FIVE POINTS OF LIFE HALF MARATHON - February 17, 2019

I don’t think I have ever been this conflicted about writing a post for my blog.

It’s that feeling that no matter how lightly you try to tread, no matter how much you try to sugarcoat, no matter how much of the benefit of the doubt you try to give…it’s still not going to come out well.

Let’s begin by beating this dead horse one more time:

• This is my favorite race.
• It’s Gainesville.
• It’s running through the University of Florida campus and downtown Gainesville.
• I set a PR for a full marathon during this race.
• I’ve participated in this race more than any other.

It’s not the most attractive course, but it’s MY COURSE.  The only thing that could sour me on this race would be if they were to totally changed the course, and move it out west.

That’s exactly what they did.

Mary had signed up for the race, and was excited in participating for the first time.  She even convinced Pam to run with us, so I was really stoked.  In mid-January, Mary texted me to say “The one time I decided to run Five Points, they no longer run thru the stadium.”  I called her immediately, and said that you just run through the concourse, and not through the actual stadium.  What she said next shocked me to the core. The entire course had changed, and they were moving everything out to Celebration Point (a new destination experience, off Archer Road & west of I-75).  Celebration Point?  This was nowhere near UF or downtown.  I sent an email to the race director Ricky, but really…what could he say?  I’ve heard that the university wanted them to change the weekend of the race, and that the sponsorship to move the race out west was too good to pass up, but I don’t want to speculate on any of that.  The race would now be totally flat, which was a total disappointment to this South Florida boy. As much as I dreaded some of those colossal hills, it was still part of the charm of this race.  The course map did not look particularly exciting, but I would run the race before I passed judgement.  On the bright side, I would still get to hang with Jen, Mary, and Pam for the weekend.

I left the “954” around 6am, and drove straight to the UF Bookstore.  Jen had some errands to run, so I would meet up with her later.  Mary called me, and she sounded awful.  She totally lost her voice, and was really sick.  She was not going to be able to run with us, but would drive up with Pam for moral support.  This was a total bummer.   After a few purchases for Glenda and Lindsey (nothing for me), I met Jen at the Hotel Indigo Gainesville-Celebration Pointe, which was where I was now staying.  This hotel opened in October, and I must say…it is beautiful (and very reasonably priced).  The expo was located inside the hotel, but it was very small.  The race shirt was very nice, as it always is for this race.  My only criticism was the shirt was a 60/40 (cotton/polyester) blend, which means I won’t be able to wear it while running.  In my opinion, any race shirt for a marathon or half marathon should always be 100% polyester.  Save the cotton for a 5K.  We grabbed lunch at Miller’s Ale House (also located in Celebration Pointe), and then off to VegFest.   Gainesville VegFest is presented by North Florida Veg Events, Inc., and is a celebration of a healthy, sustainable and compassionate way of life.  VegFest is dedicated to informing and inspiring the community to make healthy food choices.  The event took place in Depot Park, which is very close to where Lindsey used to live.  The park was very pretty, with lots of vendors, music, and people with dogs.  Still feeling full from lunch, we passed on all of the healthy choices.  Jen dropped me back at my hotel, as I got ready for round two…Dinner with Paula and Bill.  I hadn’t seen them in quite some time, and it was good to catch up.  I was really tired when I got back to the room, and went to sleep around 9:30pm.  The race started at 6:15am, and the ladies would be meeting me around 5:30am.

