Do you Zooma? I feel like that could be a verb, like google…. (I digress). The Zooma Race Series is something I’ve been hearing about for over a year. Last year, my mom and sister did the 10K in Annapolis. I did not cause I was moving from FL to DC that day. But they were so pumped when they came back. They LOVED this race. Naturally my curiosity got the best of me and when my mom asked me to sign up with her, I jumped at the opportunity.

Ehhh… yeah seems about right.

Originally we registered for the half marathon. However, my mom has Lupus and cannot anticipate when a flair up will happen. So about 10 days before the race her doctor advised that she do the 10K not the half. Zooma made it super easy to drop down and they did not charge us a fee (we just couldn’t get a refund for the lower price 10K). They were so awesome about the whole process it was great!

Packet pickup was a breeze. I stopped by the Clarendon, VA  Lulumon to pick up our race packets on Thursday before the race. The packets included the bib, feetures socks, a cute race shirt, and a surprise athletic hat the said rRUN. Afterwards, I swung by Whole Foods and purchased waay to many groceries. (note to self no shopping when hungry).

Show me the Guac!

Friday evening after work I drove up to my parents house in Maryland. It was easier to leave with my mom on Saturday morning for the race. We prepped our outfits and gear the night before. On Saturday AM I woke up at 4:30am to start getting ready. We wanted to leave at 5:30 for the 7am start. Also, I was driving, so we built in a few minutes in case I got us lost. Annapolis is a little less than an hour from my parent’s home so we got there a little before 6:30am. Parking was right near the start! That was amazing! We easily parked, used the restrooms and drank some vitaminwater before we noticed people starting to line up. I was most impressed by the how well it was planned so far. No line for parking and smallest line ever for bathroom.

We’re ready to the show on the road

Start and Finish in front of the Navy Stadium (as an army brat I won’t hold that against them)

The race started promptly at 7am. It was great to see all the different kinds of women who were participating in the event. I was definitely inspired by how so many people could come together for some girly time to run 6.2 or 13.1 miles! There were no corrals so we lined up near the 12 min mile line. Not because we meant to but because we got stuck. So we figured we’d stick to the right and let others pass us.

I did not run this race for speed. I did this race for fun. We power walked the entire thing. This is a first for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed speeding for quality time with my mom. It was actually really awesome to have her undivided attention. (I’m the middle of 3 daughters…. I like attention).

Annapolis is beautiful. Even the homes we passed by were adorable. The entire course was made of gently rolling hill that you don’t even notice. The first 2 miles are winding through the town as you make your way to the harbor area.

Why hello beautiful building. I don’t know you purpose.

Gentle downhill into the marina area. Yes, that’s my pink handheld. 

I’ll work on taking pics with my iphone… I see a pattern here.

There were plenty of water stops and the weather was gorgeous. We just took in the sights and had a great time. After the marina we breezed past the Naval Academy then circled through town a bit more. Zooma put out these little race signs that I found hilarious!

I currently have 8 toenails!

We started to head back to the Finish. Things got a little confusing when we saw the cut off for the half marathon and some  of the speedy runners returning. But everyone figured it out and made plenty of space for all runners/walkers. My ONLY complaint about the entire experience is this little sidewalk you take to get to the finish. I like the sidewalk. Unfortunately, spectators were a little confused and were just chilling in the middle of it. Otherwise AMAZING race!

I will probably be back to run Zooma next year as a half or 10k. Both races seemed to be a blast. The organization is top notch, the shirt’s are adorable, Annapolis is gorgeous, and who doesn’t love spending some quality time with family (or friends).

They even gave out a 10K medal! How Cute!

Have you ever been to Annapolis? Have you ever done a race with your mom or dad or sister or any other family member? Are you also a middle child who needs attention? What’s your fav part of small town races? Have you ever power walked a race?