THE MELBOURNE MUSIC HALF MARATHON - 02/01/2015

As I embarked on my third half marathon in as many weeks, two thoughts were going through my mind: A race that I have not participated in before, and only a two-and-one-half hour drive to get to Melbourne.  Jen ran this race last year, and had nothing but great things to say about the experience.  I was unable to run with her, since it was scheduled the same day as the Miami Marathon.  There would be no conflict this year, and we both registered way in advance (along with Marlo).  My long-time friend Doug chose this race last year to run his first ever half marathon, and registered once again this year.  Throw in a fun bunch of Turtles, and now the weekend had all the signs of a truly great adventure.

I left my house around noon on Saturday, and drove straight to the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront, the site of the expo.  After going to the expo in Miami, it’s safe to say that this one was a bit more “intimate.”  I did purchase a pair of TAC compression socks, as well as a RooSport magnetic pocket.  The shirts were just okay, but we got a hat as an added bonus.  I’m not a big fan of white tech shirts, and all of the artwork was on the back of the shirt (not a fan of that either).  Jen, Marlo and I checked into our hotel, and proceeded to make plans for dinner.  Jen selected the Island Pasta Company, and we rendezvoused with Angel, Jill, Niki, Angela, Doug, and his wife Mary.  The food was tremendous, and the service was even better.  After a quick detour to Starbucks, it was back to the hotel for an early curfew.

The race start time was 7:05am, and our hotel was very close to the venue.  I set my alarm for 5am, but woke up much earlier than that. It took us five minutes to get there, and parking was a breeze.  We met up with the gang for some pre-race photos, and made our way to the starting line.  There were a total of 1,356 participants running both the full and half marathons (226 for the full, and 1,130 for the half).  Since I would be “flying solo” for this race, I had a gut feeling that a PR could be in my future.  With my iPod and bluetooth headphones in place, I was ready to rock and roll (pun intended).

I got off to a quick start, and was feeling really good.  There was live music at almost every mile, which added to the excitement of the race.  With the exception of running over the bridge, the course was basically very flat.  It was about five degrees warmer than last week’s race in Miami, but it never got really hot.  I ran strong and steady the entire time, and knew it was going to be close to setting a new PR.  I was a little disappointed in the aesthetics of the course, but I think that my expectation level was probably too loftily.  I’m pretty sure Clearwater and Miami in back-to-back weeks set the bar too high.

With a little more than one mile to go, I knew that going back over the bridge was going to all but kill my chances for that elusive PR.  That being said, I crossed the finish line with my best time in over five years!  Needless to say, I was ecstatic with the results.  Doug missed his target time by three minutes, but was very satisfied with his performance.

The food and drink after the race was top notch.  It included beer, pizza, Dunkin Donuts, and Pollo Tropical.    Overall, I was very pleased with the event, and would definitely consider running this race again.

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MIAMI HALF MARATHON - 01/25/2015

 

As I ran down the streets of downtown Miami, right before hitting mile marker 13, I did something I had not done since 2007.  Instead of making that familiar right turn to take on the next 13.1 miles, I went straight ahead towards the finish line.  For those of you who have followed my blog from the beginning, you know that the 2007 Miami Half Marathon was my first half marathon.  Since then, I have always participated in the full 26.2 event.  With 16 marathons under my belt (and one ultra marathon), my desire to compete in any race longer than a half marathon is just not there right now.  Most of my “running” friends have turned their attention towards CrossFit, and have no real desire to run anymore.  Getting them to run a full marathon with me would be futile at this point, as I’m thankful they are running at all.  With all the recent physical issues I’ve experienced, now is probably not the best time to press my luck.  If I were to run more marathons, I would like to try something new.  This could obviously change, but this is my mindset right at the moment.  With that being said, I was looking forward to crossing the finish line and actually seeing people (and food) still around.

Jen, Mary and Pam came down on Friday afternoon.  Jen had decided earlier in the week that she would not be participating in the race, but wanted to see her South Florida family.  We met Glenda for lunch, and headed down to the Miami Beach Convention Center for the expo.  The great thing about going to this race expo on Friday (as opposed to Saturday) is the smaller crowd.  The race shirts were very nice, and we all walked out having made a purchase or two (or three).

 It was back down to Miami on Saturday, as we paid a visit to Zoo Miami.  I think the last time I went to this zoo was back in 1992, right before Hurricane Andrew decimated it.  The weather was totally overcast, and the temperature was around 72 degrees. Perfect conditions for checking out the animals and taking photos.

