Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend had a new race this year: the inaugural 10K.

The race was presented by Remy from Ratatouille. I found this shirt on Zazzle that features Remy and his brother Emile eating cheese. A common t-shirt slogan for these races is "Run Now, Wine Later." I customized the top by adding a rat-appropriate version of the text and bought it in a tech style for the race.

The course took runners through Epcot and parts of the Boardwalk area.

Training & Goals
The plan for this race was similar to my 5K plan: take it easy in anticipation of the half marathon. Stop for all the photo ops. Have fun!

Race Day: November 5, 2016
The race started at 5:30 which required an even earlier wake-up call. Arthur came with me for this race and we left a bit later than I had hoped, but we were still in time for the race. I was in corral B so there wasn't too much waiting around to start. I found a place in the back of the corral.

For this race it was 66°F with clear skies and 94% humidity at the start. Here's a photo of the start from the official RunDisney page:

Mile 1: 11:26
The run started in the Epcot parking lot. The first mile took us out towards a turn-around at Epcot Center Drive. The crowd thinned out pretty quickly on the wide road so this run was nice and easy.

Mile 2: 19:34
There were two photo ops in Mile 2: with the penguins from Mary Poppins and with Flik and Atta from A Bug's Life.

Mile 3: 11:38
This was another easy mile on the road with no photo ops. At one point we passed a sweeper bus next to a speed camera. I saw several runners veer towards the camera to try and trip the speed indicator. It was funny.

Mile 4: 20:14
Halfway through this mile we entered World Showcase in Epcot from a back entrace by Mexico. There were two photo ops here: with stilt walkers and with Pinocchio and Geppetto in Germany. While waiting for Pinocchio I took a short video of runners going by.

Mile 5: 23:15
We continued through World Showcase towards the Boardwalk area where we could stop for photos with Genie in Morocco and Chip & Dale in front of ESPN Club.

Mile 6+: 15:54, 8:39*
We continued on Boardwalk back towards World Showcase. Before entering Epcot again we could stop for a photo with a giant Sebastian (Little Mermaid) figure. Then it was straight through Future World for the finish.

I had started in corral B but ended up finishing among the last runners! I stopped for every character and some lines were longer than others. Although all of my photos didn't all come out very well I'm glad I stopped and I had a really great time during the inaugural Wine & Dine 10K!

After the race I met with Arthur and he waited with me to get photos with some characters.

We stopped by the Expo for a bit afterwards. I managed to get a photo with Remy after several failed attempts before and after the race (they kept closing the line).

Chip time: 1:50:09 for 6.68 miles
Placement details: 835 out of 888 in Age Group; 8794 out of 9260 total finishers
Race Amenities: All the great Disney stuff including a sweet long sleeve tech shirt.
Cost: I did the challenge which included both the 10K and the half marathon, which cost $351.95 total (YIKES).

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

Report written December 12, 2016

Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend started with Mickey's Jingle Jungle 5K. These short races are fun runs at Disney -- they are not timed. When I ran my first Disney 5K back in April, the Star Wars Dark Side 5K, I was in the second-to-last corral. For this race, I was in corral A -- and it made a huge difference! This time, I was able to stop for every character photo op and really enjoy the run. It still took me over an hour to finish, but for these races the only goal you should have in mind is to PR in fun!

Disney races are fun to run in costume. I decided to run this race as Judy Hopps from Zootopia. I bought a bowler hat off eBay and added dollar store ribbon and police badges to clothing pieces I either had in my closet or picked up at Goodwill. I made a pair of long rabbit ears out of felt to hang off the hat and safety-pinned a couple of plastic carrots to a wide belt to complete the look. I got a few compliments and it was really easy to run in -- though I carried the hat in my hand a few times because I was afraid it might fly off.

The course took runners through Animal Kingdom and then past a lake in a backstage area of the park.

Training & Goals
The plan for this race was to take it easy and rest my legs for the upcoming 10K and half marathon on Sunday.

Race Day: November 4, 2016
To arrive in time for the 6:30AM start means a crazy early wake-up time. Traffic was backed up a bit on the way in but I arrived in time to grab a few photo ops before the race began. I was in the very back of corral A for the start. It was 64°F with clear skies and 94% humidity.

Mile 1: 11:18
The race started in the Animal Kingdom parking lot and the entire first mile was mostly outside the park. Photo ops started inside the park so this was a pretty straightforward slow and easy run.

