Back in mid-February I signed Arthur and I up for this short race at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I had always wanted to visit the farm, mostly because the boardwalk is famous for hosting wading birds. Although the race would take place a bit early in the breeding season, I thought the race plus a visit to the farm and then spending some time in historic St. Augustine would make for a nice Saturday outing the following month. A big bonus: the Raptor Run 5K would benefit the Avian Research Conservation Institute, which studies Swallow-tailed Kites through satellite tracking, among other scientific research projects.

As the race date, March 15, approached, the novel coronavirus was continuing to spread, ramping up in the United States. Social distancing was just starting to be recognized as a necessity in order to stop the spread and many races were being cancelled. I had signed up for two races this weekend, and both ended up taking place, which I thought was unfortunate. I didn't attend either one in person. The Raptor Run 3K kindly agreed to send our packets to us in the mail, so we could complete the race virtually. I know they also offered refunds to some runners.

I haven't been a fan of virtual races but I've got some ideas to try to enjoy them more, since there are more than a few in my future.

Virtual Race Beneficiary
The Avian Research Conservation Institute

Virtual Race Goal
I'm so bad at making goals, but I thought maybe I could try to set goals for virtual races to make them more meaningful somehow. I decided to make a goal of sub 25 minutes for this short race of 3K or 1.87 miles. I aimed to run:walk 90:45 for the duration.

Race Day: April 11, 2020
The Raptor Run 3K was organized as a physical race that I opted to do virtually after the fact. The physical race took place on March 15, 2020. April 11 was a perfect cool morning for running, with a temperature of 63°F, 68% humidity and clear skies.

Mile 1 (1.6K): 12:21
I ran familiar streets of my neighborhood. I've been avoiding our popular trail system in favor of the more empty residential streets. It's easier to avoid running into people, I'm not getting surprised by passing bikes, and I'm always relatively close to home.

I know it's not good to pace-shame oneself but I've been quite bummed about being so slow lately. It felt good to push it a little bit this morning.

Mile .89 (1.43K): 10:26 (11:47 pace)
I finished in under 23 minutes, better than my sub-25 goal.

Swag
For this race I received an extremely comfortable cotton unisex t-shirt and a custom medal.

Recommendation
I was very grateful for the race director to offer to send our packets to us in the mail. I certainly hope to run this race on location in the future.

Garmin GPS elapsed time: 22:47

Cost: $26.50

Report written April 11, 2020

I participated in the third annual House Next Door Family 5K at Gemini Springs in DeBary. The race benefits The House Next Door charity.

Training & Goals
I'm still slowly (very slowly) easing back into running following a chronic Achilles issue that resulted in a loss of fitness and increase in weight over the last year or so. My knees have been hurting a lot lately so I probably am going to need some help with them. My Achilles still feels weak but it seems that doing the stretching and strengthening exercises keeps the lingering pain away.

I had pretty low expectations for this race. I planned to run/walk at :90/:45 which is what I'd been doing for the last couple of training runs. I've also been working on trying to midfoot to forefoot strike, which my knees like a lot. So I was hoping to do this for the entire race, too.

Race Day: March 7, 2020
I rode my bike over to Gemini Springs on race morning. I was so cold when I left the house that I turned around to fetch a hat and a jacket before setting off again. I got my packet, parked my bike, and then stood around in my hat and three top layers until about 5 minutes before race time. It was about 50°F with 54% humidity and bright sunny skies when the race began at 8AM.

Mile 1: 13:07
The course was a simple out-and-back on the Spring-to-spring trail, part of my local running route when I run from home. This race used the OK-Corral pavilion in the back of the dog park as the start/finish, so we were out on the trail right from the mats.

Mile 2: 12:50
There was one water stop at the turn-around. I felt like I was struggling some but I managed to keep up my intervals, with a slight adjustment for the water stop and turn-around.

Mile 3+: 12:32, 1:30
It was nice to see one of the park's Bald Eagles perched on a utility pole above the path on the way back to the finish line. I was able to keep up my intervals for the whole race. I had a good forefoot strike rhythm going for the first two miles but had to switch it up a bit for the last mile as my feet and calves started to feel tight. Pretty happy with the negative splits even though I'm still so slow.

