The DeBary 5K is sponsored in large part by a local contracting company, DBK. Proceeds go towards DeBary Elementary School and the Kruid Foundation. The 2016 race was the 2nd annual.

Training & Goals
I had just come back from a 10-day holiday in Costa Rica a few days before race day, and I wasn't back into any kind of structured running regimen at all (I managed one weak 2-mile run while on vacation). With our summer heat I figure I won't be getting any PRs until the fall at best, so my goal was to finish within a reasonable time and have fun.

Race Day: May 21, 2016
As I was getting ready to bike to the start, I had a funny feeling I was forgetting something. Bib, check. Phone and holder, check. Bike lock and keys, check. DBK is just a short ride away and I left home at around 7AM, about a half hour before starting time. It wasn't until I got my bike secured that I realized I forgot my Garmin! Oh no! Racing without my little pace buddy was no fun at all. Hopefully that won't happen again. It was about 72° at the start but the sun wasn't beating down on us just yet and there was a cool(ish) breeze. There was a great atmosphere around the start with the race emcee and DJ and others leading dances and other antics. The race party was well stocked with bounce houses and a huge water slide set up, food vendors, a face painter, and free beer for runners at the end of the race.

Mile 1: 9:43*
How fast am I going? Am I going to PR? I feel like I'm going incredibly slow. It's okay, I won't PR, no problem. Should I slow down? I have no idea. Haven't we run a mile yet?

Mile 2: 9:46*
I feel like I'm running too fast. Slow down... That's too slow. Or is it? I have no idea. Should I take a walk break? Have I been running 4 minutes? 8 minutes? 24 minutes? I have no idea. Haven't we run two miles yet?

Mile 3+: 10:16*, 2:11*
Could I still PR? I have no idea. I feel like I'm pushing... but I think I've taken more walking breaks than I should have. Oh, I can hear the race emcee... Finishers are under 31 minutes -- okay, that's clear, no PR! I can still finish strong. Let's go!

Arthur and I had plans to go to Disney for the day (typical race day --> Disney fun day!) so I only had time for a quick selfie with the mayor of DeBary before I headed home!

Chip time: 31:06
Placement details: 14 of 45 in age group, 121th overall out of 491 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a ladies tech shirt, finisher's medal, nice swag bag with rubber DBK mascot and other nice goodies.
Cost: $25.00

*I used my phone to track the race but I started and ended the timer with a large buffer since it takes me a moment to get the phone into and out of my arm holder.

Report written May 31, 2016

Featured photo & running photo (c) Almost There Photography

This race was held to support a great cause and took place right here in my hometown of DeBary. Kids Beating Cancer supports kids fighting cancer and other diseases. The race was held in conjunction with the grand opening of a new local medical center. There was also a health fair and I was impressed with the number of tents and vendors at the event.

Training & Goals
This was my return to racing after my first half marathon two weeks prior. I took it easy getting back, with just three training runs of 3, 3, and 5 miles between April 17 and April 30. This was an untimed fun run so I had no particular goal except to finish and get in a good training run.

Race Day: April 30, 2016
It was a short drive to the event, which had a late start time of 9AM. It was sunny and 73° when we got underway. Since the race was untimed, the info below comes from my Garmin.

Mile 1: 9:29
I went out pretty fast (for me) but due to the heat I took my regular interval walking breaks every 4.5 minutes.

Mile 2: 9:57
About halfway through the race I really felt the heat and decided since it wasn't timed and there were no awards for the race that I shouldn't push myself too hard. The blazing sun and heat from the late start made this race rather unpleasant overall and had me questioning any future summer races! Luckily the start time for most races is much earlier (and therefore cooler) than 9AM.

Mile 3+: 11:12, 2:01*
I have no idea how many people finished before or after me. Sorry to say I'm not a fan of untimed "fun run" races and will look to avoid them in the future, though I can't regret signing up for a race in my hometown that supports such a great cause.

Cumulative time: 32:40
Race Amenities: Swag included a nice cotton tee & nice goodie bag with lots of goodies. The race was accompanied by an interesting expo.
Cost: $23, including $3 processing fee.

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

Report written May 31, 2016

I had registered for the Star Wars Dark Side 5K back in September 2015, and soon after regretted not registering for the 10K, and then later for the half marathon. The races all sold out quickly so I was out of luck. Or was I?

On February 18th, Arthur and I visited the expo for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. I wanted to see what the expo for the Star Wars races would be like and become acquainted with the layout of the venue, ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. We were fairly shocked at how crowded the expo was, but it was really fun to see all the vendors and merchandise.