 

I slept well, but of course I woke up before the alarm.  Pam and Mary were right on time, but Mary really looked like death warmed over.  I told her to stay in the room and try to sleep while the race took place.  She could then meet us at the finish line later on.  I didn’t need to tell her twice, as she grabbed her box of tissues and hit the sack.  It was 64° as we made our way to the starting line, which was not at the same location as the full marathon.  It was obvious where the race started, but not if you were staying in the hotel.  In my opinion, a few signs (or volunteers) pointing the way would have helped.  600 runners were entered in this year’s race, which was 82 less than last year. So much for the excitement of this new course and branding campaign.  We decided to do intervals (3 x 1), since Pam had not run in quite some time.  After exchanging pleasantries with Ruth and Bill G., it was now time to start the race.  It was still dark outside, and we had the “pleasure” of running west on Archer Road for the first four miles.  With nothing to see anyway, I guess it was better to get this part of the race over with first.  Archer Road is only one lane each way, so cars heading west were literally driving in the middle of the road.  Although there were cones for the cars, it was still a bit of a concern for the runners.  We then turned into Halle Plantation for the next 5.5 miles.  Halle Plantation is a very pretty and upscale neighborhood, and my ultimate port of call when I retire.  At this point, Pam and I had not seen any other runners for a few miles (a volunteer did shout out "you have nice skin." but we didn't know which one of us she was referring to)..  It was very quiet, with literally no crowd support at all.  In addition, there was a glaring lack of signage in terms as to were you were supposed to run.  It was pretty obvious, but with no life in sight, a first-timer to this area might have been nervous.  In addition, the lack of police presence on many of the side streets had a few rogue cars enter the course.

Once out of the community, it was onto Tower Road.  We then ran down some weird streets, which was okay with me.  Our pace was very slow, but I felt really good as we crossed the finish line.  Mary was there to greet us, but she wasn't feeling any better.  The after-party was nice, with music and pizza.  Mary and Pam went to breakfast, and I got ready for the long drive home.

 

 

My final thoughts...Since the medals and shirts are “Gator” themed, I think the course should have taken on the same personality.  Where were the student volunteers and cheerleaders?  Where was Albert?  In fact, if we did not see a building that had the Shands Hospital logo on it, you may not have known you were in Gainesville.  I won’t be too harsh on the water stations, but improvement is needed there as well.

In the words of Avril Lavigne…‘Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?”

MIAMI HALF MARATHON - January 27, 2019

There was a cloud looming over our heads this entire race weekend…and I mean that literally.

If you are a loyal follower of this blog, you know that the Miami Marathon and Half Marathon is kind of a big deal.  It’s a big race, with a big race feel.  I sign up way in advance, and friends travel near and far to stay with me.  In recent years, Elaine has become a regular.  Now participating in her third straight year (and four in total), she would be making the trip from her home in North Carolina.  Lindsey signed up before she moved to New York, but she was coming down as well.  Who wouldn’t want to leave sub-arctic weather to run the streets of Miami?  Even if the temperatures should “drop” into the fifties, it’s still a win-win situation.  With a long-time proven track record for success, what could go wrong?  How about nonstop rain the entire weekend.

Lindsey noticed over a week out that it was going to rain the entire weekend.  As the race got closer, the forecast wasn’t budging.  There was some genuine concern, but we all know how it goes in South Florida.  It could be raining on one side of the street, and dry as a bone on the other.  That having been said, the forecast looked pretty bleak when Elaine and Lindsey landed in the 954 on Friday.

It was off to the expo on Saturday morning.  Renee from Runner’s Depot once again provided bus transportation.  I love the fact that they offer this service to their customers, and we were on the road at noon.  This also gave us an opportunity to sleep in a little, since we would be getting up so early on Sunday.  The weather was nasty, but it wasn’t raining when we got to Mana Wynwood.  This was the third consecutive year the expo was held in this convention center, and I think it is time to go back to the Miami Beach Convention Center.  The venue is too small, and it’s hard to move around.  I was able to find a jacket in the official merchandise section, but checking out the vendors was more like a cattle call.  After about an hour of fighting the crowd, we took a trip over to the Wynwood Walls, and then grabbed some lunch at BND Burger.  We went back to the expo, since we still had some time to kill before the bus arrived at 4:30pm.  The crowd had thinned out a bit, but it was still packed like sardines.  That being said, the absolute highlight of the day was the 120 pills of Florastor we scored. This is our probiotic of choice, and the pills cost about one dollar each (they were one of the sponsors of the race).  Elaine also grabbed several samples of dog food.  An octopus would have been proud of us.  It rained the entire way home, so we ordered in supper.  I was pretty tired, and went to bed around 8pm.

