15/50 New Orleans Rock N' Roll Marathon

The New Orleans Rock N’ Roll Marathon marked my third marathon within a span of four weeks.  If you’re looking to me for training tips for such a feat, I might suggest you look elsewhere.  I had previously mentioned in the Austin post that I ran about 50 miles in the two weeks between the Melbourne and Austin races.  This time, I did only 25 miles in the two weeks between Austin and New Orleans.  The striking part is that my finish times only got better and my overall pain decreased with each race!

New Orleans is a great city for reasons I can’t entirely articulate; Bourbon St. is a seedy dump, rife with strip clubs, alcoholic slushy drinks served in ridiculously childlike sippy-cups and horribly behaved adults.  Yet, once you are even slightly inebriated, all of the aforementioned are what help make it enchanting.  There’s something charming about the smells of pastry shops and the previous night’s debauchery on an early morning stroll through the seemingly neglected side streets of the French Quarter, or seeing a live jazz trio play on a park bench while you enjoy a chicory coffee and fresh beignet.  The architecture, an eclectic mix of bungalow, French Creole, antebellum, colonial, Greek-revival, Victorian and more, is mesmerizing.  Much like Paris, New Orleans is alive with wonder and colorfully expressive in its cuisine, arts and culture. 

We made this a four-day excursion.  Arriving on a Saturday, we went right to the expo then walked through the city to our hotel in the French Quarter.  The Place d’ Armes Hotel www.placedarmes.com is noted to be the most haunted hotel in the city.  This charming, boutique hotel is beautiful and perfectly located near Jackson Square and Bourbon St.  After settling in, we took a stroll through the French Quarter and found a small wine bar to start our Saturday night with.  From here, we ventured down Bourbon St. to revel in the show that it is.  This evening’s pre-race, walking dinner consisted of pizza-by-the-slice, beignets and wine…and maybe a beer or two. 

I actually got a fair amount of sleep for this race.  I literally woke up about one hour before the start of the race and walked a half mile to the start line.  It is a Rock N’ Roll Series marathon so I expect efficiency and mediocrity.  With 18,000 half marathoners and 4,000 full marathoners, this was a fairly large race.  The weather was perfect; 55F at the start and ended at about 70F, mostly sunny.  The course is a great introduction to all the architecture and neighborhoods of the city including the famed St. Charles Street http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Charles_Avenue through the Garden District.  We finished in City Park (similar to Central Park in NYC) and were treated to an outdoor concert with a couple of free mini Michelob Ultras.  Joy.  Instead, we opted for the leisurely four-mile stroll back to our hotel with a detour through the above-ground vaults of the St. Louis Cemetery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_Cemetery.

Nearing our hotel, we stumbled upon Port of Call www.portofcallnola.com for a burger and a monsoon (full of rum and pretty strong for a late-morning drink).  Sure, the burger was good and likely justified the long wait, but the bloody marys were phenomenal!  So good in fact, that we decided to take a little nap in Jackson Square Park as a result.  It’s hard to imagine a New Orleans with laws against alcohol consumption on public property!

Due to my utter lack of training and cross-training, my second half split suffered as it did in the previous two marathons this month.  However, I managed to clock a better overall time with each race - Melbourne (3:04 – 7^th place), Austin (2:59 – 58^th place) and now New Orleans (2:57 – 31^st place).  I swear I will properly train for a marathon someday, but for now, I’d rather enjoy myself!