With the summer officially over, I was very excited to get back to racing. I was also excited to grab that early registration special for $25!
Just to give a brief recap, the knee has felt great. I managed the mileage very judiciously over the summer by running more days with shorter distances. I usually kept my long runs between 8 and 11 miles, with the exception of one special 16-mile run with Mary (as she was training for the Marine Corps Marathon). The biggest surprise of the summer (and fall) was the addition of my new running buddy.
My daughter Lindsey decided she now enjoyed running. Lindsey had been going to Zumba a few days a week for quite some time, and was in phenomenal shape. In past years, she had participated in the Tamarac Turkey Trot, but had to walk part of the time. Her mission this year was to run the entire race, and I became her personal trainer. Needless to say, it did not take long, and she actually finished about one-minute ahead of me. Her next race was the Flanigan's Rockin' Rib Run 10K, which took place on November 20th at Vista View Park. I did not run the race, as I was “working” the event for Runner’s Depot. I did capture her crossing the finish line, and her pace was excellent. She has already signed up for the Miami Half Marathon and the Gasparilla Amber Challenge. Needless to say, I’m a proud papa.
As mentioned in previous blog posts, the Weston Run for Tomorrow Half Marathon is not one of my favorite races. It’s not terrible, but it is on the low-budget side. I had to skip this race last year because of my patella, and was looking forward to the event. The course changed slightly this year, as the start and finish took place in front of Cypress Bay High School. The course is an out-and-back on major roads, but the scenery is very pretty. One major improvement this year was the shirts and the medals. In previous years, the race shirt was cotton, and was exactly the same every year. This year, the race entered the polyester era. Still nothing to write home about, but improvement nevertheless. The medal was a spinner and die cast, which was a big improvement.
This race started at 6:20am, which is earlier than most half marathons. 534 participants made their way to the starting line, with the temperature right around 73 degrees. There was rain in the forecast for the entire day, but it never came down hard enough to make it difficult to run. On a positive note, the precipitation kept the sun under wraps the entire time.
I felt very good during the entire race, considering I was at the tail end of one of my infamous four-week colds. I started getting a little tired around the 11-mile mark, but caught a second-wind and finished very strong. My only negative was the Mayor’s One-Mile Challenge, which had started a few minutes before I would cross the finish line. As I came down the stretch, I had to dodge a group of kids sprinting towards the finish line with their parents. I also felt the crowd at the end of the race were there more for the kids, as opposed to the half-marathoners. That being said, this would not have been an issue if I were a wee bit faster.
All-in-all, a very positive experience, with a major milestone coming up soon. Keep reading to find out.
KEEP TRACK OF MY RUNNING ON
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