As we were leaving the expo, we saw that the Star Wars Dark Side medals were on display, so we stopped to have a look. And that's when we learned there were some bibs available for all of the Star Wars races, if we signed up right away. It didn't take me too long to decide to run the half marathon. Arthur would be back from his conference so he could come cheer me on (and carry around all my stuff). Of course in time I regretted not signing up for the Dark Side Challenge (running both the 10K and the half), haha! Maybe next year!

Some proceeds from the Star Wars Half Marathon Dark Side races benefitted Noah's Light Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.

This was a point-to-point USATF certified course starting in the Epcot parking lot and finishing at the Wide World of Sports.

Training & Goals
I looked at some half marathon training plans and put together my own schedule based on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 plan. With just eight weeks from registration to race day, I jumped in at week 4 of the plan. It wasn't too difficult as I was already training on my own for my first 10K -- which was coming up in mid-March.

For both the 5K and the half marathon I had aimed to stop at as many photo opportunities as possible, but after Friday's 5K I realized that stopping and standing in line wasn't really for me. I also abandoned my planned costume, a cotton blend C-3PO shirt and gold sequined skirt, for a traditional running outfit of tech shirt and lightweight shorts.

I had registered for the race past the deadline for submitting proof of time. This put me, by default, in the last starting corral. I had read that it might be possible to get a new corral assignment by begging and pleading at race relations during the expo. I printed out proof of time from my 10K race and brought it to the expo. I think I was the first visitor to race relations for the weekend, and I lucked out in getting a corral reassignment by simply asking nicely. I was put in corral F, right in the middle of the pack (I was previously in L). This good fortune solidified my desire to race the race, though I figured I would stop for selfies at the mile markers and maybe some other spots if there was something special to see. I was also planning on running my usual race intervals of 4 minutes 30 seconds running with 30 second walking breaks (during training I typically run 4/1 intervals). I didn't have a goal time in mind, though based on my 10K time I hoped to finish in about two and a half hours.

Race Day: April 17, 2016
Arthur and I left home at about 3AM in order to get me to the starting line in time for the 5AM start. I had read horror stories of the traffic situation for the 10K the previous day, also a point-to-point race, but I didn't heed the advice of many to plan on arriving up to 2 hours before race time. I didn't need to take pictures before the race and it wasn't fair to Arthur to leave too insanely early. 3AM was insane enough. Traffic, however, was pretty intense once we reached WDW property and a couple of slow traffic bottlenecks gave us a bit of a panic before we ended up parking in a perfect spot at a very reasonable time.

Arthur accompanied me into the secure area briefly before it was time for me to head to the corrals. I waited in a very long portalet line before the trek towards the starting area.

5AM came quickly and the corrals moved up in rapid succession, with about 4-5 minutes between mini-fanfare starts for each group. I discarded my throwaway hoodie and was pleased to see it was collected along with other discarded clothing items, hopefully all on their way to be donated.

According to my Garmin we were off at 5:22AM, which wasn't too bad at all. I had read that the later corrals can start up to an hour after corral A. Now that is a lot of waiting around!

Waiting among a sea of people in corral F

Racing conditions were very good, with a temperature of 64°. Humidity wasn't too bad at 73% and there was a pretty good breeze which made it feel quite pleasant. I think we really lucked out with the weather for this half marathon!

Cad Bane (Clone Wars) at Mile 1 | Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious at Mile 2 | Count Dooku at Mile 3

Mile 1, 2, 3: 10:20, 10:32, 10:58 | 5K split: 33:59
I am so impressed with people who can write up race reports that include details of what they were thinking and how they were feeling during each mile of the run. For me, much of this half marathon was a big happy blur. I had so much fun and I can't believe how fast it went by. Especially the first three miles -- yikes I went out fast!

These three miles in the dark took us through Epcot, past the Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk hotels, and towards Hollywood Studios. The flames around the lagoon were lit up and Star Wars music was blasting as we ran around part of World Showcase in Epcot. A lot of people complained about course congestion around the Boardwalk area but I didn't find anything worth complaining about. Sure, there were a lot of people, but I could hop onto the grass to pass walkers and I didn't mind slowing down where the course narrowed. The tunnel under the Buena Vista Drive overpass was themed as Darth Vader, with his creepy breathing sound, red lights, and a fog machine.

