Just when you think your favorite race
weekend could not get any better, the bar is raised to a point that would be
hard to beat. I’m getting a little ahead
of myself, so let me start from the beginning.
One of the classes I teach at FIU is Multimedia Production I (RTV
3531). An assignment the students have
to do is to record and edit a chroma key segment, also known as a green
screen. I always provide them an example
to follow, so I recorded and edited one myself.
My segment was called “I Am a Runner” (catchy title, just like this
blog). I talked about my favorite race
weekend, so no script was necessary. In
fact, I actually “nailed” it on the first take.
Once it was edited and posted on YouTube, I sent
the link to the race director Susan; I thought she would get a kick out of
it. Boy…was that an understatement. Susan called me and said the video was AMAZING. “And when I say amazing, I mean amazing in all caps.” Not only that…she also asked if she could post the video on the landing
page of the race website. I was thrilled
and honored, and told her I would help with any videos she may need in the future. I sent her the link to this blog, in which
she replied: “You continue to amaze me with your lovely words about
Gasparilla.”
While Running the Mayberry Half Marathon, I
convinced Elaine to enter Gasparilla; it would be her first time. Lindsey was on the fence for the weekend,
mostly because Miami was moved up one week this year. After twisting her arm for several months
(and taking care of her race entry and airfare), she succumbed to my pressure. Elaine also helped in turning up the heat. Mary and Doug were all in as well,
and we then got word of a special guest appearance by Pam. THE
BAND WAS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN! This would certainly be a weekend to
remember.
Everyone would be arriving around the same
time on Friday except Elaine. Her flight
was coming in at 10pm (she could not find a direct flight any earlier 😩). The
host hotel this year was the Embassy Suites Downtown Tampa, which is connected to the convention center where
the race expo is held. This is the first
time since I’ve been doing this race weekend that I would be staying here; boy…it
did not disappoint! Lindsey, Mary, Pam
and I grabbed lunch, as Doug was still en route. He met us at the restaurant, and we made our
way to the expo. I called Susan in the
hopes of meeting her in person, but obviously she was super-busy (I would
continue to pester her throughout the weekend; I’m really sorry for being such
a noodge Susan). I really liked the race shirts this
year. They were very colorful and a
departure from previous years. The
challenge jackets were colorful as well, but I miss the windbreaker style from
four years ago. Asics was now providing the
official merchandise for the races, replacing Under Armour. They were selling really snazzy looking
compression sleeves, but ran out in the first few hours. I hope they eventually replenish their
supply. This is a great expo, with lots
of good vendors, and plenty of room to walk around (Miami Marathon…please take
note).
The weather for this weekend was pretty cold, which was great for me, but a bummer for Lindsey. As we made our way down for supper, the temperature was around 51˚, and extremely windy. On top of that, our dining experience was extremely unpleasant (I won’t mention the name of the establishment, as that’s not really the purpose of this blog. I’ll say it was a sports bar, and leave it at that). Besides waiting 30 minutes to be seated, we also waited one full hour until our food was served. Our server acted nonchalant (as if it were her first day on the job), and the manager didn’t really seem to care. He gave us 50% off the bill, but we felt as if he should have not made us pay anything at all. On a positive note, the food was very good.
5K 12,022
8K
4,723
15K 5,480
Half
5,050
A total of 27,275
As we met in the lobby at 6:30am on Saturday
morning, there were two “medical updates.”
First, Mary had deferred her race entries, and would not be running this
year. Second, Lindsey had been having
knee pain, due in part to a tight ITband. Her status for the Michelob Ultra Pure Gold Challenge (15K on Saturday and Half Marathon on Sunday) would just
have to unfold. It was 41˚ at the start
of the race, with not very much wind at all.
The running strategy was as follows: Pam would run with me, Elaine would
run with Lindsey, and Doug would do intervals.
The gun sounded at 6:45, and we were off. It was great to do a race with Pam again, as
we always have the best conversations when we run. I had recently purchased a percussion hammer,
and worked myself over for about 20 minutes before the race. Wow, did it make a
difference! This race was effortless for
me, and I only needed to stop twice to pee.
This may be a PPR (personal piss record). The wind was at our back for the first part
of the race, which was a good thing. As
it became warmer towards the end, it was good to have that cool breeze in our
faces. My time was pretty slow, but
extremely enjoyable. As we met the
others at the finish line, Lindsey told me her knee started to hurt after the
first mile, and she had to walk the last two miles (sadly, she still finished
ahead of me). I was saddened to hear
that she would have to skip the half marathon on Sunday, but I’m sure she was bummed
out more than any of us.
We made our way back to the hotel for
breakfast…and what a breakfast it was!
You name it; they had it (and it was included in the price). Jen drove up for the day to spend some time
with us, and she got there just in time for a cup of coffee. Lindsey, Elaine, Doug and I moseyed our way to
the after-party for a well-earned beer and live music. They had really good looking coffee mugs, but
you needed to finish in the top ten-percent of your age group to get one (I
guess I’m going to have to bug Susan one more time). Just in case you were wondering, I did see Meb once again in the elevator; this makes
six years in a row. I told him my video
was on the website, and I was trying be more Gasparilla famous than him. Lindsey told me back in the room that I am embarrassing. After a shower, we went back to the expo,
since Elaine had not been able to go on Friday.
Lindsey and I each bought a medical-grade massager (and by “each bought,”
I mean I foot the bill for both of them).
It looks like something you would buff your car with, but it really digs
deep into your muscles. We did an early
supper at Columbia Café (where else?), and were joined by Jen and Jay (Pam’s sister and
brother-in-law). The food was excellent,
and the service was even better. Back at
the hotel, we were in time for happy hour (also included in our stay). I had a glass of wine for the road, and was
in bed by 8:30.
The half marathon was starting at 6:00am, and
I woke up around 4:15. I went to town on
the percussion hammer, and met everyone in the lobby at 5:30. The weather at race time was 52˚, so no
jacket was needed. I wore compression
sleeves and a short sleeve shirt. Pam
informed me that she would be running with Elaine today, so I would have to fly
solo. It was probably a good thing, as I
didn’t expect my bathroom good fortune from yesterday to hold up again. True to form, I had to stop and pee after one
mile. Lindsey had told Elaine to look for
the iconic saxophone player around the two-mile mark; as anticipated, he was
there. They must have shuttled him ahead,
as I saw him jamming out again four miles into the race.
The sun was out in full force after five miles, and I was able to take
off the compression sleeves. I was not
sore at all, but I did stop at almost every port-o-potty. Truthfully, it was more because I was running
“lone wolf,” as opposed to really having to go.
I saw Elaine and Pam after their turnaround, so they ran with me for a
few steps (what a magnanimous gesture on their part). My pace was actually quicker than the 15K,
and the weather was outstanding. The
course is beautiful, and I truly felt blessed to be there. I even stopped to take a photo with some of
my closest Star Wars friends. We all met
up at the finish line, and the medals were outstanding (as always).
Breakfast back at the hotel, a quick stop to
Publix for Pub Subs for the road, and off to Tampa Airport to drop off Elaine
and Lindsey. Elaine loved the weekend,
and plans on entering again next year. I
had asked Susan to consider me for race ambassador for next year; she told me I
am already an ambassador.
How can you top greatness? The Gasparilla Distance Classic always seems
to know how.
