The DeBary Rotary River Run 5K took place along the paved trail from Gemini Springs park close to where I live. This was the second year in a row that I ran this small hometown race (here's my report from 2016). The beneficiary for the event was the Rotary Club of DeBary-Deltona-Orange City Youth Exchange program.

Training & Goals
I'd been joining pace groups with my running club which helped bring me back up to speed (so to speak). Still, my focus has been more on weight loss and I wasn't looking to PR here or on a 5K anytime soon. I did hope to beat my previous result for this race, so 32:03 was the time to beat.

Race Day: February 18, 2017
I biked over to Gemini Springs and arrived in plenty of time for the start of the race. It was 59°F at the start with clear skies.

Mile 1: 9:53
I aimed to keep a steady pace and might only slow for water. I felt good but part of this mile and a stretch at the end take place on a loose gravel road that I'm afraid to run on all-out because of footing.


Mile 2: 9:20
All paved trail, zoom!


Mile 3+: 9:50, 1:10*
A quick walk-through for the water stop on the way back and then a sprint to the finish for my second fastest 5K ever!


Recommendation
This is a nice small race with a good atmosphere and fine support and organization. I was a bit disappointed that the finisher medal is virtually identical to the medal from 2016. I would recommend this race to others and am likely to run it again -- especially considering the location, my beloved Gemini Springs.

Chip time: 30:09
Placement details: 6 out of 16 in Age Group; 73 out of 189 total finishers
Race Amenities: Cotton t-shirt & finisher medal. Post-race party with beer and barbecue.
Cost: $22.70

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written March 6, 2017

Finish line & branded photos (c) Almost There Photography

I ran the 8th annual Daytona Beach Half Marathon on February 5th. It was my first time running this race, which takes participants from the famous International Speedway to the beach and back through the streets of Daytona Beach.

The race was available as a two-person relay this year and there was a new challenge as well for those who ran both the half marathon and the 5K that followed. The Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet was the beneficiary of the event.

Training & Goals
So far this year I've just been trying to keep up my modest running base for a bunch of upcoming half marathons and 5K races. My main focus remains on weight loss at least through this race season. I do have hopes to run a sub 2:30 half marathon this year.


Race Day: February 5, 2017
I left home early and arrived at the Speedway shortly after 6AM, when packet pickup opened. Signs directed drivers into the speedway where we parked in the middle of the venue on a grass field. I got my t-shirt and bib and then went back to the car to stay warm before race time.

Since the race start and finish was at a major sports venue, there were plenty of public restrooms about for runners to use. I stopped by the WVR tent for a moment and asked a friend to snap my photo before looking around the Speedway a bit. Since I don't have any interest in car racing I would never find myself at this famous place if not for the half marathon. The race track is huge and the venue recently underwent huge refurbishments and I tried to take it all in.

When it was time to get ready to run I found a spot behind the 2:30 pacer. A race car roared past us on the track and then it was finally our turn to run!

It was 55°F at the start with 100% humidity and light winds. It was overcast and remained cloudy for the duration of the race.

Mile 1, 2, 3: 10:49, 10:53, 10:42 | 5K split: 34:11
I wanted to try running about 11 minute miles at least for the first part of the race. I kept checking my watch and slowing myself down. I have a lot of trouble with pacing at this distace -- I guess I need more experience! I did run | walk intervals of 4:30 | :30 from the start. At about mile 1.5 I caught up with the 2:30 pacer and played leapfrog with the group for a while.

These first three miles were almost entirely on the speedway -- it's so big! It was very cool to be running on the race track. There was a water stop at about Mile 1.6 but it was only on one side of the track and I missed it because I didn't see it in time to move all the way over.

Mile 4, 5, 6: 10:48, 10:52, 11:09 | 10K split: 1:08:44
After leaving the speedway we headed out onto the streets of Daytona Beach. Somewhere around here I passed the 2:30 pace group and stayed in front of them for (spoiler) quite a while. Mile 4 was mostly on International Speedway Boulevard before we turned into a neighborhood to continue the route to the beach mostly on Orange Avenue. My Garmin was in perfect synch with the mile markers until we hit M4, when it suddenly showed a surplus of about .2 miles. This threw off my planning a little bit. It was strange.

The water stop after the M4 marker was manned by the Marine Science Center and they even had a character photo op! This stop was also only on one side of the course but the crowd had thinned by this point so I saw it in time (after missing the first one I was a bit concerned about the rest of the race -- no worries). I snapped a quick shot of CC before running on.