The weather forecast for the race was 53 degrees at race start, with a high of 62 degrees at the finish.  This was an unbelievable surprise, as the temperature for this race has historically been much higher.  For some reason, it took us no time at all to get down to Miami.  In fact, we were in our parking space at the American Airlines Arena before 4am; that was the good news.  The bad news was they had not unlocked the port-a-potties yet.  There is always one restroom open in Bayside, but it was nasty from the night before (beggars can’t be choosers).  We sat in the car for a bit, and made our way to the starting line around 5:15.  It was very windy, which made it seem colder than it really was.  In total there were 15,905 participants (significantly less than the record crowd of 21,854 from last year).  2,748 runners would participate in the full, and 13,157 runners would take on the half.  For some reason, the start of the race was delayed 15 minutes, and our corral did not cross the starting line until 7am.

This was Mary’s first time running this race.  She is a bit slower than Pam and me, but we all stuck together to help her PR this bad boy.  The cool weather made for absolute perfect running conditions.  In fact, I can’t remember ever running a race were the weather was this ideal.  I wore a short sleeve shirt with compression sleeves, and never had to take the sleeves off.  This course showcases some of the most picturesque areas of Miami Beach, including South Beach.  Mary ran a very strong race, but her toes started cramping around the eight-mile mark.  After a quick massage by “Dr. Jay,” we were back on track.  The wind had totally died down, and the sun was out full force.  All of this was a constant reminder of why I never get tired of this course.

 

 

As we approached the finish line, I actually felt as if I could have done the full marathon.  Pam and I did our best to encourage Mary to keep up the pace, but you could tell that she was totally spent.  She missed a PR by 40 seconds, but we were really proud of her.  The finisher’s medals were very nice (as usual), and we actually made it back to my house before noon.

I’ve already signed up for next year, but I don’t think any of my friends will be running with me.  I did get my friend April to sign up, so I’m hoping we can run together (this will be her first half marathon).  Either way, the countdown begins.

 

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CLEARWATER HALFATHON - 01/18/2015

The Clearwater Halfathon is quickly becoming one of my favorite races, if not my favorite.  In fact, Jen and I even contemplated doing the full marathon this year.  Taking into consideration my recent injury (and Jen having the flu), it would have proved to be a mistake of epic proportions.  Well, maybe not epic, but you get the idea.

I drove up to Jen on Saturday morning, and we spent the day in Gainesville. We went to visit Angel later in the afternoon, and then an early dinner at Gator’s Dockside in the Villages.  I was pretty beat after that, and went to bed around 9:30 pm, knowing that we would be out the door by 4:00 am on Sunday.

Clearwater is about two hours from Jen’s house; needless to say, there was not much traffic on the road.  It was pretty cold last year when we did the race, but the weather would be almost perfect for this year’s event (56 degrees when the race started).  We picked up our race packet, and were immediately disappointed with the shirt.  It was long sleeve cotton, and the design was nothing special.  In my opinion, you should expect nothing less than a tech shirt when you run a marathon or a half marathon.  Apparently, I was not the only one who felt that way.

As we waited for the race to start, there were 362 runners for the full marathon, 781 runners participating in the half, 439 runners doing the 5K, and 135 runners brave enough to take on the 50K Ultra.  My right knee had been bothering me recently, and it turned out to be a condition known as Patellar Tracking Disorder.  This means that the kneecap (patella) shifts out of place as the leg bends or straightens. In most cases, the kneecap shifts too far toward the outside of the leg. My brother diagnosed it for me a couple of weeks ago, and gave me some exercises to correct the condition.  Thankfully, it was nothing that would prevent me from running in the future.

It was more overcast than last year, which made the running conditions ideal.  As we made our way over the bridge, we saw a runner throw her shirt away.  That’s not really unusual, as many runners buy cheap shirts and sweatpants to toss when they start to warm up.  What was unusual was the force in which she ejected her shirt.  In fact, it made it clear over the bridge.  I told Jen that maybe she was giving it to a homeless person, or she just didn’t know her own strength.  I felt great, but Jen was struggling a bit, due to her recent illness.  I had no pain in my knee, and all was going well.  My only criticism was there were not enough water stations, especially in the beginning.  That being said, the volunteers were very supportive and enthusiastic.

Jen and I separated around six miles into the race.  At that point, I caught up to the woman who tossed her shirt over the bridge.  She told me that it was the race shirt that she jettisoned.  She didn’t really care for it, so she wanted to “donate” it to some homeless people living under the bridge.  The expression “beggars can’t be choosers” came to mind at that point.

I ran really strong the last few miles of the race, and never felt better as I crossed the finish line.  As I waited for Jen, I took time to take a photo with my fellow superheroes.  The finisher’s medals were outstanding, which almost made up for the race shirts.

I HIGHLY recommend this race for the scenery, the course, and the professionalism in which the event was organized.  The beer and the chocolate milk was an added bonus as well.