After the Race
There was an ample spread of fruit and water at the finish line. A few vendors and sponsers were out with promo freebies. Before the award ceremony, a drum corps of youngsters performed for the crowd.

Recommendation
This was a really small race, with just 148 participants. Course support was pretty good, with volunteers spread out on the trail to cheer us on -- unexpected during a race with no need for course pointers. The one water stop was good and ready to serve the runners. I love running the beautiful Spring-to-spring trail. And it's a great local cause. Recommended especially for locals.

Chip time: 39:57 (been keeping it under 40 so far this year when I've tried)
Placement details: 12/23 in AG, 76/148 overall
Race Amenities: Cotton unisex t-shirt, pretty nice custom medal
Cost: $33.75

Report written March 8, 2020

This was the second time I participated in this local race that benefits Citrus Grove Elementary School in Deland, Florida. When I ran Groovin' at the Grove in 2016 it was free because it was on my birthday.

Training & Goals
I'm still slowly easing back into running following a chronic Achilles issue that resulted in a loss of fitness and increase in weight over the last year or so. My knees have been hurting a lot lately so I probably am going to need some help with them. My Achilles still feels weak but it seems that doing the stretching and strengthening exercises keeps the lingering pain away.

I haven't been feeling super motivated lately so weekday runs haven't been consistent. I had pretty low expectations for this race. I planned to run|walk at 1:30|:45 which is what I'd been doing for the last couple of training runs. The change from :45|:30 seems to be going alright.

Race Day: February 29, 2020
I left home at around 7AM, giving me plenty of time to get the car parked and pick up my packet and get back to the starting line for the 8AM start. It was about 46°F with 87% humidity and bright sunny skies for the start. Nice running weather.

Mile 1: 13:10
The first mile takes runners from the school grounds through nearby neighborhood streets. On several street corners, local families were out cheering with pom-poms, signs, and music.

Mile 2: 12:53
Most of this mile is a loop around more residential streets.

Mile 3+: 12:43, 1:03
The last mile completes the loop and then rejoins the first part of the course, heading back to the school for the finish line. I was super happy I was able to do my run|walk intervals for the entire race.

After Party
There were several tents set up around the start/finish line and it looked like a pretty good spread for such a small race. I didn't stay after finishing -- I went straight to my car to get home ASAP for other Saturday activities.

Recommendation
Good course with clear direction, fun hometown atmosphere and fine safety support. Recommended for locals looking for a fast and flat course supporting a good cause.

Chip time: 39:49
Placement details: 7/14 in Age Group, 143rd out of 274 finishers
Race Amenities: Unisex cotton t-shirt, goodie bag. No finisher medal.
Cost: $18.00

Report written March 1, 2020

It's very easy to set up your Garmin Forerunner 235 or 230 GPS running watch to alert you to your preferred run/walk intervals. On your watch, the flow is:

Menu > Activity Settings > Alerts

If you haven't set anything up yet, select Add New and then Run/Walk. Follow the prompts to set your preferred time for your running interval and your walking interval. When you have these alerts turned on, your watch will notifiy you when it's time to switch between running and walking. You can have your watch give you a vibration alert, a sound alert, or both.

How to Set Your Interval Alerts to Sound or Vibration or Both

Menu > Settings > System > Sounds

You have a choice regarding how you are notified about your run/walk intervals: via sound or vibration or both. There are three settings to toggle here: Key Tones, Alert Tones, and Vibration. Alert Tones are a kind of "twinkling" sound to indicate each interval change. I have mine set to Vibration only and rarely miss an alert.

The reason I wanted to post this is because I often see runners asking on forums about how to set up more than 99 intervals on their Garmin. They are referring to a different kind of alert, for an interval workout, that is limited to repeating up to 99 times. Garmin lets you create this kind of workout (usually for speed) where you are prompted to run for a certain amount of time or distance and then rest for a time. These workout intervals can be repeated up to 99 times. When using the Alerts feature outlined above, the run/walk notifications will continue for the duration of your run.

On Sunday, February 16, 2020, I participated in two fun runs at Walt Disney World! Both races take place on Sunday mornings: The Running of Coronado at Coronado Springs and the Topolino Trot at the Riviera Resort.

Since first introducing fun runs at their resorts back in 2017, Walt Disney World now offers at least 7 regular short races at various resort locations each week. These runs are casual events that are walker-friendly with simple routes and fun swag, including "local" treats (beignets from Port Orleans French Quarter, a magdalena from Coronado), custom pins, medals, and more.