Mile 7, 8, 9: 11:42, 11:05, 12:08 | 15K split: 1:46:14
Ugh, Broadway Bridge. These miles took us over the Halifax River for a quick run on the beach and then back over the bridge to head back to the speedway along International Speedway Boulevard. The beach run was comically short. I stopped to snap a few photos and appreciate the turnaround marshal shouting out crazy words of encouragement to everyone running by.

The 2:30 pace group caught up with me on the power walk back up the bridge and I lost them a couple of miles later.

Mile 10, 11, 12: 11:48, 11:43, 12:03
I couldn't get my mo back after the bridge and struggled through this part of the race. I was worried about repeating the disastrous finish I had at Lighthouse Loop but kept pressing on with my intervals, determined to walk only when my watch "told" me to. Someone stuck in traffic around Nova Road (towards the end of M10) was blasting "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones and that gave me a little boost. :) Maybe I should consider listening to music for longer races.

Mile 13+: 12:27, 3:31*
The Speedway was visible for an excruciatingly long time. We entered the venue again with just about .2 left to run before reaching the finish line. I could hear the announcer calling out the names of some finishers ahead of me and then as I passed the first timing mat I heard my name, too! Woo hoo!

I picked up my finisher medal and beach towel (neat!) and sat down with a bottle of water to watch others finish for a while before checking out the breakfast buffet.

I think I may have missed some of the after party spread because I heard there were pancakes but I only found breakfast potatoes (too cheesy and kind of icky), scrambled eggs (tasteless with a strange consistency) and sausages. I loved so much about this race so my disappointment in the food on offer was a bummer. I also couldn't have a beer or five since I was there alone. Sad.

After poking my potatoes and tossing the eggs I checked out the preliminary results board where I was chuffed to see I got a new PR by 40 seconds with a time of 2:31:32. I think sub 2:30 is within reach!

Anyway I was pleased to be feeling fine after the race and headed off to the beach to do a bit of birding before heading home for the rest of the day.

I would definitely run this race again and will consider signing up for the challenge in 2018.

Chip time: 2:31:32 (:40 PR)
Placement details: 58th out of 103 in age group; 773 out of 1205 total finishers
Race Amenities: Tech t-shirt, beach towel, finisher medal, custom race bib with name.
Cost: $75.20 (Black Friday deal)

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written February 16, 2017

Professional race photos (c) BB Action Photo

The inaugural Space Race 2 Mile & 4 Mile Walk-Run took place at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Febuary 3rd. The race was originally scheduled for January 20th but a scrubbed rocket launch postponed the race to two weeks later. United Way of Brevard was the beneficiary.

Training & Goals
The rescheduled date put this race two days before the Daytona Beach Half Marathon. This was my first race of this distance (4 miles) which meant an automatic PR (Personal Record). Because I've been more focused on weight loss than running fitness I didn't have any particular expectations for this race except to avoid injury and have fun.

This was my also first night race. I've never enjoyed running in the evening and I had a hard time figuring out my meals for the day. I ended up eating several peanut butter sandwiches throughout the late afternoon and that worked out okay (just okay).

Race Day: February 3, 2017
I had expected to go to this race alone but my mom texted me at the last minute offering to come along. That was a nice surprise. We drove out to the coast in the early afternoon so I could do a bit of birding at the beach before heading down to Kennedy Space Center.

I wore a tech shirt with a Space Shuttle on the front that I picked up from Goodwill. My compression race shorts were a bit too snug (fit me fine last year -- yikes) and rode up my thighs in the first part of the race. I broke the "nothing new on race day" rule with my space-themed socks and as soon as I put them on I knew they were a mistake. They ended up riding down but luckily didn't give me any blisters or other problems.

It was clear and 61°F at the start with 94% humidity.

Mile 1: 10:07
The course was a two-mile loop through the visitor complex, starting and ending on either side of the Rocket Garden. Four-mile runners ran the loop twice. The first half mile was through the complex and most of the rest of the loop was around the parking lot at the facility.

I've had a season pass for KSC for several years so I am familiar with the complex, but it was still neat to run through the visitor area, around the rocket garden, and past Atlantis and the astronaut memorial.

Mile 2: 10:24
Running through the parking lot was a lot less exciting. The course changed surface a few times as we went from concrete paths to asphalt parking lot and transition areas. I thought the lighting wasn't adequate in some places and really had to be careful about my footing. I wished I had brought my Knuckle Lights.

Mile 3: 10:36
4-milers turned right before the finish line to pass a water stop and head out for a second loop.