Mile 2: 21:27
Time for some photos! This mile was almost entirely in the park, and there were four characters posing for photos with runners. I stopped to have my picture taken with Rafiki (Lion King), Baloo (Jungle Book), Turk (Tarzan -- my one photo with her didn't come out), and Santa Goofy. Goofy was alternating with Donald; they did a switch right before it was my turn.

Leaving the park a cast member saw me walking and shouted "Pick it up, Hopps!!" So of course I had to run. "Yes sir!!"

Mile 3+: 19:47, 7:30
Here we left the park and ran an out-and-back behind Expedition Everest. I stopped to take a bunch of photos of behind-the-scenes stuff, including floats for the upcoming Rivers of Light attraction that may still open at Animal Kingdom in our lifetimes, haha! I actually texted a couple of pictures to Arthur during the run and he asked me to send more.

At the end of the turn-around Pluto was available for photos in his doghouse. A quick snap with the pooch and then it was back to the Animal Kingdom parking lot for the finish!

After the race I was able to take a picture with Mickey and Minnie. Since I didn't have park tickets I just headed home after the race to rest up for the coming two days.

Garmin final time: 1:00:01 for 3.42 miles
Race Amenities: All the great Disney stuff including a cotton unisex t-shirt.
Cost: $75.05 (yes, it's crazy expensive)

Report written December 11, 2016

Lighthouse Loop is an awesome local race that benefits the athletic departments of 10 Volusia County schools. The schools man 10 water stops on the half marathon course and the stop with the best cheer squad wins the most spirited award (and a cash bonus for the school's department). The race is put on by West Volusia Runners. The Lighthouse Loop 5K was my very first race ever one year prior.

Training & Goals
This, and the Wine & Dine races the following weekend, were supposed to be my goal races for the fall. But I let my training slip for two weeks mid-October when family visited. Before that I had also missed a couple of runs because of Hurricane Matthew. And I'd gained a bit of weight over the summer. But I was still looking forward to running Lighthouse Loop and hoping for a half marathon PR for my second race of this distance.

Race Day: October 30, 2016
I drove over to Port Orange for the race by myself. I had a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast and packed a couple of gels and sport beans for the race. Weather was clear. It was 64°F with 100% humidity (!!) at the start.

Mile 1, 2, 3: 11:00, 10:43, 10:50
I positioned myself by the 2:30 pacer but I was feeling good and started out at a faster pace at the start. The course follows the coast as we run through Port Orange, Daytona Beach Shores, Wilbur-by-the-Sea, and Ponce Inlet.

Mile 4, 5, 6: 11:00, 11:05, 11:20
I was still feeling fine and felt good about my pace. I ate a gel after about 45 minutes.

Mile 7, 8, 9: 11:29, 12:25, 13:02
The highlight of the race is running through Lighthouse Point Park at the end of the peninsula in Ponce Inlet, and then swinging around the lighthouse. A lot of runners paused to take selfies with the monument before running on.

Shortly past the lighthouse there was a runner in trouble; EMTs rolled up in an ambulance as I ran by.

Somehwere during this part of the race I realized I wore the wrong shoes. I started to feel friction and the beginning of a couple of blisters forming.

Mile 10, 11, 12: 13:55, 13:54, 16:20
I suddenly started feeling really fatigued at the end of mile 9 and into 10. I ate my sport beans but they didn't help. I took a few extra / longer walking breaks as I powered on. The blisters were annoying but they weren't slowing me down. I just felt extremely tired and a bit unwell and lightheaded. I had water at each of the water stops and I had hydrated before the race. I don't know what went wrong but this wasn't my race. During one of those miserable walk breaks the 2:30 pace group passed me and I felt completely defeated. I ended up walking nearly the entire last two miles.

Mile 13+: 15:52, 2:47*
Right at the end a fellow runner from the club (West Volusia Runners) saw me and my club shirt and cheered me on, running me in a little bit. That lifted my spirits briefly and I was able to run over the finish line, but as soon as I got my medal and a bottle of water I sat down, feeling ill.

I felt sick and I was so mad at myself for the poor performance. I had a second bottle of water and some orange juice but I didn't feel like having any of the breakfast buffet or any of the other treats being offered at the finisher party.

I really wished Arthur had come with me because I didn't want to drive home alone. After sitting for about a half hour I finally managed to stagger over to the car and drive home.

