GEORGIA HALF MARATHON - 03/20/2016

As hard as this may be to believe, I have never competed in a race outside of the Sunshine State.  The Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon has always been on my radar, especially since I have friends who live in Atlanta.  When Betsy and Mark invited me to their daughter’s wedding on March 20th, who knew the race would be the same day?  With the future of my knee “hanging” in the balance, I decided to go for the half marathon.  As my knee pain totally disappeared, I actually contemplated super-sizing to the full marathon; with no training for the additional distance, I decided to play it safe.  Glenda was not able to fly up with me, as we were in New York the previous week for my cousin Aidan’s Bar Mitzvah.  She is over-the-top busy this time of year, so I took Rachel as my plus-one.

We flew out at 5:40am, and the highlight of the flight was a girl who puked her brains out as soon as we touched down.  After 15 minutes of very loud spewing, she comes out of the restroom and says to the flight attendant “I’m sorry, I threw up in there.”  Ya think?  The whole plane started laughing when she said that.  It was quite the symphony.  I booked a room at the Omni Atlanta At CNN Center, since it was literally a stone’s-throw away from the start of the race.  Our room was not ready when we arrived, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat in the CNN food court.  The race expo was right next door at the Georgia World Congress Center, which was a gigantic building.  We took a walk over, and I picked up my race packet.  Mizuno was the official sponsor, which was a first for me.  I picked up a race jacket to add to my collection, as well as an Atlanta Track Club jacket and shirt.  We had plans to meet up with my friend Susan to visit the College Football Hall of Fame, which was also conveniently located outside our hotel.  This exhibit actually exceeded my expectations, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves college football.  After we said our goodbyes to Susan, I dropped Rachel off at a friend’s house, and met up with Betsy and Mark for dinner.

 

 

 

We slept in on Saturday, and took a quick walking tour of some of the more historical buildings in downtown Atlanta.  Rachel made plans to see more of her friends for lunch.  After I dropped her off, I went to see Betsy and Mark at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina (where the wedding would be taking place).  I hung out in the hospitality suite with them until I got the call from Rachel to pick her up, and we then took a quick stroll through Centennial Olympic Park.

 

 

 

Race time on Sunday morning was 7am, but of course I woke up at 5am.  It was 43 degrees, but absolutely no wind at all…Perfect running weather!  There were 7,324 participants for this event (1,381 for the full and 5,943 for the half), and I was totally impressed how organized the start of the race was.  There was no pushing and shoving, as each corral started three minutes apart.

I was very lethargic for the first four miles of the race.  The knee felt great, considering it was not the usual flat running I’m used to in South Florida.  That being said, the race was not as hilly as I was led to believe.  There were lots of ups-and downs, but no killer hills like Gainesville.  The original forecast for the weekend was rain, but there was not a cloud in the sky!

 

 
After the four-mile mark, I was really starting to hit my stride.  The course was very scenic, and we ran past both Georgia Tech and Georgia State University towards the end of the race.  Of course, I had to stop and pee several times, but what else is new?

 

As I crossed the finish line, I had plenty of energy, as Rachel snapped several photos with my new Nikon D7200.  The medal was just okay, and the race shirt was nothing to write home about.  That being said, I would definitely do this race again.

 

 

 

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GASPARILLA DISTANCE CLASSIC - FEBRUARY 20-21, 2016

Taking less than ten hours to get to Tampa was not the best thing that happened this weekend.

I had such a blast running this event last year, I was literally counting down the days until this year’s festivities.  I have to say, this is by far and away my favorite weekend for running.  With my knee seemingly in “remission,” the only thing I really had to decide was which races I was actually going to run.  I signed up for the Ultra Challenge, which consists of a 15K & 5K on Saturday, and the Half Marathon & 8K on Sunday.  My “medical team” had urged me to go easy, even though I had been running pain free for the past month.  During the drive up (which only took four hours this year), I made the decision that I would probably skip the 8K on Sunday.  The 5K on Saturday was still up in the air, but I would probably make that a game-time decision.  A bunch of the Turtles were coming over from Ocala, along with Jen, Mandy, and Tasha.  My long time friend Doug was coming from Titusville, and we would be sharing a room.  I made reservations at the Westin Tampa Habour Island really far in advance.  The parking was a breeze, and the view from our room wasn’t too shabby. Doug and I both made it in around the same time, and we walked over to the expo (literally right next door). The race shirts were very nice, and we got to take our picture with Tampa Bay Bucs (and former Florida Gator) wide receiver Louis Murphy.

 

Doug had a previous dinner engagement, so I decided to go back to the expo with Robin, Melissa, Judy, Stephanie, and Deb.  Once Jen, Mandy, Tasha and Beth (Tasha’s friend) joined us, it was now time for the big decision…where to eat.  Mandy wanted to dine at Jackson’s, since they were only staying one night.  Robin’s contingent was staying both nights, and we decided we would do Jackson’s on Saturday.  In our quest for Italian cuisine, we inadvertently ended up eating at the same place as last year (not that this was a bad thing).