 

I set my alarm for 2am, but of course I woke up early.  It was raining, but not very hard.  We were out the door at 3pm, and hit rain the entire drive down to Miami.  Not a monsoon, but nonstop nonetheless.  As we pulled into the parking garage inside the American Airlines Arena, it was sprinkling lightly.  The temperature was around 67 degrees, and we decided to stay undercover as long as we could.  We met a couple who had traveled from Trinidad to participate in their first marathon.  I hooked them up with ponchos, and they were forever grateful (they took a selfie with us.  I can’t imagine where that photo may turn up).

We moseyed our way over to our corral around 5:30am, and the rain had completely stopped.  I have run in pouring rain many times before, but never to start a race.  Once you get going, it’s all good; the prospect of standing in a downpour for over 30 minutes or more before the race actually begins seems like a nightmare.  It’s has never happened on over 22 years of racing, but all streaks are made to be broken. The streets seemed rather empty, as I’m sure many of the runners were waiting until the last minute to jump into their corrals.  I personally would never drop out of a race because of the hostile weather conditions, but I know a lot of folks who do (Mary and some of the Turtles were running the Celebration Marathon and Half Marathon the same time as us, and she said it poured the entire race).  Elaine was in the same corral as Lindsey and me, and we met a few students who were going to school at FIU.  They were running their first marathon, so I had to instruct them on “the ways.”

 

 

It was now time to start the race, and still no rain.  If it would just hold out until we started going, I would be thankful.  For some reason, the race started about ten minutes late.  16,907 runners (2,850 for the full; 14,057 for the half) waited patiently as the gun finally sounded.  It took us close to 30 minutes for us to get to the starting line, but still no rain.  Lindsey decided to run without me in an effort to try and PR the race.  Elaine was running the full, so I didn’t want to hold her back.

As we ran over the bridge, it was very windy.  Not coming right at you windy, but enough to make you struggle a little bit.  The streets were not as wet as I thought they would be, and the temperature was now in the low seventies.  There had been construction on the course the past few years, but not this time.  I don’t like it when you have to run south for a few miles as a temporary detour.  It almost seems as if it’s an out-and-back when you see the other runners ahead of you running in the opposite direction.  This year, I got to experience all of the scenery this course has to offer.  I felt really good, but my pace did not reflect that.  I was moving very slowly, but the lack of rain (and sunshine) made it a complete joy.  The sun did make a couple of guest appearances, but just for a few minutes at a time.

 

 

 

 

The course ran a bit long (according to my Garmin), as I crossed the finish line at 13.41 miles.  It was very congested, so it took a few minutes until I was able to get my medal.  Lindsey was waiting for me, and she did in fact PR the race.  The post-race party was very good, with a nice selection of food and drinks.  After stuffing our faces, we walked back to the car to change into dry clothes.  Still no rain, so we went back to the finish line to cheer on Elaine.  Not much rain on the drive home, but who cared at that point?

 

It’s hard to imagine that the biggest takeaway from an exciting race weekend like this would be the rain (or lack of), but it was definitely the talk of the town.




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MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON - December 16, 2018

Seventh time’s a charm, but is it the last charm?