I had so been looking forward to this race and hoped for a PR so I was extremely disappointed. It took a few days for me to feel proud of finishing the race. The medal is really cool (for the 5th anniversary of the race the lighthouse medal lights up!) and I'm proud to have earned it. My second half marathon! Not the outcome I wanted, but I did it.

Chip time: 2:44:15
Placement details: 57 out of 97 in Age Group; 522 out of 838 total finishers
Race Amenities: Nice tech shirt and light up medal. Great post race party.
Cost: $54.50

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

Report written December 11, 2016

Running photo (c) Almost There Photography

The Celebration Rotary Club 18th Annual Pancake Run took place on a rainy day in October. This 5K and 10K race event put on by the Celebration Rotarians benefits the Central Florida USO.

Training & Goals
I was following a self-made training plan for the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon and the Wine & Dine races at Disney World coming up at the end of October and beginning of November. This race fit into the plan, although training ended up getting a bit derailed for various reasons. Anyway, a big reason I wanted to run this race was because it coincided with a visit from Arthur's family from overseas. I thought it would be fun for them to attend a race during their trip. A bonus was that spectators could partake of the accompanying pancake breakfast for a small fee. The location was about an hour from home so we planned a nice day out following the race in the surrounding area.

Race Day: October 15, 2016
My mom met us at home before we left early on race morning. The drive in was overcast but rain was not in the forecast. We had some drizzle as we approached downtown Celebration but I was still hoping the race would remain dry. It was cloudy and 73°F with 94% humidity at the start of the race. There was no rain as we started the run, but the roads were wet from earlier precipitation.

Mile 1: 10:26

Mile 2: 10:31
I was hoping my pancake t-shirt would get some compliments but I guess the print isn't very clear. Somewhere around mile two a fellow runner told me she finally could see what my shirt was -- honey! What?!

Mile 3: 10:44
The route took us through the pretty streets of downtown Celebration. At the halfway point water stop some enthusiastic volunteers recognized my pancake shirt and gave me a shout-out. Yay!

Mile 4: 10:49
The routes of the 5K and 10K overlapped in some spots. Around mile 4 we split again and I don't feel like it was very clearly marked. I really thought I was running with the same 10K folks for a while but when the turn for the 10K came, they followed the 5K route. I was super confused.

Mile 5: 10:49

Mile 6+: 11:08, 3:08*
The rain started up again at the end of the race and it really came down hard at some points. I had to watch my footing and it really slowed my pace (not that I was on track for a PR anyway...).

After the race I met up with my family and I changed out of my wet clothes awkwardly in the car. We huddled under an umbrella to eat our pancake breakfast. The pancakes were the best I've ever had at a fundraiser breakfast and they were served with some delicious berry compote and honey butter. Unfortunately the rain kept coming and there wasn't really enough space under the firehouse roof for everyone to keep dry.

The results of the race show some strange anomalies that I don't think were adequately addressed after a couple of runners (including me) emailed the race directors and timing company. The 5K race was supposed to start 15 minutes after the 10K, and several 10K runners (including some in my Female 41-59 Age Group) show a ~15 minute difference between their chip time (time their actual bib crossed the start/finish line) and their gun time (time it took them to finish from when the starting gun was fired). Maybe they ran the 5K race but had 10K bibs?

The course through Celebration was really pretty and I enjoyed the run. The rain was a bummer but the race directors can't help that. The unresolved results weirdness puts me off doing this race again, though.

Chip time: 1:07:08
Placement details: 12/25 in (41-50) age group; 91st out of 211 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included tech shirt, tiny medal, pancake breakfast
Cost: $45.00

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

Report written December 10, 2016

The Global Energy Race is a series of 10K and 3K runs around the world all taking place on the same day. This was the second year of the race and the first time it took place in Orlando. Sponsor Bimbo Bakeries donated bread to local food banks on behalf of every runner. The race set the Guinness World Record for the most 10K race runners in the largest number of cities on the same day with more than 85,000 participants in 36 cities around the world.

Training & Goals
My training plan calls for several back-to-back runs to prepare for the back-to-back-to-back runDisney races during the Wine & Dine festival at the beginning of November, and this race paired up nicely with the Endless Summer 10K I ran the day prior. Entry was also very cheap (many runners got free entry with discount codes released closer to race day -- they really wanted to pack this race!). My only goal was to have a good run and enjoy myself.