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THE 12 MILES OF CHRISTMAS - 12/24/2014

Fresh off my triumphant return to the racing circuit, next up would normally be the 12 Miles of Christmas training run, sponsored by Runner’s Depot.

The 12 Miles of Christmas originated four years ago, in an effort to give back to the community.  It’s a great way to get in a long run the day before Christmas, and to burn off all of those calories you are about to eat.  All the runners are asked to bring in a toy, which is donated to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.  In exchange for the toy, the participants receive a technical shirt, courtesy of Brooks.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this run the three years prior, and was looking forward to this year’s event.

Founding Owner Reneé Grant, Co-Owner Chuck Kirsch and General Manager Mike Giacobbe approached me a few months ago to shoot both video and photos for the event.  I have offered my services to Reneé in the past, as I have known her long before she opened the store.  I quickly volunteered Alfred, which thrilled him to no end (especially since he lives close to Homestead).  I decided not to participate in the run, and turn my attention to my craft.  It was probably a good decision, as I was still pretty sore from Mount Dora.

We met up with Reneé, Mike and Chuck around 6am.  The run kicked off around 30 minutes later, and Mike drove both Alfred and me to strategic locations along the course to take photos and video.  I posted 240 photos to my Flickr account, and edited the following video to chronicle the event:



It also occurred to me that this would be a great in-class assignment for my Multimedia Production class, so we shot the following video as well:



Reneé, Mike and Chuck were very pleased and appreciative of the time and effort we put into this project, but the pleasure was all ours…especially around the holidays.

 

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THE MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON - 12/21/2014

During my convalescing period, I was walking around totally pain-free.  I was cautioned by my brother Mark not to be lulled into a false sense of security, as rest was the only way my partially-torn hamstring was going to heal.  Having this in mind, I did conjure up some target events to monitor my progress. The first of these was The Tamarac Turkey Trot, which was just about four weeks since the tear.  As a loyal reader of my blog, you know that this is the race that started it all for me.  Lindsey and Rachel had both entered the run; if nothing else, I could just run at a slower pace with them.  If all went well, I could start training for the Weston Run For Tomorrow Half Marathon on December 14th.  If I weren’t ready, there was always the 12 Miles of Christmas training run on December 24th.  Forecasting past that, my next race would not be until January 18th in Clearwater.

The Tamarac Turkey Trot is one of the more popular 5K races, with over 2,000 participants.  As we made our way to the starting line, with my hamstring tightly taped, I felt cautiously optimistic.  Once the race started, my optimism quickly betrayed me, as my hamstring stated to hurt within the first quarter-mile of the race.  I was able the run the full 3.1 miles, but it hurt the entire time.  This was obviously unexpected, and visions of withdrawing from my next race were dancing in my head.

On December 12th, just two days before Weston, I went out to test the hamstring for the first time since Turkey Trot.  In my delusional mind, if the hamstring held up, I would try to do nine miles on Saturday, and then attempt Weston on Sunday.  However, since Turkey Trot was such a struggle, I was not expecting any holiday miracles.  To my surprise and delight, I ran a totally pain-free five-mile run, and my master plan was now in full swing.  I didn’t understand how I was able to get that much better in just two short weeks, but I must have been a good boy this year.
 
As I sat in front of my computer, an email caught my attention.  It was for the Mount Dora Half Marathon, which I had run the previous two years.  Since none of my friends had entered this year, I declined as well.  Coincidently, the family and I would be meeting our friends Cyndy and Al in Mount Dora for a mini-vacation.  Even more coincidently, the Mount Dora Half Marathon would be taking place the same time we would be there!  You could smell the smoke burning a mile away.  I would skip the Weston Half Marathon, and spend the week training for Mount Dora.  I only had one week to get myself conditioned, but at the same time, I didn’t want to reinjure my hamstring by overdoing it.  My week of training consisted runs of five, six and nine miles.  From a conditioning standpoint, I was a little winded during my six mile run.  More importantly, I felt pain-free after my nine-mile run on Thursday morning.  After this, I officially declared myself ready for Mount Dora.

We drove to Orlando that night, and spent a couple of days in Disney.  To celebrate our mini-vacation, the ladies and I created a mini-documentary of our trip.



We left for Mount Dora on Saturday morning, which is less than one-hour from Orlando.  We were staying at the Lakeside Inn, which was where the race would start and end.  We walked over to the race expo (for lack of a better term), and picked up my bib and shirt.  The shirt and the medal for this race has always been exceptional; this year did not disappoint.  We met up with Cyndy and Al for lunch, and spent the day walking around.  Mount Dora at night is beautiful, and the festival of lights made for some creative photo opportunities.

