her blog awhile ago, and mentioned that she felt CEP compression sleeves were tighter than Zensah’s. I decided to give them a shot, even though they were out of my size in black. Boooo. I bought the white ones instead.

Mission Skincare had a ~~booth~~ table set up, and their products were buy 2, get one free. I picked up the Ultra Sweatproof SPF 30 Sunscreen, Maximum Strength Muscle Rub, and High Performance Anti-Friction Cream. So far I’ve only tested out the Anti-Friction cream, and it worked really well!

I noticed at the Austin Marathon expo that iFitness made the pouches on their belts slightly larger than the previous ones. Bummer, since I own one of the older ones and my phone won’t fit in it. After lingering around their booth for a good twenty minutes, I took the plunge: I bought a new belt. I really wanted their new hydration belt, but of course, they were sold out.

This one has one large pouch, with an inner pocket to hold your ID/credit card/cash, and then gel holders on either side of the pouch. There are also toggles to hold your race bib. I raced in it on Sunday, and I loved it! Just like my other belt, it was super comfortable and didn’t bounce around at all. Since I was able to carry my phone with me, I didn’t have to mess with gear check which is a HUGE bonus in my book.

After I nearly emptied my bank account, Megan and I had our gait analyzed, and then decided to head to Margarita Ranch for (what else?) margaritas and lunch.

Our race packets…stuffed with TUTUS!!

Further compounding my disappointment with the expo, the packet was less than impressive. Really the only thing of use to me in there was my race bib, and the opportunity to try Gu Chomps. Everything else? Crap.