Race Day: September 25 2016
I drove to Festival Park in Orlando for the race. Parking and packet pickup were both a breeze and I was ready to run with plenty of time to spare. It was 79° with 89% humidity at the start of the race.

Mile 1: 10:52
The race took us through residential and commerical streets south of Colonial and east of Mills Ave in Orlando.

Mile 2: 10:44
I tried to keep a nice slow and even pace and didn't take any walking breaks until later in the race.

Mile 3: 10:49
The course was nice and flat and I think if I wasn't on tired legs I might have had a PR.

Mile 4: 10:22
During this mile we headed out to run around Lake Underhill and we could see the lead runners heading back towards the start/finish at Festival Park already. It was pretty motivating seeing them so it seems I picked up my pace a bit.

Mile 5: 10:44
This took us about 3/4 of the way around the lake.

Mile 6+: 10:58, 4:30*
I was pretty pleased with my final time considering my somewhat tired legs and the heat/humidity.

At the finish line there were lots of treats for the runners, including bananas and water, plus goodies like cereal fruit bars, bags of mini muffins, and bagels. They were giving away whole packages of bagels and boxes of the mini muffins. All runners got a voucher for a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck as well.

The winner of the 10K race at each location won a trip to next year's Global Energy Race at any city of their choice. The female winner in Orlando was champion Russian marathon runner Lyubov Denisova who now lives in Gainesville. The male winner was an Orlando resident who had qualified to run in this year's U.S. Olympic Team Marathon Trials.

Chip time: 1:07:37
Placement details: 110th out of 360 women participants and 554 finishers total
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice Kappa tech short sleeve shirt, drawstring backpack, sport towel, and big finisher medal.
Cost: $12.00 via Groupon

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

Report written September 30, 2016

The Endless Summer 10K is a trail race through Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine. The race is accompanied by a 5K beach run. Both races are fundraisers for Friends of Anastasia State Park and Don's Friends.

Training & Goals
This was my first trail race and my main goal was to not fall down and hopefully cross the finish line in under 90 minutes.

Race Day: September 24 2016
Arthur and I left home at around 5:15 and we arrived at Anastasia State Park in time to watch the sun rise over the ocean. I got my packet and found the starting area. This race consistently sells out so it was crowded at the start with no pace markers. It was about 75° and clear at the start with a light breeze.

Mile 1: 10:21
We started out running on the beach. Between the parking lot to the hard-packed beach sand we had to run through some relatively soft sand and I was looking down from the start to watch my footing. There were shells on the beach and the sound of us runners crunching on the shells was funny. We split from the 5K runners at the Mile 1 marker and turned around to run back towards the start. We would do this out-and-back several times through different parts of the park.

Mile 2: 10:35
This was another 3/4 mile running on the beach and about 1/4 mile of boardwalk heading towards the parking lot and roadway. I took a short walking break through the water station at about the Mile 2 marker.

Mile 3: 11:03
From the parking lot we headed to a forest trail. As we ran in, a volunteer said "Here's the fun part!" Roots on the dirt trail were marked with neon spray paint. We had to watch our footing. Running through the trail was a lot of fun. It was narrow and hard to pass other runners, so I just tried to keep up with the runner in front of me. At one point I had a runner breathing down my neck but I wasn't sure if I should step aside or just press on. I pressed on, hoping if someone wanted to pass me they might say something.

Mile 4: 11:16
This was half trail and half road as we made a sharp turn around and headed back towards the starting area. I was feeling good but I got passed by some runners during the trail portion here as the path widened. I took another short walk break through another water station. I had read a tip once to point at the water volunteer from whom you'd like to take water, and Arthur caught this picture of me pointing at the water station kid.  :)

Mile 5: 11:13
More road running and another sharp turnaround as we headed back out on the main park road towards the entrance.

Mile 6+: 11:48, 3:44*
At about the 5.2 mile mark we turned around again for the last time and headed towards the start/finish area along an open grass-covered beach path. Here footing was really tricky and with the sun beating down it wasn't as fun as the forest trails. The last half mile was back on the road straight through to the finish area.

It was an enjoyable race and I was happy to accomplish my meager goal to not fall down during the run! I snarfed my post-race banana and a couple of waters before Arthur and I headed to St. Augustine for a walk through the old city.