I have participated in this race every year since it’s inception.  The first two years, I stayed with Jen, and drove to Mount Dora the day of the race (it’s only one hour away).  The past five years, it has become a family tradition.  Unfortunately, I may be the only one in the family that feels this way.  With Lindsey coming to town from New York, and Rachel finished with finals at FSU, I just assumed everyone would be on-board with this mini-vacation.  Boy, was I wrong.  Mount Dora was played out, and no one really wanted to go.  Most surprising was Lindsey, since she had never run this race.  On top of everything else, I reserved a two bedroom cottage at our usual go-to spot, the Historic Mount Dora Inn. Since these reservations were made a year in advance, I did not factor in the  new living arrangements for both the youngins.  This race weekend also falls right in the middle of a potential vacation not named Mount Dora.  With all of this taken into account, I don’t know if this race will be in any future plans.   Rachel eventually changed her mind, and would go up for the weekend with Glenda and me.  Lindsey had made plans, and would hold down the fort in the 954.

We left around noon on Friday, and vowed to find something interesting to do on Saturday.  It only takes a few hours to walk through downtown, so we thought we would venture out to some of the surrounding areas (Clermont, Leesburg, etc.).  Wine tasting was definitely an option, but the weather didn’t look as if it were going to cooperate.  We didn’t hit any rain on the way up, but you could see it had poured earlier in the day.  The cottage was really nice; a big step up from our usual one bedroom bungalow.  A Sandhouse family tradition in Mount Dora is to watch holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel (mostly because there is only one television, and football is not an option).  The rain started to come down again, so we would take to the TV, and try and eat supper around 7:30.  We made reservations at Café Gianni’s, which is literally a five-minute walk from the cottage.  The rain eased up enough for us to go, and the food was fantastic (as always).  Our server suggested we go to Oak Haven Farms & Winery on Saturday.  They have strawberry picking and wine tasting, which is right up our alley.  We walked around to see the holiday lights, which are truly second to none.  The rain started shortly after that, so back to the cottage for an all-night Hallmark Channel marathon.

 

 

 

We slept in Saturday morning, and made our way out around noon.  The race packet pickup was right next door, and the shirts were a total departure from the previous races (I say that in a good way).  It had rained during the night, and the prospects of seeing the sun were slim and none.  On our way to grab a bite to eat, we stopped in The Cellar Door Tasting Room & Wine Bar.  After a couple of glasses, we staggered over to One Flight Up, which is another one of our usual spots. It was now raining on and off, and Oak Haven was closed for the day.  We dodged the raindrops, as we did some shopping in the downtown area.  We actually made some purchases, including bath balms, wine (of course), and candles.  Back at the cottage, it was more Hallmark Channel movies, and napping.  We went to Jeremiah’s for supper, which was a new experience for us.  It is about one-half mile from the cottage, and I guess you could consider it a sports bar.  The food was good, but our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. Back to the room, I went to sleep, as the Hallmark Channel marathon resumed.

The race started at 7am, with the starting line less than five minutes from the cottage.  The temperature was around 60°, with very little chance of rain.  I made the decision to wear a long sleeve running shirt, which I instantly regretted once I walked out the door.  The high for the race would only reach around 63°, but it just didn’t seem so cold.  840 runners stood tall for the National Anthem, which was 137 less than last year.  I think the inclement weather may have kept some of them away, and there was a half marathon in Jacksonville the previous day (once again, speculation on my part).  Once we were off and running, I was immediately in bad shape.  It’s hard to explain, but I felt as if I were having a panic attack.  My heart was pounding, and I was out of breath.  I considered doing intervals, but would give it a few miles before I would make that decision.  I slowed the pace down a little, which didn’t seem to help as much as I would have hoped.  Slowly but surely, the feeling started to go away.  As I was passing Mount Dora High School (around the three mile mark), I was feeling much better.

 

This race has a good amount of hills, so I really didn’t want to do intervals.  I just walked up most the hills; that seemed to do the trick (the course flattens out after the six mile mark).  I was now filled with lots of energy, and was able to make up for lost time.  The sky was totally overcast for the entire race, and rolling up my sleeves allowed me to run in comfort.  I texted Rachel and Glenda when I was one mile from the finish, so they could get themselves in good position to take some photos (they did not let me down).  I sprinted the last quarter-mile of the race, and felt great crossing the finish line.  Considering the bad start, my time was not too far off from Space Coast and Weston.  On top of everything else, I had a negative split.

