DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY EDITION: MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON & 5K (DECEMBER 18 & 19, 2021)

 Two anniversaries for the price of one…But I’m pretty sure one is more important than the other.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that the Mount Dora Half Marathon falls in very close proximity of my wedding anniversary (Dec. 20^th).  This year is the big “FOUR-ZERO,” which is obviously quite an accomplishment.  Then again, since I consider Glenda to be the greatest person I’ve every known, it’s been pretty much smooth sailing all of these years (at least on my part; you’ll have to ask her if she feels the same about me 😘).  As if this weren’t enough, it’s also the ten-year anniversary of this race.  I’ve participated every year, so we were truly looking forward to a special weekend...and what could be more special than Glenda running (okay…walking) the 5K on Saturday.

A major curveball was thrown at the weekend when I went to make reservations at our usual go to, the Historic Mount Dora Inn and Cottages.  They were totally booked, but were gracious enough to recommend the Adora Inn.   It’s just a couple of blocks down the road, and they were nice as can be when we called to book our room.  After checking in around 4pm, we walked over and picked up our race packets.  Kelly was there to greet us; she continues to do a great job promoting this race, especially when it comes to the social media. The race shirts for both the 5K and the half marathon were outstanding.  In fact, I would say the new logo and the shirts were the best yet.  I had the foresight to make dinner reservations at the Goblin Market, which is always jam-packed.  The food is amazing, and we sat outside in perfect 72° weather.  We walked around and looked at the lights for a little bit but saved the shopping for the next day.

The 5K on Saturday morning started at 8am, and we were literally two blocks away from the start.  In all my years of doing the half marathon, this would be the first time I would be participating in the 5K. It looked like a big crowd (752), and the temperature was 66° when the race started.  The course was an out-and-back, and we both maintained a brisk pace.  Santa was there at the finish line to shake our hands, and I could tell that Glenda was glad I talked her into walking with me.  The medals were tremendous, especially for a 5K.  After a few photos, we went back to the Adora Inn for an incredible breakfast (Arthur and John have an extensive background in the hospitality industry).  I would recommend this place without hesitation.

 

 

 

We have always wanted to do a boat tour, and this is the year we would finally “take the plunge" (maybe not the best choice of words).  Premier Boat Tours is a pontoon boat tour on Lake Dora and The Harris Chain of Lakes.  The two-hour tour includes the famous Dora Canal, which has been described as "The most beautiful mile of water in the world." As we cruised, the captain and crew shared their stories and local knowledge of the area, its history, flora and fauna. Bald eagles, herons, anhingas, turtles and alligators were all common sightings during our tour.  It was a blast, and I look forward to doing it again.  We were starving after the tour and did an extremely early dinner at the Olive Branch Grille.  The food was very good, but probably too much sangria (I took an impressive three-hour nap back at the inn).

 

 

 

 

 

The half marathon started at 7am, and the temperature was 72° at the start (a little warmer that I would have liked, but I’ll take it).  926 runners anxiously waited for the gun to sound, which was 258 more than last year.  Since this race was one of the few in-person races of 2020, the increase was impressive.  I was planning for a sub three-hour performance, but that may have been overly ambitious for this race.  This course is arguably my favorite (and most scenic), but it has a few too many hills for these old bones to overcome.  I ran strong, and the sun stayed behind the clouds most of the time.  Kelly was shooting video around the three-mile mark, and I stopped to speak to her for a few minutes.  There was no Gatorade at any of the water stations, which is my one and only criticism on the race.  As I was crossing the finish line, Glenda took one of the best race photos of me (and one of the best in her photography career).  I went over the three-hour mark but was not disappointed in my overall performance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The race next year is the day before Hanukkah, so I’m already working on my outfit.

