MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON – December 22, 2024

  

Baby, it’s cold outside…But I’m a real trooper.

 

When you live in South Florida, anything under 70° is considered cold.  Getting an opportunity to run in these “subarctic” conditions are far and few between.  As I kept checking the temperatures for the Mount Dora Half Marathon & 5K, it was trending towards the low 40s…Perfect running conditions.

 

We arrived on Friday afternoon, just in time to watch the Gators pound Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.  We picked up our race packets during halftime; the shirts were very nice.  This was our anniversary (#43), and we dined at the Goblin Market to celebrate.  It was in the 50s as we walked back to the room, but the temperature was most definitely going to drop during the night.

 

The 5K started at 7:45; true to form, it was 42°.  1,040 runners/walkers braved their way through these frigid conditions.  With the sun shining bright, we were treated to a little bit of a change in the course.  The major highlight was walking past Mount Dora High School.  Glenda’s back had been giving her problems recently, so she struggled a little bit.  After crossing the finish line, we made a “bee line” to One Flight Up Cafe for some hot breakfast and some even hotter coffee.  The afternoon was filled up with shopping and watching college football.  Supper later than usual at the Olive Branch Grille and Bar, so we had a little bit of a wait.

 

 

Walking out of the cottage Sunday morning, it was 42°.  For some reason, it didn’t seem as cold as it was on Saturday (maybe the adrenaline flowing through my body).  977 runners took their mark, which was 142 more than last year.  I had some fun conversations right before the race started, including one with a guy who was running without a shirt (there's a joke here somewhere, but this is a family-friendly blog).  I decided to wear a throwaway sweatshirt, but that was a mistake; I was already thinking about taking it off before the race even started.  I peeled it off 1.3 miles into the race and handed it to a police officer.  I told her it was brand new, and she should find a nice home for the shirt.  I was wearing a long sleeve shirt under a short sleeve shirt, but the high was only going to be 51° when the race ended.

 

 

Maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe the new Theragun Pro I just purchased (or maybe both), but this was now the second race in a row that seemed very easy.  I also used the Theragun the night before; I think it made a difference.  The weather was outstanding, and I was really enjoying the race.  Four-bathroom breaks, but I chalk that up to the cold temps.  I spent part of the run talking to Lenny and Glenda; that made the time fly by a little quicker.  Speaking of quicker…not this race!  It’s not as flat as South Florida, which is as good as any excuse I could make at this time.  I crossed the finish line with lots of energy and a big smile.  I saw Aaron afterwards, and we took a photo together.  Lots of pizza at the end, and just a great weekend in general.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve run this race every year (13) and already signed up for next year.  I can’t recommend this race enough.  If you follow them on social media, Kelly does an outstanding job of promoting the weekend.

 

Two days later, it was the 12 Miles of Christmas at Runner’s Depot, and off to New Orleans on vacation.

 

 

 

 

Happy holidays and Happy New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WESTON ROTARY RUN FOR TOMORROW HALF MARATHON – December 8, 2024

 

What is the best way not to crap all over a race?  Give the race its flowers.

 

It seems as if every review of this race sounds like a broken record.  So much so that I won’t rehash my complaints; just read some of my previous reviews.  My “fan base” is always surprised when I keep running in this event.  The quick answer is the following:  It’s super-close to my house.  There are not that many half marathons in this area.  It’s also very easy in-and-out, with lots of parking.  I decided to sit down and ponder what I really don’t like about this event.  I’ve concluded that all the other things going on (5K, 10K and the one-mile fun run for the youngins) are taking more of a center stage; the half marathon is an afterthought.  In my opinion, advertising that the cutoff is three hours has stunted any potential growth of this race.  With 293 participants, do the ends justify the means?  This is without a doubt one of the smallest half marathons I’ve ever participated in, and the numbers have remained consistent over the past years.  Being the slowpoke that I am, only two people finished after me.  This is not the case in any other race I’ve entered.  Once again…in my opinion…if they don’t advertise a three-hour cutoff, I think more people would enter the race.  With all of that out of the way, I was very excited to run my first half marathon of the race season.

 

I picked up my race packet on Saturday; the shirt was just okay.  I’m not a big fan of highlight yellow running shirts.  It was Glenda’s birthday, so we went out to dinner that night at Incontro Italian Cuisine Steakhouse.  The food was good (huge portions), but I can’t say that it “knocked my socks off.”  That notwithstanding, I would eat there again.  We went home and I watched some college football until I couldn’t keep my peepers open anymore.

