MIAMI HALF MARATHON – January 2, 2025

 

 

…Well, this could be the last time.  This could be the last time.  Maybe the last time.  I don't know.

-       The Rolling Stones

These were my exact thoughts as the months, weeks and days leading up to the Miami Half Marathon quickly approached.  It’s not as if I had lost my love for the race itself, it was the “process” that was making me want to part ways after 14 years.  The going to the expo down in Miami Beach the day before, the getting to the race at 4am, the waiting for our corral to start after 45 minutes, and the no food at the end were all contributing factors.  Plus, this year Lindsey was on a “sabbatical,” so she wasn’t running with Elaine and me.  Besides all if that, half marathon #100 was quickly approaching, and I could “afford” to drop this race.  I tried my best to put those voices in my head aside and focus on why I entered the race in the first place…I LOVE RUNNING!!!

 

On Thursday morning, I get a call from Lenny (one of my closest friends).  I knew right away why he was calling:

 

Lenny:             Hey dude!

Me:                  Hey dude!  You’re calling me early; it must be bad news.

Lenny:             It is.  Harriet just passed away.

 

Harriet is Lenny’s mom, and the call was somewhat not unexpected.  She lived a long life (91) but was spiraling downhill for a long time.  Traditionally, a Jewish burial takes place withing 24-48 hours.  They believe the soul inhabits the body and that when a person dies the spirit returns to God. It is for this reason that it is of utmost importance that a Jewish funeral occurs as soon as possible after death, as the body's “returning to earth” is tied to the soul's ability to return to God.  Funerals are not conducted on the Sabbath (from Friday evening to Saturday evening) or on major Jewish holidays. The funeral is scheduled immediately after these periods. Since she passed away on Thursday, the funeral looked as if it would be held on Sunday.  Was this a self-fulfilling prophecy?  Lenny was on the way up to Coral Springs to be with his sister and would let me know the details as soon as he found out.  I immediately called Elaine; she totally understood the situation.  She had come down to Florida earlier in the week and was spending time with family.  Lenny called me Friday morning and told me they had to push the funeral up one day…Monday.  I would be able to do the race but would have to miss a big event at work.  I take photos every semester for the Career Fair, which was scheduled at the exact same time as the funeral.  Sonia (my boss) could not have been more sympathetic and understating; she would have her assistants cover for me.

 

Elaine and I drove to the expo on Saturday morning; It was very nice and well organized.  The race shirts were a unique color (coral), with an equally unique design.  We walked around for about an hour, with no purchases on my part.  In years past, we would meet up with Lindsey’s friend Robert and have lunch on South Beach.  This year, we drove back home and had lunch at Spanky’s Cheesesteak Factory.  Best Chicken Philly Cheesesteak I’ve every had (and I’m not just saying that because they are a client of Glenda).

 

Sunday morning was the usual getting up around 2am and out the door by 3:30.  Lighter than normal traffic, even at that hour.  Elaine and I decided to go to our corral when it first opened, rather than sitting in the car.  We were in “G” this year, which was the earliest starting corral I’ve ever been assigned for this race.  We struck up a conversation with Eric, who was wearing the same running shoes as me.  For the first time, I would be running a race in shoes not named Hoka or Brooks.  I purchased a pair of New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3, which is a carbon-plated shoe just like the Hoka Carbon X I have been wearing (only way more attractive).  I ran with them a couple of times before the race, so I felt confident the shoe would not do me in.

 

16,146 runners (2,946 full; 13,200 half) were pleasantly surprised that there was not as much time between the start of the corrals (probably my biggest criticism).  Add this to our earlier starting corral, we were off and running at 6:27 (we typically start at 6:45).  It was 72°, and I was excited to run.  Elaine stayed with me the entire time, since she was not doing the full marathon this year.  Sadly, she walks faster than I run.  My pace was pretty slow, with my puppies barking several times during the race.  They were hurting during the week, so I will reserve judgement about the new shoes until next time.  The course is beautiful, but boy was it hot!  Especially since it was in the 50s the previous week (it was 82° when the race ended).  The shocker of the day was that I only had to pee one time, and it was around the 10.5-mile mark.  I told Elaine I may not do this race again, but she shut me down pretty quick.  If we do it next year, we will shell out the $30 to have them mail us our bib and shirt, so we don’t have to go to the expo.  No food or Gatorade at the end (just bananas and snacks), but I think this was a conscience decision this year.  We make it home quicker than usual, and Elaine was out the door and on the road to visit her son in Sarasota.

 

 

 

The funeral on Monday was very nice.  I love Lenny’s family and friends, and Lenny’s speech had everyone in tears laughing.  Thank really lightened the mood on such a sad occasion.