Chip time: 1:09:47
Placement details: 8th of 11 in age group, 90th overall out of 178 finishers.
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice ladies tech shirt and a drawstring backpack. No finisher medal.
Cost: $39.98 including $3.98 Active.com fees.

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

Report written September 29, 2016

Finish photo screenshot from (c) RaceSmith YouTube video

The Turtle Krawl 5K claims to be the largest 5K in Brevard County Florida. The race takes place on a barrier island, in coastal Indialantic, and runs through residential streets as well as along a seaside roadway. Proceeds from the race benefit the Sea Turtle Preservation Society.

Training & Goals
I really like the cause this race supports so that was my primary reason for running. Swag included a sweet turtle tech shirt and awesome optional medal which also made me want to run this one. My only goal was to have a good tempo run as part of my ongoing half marathon training.

Race Day: September 10, 2016
So Indialantic is pretty far from home, which meant I had to leave home pretty early to arrive in time. I was on the road by about 4:45 and the drive in was smooth. I arrived in time to park along the main beach drag, run to packet pickup (which was incredibly well-organized and fast), run back to the car, and then run back to the starting area. The race used chip-timing in a D-Tag that was attached to the back of the bib and had to be transferred to our shoes. Interesting method!

The temperature at the start of the race was a balmy 77° with a stifling 94% humidity. I had thought a seaside race would provide a nice ocean breeze. Instead this felt like the hottest race of the year so far and it ended up hitting me hard in the last mile.

Mile 1: 9:55
I lined up around the 10 minute mile pace sign. In other races I have had to bob and weave a lot at the start, but the lineup for this very large race was almost perfect and I could run at pace from almost the start. Everyone lined up as they should and it was great. I felt really good during this first mile and didn't stop for any walking.

Mile 2: 10:19
There were several groups of volunteers out on the course with professional-looking spectator signs that were fun to see and helped motivate us runners. "You run better than Congress", "If you fall down, I'll stop your Garmin", "Worst Parade Ever", etc. I took one small walking break during this mile but I started feeling bad about halfway through.

Mile 3+: 13:11, 3:14*
Yikes, somewhere in this mile I suddenly started feeling extremely fatigued and had to slow down. I took a lot of walking breaks and ended up walking almost the entire last half mile. I did manage to pick up my feet to "finish strong" -- at least I ran over the line. It was a disappointing finish.

After the race I took one of the provided ice-cold cooling towels (oh so nice) and sat down with a bottle of water and a half banana. I overheard other runners complaining about the heat and being disappointed with their own slow times. After eating and resting I felt much better. The post-race amenities included a huge spread of muffins of all types, all neatly labeled with flavor and allergy information (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, etc). A few vendors were there giving away swag like sunglasses and water bottles. Later in the morning there was going to be a public sea turtle release.

I'm not surprised this is the largest 5K in Brevard County. It was very well organized and supports a great cause. I'm not sure I'll run this one again just because of the distance from home, but otherwise I would recommend this race to other runners for sure.

Chip time: 35:27
Placement details: 47th of 156 in Age Group, 730 out of 2255 total finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included an awesome tech shirt, and a cool (optional) finisher medal. Cold washcloths at the end. A huge spread of fruit and muffins at the finish line.
Cost: $45.00 including $15 for optional medal

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

Report written September 28, 2016

Finisher photo (c) TriHokie Images

The Front Running Sports Anniversary 2 Miler was my first 2-mile race. The race started at Front Running Sports in Lake Mary and was a simple out-and-back along the Florida Trail mixed-use path.

Training & Goals
I went in considering this to be a tempo run (running at a "comfortably fast" pace) as part of my current training plan. I hoped for a sub-20 finishing time.

Race Day: Monday September 5, 2016
This race took place on a Monday -- Labor Day. I borrowed my parents' car to get there (THANKS MOM & DAD!). There was a very light drizzle shortly before race time. The temperature at the start was 77°.

Mile 1: 9:03
There wasn't too much jostling at the start of this relatively small race, even though the trail was pretty narrow from the start.

Mile 2: 10:06
In the second half of the second mile I leap-frogged with a running buddy I've met at a few local races (HI TOM!). He ended up finishing before me, bummer! Bigger bummer: I came in 4th in my age group (awards were given 3-deep). HOWEVER, I was quite pleased to come in at under 20 minutes as hoped!