In the summer of 2017 I ran two of these early Disney Resort fun runs: the Beignet Dash at Port Orleans: French Quarter, and the Derby Dash at Saratoga Springs. This past Sunday I was able to run two more offerings on the same morning: The Running of Coronado at Coronado Springs, and the Topolino Trot at the new Riviera Resort.

Before I get into my review of these two runs, here is a summary of what fun runs Walt Disney World resorts offer, as of February 2020. The time listed is when the run begins; registration begins 15-30 minutes before the run and the time can vary month to month. Each run costs $15 plus tax. I check the Resort Experience Guides posted by Orlando Parks News for the most recent guides. Call 407-WDW-PLAY for the latest information and to pre-register. Note that the runs do not take place when there are runDisney events. There will be no fun runs from Feburary 21-23 due to Princess Half Marathon Weekend.

Walt Disney World Resort Fun Runs as of 2/17/20

Currently on hold, the All Star Resorts' All-Stars & Icons Fun Run should resume at the end of March, occurring every other Tuesday.

Fort Wilderness and the Polynesian have offered special 5K runs to celebrate holidays in the past. Fort Wilderness has had races on Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving; the Polynesian has offered the Pineapple Dash on July 4th. 

The Running of Coronado at Coronado Springs Resort
Check-in for this race is on the Gran Destino Plaza, behind the new resort tower. The course goes around Lago Dorado and between some of the resort buildings. The course kind of looks like a sideways Mickey head, doesn't it?! Here is the Relive video: Relive the Running of Coronado.

At registration runners receive a blank race bib. We were told to put on any number we wanted. When it came time to run, recreation staff donned cute little bull horn headbands and explained the inspiration behind the theme of the fun run: the Running of the Bulls. The route was well-marked and there were a couple of staff members out on the course to keep everyone moving in the right direction.

At the end of the run we received a commemorative pin and we could pick up a magdalena pastry as a treat at the Barcelona Lounge inside the Gran Destino Tower. Once I was done with this run, it was off to the next one, just down the road.

Topolino Trot at Riviera Resort
Check-in for this race is at the movie lawn outside the new resort. This run is a simple course around Barefoot Bay, mostly through the Caribbean Beach resort which is adjacent to the Riviera.

At registration runners received a nice pre-numbered race bib. We got a course overview and then it was time to run. I got a little bit mixed up when we ran by the lighthouse but I got straightened out myself fairly quickly. There were no directional signs out on the course, but two staff members were out to help us with a couple of turns.

At the end of the run we received a commemorative pin and a shaved ice treat.

These were two cute resort runs from Disney recreation staff and I enjoyed them both. It was fun to get two done on the same day. The Beignet Dash also takes place on Sunday, between these two. Thursday has a pair of runs with the Derby Dash at 8AM followed by the Regatta Run at 9AM, so it may be possible to do multiple fun runs on Thursday, too.

Following the Beachin' It 5K Saturday afternoon, next up was the Lap the Track race on the famous Daytona Beach International Speedway. Running both races earned finishers a third challenge medal.

Training & Goals
I'm still slowly easing back into running following a chronic Achilles issue that resulted in a loss of fitness and increase in weight over the last year or so.

I didn't know what my plan was for this race. I met up with a couple of girls from my run club and we would maybe run together, but I waffled about being too slow. I ended up staying with one friend for a little while but we split up after taking some fun photos on the course. I figured I might need to walk a bit more, especially on the pedestrian bridge crossing.

Race Day: February 9, 2020
I left home around 5:55AM and had the car parked at One Daytona by about 6:35AM. I had to hustle to the hub to meet up with my club. The plan was to walk over to the start line together for a group photo. I made it to our tent just in time.

Both the half marathon and the 5K start on the race track and finish across the street at One Daytona, a relatively new shopping and dining complex. We walked over a pedestrian bridge to cross International Speedway Boulevard and met close to the start arch for a group photo. The half marathoners took off shortly after 7AM. I watched the lead runners leave the speedway before making my way to the 5K start at around 7:30AM. It was about 55°F with 100% humidity and partly cloudy skies when I started my race.