I guess there’s a good chance I’m doing Miami next year.

 

 

 

 

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.

MIAMI HALF MARATHON – January 29, 2023

 

#miamifamous

 

I’m lucky enough to have little or no anxiety, except when it comes to a couple of things that go together…being late and parking.  People often wonder why I will be in my parking space for a UF football game at 10am, even though the game may start at 8pm.  On top of that, I know that after parking in the same place for over 30 years, I could get there much later and still get my spot.  The short answer is...I don’t know.  I’m telling you this because I spend way too much time thinking about parking for the Miami Half Marathon than the race itself.  You would think after doing this race for 12 consecutive years, leaving at the same time in the morning, and parking in the same spot, this would be nothing to worry about…but it is.  More on this later, but let’s get to it.

 

Lindsey flew in on Friday for the race, but Mary had to cancel due to an injury.  The plan was to go to the expo first thing on Saturday and meet Lindsey’s friend Robert for lunch after that.  We realized last year that getting to the expo when they first opened would make it an easier time to look around with not as many people.  The expo was once again at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with lots of room to roam around.  We picked up our race packets, but the shirt in my opinion was as ugly as it gets.  It was black with the logo on the side of the shirt.  I know they were going for the artsy look, but I give it a major thumbs down.  In terms of vendors and merchandise, there were no heavy hitters here.  I did purchase a travel massage gun for $175 (regularly $400), so not all was lost.  Lindsey conveniently had the cash on her, so I didn’t have to pay sales tax.  After one more trip through the building, we met Robert at Orange Blossom.  Robert recommended this to us last year, so we went for it again.  The food was just okay, but we had great conversation.  Robert had nothing but great things to say about Lindsey, and vice-versa.  The food was expensive, but it seems as if the price of eating out has skyrocketed recently.  We had an early supper and tried to go to bed as early as possible.  The WWE Royal Rumble was on that night, but I would have to wait for the replay.

 

When you do a race where you just walk out of the hotel and straight to the starting line, the stress and anxiety level is at zero.  When you leave your house at 3:15am and arrive at the parking garage at 4pm to avoid traffic, well…that’s how I roll.  Predictably, there was no traffic, and we got right into the garage.  I was now able to relax, but we also had two solid hours to kill.  It was 73° when we started the race, which was a total sellout.  12,574 entered the half, with 2,782 running the full (15,356 in total).  The good news was we moved up one corral from last year; the bad news was we still waited close to 45 minutes before we started.  To me, this is the most torturous part of the race (as Tom Petty once said, “the waiting is the hardest part”). Lindsey wasn’t going to run with me, so it would just be me and the music.  I didn’t need to use the potty at the beginning, so I was off to a roaring start.

 

 

As many people that were running, it didn’t see as much “bumper-to-bumper” as usual.  I felt really good and saw Robert cheering us on around the four-mile mark.  Nothing super eventful to report (except for minimal bathroom breaks), but this was the first marathon/half marathon that I didn’t have any liquid on me.  Even though I would only be carrying an 11-ounce bottle in my belt, I’m going to make sure I have it on me for Gasparilla.  Lindsey finished about a half hour ahead of me, and of course the medals were outstanding.  It seemed as if they ran out of food, but we weren’t going to eat anyway.  They decided this year to sell the race photos, so no in-action shots.

 

 

 

 

We are of course signed up for next year, and even pressured Elaine to register as well.  Now on to Tampa and Gasparilla.

MIAMI HALF MARATHON – February 6, 2022

 

 #miamifamous once again.

After a one-year hiatus (I ran it virtually last year), the Miami Marathon & Half Marathon were back in business.  This race would be a special one for me...and for them.  This was their 20^th anniversary.  I don’t know the exact number of times I’ve run (I did my first in 2007), but I’m pretty sure it’s at least ten.  As for me, I would be celebrating my 80^th half marathon.  I’m still hoping to get to 100; so far so good.  Lindsey came down to run with me (via a wedding in Jacksonville), but Elaine would take a pass this year in favor of snow skiing.  Since this is an international race, it would be interesting to see what the turnout would be due to travel restrictions.  There was also an added bonus…They moved the expo back to the Miami Beach Convention Center.  Due to renovations, the expo had been moved to the Mana Wynwood Convention Center for the past several years.  This building was way too small for the amount of traffic that attends the expo.  I wanted to attend the expo on Friday, but Lindsey had too much work to do.  She suggested we go first-thing Saturday morning, so we had our plan in place.

