At the end of April, my boyfriend and I headed up to Washington DC for the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. In case you missed the first day our trip, check out this recap.

Nike Women’s Half Marathon Expotique

Normally, I am not someone who likes to spend a ton of time at race expos. They are usually crowded and I don’t really need ant race day essentials. I usually like to get my race packet, quickly browse through the vendors and leave. I certainly don’t go back more than one time either. The Nike Women’s Half Marathon Expotique was an exception to my usual rules.

After we landed on Friday afternoon, my boyfriend and I headed straight to Georgetown with our suitcases in tow. We weren’t very familiar with the area but I was bound and determined to get a pair of the limited edition shoes. {In case you missed it, I totally got my shoes.} The NWM Expotique was being held near the Georgetown Waterfront on K Street. The walk from the nearest metro station took us about 30 minutes and wasn’t exactly ideal during rush hour. Thankfully, we didn’t have too much trouble finding it.

Since the line for packet pick up was empty, we decided to start there. The process was very different from the races I have done. Instead of having a waiver with my bib number, I received a confirmation email with a special code. My bib number was actually assigned to me when I arrived at the tent. My race packet also included a pace wristband, a hair band, and a few other papers. The bag itself was my official gear check bag. The pace wristband would serve as my corral placement on Sunday.

With my race packet in hand, we headed straight to the Nike Georgetown store without going to the Expotique. At the time, I wasn’t sure that we would be coming back to see what was inside because we don’t normally go back to race expos. Fortunately, my boyfriend and I headed back to Georgetown on Saturday morning to scope out the Expotique. {More about our Saturday adventures in my next DC post.} My boyfriend and I were not exactly prepared for what was in store for us.

At every other race expo, the area is filled with vendors and sponsors trying to grab your attention. Not this time. The tent was large, air conditioned and empty of people trying to sell me stuff. Strange, right? There were people from the primary sponsors providing samples but there was no product being sold.

Nike had staff on hand doing gait analysis, sports bra fittings and stretching/exercise demonstrations. Since I have never actually had a gait analysis, I decided that this was a perfect opportunity. I was really lucky with my first pair of running shoes. They felt great and didn’t cause me any problems so I just kept purchasing the same shoe. Unfortunately, the most recent version of my favorite shoe has a completely different sole so I knew that the time had come for me to have a gait analysis done.

I was paired with a very helpful Nike employee (I think her name was Nikki or Nikkia.), who walked me through the entire process. After discussing my past and current running shoes, I ran across a mat in the floor that measured my foot strike … twice. While Nikki (?) watched my foot strike from behind, another employee watched the readout on the screen.

According to my foot strike, I am a biomechanically efficient runner. What does that mean exactly? When I run, the only part of my foot that strikes is the mid foot. I really wish I had a picture of my foot profile because it looked really strange compared to everyone else. Also, I have been wearing stability shoes for no reason other than comfort. My foot strike allows me to wear neutral or minimalist running shoes. Interesting, right?

After the gait analysis, I tried on a few pairs of shoes that Nikki (?) recommended for me and gave them a quick test run. I really liked the feel of the new Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+ shoes so those will probably be my next running shoe purchase. She also recommended the Nike Free 3.0s but those will require a bit of transitioning before I can run long distances. Before leaving, I asked why my calf muscles were always sore and no other part of my leg. Apparently, my foot strike causes my calves to constantly be engaged. The remedy is simple: wear calf sleeves and use a foam roller.

When we left the Expotique tent, we found a few vendors providing samples and selling essential pre-race gear. I stocked up on some Nuun and Clif Shot Bloks for race day. Then we were ready for lunch and to do some exploring!