The 15K on Saturday started at 7am, so we all met in the lobby at 6:30.  After a few photos, we made our way to the starting line.  There were 32,150 entrants for the entire weekend, with 6,332 runners for this race.  Everyone from our group was running the 15K, including Lisa and Chuck.  They drove in that morning, and we met up with them at the start.  Doug is still relatively new to running, and decided to keep up with a pace group.  Jen would be my running buddy for this race, and everyone else partnered up as well.  I felt really good during the run, and we even ran into a few giraffes.  It was 57 degrees at the start, and it warmed up pretty quickly.  Jen and I hadn’t run a race together for a long time, and it was fun to catch up (no pun intended).  As I crossed the finish line, the knee felt great, and I was at least going to walk the 5K.  After many more photos, I said goodbye to the ladies and made my way over to the start of the 5K.

With 14,057 entrants, the 5K was jammed packed to say the least.  This race starts in four waves, and it’s bumper-to-bumper for the first mile.  I decided to at least try and run in the beginning, but felt good enough to run the entire race.  After picking up my medal, I met everyone for a few cocktails, and then lunch at the Columbia Café Riverwalk (along with more cocktails).  Doug joined us, and you could have not asked for better weather or company.  I made a quick stop to the expo after lunch to register for the Clearwater Half Marathon next January.  They were having a half-off special, and Jen had already signed up.  The rest of the day consisted of nap…dinner…beddy-bye.

 

The half marathon on Sunday started at 6am, so it was an early rise-and-shine.  To be honest, I had no idea how I would feel when I woke up that morning.  For one thing, I had not run this kind of distance on back-to-back days since Gasparilla last year.  Additionally, how would my knee feel?  It’s been all-good recently, but would this race burst my bubble?  The first question was answered when I rolled out of bed.  I was not sore at all, including my knee.  Doug and I were the only two running this race, but the other ladies would be there at some point to support us.  6,558 runners took their mark, and we were off and running.  My knee could not have felt better.  I was so happy, and could only hope this would translate into a very enjoyable run.  However, I was really dragging.  I attributed this to the amount of mileage I was running this weekend, but this had to be the longest half marathon of my life.  Since I was running “lone-wolf,” I had my music with me.  Ironically, the song playing on my iPod as I crossed the finish line was “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers Band.  I made the executive decision to walk the entire 8K, as the ladies would be making their way back to Ocala.

 

Moving forward (again, no pun intended), I don’t think I will register for the 8K next year.  After finishing 13.1 miles, who wants to run another 5 miles?  Apparently a vast majority of the 5,203 entrants felt the same way, as many of them decided to walk.  I enjoyed taking in the sights, and grabbed some photos as well.  I met a new friend along the way (Jennifer) and we stayed together for the last two miles.  As I eventually crossed the finish line, I was ecstatic that my knee felt great, and the weekend was a complete success.

 

 

As I drove back home, what trip to Tampa would be complete without seeing the dreaded “I-75 closed ahead” sign?  I was able to dodge this bullet with minimal inconvenience, and made it home in less than ten hours.



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MIAMI HALF MARATHON - 01/24/2016

2016 is certainly off to a "running" start...see what I just did there?

Having just completed four consecutive training runs without any knee pain, I was pretty stoked to take on Miami.  However, this year would be different.  This would be the first time I would be running the race “lone wolf.”  None of my friends from Ocala were participating (despite free room and board), so I would have to don the headphones and go it alone. On a positive note, the weather was going to be in the mid 40s to low 50s, which is always an unexpected pleasure in South Florida.

I decided to go to the expo on Friday, since I was already in North Miami for work.  Due to the construction on the Venetian Causeway, the expo was moved from the Miami Beach Convention Center to Mana Wynwood.  This is not the best part of town, and it rained all day.  Once I figured out where to park, I went inside and picked up my race packet.  This was a smaller venue, but they had the same amount of vendors.  The drive home was adventurous to say the least, as my fellow South Florida drivers were all in over-cautious mode.

Since my OCD in life is finding a parking spot, I always get to this race über early.  This race starts at 6am, as opposed to the traditional 7am start.  Needless to say, I probably woke up when most night-owls are first going to bed.  It was lights out around 9pm, with an early 2am wakeup call.  I was out the door at 3am, and in my parking spot around 4am.  One of the advantages of leaving before the crack of dawn is that you get to experience I-95 in Miami with little or no traffic.  I also get to park right at the American Airlines Arena, which is where the race starts.  As I got out of my car, the guy parked next to me started up a conversation.  He actually had a longer distance to travel than I did (Wellington), and gave me a play-by-play of his hike down south.  He also told me that he has participated in over 100 half marathons (mostly out of state), but only three full marathons.  I enjoyed the early morning banter, but he was a little too intense for me.  We parted ways around 4:30am, and I made my way to my corral.  Only a spattering of runners had arrived at this point, so it was easy to walk around. It was now 46 degrees, but the wind was blowing at around 20 miles per hour.  Oh my goodness…it was cold!  I had to stand in front of the porta-potties just to block the wind.  I wore a long sleeve ColdGear shirt and a snazzy racing jacket I picked up at the expo, but I really could have used a throwaway sweatshirt.  I knew I forgot something when I left the house!

