The Expo from a rookie’s point of view.
The Flying Pig Expo was on Friday and Saturday. It was held
at the Duke Convention Center
MY FIRST EXPO!!!!
While I was at work on Friday, my friend Molly said she
wouldn’t mind going. Since this was free and open to the public event, she
could go! We took off around 12:45pm and headed downtown. Downtown was so
crowded that we began to panic! We had to get back to work and this was taking
up precious expo time. It took at least 25 minutes to find somewhere to park.
I was nervous.
I was excited.
I was nervous.
Did I mention I was nervous?
Yes, I was more nervous than excited. I was so freaked out
about running AND finishing the race. My foot had me a nervous wreck! Nothing
like an injury before your first half marathon!
Why was I so nervous? I wanted this. BAD! It seems like all
my life, people like to make excuses for my “success”. I remember coming home
once telling my own husband that I got a 7% raise and his response “ you suck
ass!”. Of course he was kidding but words hurt. I could go on and on about
responses people have made about my success but that’s not what this blog post
is about. I just chalk it up to jealously and move on!
I knew if I could actually run a half marathon AND finish,
no one could say anything.
They couldn’t say I cheated.
They couldn’t make excuses up.
They couldn’t call me a “suck ass”.
This achievement was mine and I wanted it.
BAD!
And when I say IN the Expo, I mean at the exit!
Yep, we went through the EXIT doors. Of course we didn’t
realize this until we took about 4 wrong turns. We finally got back to the
entrance where I picked up my race bib and clear bag.
Back to race package pick up…..There was an area for each
event: 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon and so on. Then each area was separated
out by last name. I got in the line for my last name.
And when I say line, I mean I got behind the one person who
was in front of me.
That’s right, there really wasn’t a line anywhere. This was
around 1:30pm.
So after my 30 second wait, I got my bib! My first bib!
After we got my packet, we went back through where we just came through. If you know Molly and I, this is so typical of us! We meandered our way through the Flying Pig store where they sold memorabilia shirts, shorts, sweats, etc.. I picked up a tshirt for $20, a can coozie for $2 and a magnet for $3.
Since the event is sponsored by Proctor & Gamble (known as P&G to locals), they were there giving out free samples. The line was long but it moved fast. As we got closer, we could see they were giving away several varieties of skin creams, tampons, pads, laundry scent booster, Dawn Power clean, AAA batteries and several other things.
Not only did we notice the men
weren’t picking up the pads and tampons, they weren’t even looking at them! The
turned their heads as they got to the table like they were embarrassed! It was
quite amusing!
We finally got up to the front of
the line where we were able to snag our samples.
Actually, here are all the free
samples I got.
After that, we went through the
vendor section and picked up a few more samples.
I was so happy to see that an area
running store Bob Ronckers, were giving away race pace tattoos. I had no idea
what a race tattoo even was until a few days prior when I saw one on Pinterest.
So what is it?
Its a temporary tattoo that runners
can affix to their forearm. You can choose between several different finishing
times and the tattoo lists the splits for each mile. If math isn’t your friend,
then this might help you! I picked up 2 different ending times. 2:30—a stretch
goal. And 2:45—probably a more realistic goal for my first half marathon. I
wasn’t really sure which time I wanted so I figured I would figure it out
later. Best part—these were free! I was ready to pay a few dollars for each of
them. Thanks Bob Roncker! (stay tuned to see
if it actually worked)
We were still pressed for time, so
we tried to quickly move through the vendor section. As much as we were in a
hurry, several booths we just HAD to stop at.
Such as Sweaty Bands! I love these
things!!! They were having a special—buy 5 and get 1 free. Small ones were $15
and large ones were $18. I was only going to get 2 but couldn’t decide which 2
so I ended up taking advantage of the special. (Please don’t do that math!)
When we got to the register, the saleslady said I could pick out a pig one as
they were having an additional sale of buy any 2 and get 1 PIG one free.
Looking back, that is what I should have done. But we were in a hurry so I made
a rash buying decision.
Are you surprised?
Don’t tell me you are surprised!
BTW, I highly recommend Sweaty
Bands. They stay on my head and hold a lot of sweat. And I sweat like a pig!!!
No pun intended!
Right next to the Sweaty Bands was
a booth that Molly wanted to stop at.
iFitness.
They had a belt she wanted so I
ended up picking out one too. Ugh. We are bad for each other! This was going to
be my first time using a belt. Would I like it? Stay tuned to my next blog.
After that, we said we HAD to go!
So we……..
Yep. We did.
You didn’t expect us to leave now did
you?
We needed sunglasses! We both
picked out a pair that were $39. They were polarized. I have to have polarized.
I love them. But I also wanted anti-fog. You can't get both in one lense.
Only one or the other. That’s my
luck.
BUT for $3 you can buy an anti
fogging cloth to rub on the lenses.
Of course we fell for that too.
At this point I ask the lady if
there is a discount if we buy more than one pair.
HEY! It doesn’t hurt to ask.
She said she would knock off the tax. Sold! We both got a pair of sunglasses and a cloth. (She threw in one of the cloths for free! Thanks!)
Now we said we HAVE to go.
……..stopped at another booth that
caught our eye.
We had to stop for fuel. No not gas
you rookie! J
Don’t feel bad, until about 2 weeks
ago I didn’t know what fuel was either. Turns out fuel are products that help
you run faster and longer. They say if you jog for 30 minutes, you only need to
drink water. But if you're running longer than an hour, you need carbohydrates,
AKA fuel.
An
example of fuel is something called GU. Pronounced goo.
And
here I thought goo was the junk found underneath the lunch table in grade
school.
Who
knew.
So I
picked up 2 GU’s and a pack of Jelly Belly’s for a buck a piece. This is where
we also found another awesome magnet!
See!
Now we said we HAVE to go.
So we……..
……We finally made it to shirt pick
up!
Did I have you worried we were
going to make another stop?
We didn’t. But we would’ve had I
seen any red running shoes. As I was walking through I kept my eye open for a
pair, but no luck! The neon and bold colors are so popular right now when I
just want a pair of red running shoes!!! Why can’t I find any?!?!
So we go to t-shirt pick up. I
pre-registered for a medium thinking men and women would all have one fit. I
was wrong. The women had a ladies fit. I needed a L. The guy handing me my
t-shirt said he had to give me a M but directed me to the area where I could
exchange it for a different size so I did. Yay!
I was also given a nice soft sided
Flying Pig cooler and a poster. I have read on other blogs were people say the
poster is a waste of money. I for one liked it! Of course, this was my first
half marathon so I appreciated the memento and plan on keeping it.
I might even frame it.
If I actually finish the race that
is!
Here's my race swag:
All in all, the expo was easy to
move through (both times—through the exit area and back!) and was very well
organized!
As we left, I had to get my picture
taken with this pig!
Up next: RACE DAY!!!!
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