 

 

 Now on to some positives about the race.  I do love the fact that this race starts at 6:20am.  They want everyone off the course before the fun run starts.  I was excited to run and was determined to finish as close to three hours as possible.  The temperature was 61° when the race started, and it did not get much warmer than that.  With so few participants, I ran most of this race with the road to myself.  One of the best complements I could give this event is that there is a water station every single mile; not just water…Gatorade as well.  You don’t even see that in bigger races like Miami or Gasparilla.  One negative is only one bathroom along the way, and it was at the turnaround.  I had to pee two times, so I’ll leave it up to your imagination where I went the second time.  I spoke to Lenny the last hour of the race, so it made the time go by quicker.  It was going to be close to finishing under three hours, but I missed it by only four minutes.  The best part of all was I crossed the finish line before all the rugrats got there.  Of course, I still had to go and hunt down my medal.

 

 

 No more complaining about this race.  Just gratitude I’m still running strong.

 

 

CHICAGO SPRING HALF MARATHON – May 19, 2024

 

 

Great food…great shopping…and oh yeah…a half marathon.

 

Since Rachel moved to Chicago a couple of years ago, it has become one of my favorite places to visit (not that I’m a world traveler by any stretch of the imagination).  The opportunity to run a half marathon in May (where the temperature is less than 90°) makes for the perfect family vacation.  Lindsey would be running the Brooklyn Half Marathon the same weekend, so only 75% of the Sandhouse Running Club (excluding members without the last name of Sandhouse) would be together.

 

We took a 7am flight on Friday morning and met Rachel for lunch.  She was working that day, so Glenda and I went to pick up my race packet at the Chicago Athletic Association.  I was excited that they moved this from the running store they had it in last year, plus it was walking distance from our hotel.  Sadly, it was not much of an expo, with only a couple of vendors.  On a positive note, the race shirt was one of the nicest I’ve ever received.  Quite a contrast from last year.  They were handing out cans of a new sparkling water…YUCK!!!  Once Rachel finished her workday, we had supper at Summer House Santa Monica.  The food was great, and it was our first time going to Lincoln Park.  It was also the first time Glenda and I had taken the train in Chicago, which was way more fun than taking the train in New York.

 

 

Saturday consisted of brunch at Crosby’s Kitchen, located in Lake View.  This was also the first time we had been in this “neck of the woods,” and the day was filled with shopping.  I even got a pair of joggers from the Vouri store, but most of the day consisted of me sitting and watching Glenda and Rachel shop around the clock.  Once back at the hotel, we rested for a bit and topped the night off with supper at RPM Italian.  This is a super-fancy restaurant, and the food lived up to the hype.

 

Now that the food review portion of the blog is over, it was time to focus on the race Sunday morning.

 

The starting line was a little less than a mile from the hotel, so I left around 5:45am.  Since Chicago is on Central time, the sun was up around 5am.  I met a guy along the way who was participating in his first half marathon, so I tried to give him as much advice as I could (he asked).  I was in a better corral this year than last year (“E” vs. “H”), mainly because of my delusional expectations for finishing the race.  As my new bud and I got ready to enter the corral, he had to go to the bathroom for a second time.  WOW…someone who has to pee more than me!  As 5,306 waited for the gun to sound at 7am, I asked a guy next to me to take a photo.  The girl he was with asked me “Are you Rachel’s father?”  It was Rachel’s friend Lauren, and she identified me by the Sandhouse Running Club headband.  We met last year, but I’m sure neither of us remembered the encounter.  We took a picture together and sent it to Rachel, who I’m sure was still sleeping.

 

 

It only took about 12 minutes from the start of the race for my corral to officially begin.  The weather was around 72° and did not go up at all during the race.  Two notable things about this race this year verses last year:  First, more people to pass me, since I started earlier.  Second, way more people behind me during the turnaround.  This made me feel as if I were running faster, but we all know the real deal.  I have to say it was way more enjoyable than last year, with more people around me at all times.  The only thing missing was Elaine 😢.  There were virtually no bicycle riders on the course this year, which was annoying last year.  I ran a very strong race, and only had to stop and pee two times (I would say both were gratuitous).  There also seemed as if there were less pedestrians on the course this year, but that was also because there were more runners around me.  As I was crossing the finish line, I had a big smile on my face when I saw Glenda and Rachel cheering me on.  The medal was amazing, and I was happy to not be one of the last stragglers (even though I am still the ultimate slowpoke).  No race photos this year to show, as they decided to charge a shocking amount of money to purchase (last year they were free).  Even us narcissists have a price limit.