General Grievous (Clone Wars, etc) at Mile 4 | Jabba the Hutt at Mile 5 | Boba Fett at Mile 6

Mile 4, 5, 6: 11:17, 11:07, 11:17 | 10K split: 1:09:56
Throughout the race I hardly looked at my watch and as I went on I couldn't believe how quickly each mile marker seemed to come up. I also couldn't hear my watch beeping at all, so my normal intervals were all screwed up. I missed seeing most of my splits. I did stop at each mile marker for a quick selfie and took sporadic short walking breaks throughout. If you look at the pace data on my Garmin race summary you can see that walk breaks increased after the first few miles.

These miles (still in the dark!) took us through Hollywood Studios and then some highway miles on World Drive and Osceola Parkway on our way to Animal Kingdom. It was fun to run by Kylo Ren who was holding court on stage in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood Studios. As we ran out of the park, a big bunch of characters from the 501st Legion were available for photos.

As soon as we hit World Drive we were greeted by the Timber Creek marching band playing the main Star Wars theme -- very cool! Somewhere around Mile 6 we could see the leading runners already heading back on the other side of Osceola.

The Seventh Sister (Rebels) at Mile 7 | Darth Maul at Mile 8 | General Hux (The Force Awakens) at Mile 9

Mile 7, 8, 9: 11:46, 11:50, 12:06 | 15K split: 1:47:36

Here we ran a bit more on Osceola Parkway and then all the way around Animal Kingdom's massive parking lot on our way into the park. We ran in via DinoLand U.S.A., through Asia and past the Tree of Life before exiting the park and heading back out on Osceola Parkway. Leaving this park there was another large group of characters from the 501st. I high-fived a Stormtrooper as I ran by. Disney PhotoPass photogs captured a couple of shots of me running through Asia... and for some reason they don't have watermarks. Win!

Kylo Ren at Mile 10 | Darth Vader at Mile 11 | Captain Phasma at Mile 12

Mile 10, 11, 12: 11:42, 11:53, 12:00

We ran through another big chunk of the Animal Kingdom parking lot on the way back to Osceola Parkway. In a couple of spots along the way there were big screens showing scenes from the various Star Wars movies, and a DJ in the middle of the highway pumped us up playing pop and rock tunes.

At Mile 11 runners on the other side of the highway were at about 5.75 miles. There were portalets in the middle of the highway here and I saw a couple of people who started in a much later corral come out of the stalls and resume the course on our side. I'm pretty sure they cut the course and I just looked on in shock without saying anything. There were timing mats at every 5K so they would have skipped two, which is clear to see in the results. Mile 12 took us to a dirt road to access the finish area at ESPN's Wide World of Sports (WWoS).

Mile 13+: 11:41, 3:49*
This is the only marker where I didn't take a selfie. I let a Disney Photopass photographer snap me and since I'm not springing for any downloads, the photo I'm sharing here still has Disney's watermark on it. The other two shots are also from Disney photogs on the course (in Epcot, I think).

The course narrowed along the dirt road into WWoS. During some later walking breaks I had texted with Arthur to see if he had arrived at the finish. He let me know he was at the Final Mile viewing area, where we saw each other! That was a great motivator for that last half mile.

And then, before I knew it, I passed under the finish line, over the last timing mats, and through the chute. I got my medal and grabbed a water, a couple of bananas and RunDisney's standard snack box on my way to reunite with Arthur. I did it! :D

Take-aways:
I can't believe how fast this race went by. Though I was a bit sore afterwards, and the stairs onto the bus that shuttled us back to Epcot were no fun, I feel like I had a lot of "gas left in the tank" after this race. I am really glad that I decided to run it rather than bounce from photo op to photo op. I am looking forward to running more half marathons. I'm signed up for the inaugural Lumiere's Two-Course Challenge in October and I'll do the WDW Half Marathon in January, but I'd really like to run a small local half for time -- I think a crowded Disney race is always going to be part parade.  :)

Chip time: 2:32:12
Placement details: 338th of 1750 in age group, 5030th overall out of 18171 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve ladies tech t-shirt and a neat medal. Big fun race weekend expo. And the course of course! Running through Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom with Star Wars characters, music, and theming!
Cost: $199.00 (no Active.com fees since I registered at the expo)

*I often forget to turn off my Garmin after a race, so the final time is skewed.
Report written April 28, 2016

The Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon Weekend had finally arrived! I was so excited for this weekend for such a long time. I registered for the 5K back when it first went on sale in September 2015. At that time I hadn't even run my first race at all, but I thought a Disney race would be super fun and I knew they had a reputation for selling out. The Star Wars theming and the fact that it was an inaugural race weekend were also very appealing. Arthur and I both signed up for this race and were looking forward to running it together.