As race time approached, I just wanted to start moving already.  I could tell the 17,529 participants (14,484 for the half and 3,045 for the full) echoed the same sentiments.  Once the gun sounded, it took about 17 minutes for me to officially start the race.  At that point, the wind was a total nonfactor, and I was very comfy.  About one mile into the run, I stopped to take a photo of one of the cruise lines.  This reminded me just how much I love this race, and that the early wakeup time and the drive were totally worth it.

As the sun came up, there was not a cloud in the sky...absolutely perfect running conditions.  The course was modified this year to accommodate the construction on the Venetian Causeway.  We still got to run through South Beach, but we did have to run out and back on the MacArthur Causeway.

I had to suffer looking at all the sailboats on the way back, but I was a real trooper.

Being Jewish, I could not help but notice just how many Orthodox Jews participate in this race every year.  They seemed to be broken up into two teams, decked out with their  Yamakas and Tzitzit.

The knee felt good, and to tell you the truth, I did not psych myself out over the potential pain.  At mile marker ten, I remember thinking that I was sorry the race would soon be over.  Crossing the finish line reminded me just how much I love running.  If that weren't enough, I only had to stop and pee two times!  Winning!

As I drove home, I called my friends Lenny, Mary and Robyne.  The excitement in my voice probably sounded as if I completed my first race.

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MOUNT DORA HALF MARATHON - 12/20/2015

To say that this race could be the make or break moment for my future running career could be overly dramatic, but let’s go for it anyway.

I have been battling this knee injury all year.  The Patella Tracking Disorder was cured several months ago, but the pain in my knee has not gone away.  My medical team has tried everything, but it’s been a real head-scratcher.  Five miles seems to be my pain limit, and I’ve run significantly less mileage this year than any year previously.  I had signed up for this race way in advance, and was determined to complete this sucker no matter what.  Two weeks prior, I did a five-mile run, and felt pretty good.  Afterwards, my knee was very sore, and was not able to run the entire week.  On top of everything else, I got sick.  Since it never takes me less than four weeks to get better, I would be running Mount Dora with a cold and a bum knee.  With this new-found misery, I make the decision to rest the knee one more week, and sacrifice the cardio.  As luck would have it, I had an appointment with Yasmin on Friday (two days before the race).  After my medical tune-up, Glenda and I hit the road to celebrate our anniversary in style.

We made a reservation at the Mount Dora Historic Inn, and got a cottage all to ourselves.  A cold front had moved in for the weekend, with temperatures expected to be in the forties and fifties.  I was feeling like crap, but we treated ourselves to a great supper at the Goblin Market Restaurant.  I went to bed über early, and Glenda stayed up watching holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel.  I rolled out of bed around 10am on Saturday, but still felt ragged out.  We went to pick up my race packet, and spent the day sightseeing and shopping.  After taking photos of the amazing holiday lights, it was getting too cold for Glenda to walk around anymore, so it was back to the cottage for more holiday movies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I woke up at 5am on race day, and did some stretching, taping and hot showering before we made our way to the starting line.  This day was special, not only because of the race, but it was also our 34th wedding anniversary.  The temperature at the start was 48 degrees, which made the 649 participants truly feel as if they were running in a winter wonderland.  The knee felt really good when the gun sounded, but this injury has been very unpredictable.

Everything felt as good as I could hope for during the first four miles, as it would be an unrealistic expectation on my part to run pain free.  It was at this point that I started to get a cramp in my right calf, which of course would give me two injuries to battle.  The cramp is something that has been happening during my last few runs, but I had hoped the compression socks would keep it under control.  Now with two very different types of pain to think about, this had all the makings of the most agonizing race ever!  Fortunately, neither injury got to the point that I could not run anymore, so I got to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mount Dora.  The knee brace on my left leg certainly came in handy, as I was able to tighten it up when necessary.

 

 

The last two miles were a little difficult, but I think that was more psychological than anything else.  I was able to sprint the last part of the race, and Glenda snapped a great photo of me crossing the finish line.  My finishing time was my worst since my first half marathon, but the fact that I was able to complete the race in one piece was a very big moral victory.  As I began my post-race stretching, the knee felt better than expected, and kept the dream alive for at least the Miami Half Marathon in January.

