Before working at FIU, I worked for over ten years at Miami Dade College. I taught television production, and I was the Production Supervisor for MDC-TV (the network that originates from the school). During one of the tapings taking place in the television studio, we had a guest on the show to promote the Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon. We started talking about running; 20 minutes later, I had a free registration into the event. The director of our department had participated in several marathons in the past, and offered to run with me.
The race started in front of the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami. It was raining pretty hard when we got there, so we ran for cover inside the arena to stay dry before the race began. The rain subsided about ten minutes before race time and we made our way to the starting line. I learned a very valuable lesson that morning: when you run in a race with over 12,000 participants, you don’t just meander to the starting line at the last minute. Getting our place in line was like trying to cut over to the entrance ramp of the Palmetto Expressway at the last possible minute. Not gonna happen! When you register for a marathon/half marathon, they ask you what you think your finishing time will be. This way, they can place the faster runners up front (not me) and the slower runners towards the back (that would be me). This is done by grouping the runners together by their average time per mile.
After finally fighting for our place in line, the gun sounded and we were off…ten minutes later! That’s how long it took for all of the runners ahead of us to get going before we crossed the starting line. Since we had our timing chip in our shoes, it wasn’t really an issue, except for the anticipation of finally running in a big time event.
It was a really scenic and fun race. There were crowds everywhere cheering the runners on, as well as music and dancers. The race took us over Biscayne Bay and through South Beach. With about two miles left, I started getting cramps in my calves. Yes, this was the first time it had happened to me during a run, so it was a bit of a struggle to finish. I really felt a sense of accomplishment when I hobbled across the finish line. I couldn’t imagine going for another 13.1 miles, but I knew that I would have to train even harder if I wanted to compete in more half marathons on any kind of a regular basis.
From big time event to local race, my next “half” was in Weston. Since I live around 15 minutes from the starting line, this was a no brainer. Only 1,000 or so people entered this race, which was a dramatic difference from the one I had just completed in Miami. The Weston Half Marathon was very boring, with no crowd support at all. It was pretty much a straight out and back on a major road, and the finish of the race was a lap around the track at Cypress Bay High School. If nothing else, I got my favorite race photo during this event.
The PAL Half Marathon takes place in Boca Raton and starts in Spanish River Park. This is a very pretty race, as you run through the neighborhoods of Boca Raton right on the beach. The homes are very old and very expensive. The race itself is very flat, with a good opportunity to set a personal best.
The Ocala Marathon and Half Marathon is a great race, but very different from the one in Boca. In Ocala, you run through horse country and it is very hilly. It was really cold and nasty (around 40 degrees) the first time I did this race, but I ran with my running buddies Pam and Elaine, which made it way fun.
My favorite half marathon, hands down, is the Five Points of Life Marathon & Half Marathon, which takes place in Gainesville. You get to run through downtown Gainesville, as well as the University of Florida. A major highlight for me is running through "The Swamp" towards the end of the race. They pump in Gators football highlights over the public address system…talk about a rush! This race has even more hills than Ocala, and not one you should be expecting to break any personal records. Last year, it was 28 degrees at race time, but not a cloud in the sky. I ran the race with Jennifer, Allison and Pam; afterwards, we celebrated by having breakfast with my daughter (who is currently attending UF). She thought we were dorks sitting in the IHOP with our race medals on.
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