Shamrock weekend 2016

I had the opportunity to attend the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA this past weekend.  I had started to plan this when I was in Virginia Beach running the Wicked 10K on Halloween.  Plans were to stay with friends for the weekend and run the half marathon.

I was excited about this opportunity as I had heard so many great things about Shamrock Weekend.  This race has been on my bucket list since I started running.  As the time approached, plans changed a little in regards to where I was staying but everything worked out well.  I looked forward to seeing friends, making new friends and having a great time!  I also saw that several of my favorite vendors were going to be at the expo:  Sparkle Skirts, Sparkle Athletic and Raw Threads.  What's not to love about this line-up!

I left on Wednesday evening for the weekend.  I had a planned visit to the Northern Neck River area on Thursday to leave on Friday morning.  This is about half way for me and gave me the opportunity to visit the area that I so love.  I did a brief run at Belle Isle State Park on St. Patrick's Day.

After resting for the day, I got up Friday morning and left for Virginia Beach.  I had planned on arriving and meeting friends at the expo when it opened at noon for packet pick-up.  I also had the opportunity to work for Sparkle Athletic on Saturday so Friday would be my day to visit the expo, shop and attend lectures.  I love the Virginia Beach Expo Center and the convenience!

 I arrived, met my friends, picked up my packet and headed straight to Sparkle Skirts.  I was anxious to meet Jessica as I have been working with her as a guest blogger!  She hugged me as did Sparkle Tom and I loved her from the moment I actually met her!  She is just bubbly, friendly, smiling and sparkling!  I had such fun visiting the booth along with buying new skirts!

 Next stop was Sparkle Athletic to introduce myself to Kelly.  Kelly is wonderful-friendly, out-going and fun!  I knew that I would enjoy working with her!  After spending about two hours at the expo and getting pictures, I went home to a friend's house and enjoyed a late lunch, followed by resting and then off to get frozen yogurt in the evening.

Saturday morning came early and back to the expo to work the day.  I enjoyed working with Kelly and for Sparkle Athletic.  I had the opportunity to wear fun items and picked up several to bring home.  I also met several friends at the expo who stopped by to see me and had fun making new friends while working!  I loved this opportunity and am so grateful for the ability to work for a fantastic company!

 Saturday evening came with dinner at Carrabbas for pre-race carb loading.  I met the nicest people, enjoyed a great dinner and had a wonderful time.  A neat story to share as I "checked in" on Facebook and later that evening there was a message from a follower of mine.  She and her husband sat behind me and she wrote that she wanted to say hi but didn't want to be "stalker-ish".  I replied back that she should have said hi.  Needless to say, I ran into the next morning at the race!  What a pleasant surprise to meet her and I was so happy to have that opportunity...what a sweetheart and I enjoyed the brief conversation that we had!  Please also say hi to me; I love to hear about you, your running adventures and share in your joy and happiness!

After dinner, back home and deciding what to wear as the weather forecast had changed several times. I laid out my flat me and went to bed.

When the alarm went off at 4 am, I was tired but excited.

 I couldn't wait to run Virginia Beach.  No rain or wind; just a bit chilly but I could live with that.  After parking and going to the VIP Tent, I ran into Bart Yasso!

 What a nice man and we chatted about the race.  But the weather didn't stay away!  It was as though the sky opened and it poured monsoon rains and gusts of wind!  I was with a friend who was feeling well and she walked me to the start line.  I missed the Sparkle Skirts picture because of the rain.  I was cold, wet and she wasn't feeling well.  By the time, I got to the start line, she was really sick and I was cold and the wind was awful!  I decided to take her home and call it a day since I was starting a new job and couldn't afford to be sick!  The rain, cold and wind was awful!  I took my friend home and then drove home, a bit disappointed but knowing that I took care of a good friend and made the right decision.  There was even an article in the local paper "The Virginia Pilot" the next day about the weather conditions.

Have you ever not run a race?  If so, why?  Let me know!  Til next time and remember, my journey continues...If you can dream it, you can do it as Walt Disney said!