Chip time: 19:18 (new distance = PR)
Placement details: 4 of 11 in Age Group; 87 out of 165 total finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice soft cotton shirt and a finisher medal for everyone.
Cost: $16.50 including $3 processing fee and 10% discount coupon.

Report written September 12, 2016

Finisher photo taken from Front Running Sports' Facebook page.

Track Shack's Celebration of Running kicks of the running season in central Florida for a lot of runners. This year there were 1820 finishers. The event is the first in Track Shack's annual Running Series which has been around for 39 years! The race benefits the Track Shack Foundation.

Training & Goals
I had no special training and no particular goals for this race. On August 1st I started a training plan for a couple of upcoming half marathons and this race fit into the schedule.

Race Day: Saturday, August 13 2016
Arthur drove down to Orlando with me for this race. We arrived in time and found a fine parking spot at a nearby business. Before the start we were treated to a live version of the Star Spangled Banner. The singer flubbed a line a bit but she pressed on with appropriate mumbling before getting it back. Oops. It was 77° with 89% humidity at the start of the race. Ugh!

Mile 1: 9:47
I had crammed myself into the starting area around the 10 minute mile pace sign. I started out very slow, though, dodging walkers and slower runners. I picked up the pace a bit too much once the crowd thinned out which wasn't a brilliant idea.

Mile 2: 10:03
A lot of this race was on brick roads in a suburban area of Orlando that I'm not really familiar with. We runners had to look at our feet and watch our footing for much of the run.

Mile 3+: 10:22, 2:20*
I'm not surprised by the slower pace here. The humidity got to me and instead of taking walk breaks throughout the entire race I seem to have used them all during this last horrible mile. My Garmin's data shows the race was relatively flat throughout, but for some reason I'm remembering a big hill at the end. Huh? After the race I enjoyed my beer and a few other treats. Arthur and I headed to First Watch for a proper breakfast (and I had a sneaky change of clothes in the restroom) before heading to Disney World for more fun.

Chip time: 32:00
Placement details: 33/148 in Age Group; 604 overall out of 1820 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice lightweight tech shirt and a flashy medal. There was a nice spread at the end of the race and all runners got one free beer with a ticket on our bibs.
Cost: $33

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

Report written September 11, 2016

Suck It Up Buttercup is a somewhat "hilly" midsummer race in central Florida. It kind of sucks, but for some reason I had a lot of fun!

Training & Goals
No special training and no particular goals for this race. I didn't imagine I could PR in the midsummer heat.

Race Day: July 10, 2016
The start/finish line for this race was at Gemini Springs, so I rode my bike there in the wee dark hours in order to arrive in time for the 6:30AM start. It was 79° with 89% humidity and sunny at the start. This was a gun start / chip finish on an uncertified course.

Mile 1: 10:16
For a hot July race, it was pretty crowded at the start! A 5K race started at the same time as the 10K so there were a lot of runners and walkers crowding the course at the beginning.

Mile 2: 10:12
Shortly after the first mile marker we split from the 5K route. This was very clearly indicated.

Mile 3: 10:26
It was a lot of fun running through my neighborhood. The "hills" weren't too bad!

Mile 4: 10:20

Mile 5: 10:35
There were four water stops and I stopped at all but the third one. Support during this race was great. Course marshals and local police made everything very clear and safe.

Mile 6+: 10:06, 1:36*
I was feeling really good during the second half of the race and thought I might be headed for a PR going into the final mile. A local resident had a water sprinkler skewed to shower over the sidewalk so I took a quick detour to cool off on my way to the finish line.

My Garmin came up a bit short on distance so I may have started recording the race a bit after the actual start... and I'm not sure if I should count this time as a personal record. My Garmin never matches 100% with chip timing (as is normal for consumer grade GPS watches) but I'm usually a bit over distance, not under. For now I'm calling it my 10K PR. My next 10K is a partial trail race at the end of September and my next road 10K probably won't happen until October. I did use this race as my proof of time for the Disney Wine & Dine races -- I sure hope that works out!

Chip time: 1:03:29 (1:53 PR)
Placement details: 12 of 42 in age group, 100th overall out of 338 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a ladies tech shirt and a finisher medal for all.
Cost: $35.00

*I didn't start my Garmin at the right time/place, so my data is a bit off.

Report written July 29, 2016

Race photo (c) Almost There Photography