 

 

 

 

 

BACK ON THE BLOCK: TAMARAC TURKEY TROT 5K (11/25/21) & WESTON ROTARY RUN FOR TOMORROW HALF MARATHON (12/5/21)

For those of you who are too young to recognize this reference, it’s the name of a song (and an album) written by Quincy Jones in 1989.  It’s also very apropos to how good it feels to be "back on the block" and racing.

Sure, running Gasparilla “in person” in May was a treat, but it was still a virtual race.  All the races are starting to come back, despite the many spikes of COVID-19.  First up was the Tamarac Turkey Trot 5K, which by now you know was my first race (back in ’96).  Lindsey was down from New York, and this has really become a family tradition.  The pandemic might have kept some runners away (2,026 in 2019) but a robust crowd of 1,593 made their way to the starting line.  The gun sounded, and it was business as usual.  It was an enjoyable race, and my time was almost identical to 2019.  We stayed and spoke to Steve from Runner’s Depot for a bit, and then make our way home for Thanksgiving festivities.

 

 

 The Weston Rotary Run For Tomorrow was the first “in person” half marathon for me since Mount Dora (December 2020).  What I like most about this race is how easy it is to get there and park; what I don’t like will be explained in a few minutes.  As I approached the starting line, I thought to myself, “What a small crowd.”  Only 206 runners entered the race, as compared to 362 in 2019.  To be fair, the event added a 5K & 10K as well, but the numbers have gone down steadily over the past few years.  The race shirt was cotton (a no-no for half marathons and marathons) and the medal was nothing special (I’ll complain more after the race recap).

It had been a minute since I’ve completed a half marathon in under three hours; I was determined to do that today.  The course is totally flat, and I knew there would be only one thing holding me back…how many times I was going to stop and pee.  It wasn’t super-hot, and the sun stayed hidden most of the race.  With so few runners, I ran solo after the seven-mile mark.  I knew it was going to be close towards the end, and I really gave it my all down the stretch.  Sadly, too many trips to the bushes, and I missed my goal by 55 seconds.  As in typical fashion with this race, there was nobody at the finish line to hand me the medal.  In fact, I had to as some other runners where the medals were.  Silly me, they were just laying on the floor in a box.  I went to check my results later that day, but my finishing time was not there.  I had to email the timing company twice before it was finally posted.  In the meantime, I received an email congratulating me on the race, and gave me a finishing time that would have had me finish first in my age group.  Too bad that could only happen in my dreams. 

 

 

 

 

 

 It was still a blast; I’m really looking forward to Mount Dora in a couple of weeks.

 

 

GASPARILLA DISTANCE CLASSIC – May 8 & 9, 2021

 

 

When is a virtual race not a virtual race?  When it is put on by the Gasparilla Distance Classic.

I would say that this race weekend is my favorite, but at this point, any race weekend would be my favorite.  I’ve been doing at least one virtual race per month to get to my goal of 100 (just finished #74), but they are really getting torturous and boring.  I was fortunate to do Mount Dora in person back in December, but Miami was switched to virtual.  Gasparilla was originally scheduled for the end of February, but was postponed until Mother’s Day weekend.  Ah…a glimmer of hope.  Sadly, Susan broke the news that the race weekend would be virtual.  She and her staff didn’t think it would be fair to keep stringing everyone along, as the Covid numbers had not dropped enough to make the race safe for all parties concerned.  On the bright side, she announced that they would be closing Bayshore Blvd. down for a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday for runners to do the race “virtually.”  Since the Sandhouse Running Club is fully vaccinated, we decided to make it our first vacation in what seems like an eternity.  Glenda and Rachel would make the trip with me, and Lindsey and Elaine would have to take a pass this year.

Susan sent me an email earlier in the week that Lindsey had won a contest to have dinner with Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi on Friday night.  Since Lindsey would not be able to attend, Susan graciously offered the prize to us.  Meb and I have literally run into each other in the elevator of our hotel for the last six years; I was looking forward to having conversation with him in some not so confined quarters.