Mile 1: 13:53
I ran a bit with my friend Christine. We stopped to take a couple of fun photos on the track.

Mile 2: 13:03
The first two+ miles are entirely on the Daytona International Speedway. It's always pretty cool to run in this famous place, even though I have no interest in Nascar.

Mile 3+: 13:29, 2:39
The last mile has runners cross International Speedway Boulevard via the pedestrian bridge. It's no fun and I walked a bunch here.

After Party
This race has a great after party, with unlimited beers for the runners, and vendors with treats like muffins, hoagies, fruit, and more. I stayed for a while to watch half marathon finishers come in.

Recommendation
So, this is tough, because I can't help but think about some amenities that this race no longer provides. The half marathon used to start off with a race car whizzing by on the track, which was pretty thrilling. We used to be able to park in the middle of the track and the races used to finish on the track instead of across the street. Using much of the track area for the start and finish meant runners had access to real toilets instead of porta potties.

Having said all that, the race organizers do a fantastic job of putting everything together. I can only speak of the 5K this year, but course support was great and the after race provisions are very good. The medals this year were better than last year, as were the shirts, though they are still not as nice as the all-over print tech shirts they had in the past. It's overall a great experience, especially if not comparing it to the past. Recommended.

Chip time: 42:57
Placement details: 29/49 in Age Group, 407th overall out of 695 finishers
Race Amenities: Gender-specific tech shirts (mediocre but much better than last year's simple thin cotton shirts that ran small), finisher medal for all, plus bonus medal for completing challenge.
Cost: $51 for both 5K races in the challenge.

Report written February 11, 2020

Team photo (c) Almost There Photography

Whoa, it's time for the Daytona Beach Half Marathon weekend already?! I ran the half marathon in 2017 for my 3rd fastest 13.1 and again in 2018. Last year they added a new Saturday afternoon beach 5K, which could be added to either (5K or 13.1) Sunday race for a challenge. I ran the Dual 5K challenge last year and again this year.

Training & Goals
Following most of December in a walking boot and another month of PT I am cleared to run, but I need to ease back in as I lost a lot of fitness and gained a lot of weight in the last year.

My knees have been hurting a lot lately so I probably am going to need some help with them. My Achilles still feels weak but it seems that doing the stretching and strengthening exercises keeps the lingering pain away.

For this race I wanted to keep up my regular intervals, which are at 45:30 run:walk, for the entire distance. Since this was a beach run in the middle of a sunny day, I didn't have any thoughts of improving my most recent best time. I also hadn't run since last weekend's races, hoping it might provide my knees a chance to heal.


Race Day: February 8, 2020
Arthur came with me to this race on Saturday afternoon. We parked the car and made the .7 mile walk to the start area. I picked up my packet and we waited for the race to begin at 2PM. It was about 64°F at the start with 54% humidity and bright sunshine.

Mile 1: 12:36
I felt okay. It was nice to run on the beach. The sand was hardpacked and firm, great for running.

Mile 2: 12:39

Mile 3+: 12:43, 1:38
Textbook positive splits but not terrible, I guess. I was pleased at least that I kept up the pace, more or less, without any elongated walking breaks. I don't know which I find more brutal, running in high humidity or direct bright sunlight.


After Party
There were sliders and little beers for runners after the race. Race DJ was there to entertain. Arthur and I had plans to do some birding before dinner so we didn't stay long at all.

Recommendation
This was the second year for the Beachin' It 5K and I think the organizers did a great job once again. Recommended, as a stand-alone or as part of a 2-day challenge. I'll have more to say about tomorrow's main event in my next post.

Chip time: 39:31
Placement details: 21/42 in Age Group; 263rd out of 475 finishers
Race Amenities: Gender-specific tech shirts (mediocre but much better than last year's simple thin cotton shirts that ran small), finisher medal for all
Cost: $51 for both 5K races in the challenge.

Report written February 10, 2020

Branded photos (c) Almost There Photography

Universal Studios Orlando had their inaugural running events for the general public in the form of a 5K and 10K race over the first weekend of February. I signed up for both races when registration opened up. Arthur ran the 5K with me on Saturday. I went to the 10K alone.

Training & Goals
My only goal here was to have fun. I thought I'd run:walk the boring bits, stop for whatever characters and photo ops were interesting, and walk when I wanted to look around. I was looking forward to the longer course, with more to see of the parks and backstage.