 

 

 

 

 I rolled out of bed around 5:30am, and made my way to the starting line with plenty of time to spare.  There were 701 runners entered in the half marathon, with another 403 runners doing the 5K a little later.  There were a few of the Ocala Turtles running the race, but I did not spot any of them.  This is a beautiful course, but a little hilly at some points.  The temperature was around 64 degrees when the race started, and climbed to around 72 degrees when it was all said and done.  I had a very easy and enjoyable time, capped off by my family and friends cheering me on at the finish line.  I ran totally pain-free, and was happy that I could officially put my injury behind me.

Lindsey volunteered to drive home after the race, and I was pretty sore the next day.  I had forgotten what it was like to always be in constant pain.

Oh, the life of an athlete.

 

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ON THE SHELF...FOR NOW

I have been competing in races since 1996; to have this kind of longevity, you need to be fortunate enough not to be injury plagued throughout your running career.  During the turn of the century (first time using this phrase), I was hit with a case of Achilles Tendonitis in my left ankle.  This was caused by the increase of mileage I was putting on my body, as I had just made the jump from 5K races to half marathons.  My brother Mark (who is also my doctor and my savior) fixed me up, and I did not miss any significant race time.  Since then, I have run relatively pain and injury free…until now.  I am about to miss my first race ever (the St. Augustine Half Marathon) because of a partially torn hamstring in my left leg.

About three weeks ago, I noticed that my hamstring was a little tight after running during the week.  It appeared to be nothing more and nothing less.  The following Saturday, I went out for my usual long run.  The plan was to do 13.1 miles, as the St. Augustine Half Marathon was only two weeks away.  I had lost close to 20 pounds this summer, and my running times have reflected my newfound skinniness.  I was looking forward to this race, with the prospect of running with my friends Jen and Mary.  During the Saturday morning run, the hamstring was still a little tight, but nothing that prevented me from running pain-free.  Around three miles into the run…BAM!  The hamstring really tightened up to the point that I could hardly run without limping.  I stopped to stretch it out, which seemed to help a little bit.  I decided to keep running, hoping that the pain and tightness would subside.  This was probably a bad decision.  The tightness and the pain got better, and I decided to “just” run 9 miles instead of the 13.1 I had originally planned on doing.  If this had been a race, I could have completed the additional distance.

Since I am always in half-marathon shape, I decided to rest up during the week, and test the hamstring again on the weekend.  Lindsey wanted to go out for a three-mile run on Friday, which was the perfect opportunity to see how the hamstring would respond.  I ran pain-free, with just a little stiffness.  Based on these encouraging results, I decided to try nine miles on Saturday, which was one week before the race.

It was a typical Saturday morning run, as I was out the door before 5am.  The hamstring felt tight, but nothing out of the ordinary.  About two miles into the run, it occurred to me that I should have put a compression sleeve on my thigh.  I was tempted to go back to get one, but I obviously made the wrong decision.  I was now in Cypress Park, and more than five miles into the run.  As I was circling the soccer fields, the pain came out of nowhere!  This time, it was obvious that I was not going to be able to gut it out, and decided it best to go straight home.  Only one problem…my house is over three miles away from the park!  I considered calling Glenda to come and pick me up, but I knew she was still asleep.  I hobbled back the rest of the way, which was very painful.  I knew this could not be a good thing.

As soon as I got home, I put an ice pack on the hamstring.  I’m pretty sure I should have put the ice pack over my shorts and not directly on the hamstring, as I burned the bejeebers out of my thigh.  Since the race was now one week away, I asked Mark to come over and evaluate the hamstring for me.  I hate to call him about medical issues when he is not in the office, but he was going on vacation this week.  I did not have an appointment scheduled for this week at his office, so I wanted to be very proactive and cautious about the injury.

Mark told me that I had a partially torn hamstring, and the best treatment for this injury was rest.  He said it typically takes four to six weeks to heal, and obviously it would be best if I did not run at all during this time.  When I told him that I had the St. Augustine Half Marathon this weekend, his advice was to test the hamstring out first before committing to the race.  Mark suggested that I wrap it up as tight as possible, and give it a shot this week.  My plan was to wear a compression sleeve, along with athletic tape.  I would wait until Wednesday to run five miles, as this seemed to be the make-or-break point.  Sadly, I could tell that the hamstring was not feeling well enough, and didn’t even bother to test it out.  It was with great reluctance that I officially announced earlier today that I was withdrawing from the race.

Most people tell me that one of my strongest personality attributes is my common sense.  With five more half marathons and possibly one full marathon scheduled in the coming months, I don’t want this race season to end before it starts.  

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MY NORMAL ROUTINE...THEN & NOW

 

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