Mile 4: 10:47*
I felt good during the race and was glad to finish slightly better than my more recent 5K pace has been.

After crossing the finish line I looked for water. I got into the beverage line where they were selling beers for $3 and soft drinks or water for $1. With a ticket on our race bib we could get one free drink. It seemed like everyone was getting a beer so I tried to get a water and a soft drink but one ticket = one drink. I took my water and grumbled about the situation to my mom (sorry for being a crab, mom!). I've never been to a race where unlimited water wasn't free for all runners. I think they were selling food as well (no free bananas, grumble grumble).

Mom and I waited to watch most of the awards being given out to the top runners by retired shuttle astronaut Jon McBride.

The water thing along with the fact that I'm not a fan of night races anyway means I don't think I'd run this one again -- especially with no finisher medal.

Chip time: 41:06
Placement details: 8 out of 16 in Age Group; 50th overall out of 123 finishers
Race Amenities: Runners received a unisex cotton tee, a drawstring backpack, and a collapsible water bottle. No finisher medal.
Cost: $36.00 including $3.50 registration fee and $2.50 spectator ticket

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written February 14, 2017

This season's NLF Pro Bowl is taking place in Orlando and part of the week's festivities were centered around the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. One of the accompanying events was the first ever Pro Bowl 5K Run through Epcot, which took place on the Saturday before the Pro Bowl. The charity benefitting from the race was Make-a-Wish Central and Northern Florida.

Training & Goals
My focus so far this year has been on weight loss -- I gained back some weight during 2016 that has got to go. I've been trying to keep up my modest base of 3 runs per week for a total ranging from 10 to 17 miles. I've got a few half marathons coming up and I'd like to just keep this base and not worry about PRs for the time being. Anyway, I don't expect to PR on a 5K fun run at Disney World! I wasn't sure if there would be characters on the course but my main focus was to enjoy the theme park run!

Race Day: January 28, 2017
The race started at 7AM and, unusual for a Disney race, packet pickup was available race morning. I left home around 4AM and arrived at the Epcot parking lot at around 5AM. Parking and pickup was easy peasy and I found myself with a lot of time to kill before the race began. The staging area was photo-op free so I went back to the car to keep warm for a half hour. At about 5:30 I went for a power walk around the staging area. Lots of folks dressed up in NFL jerseys for the race. I dressed as a referee and I saw a few others in the black and white stripes, too.

I got into the corral at 6:30 and chattered my teeth waiting for the run to begin. There were two starting waves and I was in the first group. It was 50°F with a stiff breeze blowing at the start of the race.

Mile 1: 11:20
We started in the parking lot at Epcot and ran towards the park, entering from a backstage area at the Mexico pavilion. Shortly after getting into World Showcase we passed the first mile marker.

Mile 2: 12:58
I stopped a few times around the lagoon to take selfies with Spaceship Earth behind me. After running past France we left Epcot at the back entrance. I stopped a bunch of times here to take photos of runners going the bridge by France. We went around another backstage area here and then ran back into World Showcase between the UK and Canada pavilions. We passed the second mile marker shortly after re-entering the park.

Mile 3+: 12:42, 2:42
The run continued towards Future World. We took a left towards The Land and made a loop between Journey Into Imagination and The Seas before heading back to the middle of Future World and running around Spaceship Earth and the entrance area. We exited the park again through a backstage area heading to the parking lot for the finish.

At the finish area there were NFL mascots handing out high fives and cheerleaders cheering us to the finish. I slowed down for a couple of quick blurry photos but I wish I had actually stopped to take some selfies. Even though it was a fun run, something about stopping right before the finish line just doesn't feel right.

I got my medal and then sat on the bleachers to watch other runners finish the race. Even thought I was in the sun, I got cold pretty quickly and headed back to the car to head out for the day.

Garmin time: 39:42 for 3.24 miles
Race Amenities: Custom bib, finisher medal, fun run through Epcot. No shirt!
Cost: $49.00 (saved Active.com fee with trial membership)

*Untimed run -- Garmin data

Report written January 29, 2017

Princess Half Marathon Weekend is coming up in about a month at Walt Disney World. I signed up, rather late, at the WDW Marathon Weekend expo a couple of weeks ago.

Since all of the races had been showing up as sold out online for several months, the ability to sign up last minute was a pleasant surprise. Now I just hope I can sweet-talk Runner Relations into changing my Princess corral assignments, since I signed up after the cut-off.