Race Day: February 2, 2020
I left home around 4:30AM and had the car parked around 5:12AAM. Parking was a breeze both days. Since I was so early, I sat in the warm car for a while before heading to the start line. I was assigned to Corral A again. The wait for the start was cold but uneventful. It was about 49°F at the start with a forecast for clear blue skies.

Mile 1: 12:45
The first mile was the same as the 5K yesterday. We started the race at the Volcano Bay bus depot and then ran along Universal Boulevard and Hollywood Way towards Islands of Adventure.

Mile 2: 15:50
Running into Islands of Adventure, we went through Toon Lagoon and Marvel Super Hero Island. I ran by Betty Boop and some stilt walkers. Next we ran around City Walk, before heading back into Islands of Adventure.

Mile 3: 23:06
Back in the park, we ran through Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Hogsmeade (Harry Potter), Jurassic Park, and Skull Island. Here we had the summer Whos out again, Puss in Boots with Kitty Softpaws as well as a live percussion band as on course entertainment.

Mile 4: 14:03
Next we ran backstage from Islands of Adventure to Universal Studios Park. I ran by a long line to meet Scooby and Shaggy Doo in front of the Mystery Machine.

Mile 5: 16:35
The last two miles of the race mostly took us through Universal Studios. For this mile, we passed through San Francisco and Diagon Alley (Harry Potter).

Mile 6+: 18:26, 15:04
The final mile or so had us run through Springfield, Hollywood, Production Central, and New York. I saw Roxie the Aussie in Springfield. There was a big Mardi Gras float out with some stilt walkers as a photo op. I stopped for some photos here, though I didn't stop for Hashtag the Panda.

From all the swerving around and going back to get in character lines, stopping for one quick bathroom break, and scooting off course to take various photos, my GPS gave me a race of 6.67 miles.

After the Race
There was a huge line to meet an interactive raptor with a rangler. I stood in the line for a while but it wasn't moving so I left. I got my water and snack box; the bananas were all too ripe for me. Leaving the finish line area, we could also have our photo taken with some Minions but I skipped this too. Instead, I went to the car, changed my clothes in the parking lot hub restroom, and then headed to City Walk to get some doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnut.

Room for Improvement
I enjoyed both races but I had a few problems here and there. I thought I'd keep the negativity in this one section.

Several times during this race I noticed team member photographers not shooting all of the participants. I noticed a couple of photographers shooting runners in costume and skipping everyone else. When I got to the front of the line for Puss in Boots, the photographer was messing around with his equipment so he was unprepared to take photos of the party in front of me or me, which was disappointing. When I was in line for Bart and Homer, the photographer was talking with a bike marshall about how many runners were still coming through. He wasn't paying attention to the guests waiting to have their photo taken, which was unfortunate. Otherwise...

Recommendation
I had a lot of fun during the 10K (and the 5K race as well).

I enjoyed the longer course, which was partially through the parks and partially backstage. I thought there was a great amount of characters and other photo opportunities for the runners, plus general entertainment that participants look for in a theme park race. I also thought the lines for characters during the race were really reasonable compared to my experience at Disney races, though I saw others mention online that they thought the character lines were way too long.

There were plenty of water stops (about one each mile). The start and finish locations were the same for both races and they were very convenient to the parking lot.

The race shirts are kind of cheap, made of heavy wicking material with a thick print, and only available in unisex cut. The bibs are oddly printed off-center and not special, though they are custom. The medals are nice spinners.

Our local CBS station had a runner report on the 10K race.

Chip time: 1:55:44
Placement details: 154/166 in Age Group, 1793 overall out of 1976 finishers
Race Amenities: Unisex tech shirt, drawstring backpack, finisher medal for all, fun course through theme parks.
Cost: $111

Report written February 4, 2020

Watermarked photos (c) Running Universal

Universal Studios Orlando had their inaugural running events for the general public in the form of a 5K and 10K race over the first weekend of February. I signed up for both races when registration opened up. Arthur surprised me by signing up for the 5K about a week before the race.

Race Goals
Arthur's not a runner, but he can walk faster than me, and he can sprint faster than me. We didn't really make a plan except to try to stay together, which didn't end up working very well. We also wanted to be able to stop for some photos and to meet some characters. We had no time goal in mind. These races both had a very generous, walker-friendly pace. The minimum was a 17 minute mile for the last starters.

