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.
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