 

We walked back to the hotel, but Glenda and Rachel made a detour along the way to do more shopping.  Later that day, we took the train once again to Lincoln Park and met Rachel’s friend Anoushka for brunch at Gemini.  This place wasn’t bad, but nowhere as good as the rest of the venues we dined in.  We were all pretty beat down at this point but decided to walk back to Rachel’s apartment.  I probably did an additional five miles of walking on top of the half marathon.  We were too tired to go out for supper, so we ordered in from Happy Camper, which truly made me a "happy camper".

 

Very enjoyable and scenic race.  I hope both Lindsey and Elaine will be there next year.

 

 

 

GASPARILLA DISTANCE CLASSIC – February 24 & 25, 2024

 

“Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?” – The Cranberries

 

This was the theme song that was playing through my head as I was making my way up to Tampa for the Gasparilla Distance Classic.  I was feeling puny all week with flu-like symptoms which included coughing and diarrhea (“It’s coming out of me like lava”).  This was the first time I could remember being sick prior to a race (and would have to run on back-to-back days without any milage under my belt the week before).  My close friend Alan (whom I’ve known since fourth grade) made the trip with me, and graciously volunteered to drive.  What a blessing!  Of course, what would a trip to Tampa be without taking at least six hours or more?  You guessed it…One traffic jam after another.  We left at 11am and did not arrive until after 5pm.  We did stop in Ft. Myers for a quick lunch at Cracker Barrel, for some much-needed nutrition.  After checking into the hotel, we made our way over to the expo.  The race shirts were very nice (as always), but no purchases were made.  We walked over to Publix and picked up some Pub-Subs for supper.  I went to bed very early, but literally did not sleep at all.  I think I was very uptight about how it would go on Saturday.  I know that if I still felt this bad, it could make for a long weekend.  Alan snores pretty loud, and self-imposed himself to the other room.

 

 

 

To my surprise and delight, I woke up Saturday morning feeling great.  What a turnaround!  Not only that, but the temperatures for the weekend were also ideal.  As I entered the corral, I spotted Aaron, my running buddy from Mount Dora.  This was the first time he was doing Gasparilla, and we were both looking forward to a great run.  The temperature was around 57° when we started the 15K (2,727 total), and my adrenaline was really flowing.  I set my watch to do 2 x 1 intervals, but it was not necessary.  I was running very strong, and only stopped to pee once towards the end.  I made sure I hydrated all week, and especially during the race.  Alan met me at the finish line, and we made our way to the after-party for a well-earned brewski.

 

 

After breakfast at the hotel, we took the trolley to Ybor City.  Alan had not been there before, and we enjoyed the street festival going on.  After a few hours, it was back to the room for a well-earned nap.  We had an early supper at Jackson’s, and I was able to fall asleep pretty quick.  I was hoping for the best on Sunday; everything seemed to be trending in the right direction.

 

I woke up at 4am with lots of energy and still feeling great.  The temperature was around the same as Saturday (57°), with 3,568 runners competing in the half marathon.  Lauren from Runner’s Depot spotted me, and we started the race together (she’s much faster than me, so that was that).  I was going along great, but not as great as the day before.  Aaron caught up to me around the five-mile mark and we stopped for a quick selfie on the bridge.  It was about seven miles in that I decided to do intervals.  This turned out to be a wise decision, as it made the race a bit more enjoyable.  Glenda called me around this time, and she kept me company for a good portion of the race.  More potty trips on this day, and I was surprised how well it was going (considering how down in the dumps I was feeling on Friday).  The medals were of course outstanding, and I could have not asked for a better weekend.

 

 

A large debt of gratitude to Alan for his company and his support.

 

MIAMI HALF MARATHON – January 28, 2024

 

The bloom is off the rose…At least a little bit.

 

As best as I can tell, I’ve done this race every year since 2012.  They do a first-class job most of the time, but this year there were some “chinks in the armor,” which I’ll discuss as we go alone.

 

It was really a race "week," as Elaine and Lindsey came down to run.  On top of that, Rachel came down as well for moral support (and to escape the frigid conditions in Chicago).  It started on Tuesday, which meant one thing…three trips to the airport!  Elaine flew in on Friday night, and there were no more vacancies at “The Bone Yard.”