Race Day: February 1, 2020
We left home around 4:30AM and made our way down to Universal. We had the car parked by around 5:15AM. The forecast for the morning was comically bad: the last time we checked, there was a 90% or more chance of rain between 6AM and 9AM.

The start line was close to another part of the parking garage, so we were under cover for the walk towards the start. Real restrooms were available in the parking structure hub and there was a group of porta-potties as well as drinking water available for participants close to the starting line.

We stood under a parking kiosk roof to stay dry for as long as we could, but team members pushed us forward and we ended up getting pretty wet in steady light rain as we waited for the race to start.

I was assigned to Corral A but I stayed with Arthur, who didn't have a corral. We were sent to C because B was already filled up by the time we arrived.

Corral A started at 6:15AM, then Corral B, and then it was time for us in C. It was about 62°F when we started our race at 6:25AM.

Mile 1: 13:49
We jogged, we ran, we walked, we leap-frogged. I didn't notice any characters out at all for this first mile, which took us from the Volcano Bay bus depot and then along Universal Boulevard and Hollywood Way towards Islands of Adventure.

Mile 2: 21:22
This mile took us through Toon Lagoon, Super Hero Island, and Seuss Landing in Islands of Adventure. We ran backstage along the Hogwarts Express train line towards Universal Studios park. Here we saw our first characters out on the course. Betty Boop and Popeye with Olive Oyl were out in Toon Lagoon. We also passed by Puss in Boots and stopped for a photo with some Spring Whos (Whoville characters). All of the characters were under cover because of the rain, although it had cleared up shortly after we started running.

Mile 3+: 18:53, 7:28

The last mile took us through much of Universal Studios Park. We passed the Knight Bus from Harry Potter, with a driver and the funny animated Dre Head. Krusty and Sideshow Bob were out in Springfield. We passed by some Mardi Gras characters under the Horror Make Up Show marquee. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime were out in front of their attraction building.

While we were in line for Krusty and Bob we saw Tim Tracker (Disney / Orlando / new parent YouTuber) walk by. After we got our character photos, we ran on to try and catch up with Tim, to say hello and let him know we are fans of his channel. I asked if we could take a quick selfie. You can find his video report of the race here: Tim Tracker at Universal Orlando's First Ever Running Universal Epic Character 5K. You can see us taking our photo with the Summer Whos at around 5:33 and you can see making a fool of myself at around 10:00.

Moving on, we stood in a short line to meet the Blues Brothers. Unfortunately they took a break as we reached the front of the line and we decided to keep moving rather than wait any longer. Shrek and Donkey were out for photos as well, but somehow we completely missed them.

After the Race
After we passed the finish line, Alex from Madagascar was available for photos. We skipped the line and picked up our water, bananas, and Running Universal snack boxes. It was starting to drizzle again so we didn't stay long. The walk back from the finish line took us backstage to City Walk near Blue Man Group. We were back to the car pretty fast and decided to head home because of the lousy weather.

Room for Improvement
I enjoyed both races but I had a few problems here and there. I thought I'd keep the negativity in this one section.

Arthur and I had some small issues during packet pickup, which we did on Thursday before race weekend. I read the entire online FAQ before we left home. When we arrived at the parking kiosk, the attendant asked for our parking voucher. I actually thought she was kidding at first, because I read nothing about a voucher in the FAQ. It should have been sent to us via email. I didn't get it. Arthur checked his email and found it, but showing the voucher on the phone was not acceptable; it had to be printed out. We were told that we would have to pay for parking or leave.

My 5K bib had a corral sticker on it. My 10K did not. I asked about this and was told to go to runner relations to get a corral assignment for the 10K. There were two women with laptops at a table outside. I asked about the corral assignment and they asked if I had proof of time to show them. I needed to pull up something on my phone. I said I registered for both races together in one transaction and that I had put my proof of time in the registration. I asked if they could pull up my registration but they could not. I flustered, stood to the side and tried to think of what race I might have used for proof of time. Then one of the ladies said she could figure it out and she started staring at an email which gave the time standards for corral placement. She said it would take her a minute to figure it out but after a couple of minutes she seemed flustered herself and just got out a sticker to put on my bib, rolling her eyes and making me feel like she thought I was trying to do something wrong and she just wanted to get rid of me. Only later did I realize that in the printout I had with me was the proof of time I had entered in my original registration.