I'll be running all three races. Here's what I'll be wearing for one of the races: a no-frills Anna from Frozen running outfit.

Update: I wore the outfit for the 10K!

Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K is one of the races during Wine & Dine weekend at Walt Disney World. For this run back in October 2016, I decided to dress up as bunny cop Judy Hopps from Zootopia.

Judy is an extremely optimistic character. She strives to be Zootopia's first bunny cop and succeeds despite facing constant doubt from others. Her motto song during the movie is "Try Everything." She's one of my all-time favorite Disney characters so it was easy to decide to run as her.

The photo below shows the outfit, inspired by Judy's look when she was working parking enforcement. The costume includes tech running gear as well as costume pieces I added to accessorize. I also included some very easy DIY craft elements.


I put together my outfit using a few things I already had in my runner's closet and added some accessories to complete the look. Here are some ideas based on the pieces I used for my Judy Hopps running costume.

January 4-8 2017 was Marathon Weekend at Disney World. The event includes four races -- a 5K on Thursday, a 10K on Friday, Half Marathon on Saturday, and a Marathon on Sunday. The Half Marathon on Saturday was to be the 20th running of the race, and it was the only one I had signed up for during the weekend.

Arthur and I headed to the expo on Thursday and I picked up my bib and shirt. Everyone participating in the Half Marathon also got a cute luggage tag shaped like the finisher's medal as an extra perk for the 20th running. I purchased my usual commemorative race Mickey ears car magnet, and then we picked up some freebies (obligatory Good Sense pain relief, obligatory Chiquita banana, obligatory GoGo squeeZ applesauce, cowbell, and Cigna race belts) and extra running fuel in the expo hall. I even got an airbrush tattoo!

The forecast for Saturday looked bad all week. A front was moving in and the timing couldn't have been worse. By 7:30PM Friday night runDisney got the word out that all of Saturday's race events, including the Half Marathon, were cancelled, because of the chance of severe weather.

Everyone registered for the race would receive the medal along with a form of compensation. Those running in the weekend's challenges would also be eligible for their medals (Goofy for doing the Half and Full; Dopey for doing all four races). Even Coast-to-Coast runners would be able to get those medals upon completion of their eligible Disneyland race. In my opinion Disney made the right call in cancelling the race for runner, staff, and volunteer safety. They were also very generous in offering compensation options. I took a refund in the form of a Disney gift card; others took a deferrment, or park hopper tickets. At least 250 runners took the opportunity to run in the full marathon -- totally badass! (Arthur and I spectated during the full marathon on Sunday and I was especially enthusiastic when cheering on the Half Marathon runners).

As soon as it was known that the official race was cancelled, Disney runners on social media started organizing virtual runs. Many wanted to earn the medal by running miles on Disney property. Goofy and Dopey runners wanted the full challenge experience. I was super bummed when the official race was cancelled, but reading about all of the planned runs taking place around WDW property got me pretty excited. I decided to run 13.1 miles on Saturday, after the storms passed, along with many others around the Boardwalk area and between Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

Arthur dropped me off at Hollywood Studios at about 10:30AM. I was wearing my race bib but I elected to wear regular running clothes rather than my planned costume. Immediately I saw runners getting in their miles -- some in costume, many with race bibs, and every single one with a welcoming smile. Right from the start the atmosphere was phenomenal.

My plan was to get in my miles between Hollywood Studios and Epcot (using the public restrooms outside of Epcot as a water stop), running around Bay Lake and the area.

Miles 1-3
In very light rain I ran from Hollywood Studios to Epcot and back, taking the north side of the Boardwalk area both times and hitting up the lighthouse path for extra yards. There were cheering spectators between the two parks and along the Boardwalk, and they were awesome.

I did run/walk intervals for the entire run and from the start I raised my arm to indicate walk breaks, as is standard (Disney) race etiquette. Several times I got chuckles from other runners -- indicating a walk break in such a relatively sparsely populated course was pretty funny.

Miles 4-6
I headed back out around the Boardwalk parking lot for some variety, and took the steps down from the resort back to Bay Lake. I was surprised to find Arthur when I made it back to the loop. We walked together to the entrance of Epcot where we parted ways until the end of my miles. I ran back to Hollywood Studios again and continued with my irregular loops.

We Disney runners were missing our race photo ops, so we made our own. I took a couple of selfies by items of "interest" during the run, including a sign indicating mile marker 24 for the full marathon.