Very shortly afterwards, I started to regret not signing up for the 10K race instead (or perhaps as well). When I signed up I wasn't even sure I'd stick with running, but I knew that Disney races were relatively walker friendly (especially the 5Ks). As the weeks went on though, I started to love running more and more, and I knew I could be ready for a 10K by the time race weekend came around. A couple of months later I regretted not signing up for the half marathon itself! Of course that did end up happening eventually... read about that in the half marathon race report.

Sometime in late fall, Arthur got invited to an important work conference that would take place over most of the weekend. So I'd be running the 5K by myself. This was a huge bummer but I still tried to look forward to the weekend.

Some proceeds from the Star Wars Half Marathon Dark Side races benefitted Noah's Light Foundation, which supports pediatric brain cancer research.

The race would take us from the Epcot parking lot, through parts of World Showcase and Future World, before returning to the parking lot to finish the 5K race.

Training & Goals
This weekend was all about the half marathon. I had been training for that race since mid February. I had also been regularly running 5K races for several months prior to this race, and had very happily finally run a sub-30-minute race the week prior.

Disney 5K races are true "fun runs" -- they are not timed. So my only goal here was to PR in fun. Prior to the actual race I had the idea I would stop for every character photo opportunity, in both the 5K and on Sunday during the half marathon. That strategy did not hold (read on...).

I dressed up as Rey from The Force Awakens in a costume I pieced together from thrift store finds and some fabric scraps. I had other ideas about this costume (a mashup of Rey with Mr. Ray from Finding Nemo) but they ended in disaster and should rather not be spoken of again. The Rey outfit as I ended up wearing it was far from ideal and my sash flopped around in a rather unsightly fashion. My running photos are not good. Not good at all.

Race Day: April 15, 2016
The race was set to start at 6AM and it was suggested we be ready in our corrals at least 30 minutes prior to race time. I left home at 3:45AM to get to the Epcot parking lot in time. Parking was uneventful and I was able to get into my corral, E (second to last) in plenty of time. Unfortunately I didn't realize there would be character photo opportunities before the race so I arrived too late to have my picture with any of them -- the lines were already closed by the time I got there.

It was a warm 70° and muggy at the start. The runners in corral A started on time at 6AM but the rest of us were sent off at regular intervals. Each corral had a separate starting fireworks blast. According to my Garmin I crossed the starting line at about 6:24AM.

Lined up at the front of corral E, looking back at a ton of runners!

I did my best to be at the front of the corral for the start!

Mile 1: 12:58
Participants were walking from the start so I did a lot of dodging around folks for this mile. Because of this my GPS data is a bit skewed, but it's still funny to see -- check out my Garmin Dark Side 5K summary. You can see I stopped briefly at the first photo op on course -- a disembodied Scout Walker leg shrouded in smoke. There were no cast members or photographers here, so I asked the runners behind me in line to take my picture.

Mile 2: 28:29
My slowest mile ever! I stopped (turned around actually) to have my photo taken with R2D2. It was first depressing and then alarming to see all of the runners passing those of us who stood in line to have our photo taken with the droid. It was shortly after this, back on course, that I passed the official Mile 1 marker. I was among run/walkers from corral F now. But I like to run, so I did my best to slalom around everyone and that was a lot of fun. Though I really liked getting my photo taken with R2D2, I decided stopping for photos might not be my thing after all.

Running through Japan on the way to Morocco

We entered Epcot at Mexico and shortly passed another photo op - Sabine and Ezra from Rebels. They posed in front of a Tie Fighter. I snapped a quick photo on the run and kept going. We exited the park briefly by France and passed another photo op, this time with Chewie. I can give him a hug any time I want at Hollywood Studios so I snapped a quick selfie. We passed the Mile 2 marker shortly after.

Mile 3+: 13:55, 8:38
Back in Epcot to finish World Showcase, race through part of Future World and then back to the finish at the parking lot. Before Spaceship Earth I stopped to take a selfie in front of a couple of Stormtroopers. Another runner offered to take my photo and though I didn't really want to, I thought it would be rude to refuse. After she snapped a couple of terrible shots of me she asked me to return the favor. I did so and was about to run off when another runner asked if I'd also take her picture. What the what? I said, "Sorry, no time, gotta run!" and took off. Maybe well over an hour into a 5K it was stupid to want to keep running, and I felt bad afterwards. But I think it's not unreasonable to take the photo of just one other person per op during a race. Sorry random runner, I hope you found someone to snap your picture!