At race signup, race start times were listed as 5:30AM with the parking lot opening at 3AM but but was changed to a start time of 6:15AM with the parking lot opening at 4:30AM by the time of packet pickup.

Recommendation
Although we didn't have a good time during packet pickup, the 5K race (and the 10K as well) was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed the course, which was partially through the parks and partially backstage. There was a fine amount of photo opportunities, especially considering the weather. The course was well-marked and there were plenty of water stops. The start and finish locations were very convenient to the parking lot.

The race shirts are kind of cheap, made of heavy wicking material with a thick print, and only available in unisex cut. The bibs are oddly printed off-center and not special, though they are custom. The medals are nice spinners.

Chip time: 1:13.5 (for 3.36 miles on my Garmin)
Placement details: 198/252 in Age Group, 2715 overall out of 3234 finishers
Race Amenities: Unisex tech shirt, drawstring backpack, finisher medal for all, fun course through theme parks.
Cost: $72

Report written February 2, 2020

Watermarked photos (c) Running Universal

I participated in the Pump House Run in Lake Apopka, Florida this year. I'm not sure but I think it was an inaugural event. The main run was an 8-miler from Magnolia Park along hard-packed gravel roads to the historic Pump House by the lake. There was also a 5K with this event that took the same course but an earlier turn-around; I ran the shorter distance.

Training & Goals
Following a month in a walking boot and another month of PT I am cleared to run, but I need to ease back in as I lost a lot of fitness and gained a lot of weight in the last year.

I had a good race last week at Shark Bite (the Feeding Frenzy 5K) but hadn't run since (oops). For this race I wanted to keep up my regular intervals (45:30 run:walk) for the entire distance. Since much of the run was on an old gravel road, I didn't have any thoughts of besting last week's time.

Race Day: January 25, 2020
I left home around 6:35AM to get to Magnolia Park in time to get my packet before the 7:40AM start time for the 5K. There was plenty of parking, though the later one arrived, the further away one had to park in the extremely long parking lot. It took me about 6 minutes to get to the race site from my car so I kind of had to hustle back and forth to drop off my bag and get back in time for the race.

The 8-milers went off at 7:30AM and then, 10 minutes later, it was time for the 5K runners to start. It was an extremely pleasant 55°F at the start with bright sunny skies and little wind. Really nice running weather.

Mile 1: 12:36
The first ~1/3 mile was on a multi-use paved trail along S. Binion Road. It was mostly level with some sloping downwards that I wasn't looking forward to running on the way back. Then we turned onto the hard packed gravel trail, suddenly surrounded by the wetlands and bird sounds of the Lake Apopka wildlife area. About 1/3 mile later we turned again, now running alongside Lake Apopka to the southwest.

Mile 2: 12:32
The trail continued to run along the Lake Apopka shore. This was an out-and-back so we had the same beautiful scenery after the turnaround.

Mile 3+: 12:31, :51
It wasn't super pleasant to look around now with the sun in our eyes. I was feeling really good and super happy to keep up without any unplanned walking breaks. I was right -- the sloping uphill for the last 1/3 mile was no fun. But still, I was faster than last week's race. And look at those splits! Nice.

After the Race
Runner refreshments included hot dogs, water, soda, granola bars, chips, plus muffins and grapes provided by Sweet Tomatoes. I thought it was an okay spread for the small field of runners. Awards were given out to the 5K group winners as the first 8-milers started to come in. I wanted to get over to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive so I left shortly after having a muffin and grabbing a banana to go.

Recommendation
This was a well-organized event from local race company Sommer Sports. It was a small field of runners (69 in the 5K and 133 for the 8-miler) but we were well taken care of. The route is gorgeous and I hope to run all the way to the Pump House next time. Recommended.

Chip time: 38:26
Placement details: 4/7 in Age Group, 27th overall out of 69 finishers
Race Amenities: Cotton unisex t-shirts and finisher medals for everyone.
Cost: $41.40 (downgraded from initially signing up for 8-miler)

Report written January 26, 2020

Branded photo (c) Sommer Sports