Miles 7-9
I took another different turn at mile 7 for some variety. I ran around the Swan's parking lot and back again along Swan property to the Boardwalk and Bay Lake loop. At one point cast members from ESPN Zone were standing outside the club handing out water to us runners. Someone shouted out that they liked my tattoo and I didn't realize they were talking to me until a few minutes later. During this segment it started raining harder.

Miles 10-13+
I had decided to finish my miles in Epcot, which meant I'd be walking the last bit. At my 10 mile "turnaround" back at the Hollywood Studios entrance they were playing the theme from Rocky over the loudspeakers, and I heard several runners wondering aloud (as was I) if that was on purpose for us.

A few times as I was nearing the end of my run I came across others who finished their miles and exchanged high fives and motivating cheers as I continued on.

I took the Boardwalk parking lot detour again, and the difference between taking the stairs back at mile 4 versus mile 10 was pretty hilarious. I "ouch"ed my way down and then back to the back entrance at Epcot with exactly 1 mile to go.

Once inside Epcot I met up with Arthur and we proceeded around World Showcase. I had a celebratory beer and then at mile 13.05 we stood in line for a real character so I could get a photo with Pluto. Just a little bit further and I was done!

It was no official race but I was happy to take the medal after getting in my virtual miles. Medal pickup was quick and I even took a finisher photo with Donald to commemorate the day. For me this medal will always have an asterisk but it was a great run among fellow runDisney fans!

This race in pretty and historic Lake Helen was my third of three holiday races for the season. This race was the most enjoyable of the bunch for me, though I now realize that three is too many.

Lake Helen's Holiday Stress Buster raises funds for the city's park and children's playground.

Training & Goals
I was looking at this as another fun run following illness earlier in the month that kept me off running as much as I'd like. Training would start again in the new year -- I was here to have some holiday fun and burn off some feast calories.

Race Day: December 24, 2016
I had picked up my packet the day before so I didn't have to arrive to early for the race. It was 61°F at the start with 100% humidity.

Mile 1: 10:28
The race took us from Blake Park in the middle of Lake Helen around residential and undeveloped parts of the city. Many runners had dressed up in holiday costumes.

Mile 2: 10:29

Mile 3+: 10:15, 1:39*

Chip time: 32:37
Placement details: 14 of 36 in Age Group; 194 of 494 overall
Race Amenities: Runners received a long sleeve cotton shirt and nice finisher medal
Cost: $17.40

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written January 9, 2017

Featured photo (c) Almost There Photography; running photo (c) Naymond Fontenot via Facebook

Arthur and I took a western Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Jade after Christmas, celebrating New Year's at sea.

We stopped at five ports during the cruise, book-ended by two sea days.

I had a couple of low-mileage runs on board during those sea days. The jogging track on the Jade is pretty short (332 yards) and I found the running got tedious rather fast. I managed one early morning 2-miler and a late morning 3-miler during our holiday. I was going to skip the second run but when Arthur and I walked up to the sports deck I was inspired by all the runners getting in laps in the late morning.

For cruise ship running, you can count the laps you run or use the lap function on your GPS watch. I used the lap function so I didn't have to count -- I just tapped a button on my watch each time I passed my starting point.

Anyway, here are some photos.

I ran Naughty or Nice last year, so this marks the first time I've run the same race two years in a row. This is a fun costume race with free photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus and a candy cane stilt walker. Last year there were 373 finishers; this year that number increased to 513!

Training & Goals
I haven't been keeping up my base miles at the end of the year so I had no great expectations for this race. I just hoped to run better than last year's Naughty or Nice (36:07). It was the first race I'd run with my new Garmin 235 running watch, which was fun.

Race Day: December 17, 2016
Getting to the race start in Lake Mary was uneventful. It was 61° (15 degrees warmer than last year's race!) with 94% humidity at the start.

Mile 1: 11:03
It was so crowded at the start! I stayed closer to the back of the pack and I spent a lot of time dodging around people. I was also running intervals myself (2 | :30) so I did my best to signal and get out of the way when slowing to walk.

Mile 2: 10:44
Seeing the lead runners coming back is so motivating to me. So is seeing everyone who is behind me, haha! That's my reason for liking out-and-back courses.

Mile 3+: 10:49, 1:56*

Chip time: 33:05
Placement details: 22/49 in Age Group; 259/513 total finishers
Race Amenities: Cotton t-shirt and finisher medal. The shirt and medal were almost the same as last year's swag, which was a bit disappointing. I don't think I'll run this race again.
Cost: $25.50

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.

Report written December 19, 2016

Running photo (c) Almost There Photography