 

We got to the expo Saturday morning when it first opened at the Miami Beach Convention Center.  They moved the location to the north end of the building, which seemed more spacious.  The trouble is, the expos have really gone downhill since the pandemic.  Except for Hoka and Garmin, none of the national vendors were there; it was like a glorified flea market.  If there is a running store close to where you live, there was nothing to purchase at this expo.  On top of that, the race shirts (which were very nice looking), were a cotton/polyester blend!  If you have read any of my past blogs, you know my feelings on this: A marathon and/or half marathon shirt should ALWAYS be 100% polyester.  Therefore, it literally became a sleeping shirt.  We ripped through the expo in about an hour and walked over to Gabriel’s for breakfast.  The restaurant was located inside the Berkeley Park Hotel, which was just around the corner from the convention center.  When we got there, Gabriel’s was closed; I mean closed-closed, and for quite some time.  We told the person at the front desk that not only did we make reservations in advance, but Lindsey confirmed the reservations as well (she didn’t seem to care).  At that point, we went to our backup plan, Orange Blossom.  Lindsey’s friend Robert met us again this year, and the food was very good.  After an early supper, I went to sleep around 7:30, poised to get up around 2am on Sunday.

 

 

The weather leading up to the race (and after) has been delightful.  Lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s.  Of course, for one day only, the high would climb into the 80s.  We received an email the day before stating that due to higher-than-average temperatures and humidity levels, the race would start under a Yellow/Moderate alert level.  Loosely translated, this means less than ideal conditions.  Of course, for us South Floridians, it’s just another long-hot run (the day after the race, and all this week, the temperatures barely broke 70°).

 

 

15,015 runners lined up for this event, with 2,620 doing the full and 12,395 running the half.  These numbers were consistent with last year.  It was 72° when the race started, but it took us 52 minutes for our coral to start.  The absolute worst thing about this race is how congested it is in the beginning; there must be a better way.  For the first time ever, I would be wearing the Hoka Carbon X 3 instead of my usual Brooks Beast.  These shoes are hands-down the most comfortable I’ve ever worn.  I bought a pair on sale from Runner’s Depot, and Reneé said I should be okay to run the half marathon with them.  I ran 6.5 miles the week before to break them in, and everything seemed okay.  I also decided to “Raw Dog” it and not listen to my headphones.  Elaine and Lindsey would run together for the first part of the race (Elaine was running the full), but they decided to run at a “Party Pace”  (Lindsey only finished the race about ten minutes ahead of me).  I noticed there were way more photographers on the course than ever before.  In fact, I’ve never seen a photographer during the first few miles of the race.  It was nice, since they were able to get the cruise ships in the background.  In addition, there were two water stations on the bridge (and porta potties) instead of one.  Speaking of water stations, can we talk about the Gatorade?  I can honestly say that in all my years racing, this was hands-down the most disgusting concoction I’ve every consumed.  It even looked nasty.  I’m assuming it was supposed to be orange, but it looked brown.

 

 

I saw Robert around the four-mile mark, and I gave him a fist bump as I ran by.  It was at this point that I noticed a lot of people were walking, compared to past years.  The heat didn’t affect me, but a lot of runners were melting into the pavement.  I’ve never seen as many fire rescue trucks and paramedics coming to the aid of the participants during a race before.  Since we were running under a Yellow/Moderate alert level, I wonder if the race coordinators could have taken some extra precautions on their own.  Maybe some towels soaking in ice-cold water or hosing people down as they ran by.  At the very least, some extra ice could have helped.  The new running shoes were working out well, and my knee never felt better.  The course was great as always, and I did not walk the entire time.

 

 

Now for the bad part (it was 84° at this point).  After crossing the finish line and receiving my medal (outstanding as always), Lindsey and I went over to get our post-race food.  Only one problem…ABOSLUTELY NO FOOD!  We’re talking nothing…no sandwiches…no wraps…no bananas…no Gatorade.  This happened last year, and there were still a lot more runners behind us.  When we tried to speak to some of the volunteers, they didn’t seem to know or care.  I'm not saying the food is a feast fit for a king or queen, but there was nothing!  This was a crappy way to end a great race.  Lindsey and I went back to the car to change into dry clothes and walked back to the finish line to wait for Elaine.  When she finished, it was like a ghost town, as all of the vendors had cleared out.  We just jumped in the car and headed home.

 

I’m not saying I wouldn’t do this race again (I definitely will), but I do think the folks who put this event on got sloppy and will hopefully correct these missteps for next year.  Just in case, I'm going to bring some snacks.