 

After an easy non-eventful drive (see previous posts about Gasparilla), we went straight to the expo.  The shirts and medals were outstanding, but the lack of vendors was heartbreaking.  It’s understandable under the circumstances, but to see the hall so empty was very sad.  With nothing to purchase, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our evening with Meb.

 

 

 

The dinner was at the Columbia Restaurant, but the Ybor City location.  To our surprise and delight, we learned that there is a trolly that goes from downtown Tampa to Ybor City…and it’s free!  That would have been good to know about seven years ago.  We had a private room with the nine other lucky winners of the contest, and got to speak with Susan in a more relaxed setting.  The food selections were a limited version of their full menu, so of course there was nothing for me to eat.  Now I had to be “that guy” and ask Susan for an alternative option.  Susan asked one of her staff members to sit at our table, and what a delight she was.  Ashley was very engaging, and has quite the educational background.  She explained how easy the course would be to navigate, and that there would be plenty of volunteers directing traffic as well.  Meb joined us for the first course and he recognized me right away from our previous elevator rendezvous.  I picked his brain about some helpful running tips, and did get to ask him the big question…Do you every have to pee when you are running (he said no…lucky guy).  The weather was supposed to be unseasonably cool on Saturday morning, so Ashley recommended that I do the half marathon instead of the 15K.  She was going to be out on the course, so I was looking forward to seeing her again.  I thanked Susan for the evening, and apologized for being such a picky eater.

The course opened up at 5am, and I took full advantage of the early start.  It was 63° when I crossed the starting line, with only about ten other runners.  We would stay on Bayshore Blvd. the entire time, with strategic turns that were clearly marked.  I must say that you would never know this was a virtual race by the amount of volunteers, police, water stations, and Port-O-Potties on the course (with no lines, you know I took full advantage).  I saw Ashley a few times, and stopped to speak to her for a few moments.  The wind on the way out was at my back, but was really working against me in the opposite direction.  As time went on, there were a lot more runners; it truly felt like an in-person race.  I felt great the entire time, and the temperature was still under 70° when I finished.

 

We grabbed breakfast at the hotel, and decided to go back to Ybor City for the day.  Ashley told us during dinner that there are a lot of chickens and roosters roaming the streets, so that was all Rachel needed to hear.  We took the trolly to Ybor City Saturday Market in Centennial Park.  Operating since 2000, the Ybor City Saturday Market is the largest continually operating outdoor market in the Tampa Bay Area. Centered in Tampa’s Historic District, the market is one of the most popular shopping destinations for locally produced items unique to the Tampa Bay Area.  As soon as we arrived, there were almost as many chickens and roosters as there were shoppers. We spent a good amount of time taking photos, but sadly not purchases.  We walked around for a long time, and stopped for lunch at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company (and by lunch, I mean beer and nachos).  We sat outdoors, but it did seem strange taking off our masks around other people.  We took the trolly back to the hotel, and proceeded to take a four-hour power nap.  None of us were really in the mood to go out for supper, so we took a stroll to Publix for some “Pub-Subs” and other goodies.

With half marathon #74 in the books, I decided to see how I felt Sunday morning as to whether or not I would run the 15K.  Since it’s technically a virtual race, I could always run at home the following weekend.  I set the alarm for 4am, and felt surprisingly good.  I was back out on the course at 5am, with a small group of my closest friends.  The temperature was a little warmer, and the wind was not quite as stiff.  Knowing that I was only doing 9.3 miles was also good psychologically.  I know there is probably a good reason that the longer race is always the second day (same with Disney), but I enjoyed this in “reverse order” much more.  I saw Ashley again, and this race was just as enjoyable as the half marathon.  I don’t think there were as many runners on Sunday as there were on Saturday, but you couldn’t deny the “real-race” feeling.  We had breakfast once again at the hotel, and made our way back to the 9-5-4.

 

 

 

Staring in the face of adversity, Susan and her staff once again delivered a first-class event.  It is a credit to their hard work and determination that this weekend was as memorable as any other year.