 

 

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TAMARAC TURKEY TROT – 11/26/2015

As I battle this peaky knee injury for what seems like an eternity, I give thanks that I was able to run this race pain free.  It also reminded me just how different the culture of a 5K race is, compared to a marathon or half marathon.

For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis, you know that the Tamarac Turkey Trot is the race that started it all for me way back in 1996.  At this point in my running career, the Tamarac Turkey Trot is the only 5K race that I run, both out of nostalgia and tradition.  This is a very popular family institution, with 1,816 participants who obviously don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to cook their turkeys..  Lindsey and Rachel both joined me, so it was a great way to start the holiday weekend.  That being said, I was reminded just how “annoying” a large family run like this can be.

1. The slower runners and walkers are supposed to go to the back.  I guess the term slow is up for interpretation, but I can assure you I’m no Scarlet Speedster myself.  However, if you are planning on walking right from the start, you should not be up front.  It’s very frustrating to the other runners, especially since it is like a cattle call at the starting line of the race.
2. Many adults run with their kids; some of them are very young.  It’s great family bonding, and it gives everyone a very satisfying sense of accomplishment.  If you fall into this category, please stay off to the right side of the road.  Many of the youngsters cannot keep up the pace, and randomly stop several times.  I’m a big guy, and I would hate to step on a little kiddie.  I also find it interesting that many parents use this race to whip their kids into shape, as the “Drill Sargent” in many moms and dads seem to rear their ugly heads.
3. As touched in previous blogs, the ultimate showoff move involves the runners who have already finished the race.  They will run or walk in the opposite direction of the runners who have yet to finish and will do one of the following:
1. They are doing a “cool-down” run.  Yeah…right.  I guess I've never been bubbling over with that much energy.
2. They are walking towards their car.  Why not park where the other 1,800 folks parked.
3. They will shout words of encouragement like “Keep it up, you’re almost there,” or “You’re doing a great job.”  My responses are the following: “Thank you Mr. GPS,” and “If I were doing great, I’d be finished like you, but NOT being a pompous ass like you and walking in the opposite direction.”

Not really a big laundry list of annoyances, but just a reminder of what I’ve been missing by not running these shorter races.  All in all, it was a great time, and I’m especially thankful to have the physical ability to participate in this and other races.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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12 DUMB THINGS PEOPLE SAY TO RUNNERS

 

You love to run. Simple and sweet.

What you don’t love, though, is the annoying stuff non-runners say to runners. Has anyone said any of these to you?

1. You don’t look like a runner.
Gee, thanks. Yes, I know I don’t look like a gazelle. Not everyone is an elite. Being mainly skinny with muscular quads and calves is not a requirement to be part of this club, you know. We come in all shapes and sizes!

2. I wish I could do that.
Well, if you made an effort, maybe you could, too!

3. You’re lucky you’re so athletically blessed.
This is right up there with you’re so lucky you’re naturally fit/skinny/healthy. No — it’s because I get out there, bust my butt and train!

4. Did you win?
Why yes — I won a banana, a finisher’s medal, all-you-can-eat bagels, the satisfaction of completing the distance and great company with lots of people high on endorphins.

5. Don’t you get tired?
Nope. I am Super Runner. I’m immune to the usual effects of physical exertion. That’s why I win every time.

6. Don’t you get bored?
No way. I delight in putting one foot in front of the other monotonously for miles and miles. (Especially on the treadmill!) Yes, sometimes it’s boring. But if you give it a chance, you’ll find what’s so amazing about it.

7. I only run if something is chasing me.
Like I haven’t heard that one before? I know, you’re just trying to be funny. But it just isn’t.

8. Haven’t you heard of that guy who died during that race?
Sure, there are the occasional unfortunate incidences of someone collapsing to his or her death while running. But what about the other hundreds of thousands of people whose health has been drastically improved by the sport? What about the higher incidence of people dropping dead because of obesity-related diseases preventable by such exercise? I’ll take my chances on running, thank you very much.

9. Running is bad for your knees.
You know who you don’t hear saying this much? People who actually run. Just so you know — running actually strengthens the knees, according to the most recent research. Conversely, sitting around is bad for all of your joints…and your heart…and your arteries…and your lungs…and your mental health….

10. Do you need a ride?
I’m amazed how often this happens to me. Do they not see that I am in full running gear, exercising on purpose? Are they just trying to hit on me? Or trying to kidnap me?

11. Do you know how to get to (X location)?
I just love it when people stop their vehicle in the middle of the road to ask me for directions. Do I look like a map? Don’t you have navigation on your phone? Can you not interrupt my workout, please?

12. Run, Forrest, run!
This one wins the award for the ultimate most annoying running remark. Seriously. Be original, people. It’s not the least bit amusing anymore.

By Lindsay Kunkel 

*Courtesy of RunHaven

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