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.

MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON (and Other Goodies) – December 17, 2023

 

 Okay…I’ve procrastinated long enough on this review.  The good news…bonus content.

 

Let’s start out with the Weston Rotary Run For Tomorrow Half Marathon, which took place on December 3, 2023.  I would typically dedicate an entire post to this race, but it’s always the same: My least favorite race...Three-hour time limit...One mile walk/run with lots of kids that finish exactly when I do...No one handing out medals at the end...Ugly shirts and okay medals.  I sound like a broken record; just read one of my previous posts to get more details.

 

The race itself:  272 runners, which was about the same as last year.  The temperature was 72° when the race began, and the knee felt great.  I do have to give them credit for one thing…water stations almost every mile.

 

 

Now on to the good stuff.  Lindsey was coming back down for the holidays. Since she’s not the biggest fan of Mount Dora, I had to sweeten the pot…How about a few days at Disney and Universal?  That was all I had to say, and she was all in.  We left early Wednesday morning and checked into Disney's Coronado Springs Resort.  A quick bus ride took us to our first port of call…The Magic Kingdom.  We had not been to the parks since 2018, and it sure felt great to be back.  It wasn’t super-crowded, but when is the Magic Kingdom not crowded?  It was rise-and-shine early Thursday morning and off to Epcot.  The park was not busy at all, and we were excited to go on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure for the first time (Fun fact…Ratatouille is Rachel’s favorite Disney movie).  We did a good amount of eating and drinking around the world and bought sweatshirts before leaving (you know it’s super cold in South Florida).  We slept in a bit Friday morning and made the drive to Universal Studios.  I hadn’t been there for a minute, and many of the rides had changed.  It was pretty empty early on; we left the park around 2pm to make our way to Mount Dora.

 

 

 

After checking into our cottage, we walked a couple of blocks for race packet pickup.  Glenda, Lindsey and I were walking the 5K, along with special guest participant Pam.  Mary was registered but had to unavoidably drop out at the last minute 😢.  The shirts for the 5K were very nice, but the shirts for the half marathon were just okay.  We shopped for a little while, and then dined at the  Goblin Market.  It’s become a tradition to eat there on Friday night as our official anniversary dinner. 

 

Pam parked at the cottage on Saturday morning, and we walked over to the start.  We hadn’t seen her since last October, and I was excited that she was coming down to walk with us.  The weather report for the weekend was not positive (to say the least).  Rain, rain, and more rain…nonstop!  That being said, it wasn’t going to start until after the 5K was over.  It was fun catching up with Pam and we went to breakfast at One Flight Up Café afterwards.  Once Pam hit the road, we did a bit more shopping before the skies opened-up.  We have been doing a boat tour for the past few years; this year...no such luck.  Fortunately (for me), there was pro football on all day, so it wasn’t a total loss.  We dodged a few raindrops on our way to supper at the Olive Branch restaurant, which has also become our go-to for Saturday night dining.  We got back to our cottage relatively dry, but it literally rained all night, making the start of the half marathon a major concern.

 

 

To my surprise and delight, the rain stopped about an hour or so before the race.  It was around 56° when the race started, with 835 runners battling the elements.  The ground was wet, but not really a factor.  However, the wind was pretty strong and made it difficult to run if it weren’t at your back.  I can’t explain why, but I didn’t really enjoy the race this year.  Maybe the adverse weather, but I wasn’t “feeling it Mr. Krabs.”  The knee felt good, but there were less people behind me than ever before.  A little depressing, but it is what it is.  I love the course, but my only real complaint is the lack of water stations.  With about three miles to go, it started to rain.  Not heavy, but enough to add to the misery of the cold weather and strong wind.  As I crossed the finish line, Glenda and Lindsey were there to cheer me on (and take photos), but most of the folks had cleared out by this point.  The medal was nice (they always are for this race), and they had lots of pizza at the end.  I’ve done this race every year since it started, and I’m already signed up for next year.

 

 

2023 ended with the traditional 12 Miles of Christmas training run, hosted by Runner’s Depot.  I usually do all 12 miles, but I decided to do six this year to save some wear and tear on my knee.  Just as the run was about to begin, it started to pour.  It delayed us for about ten minutes, and it was only sprinkling when we started.  Funny line of the run…I went out with the ten-minute pace runners, since I know everyone was going to pass me anyway.  As another group caught up to me, one of the runners said, “Good morning. I guess you’re running with our group now.”  My response…” Good morning.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be running with every group.”  I was feeling froggy and did seven miles instead of six.

 

 

All in all, I did 78 more miles this year than last year.  Hopefully, the upward trend will continue.