 

 

 

I was sad that this may have been my swan song, but I booked reservations for next year…Just in case.




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WESTON RUN FOR TOMORROW HALF MARATHON – December 9, 2018

Okay, I know what you’re thinking…Why in tarnation am I doing this race again?

If you are a loyal reader of my blog, you know what a debacle last year’s race was.  If not, read the post from last year, and you’ll be all caught up.  In a nutshell, the Mayor’s Challenge 1-Mile Walk ended in the same place as the half marathon.  It was a logistical nightmare finishing the race, let alone getting your medal.  When the emails stared to pour into my inbox for the race this year, I contacted the folks in charge to express my concerns.  To my surprise and delight, steps were taking place to clear up the chaos from the previous two years.  They were very gracious, and even offered me a discount code if I would give them one more chance.  This was apparently a very big issue, and I’m guessing many runners threatened not to enter this year unless changes were made.  With this sticking point apparently resolved, I gladly entered again.  I’ve run this race many times, and it falls on a weekend that never conflicts with anything else.

I went Friday afternoon to pick up my race packet.  They moved the location this year to Weston Regional Park.  I’ve never been there before, but all I can say is WOW!  What a beautiful place.  The entire city of Weston is very pretty, but we don’t venture there very often.  The race shirts were nice, and I asked one last time about the Mayor’s Challenge 1-Mile Walk.  The volunteers assured me that there would be no issue this year.

The race started at 6:20am in front of Cypress Bay High School.  As I approached the starting line, the crowd seemed a bit lighter than usual.  494 runners (compared to 623 last year) may have been a result of the confusion from last year, but that’s just conjecture on my part.  The temperature was 73°, and we were underway.  The race is basically an out-and-back, with lots of pretty homes, golf courses, and water to look at.  I felt good the entire time, and ran a pretty strong race.  Having no sun in the beginning is a big help, but you run west for the last half of the race, so a hat is standard equipment.  As I crossed the finish line, I was delighted to see the kids and their parents in an entirely different location.  Not having to fight the crowds as I finished was something I always took for granted.

I’m happy things are back to normal, and plan on entering this race for many years to come.

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SPACE COAST HALF MARATHON - November 25, 2018

I can now cross another race off the bucket list.  The question is, should it have been on the list in the first place?

This seemed like the longest summer ever, and my running was very laborious.  Global warming (if you believe in that sort of thing) made every weekend run torture, with intervals being the only saving grace.  I plugged along nevertheless, and the first races were finally upon us.  The Flanigan's Rockin' Rib 10K was up first on November 18th, and was a great warmup for the half marathons that would lie ahead.  Renee from Runner’s Depot always does a first-class job with this event, and this year’s race was no different.  Vista View Park welcomed 1,665 runners, including my long-time friend Doug.  The shirts and medals were very nice, and I had a very enjoyable run.

 

Next up was the race that started it all…Tamarac Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning.  What made this even sweeter, both Lindsey and Rachel were in town for the holidays.  Lindsey and I would run the race, with both Glenda and Rachel cheering on 1,805 runners at the finish line. Another enjoyable race; now on to bigger and better things…Space Coast.

 

This is a race that everyone has talked about since the day I started running.  I’ve never heard anything but great reviews, and it was something I was encouraged to add to my running bucket list.  Legend has it that the race sells out in a matter of days, and I should jump on it early.  One drawback…it is Thanksgiving weekend.  You know what that means…UF vs. FSU.  That limits my entry to even years (when the game is in Tallahassee), and Lindsey and I decided early on that this would be our year.  We registered right away, and picked the new North course.  That’s right, there were now two courses, with the full marathoners running both.  Since my childhood friend Doug (who has been running Gasparilla with us the past few years) lives in Titusville, getting him to register was an easy sell.  Rachel was headed back up to Tallahassee on Friday to go to the game, so Glenda was all in on going to Cocoa Beach with us.