We left around 9am on Saturday, and parking was no issue at all.  My aunt and uncle lived right across from the convention center, so I’ve made this drive more times than I could count (either behind the wheel, or in the back seat as a youngin).  We got there about 15 minutes before they opened, so we stood in line for a little bit.  To my surprise (and delight), there were not too many people this early in the day.  Once they opened the gates, we were able to move around easily.  The convention center is really big, and there weren’t as many vendors as in years past.  I’m guessing this may be a trend for a while until things get back to normal.  The race shirt was kind of disappointing.  The 20^th anniversary logo was very nice, but the shirt was white.  I am not a fan of white running shirts, and the design would have looked great on a black or navy shirt (in my opinion).  The giveaways were really good, highlighted by many packets of Liquid I.V.  I have become a big fan over the past few months, and the flavors are delicious.  Lindsey bought a new running belt.  She wanted something that did not have water bottle attachments.  Her thinking is that since they have water stations on the course, why anchor yourself down with extra weight.  She purchased the Flipbelt Zipper, which checked all her boxes.  I like to carry a drink with me, but Flipbelt does make small bottles that can go inside the belt.  I’m not happy with my current running belt situation but would wait to get her review after the race to potentially purchase one for myself (She gave it a thumbs-up; I’ll give you my review after Gasparilla).  After leaving the expo, we had lunch at Orange Blossom on South Beach.  It was just a few blocks from the convention center and was highly recommended by one of Lindsey's work buddies.  I have never taken a picture of my food and posted it to social media; if I did, the avocado toast I ordered would have been the first.  The presentation was excellent, and it tasted just as good.  We made our way home after that and tried our best to go to bed early.

 

Sunday morning…You know the drill…Up at 2am and out the door by 3:15am. As we made our way to park at the FTX Arena (formally the American Airlines Arena), the traffic flow was next to none.  In fact, almost all the roads that are always blocked off were all open!  We would normally mosey into our corral around 5:15am or so, but the race added a new twist this year.  The start of the race is 6am, but only corrals A-G were open early.  The remaining corrals (H-K) opened at 6:15am.  I’m guessing this was to cut down on the congestion, especially amidst a pandemic.  I think this was a really good idea, and we found our place rather easy (we were in Corral I).  I’m not good at approximating the size of a crowd, but it did seem like less people than usual.  2,471 ran the full marathon and 9,819 ran the half marathon, for a total of 12,290.  My approximation skills were correct this time; 18,587 ran the race in 2020.  It was our time to cross the starting line, and Lindsey would “throw me a bone” and run with me this year.

I almost never publicly give my opinion on “controversial” subjects, but there was an incident that took place in the first few miles I want to weigh in on.  There was a runner pushing a wheelchair with an elderly woman.  There were also several runners pushing baby strollers as well.  IN MY OPINION, wheelchairs and strollers should not be allowed in races (especially in a race of this size).  The woman pushing the wheelchair was running at a brisk pace and was yelling “excuse me” literally every 15 seconds.  With that many runners grouped together, worrying about getting plowed over by a moving vehicle should not be on the mind of anyone.  Sure enough, we saw the wheelchair a few miles later.  There was a collision with a runner, who was laying in the road bloodied and bruised.  Ironically, more people were attending to the elderly woman in the wheelchair (who seemed unscathed) than the woman who got run over (we did see her after the race was over.  She continued the race but had way too many battle scars as a souvenir).   In smaller less-congested races, wheelchairs and/or strollers may be okay.  At the very least, why not create an extra corral at the end for all the runners pushing someone.  Just a thought.

 

NOW BACK TO THE RACE...

The temperature was around 66° for most of the race, with the sun out the entire time.  I had lots of energy, and only had to stop two times to pee (a personal record).  Other than the collision in the beginning of the race, nothing noteworthy to report on.  The scenery of South Beach, the water and the boats really keep you pumped up throughout the entire race.  I started to slow down a bit with three miles to go, so I told Lindsey to go ahead.  I got a good amount of SpongeBob cheers, which put a big smile on my face.  The medal was outstanding, but it was bittersweet to not have to wait for Elaine to finish the full marathon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m already looking forward to next year, as both Lindsey and Mary have signed up; I hope Elaine will be there too.

 

 

 

 

 

MIAMI HALF MARATHON - February 9, 2020

#miamifamous…For the tenth time.

The Miami Half Marathon was my first, way back in 2007.  After a four year hiatus, I entered again 2012, and haven’t missed this event since.  I’ve run with the usual suspects, and I've run “lone wolf.”  That being said, I have never run a race of any distance in a shoe not named Brooks…That was all about to change.

The Brooks Beast is a maximum stability shoe, and the only thing I’ve run in since 2010.  The shoe is very comfortable, but is severely lacking in color selection.  I’ve asked over the years if there were an alternative I could try, but I’ve been told over-and-over again that “nothing compares to the Beast.”  When it comes to “styling & profiling,”  I can wear virtually anything, which drew my attention to a pair of blue and orange Hoka Clifton shoes in Runner’s Depot.  I’ve admired Hoka from afar, but now was my chance to legitimately purchase a pair.  They were surprisingly comfortable, which inspired me to buy the Carbon X (white with green trim). After wearing them a few times, I can boldly say…they are the most comfortable running shoes I’ve ever owned!  Alas, Steve (the manager of the Coral Springs store, and an overall great dude) informed me that the Carbon X was primarily a racing shoe, and would not be good for me to run in.  A few day later, I read an advertisement about the Hoka Gaviota 2, which is a stability shoe.  I read several articles, but none that compared it to the Brooks Beast.  I then consulted the ultimate authority, Renee.  She explained the differences between the Gaviota and the Beast, which mostly went right over my head.  Since the Carbon X and the Clifton were so supportive, and I knew I could return the Gaviota if they didn’t work out, I bought a pair in a dark blue/green, and did a three-mile run during the week. All was good.  I did eight miles on the weekend, and was convinced I could wear them for the Miami Half Marathon.  I ordered a second pair in…wait for it…ROYAL BLUE.  Can you believe it?  Running a race for the first time ever in a shoe not black or grey?  As a Hollywood fashion plate, this was monumental for me.

I picked up Elaine and Lindsey at the airport on Friday, and we went to lunch at…you guessed it…Bento.  We then went to pick up my new royal blue beauties, and I bought a pair of the Hoka Ora, which is their recovery flip-flop.  Glenda had already been working late, because of tax season, and we went to supper around 7:30 at Bonefish Mac’s.

We woke up early on Saturday, as I wanted to take Elaine to a breakfast place in Parkland that Rachel recently turned us on to.  It’s called Carmela Coffee Company, and their avocado toast is outstanding.  After our meal (and a quick tour of Parkland), it was on to the expo.  Renee and Runner’s Depot once again stepped up to the plate, and hired a bus to the expo and back.  For a race of this size, the expo was once again a disappointment.  It’s the same reason every year…Mana Wynwood.  The venue is too small for the amount of traffic coming through, which is why they should go back to the Miami Beach Convention Center.  Lindsey had the foresight to make lunch reservations at the Wynwood Diner, but it surprisingly wasn’t all that crowded.  Glenda made vegetable lasagna for supper, and I was in bed by 7:45.

My alarm was set for 2am, but I was “up and at ‘em” by 1:45.  The race was moved up one week this year to accommodate the Super Bowl (it’s usually the last week in January).  We left around 3:15, and parked around 4:15.

MEMO TO SELF:  Make the left turn at NW 5^th Street.

We were in corral “I” this year, which was curious to us all.  Lindsey and Elaine are significantly faster than me; why were they so far back?  The weather was around 65°, with no threat of rain.  18,567 runners took their mark (15,431 for the half; 3,136 for the full), which was 1,660 more than last year.  Once the gun sounded at 6am, it took us close to 45 minutes for our corral to start.  If I had only one complaint about this race, this would be it.  Can’t we purchase a fast pass?  Elaine and Lindsey both said they would run with me, but that didn’t last too long.  Lindsey took off after a couple of miles, and I set Elaine free of her prison sentence shortly after that.  I hate holding them back because of lack of speed, and all of my bathroom breaks.  I got a lot of complements on my shirt, and of course a lot of “you are my inspiration” because of the brace.  It’s all good; I like to be engaged with my fellow runners.  The sun stayed under cloud cover for most of the race, which certainly helped.  I looked good, my shoes looked good, but I was running really slow.  I saw a sign in the crowd that said something like “You have a 💩-ton of miles left.”  This was hilarious, and it was even funnier that we all saw it during the race.  With around two miles to go, I struck up a conversation with a woman that I had been running the same pace with for most of the race.  We were good motivation for each other, as I was able to cross the finish line pretty strong (I don’t know about her).  The medals were very nice, and a departure from the design of previous years.  The after party is always good, with box lunches and plenty of snacks.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Lindsey and I went to the car to change, and then went back to the finish line to wait for Elaine.  I wore my new Hoka flip-flops, but they really cut up my feet.  Hoka had a booth at the after party, so I sat with them and picked their brains about all the different running shoes they make (and complained about the flip-flops).  Elaine eventually crossed the finish line, and we made our way back home to the 954.  She flew home later that night, and Glenda was kind enough to take both her and Lindsey to the airport.  I would normally go in late to work on Monday, but I had an event to cover early in the morning (yay me).

Another year of being #miamifamous.  We are all signed up for next year.