We left Friday afternoon around 1:30pm, and arrived at the Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach around three hours later.  Jen had stayed there several times, and it was one of the host hotels for the race.  The room was very nice, and we grabbed an early supper at the Sandbar Sports Grill (another recommendation from Jen).  We walked on the beach for a bit, shopped at the giant Ron Jon Surf Shop, and capped the evening off by indulging in some outstanding key lime pie at Florida Key Lime Pie Company.

The expo opened at 9am on Saturday, and we wanted the get there bright and early.  The UF/FSU football game was a 12 noon kickoff, and we didn’t want to rush.  The expo was at the Radisson Resort at the Port, which was very close to our hotel.  I assumed that the expo would be big, kind of like Gasparilla or Miami; boy was I wrong.  Considering the amount of runners entered in this race, the expo was extremely small.  Brooks was a major sponsor, but the merchandise was pretty weak.  That being said, the race shirts were outstanding.  We met up with Doug, stalled for as long as we could, and made our way back to the hotel.  With more time on our hands before kickoff than anticipated, we went back to the Florida Key Lime Pie Company.  Besides the deserts, they had an extensive selection of wine.  Since Glenda and I have recently become wine “connoisseurs,” we purchased six bottles for our new wine rack.  We sat down for lunch in the hotel’s sports bar to feast and watch the football game.  During halftime, we went back up to the room. Glenda and Lindsey would nap, and I cheered the Orange and Blue onto victory.  Another walk on the beach during sunset, supper again at the Sandbar Sports Grill, and back upstairs for an extremely early bedtime.

 

One of the advantages of staying at a host hotel for the race was the shuttle bus that would pick us up and take us to the start.  The disadvantage to this was the bus was coming at 4am!  There would be a second bus at 4:45am, but it was suggested to go for the first one.  We were downstairs at 3:50am with 30 of our closest friends.  It was after 4am, with no bus in sight.  The person in charge seemed very pensive, and we knew that something was just not right.  Apparently, dispatch for the busses for all the guest hotels did not get the memo that the race was starting at 6am.  It was now just after 5am, and everyone (I’m guessing around 50 runners) were all downstairs, and in a mild state of panic.  Ten minutes later, three busses arrived, and we scrambled to get a seat.  The starting line was only 15 minutes away; you could hear a collective sigh of relief when we got there.  We met up with Doug, who would be running the South course.
 

The race started by Cocoa Riverfront Park, which is located by Cocoa Village.  It was very pretty, and the street was roped off for the South course (on the left), and the North course (on the right).  5,533 runners (4,712 for the half; 821 for the full) took their mark, and we were off and running.  Lindsey had not run too much recently, and we debated doing intervals.  I set my watch, but we would only do it if we were hurting.  Thankfully, we ran the entire race.  We never actually looked at a course map, but I guess we would be running past the space center.  Boy was I wrong.  The entire race (which was an out-and-back) had very expensive homes on one side, and water on the other.  The closest we got to anything was the vehicle assembly center off in the distance.  Don’t get me wrong…the course was very scenic; just not what I expected.  It was comparable to Gasparilla or Mount Dora, but I was hoping for rocket ships!  It was foggy most of the morning, which kept the sun at bay.  I had a relatively easy run, but Lindsey had some shin splints early on.  The finisher medals were outstanding, and we also got a beach towel.  The best part of the race…I beat Doug 😀.  The after party was amazing, with everything from pancakes to pizza (and of course beer).  Doug was nice enough to drive us back to our hotel, where Lindsey took a shuttle to the Orlando Airport.

 

 

 

  

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.  I’m not really sure what all the hype was about, but I would certainly recommend this race.  Nice course, outstanding bling, and a great way to end your Thanksgiving weekend.


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