A quick selfie at Mile 3 and then on to the finish for a ridiculous 5K PW (Personal Worst!) of 1:04:00.

I got my banana and RunDisney snack box and sat down on the asphalt to rest and text Arthur. After sitting for a while I saw that again I was missing photo ops -- many of the characters and scenes from before the race were available again! Argh! I got in the huge line for a pair of Stormtroopers and got my picture taken with them. By the time I was done there was hardly anyone left and all of the other characters (and photographers) had gone. I had to ask fellow runners to take my picture at the remaining non-character photo ops. There were less than 50 runners left by this point and I thought it was a bummer the characters (Darth Maul, Captain Phasma, etc) couldn't stay out for a few more minutes so we could all get pictures.

After getting my photo with Han in carbonite I headed back to the car. I had breakfast and a quick change of clothes at Art of Animation resort (the best food court!) before heading to Hollywood Studios for a celebratory Darth cupcake and a few more character photos.

Before heading home I stopped at the expo to see Jeff Galloway and RunDisney nutrition expert Tara Gidus give a brief talk on first half marathons. And a couple more photo ops. :)

Garmin GPS time: 1:04:00. Strava accounted for all of the stopping and gave me a bit better time of 35:47 for 3.5 miles.
Race Amenities: Swag included a cotton shirt and a rubber medallion. Lots of opportunities to get free stuff at the huge race weekend expo. And, of course, running a super fun Disney course through Epcot with Star Wars characters, music, and theming!
Cost: $80.38 (including $5.38 fees from Active.com)

Report written April 23, 2016

This race took place at the Freedom Elementary School in Deland. Proceeds from the Falcon 5K were to benefit the school's technology fund. There were a lot of kids in this race, plus family members of students, as well as school faculty and staff.

Training & Goals
The Star Wars Dark Side races at Disney World were just a week away. I was in taper mode for the half marathon. With ideal race conditions this morning -- certainly the last such cool Florida morning we'd have for months -- I hoped to PR on this race.

Race Day: April 9, 2016
It was 55° and sunny at the start -- perfect conditions for running and ideal for those hoping to PR. The race would take us from the school into the neighboring subdivision of Victoria Park. Before the race began I asked a fellow runner to take my photo. I think it was the first time he used a smartphone camera... it seemed to be taking too long so I smiled and said it was okay. I like how the photo came out. :)

Mile 1: 9:22
Woo, I was feeling really good in the cool weather. But could I keep up this pace for the entire race? No walk breaks here, but I was doubtful I could keep the pace.

Mile 2: 9:18
Woah, faster still? No walk breaks in this mile either, but I definitely started to feel fatigued here. I figured I had "banked" some time so if I needed a quick walk break later to keep me going, it might help.

Mile 3+: 9:30, 1:58*
I took a super quick walk break by the water stop to take a drink and then sprinted to the finish for my first sub 30 5K! So happy!

Chip time: 29:39 (1:14 PR)
Placement details: 4th of 17 in age, 40th overall out of 164 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve cotton t-shirt. No finisher medals.
Cost: $20.00

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

Report written April 21, 2016

Finish photo (c) Almost There Photography

The races keep getting smaller! This was a tiny field of just 51 runners. The Stone Island 5K was to benefit the DeBary Volunteer Fire Department. I was happy to support our local firefighters and get a nice timed race in a pretty location. Let's run!

Training & Goals
My first half marathon was just two weeks away. I had my longest run (12 miles) the previous week, and was starting my taper, with just 16 miles under my belt in the week leading up to this race. I told myself I'd take this race easy, especially considering the conditions (see below), but it sure is hard not to race a race!

Race Day: April 2, 2016
At 75° and muggy, running conditions were not ideal at the start. At least the sun wasn't shining. In fact, it was threatening rain and quite blustery. The inflatable finish line arch wasn't put up due to the unfavorable conditions.

Mile 1: 9:27
This was a new way to time a race for me - we had a gun start but chip-timed finish at a different location. I tried to position myself near the front, but with such a small group running, everyone had a good spot, and I guess everyone was over the start within just a few seconds.

Mile 2: 9:53
Stone Island is a really pretty community on the shore of Lake Monroe. The course took us past the lake and through the tree-canopied streets. Very pretty.

Mile 3+: 10:13, 1:54*
I took a couple of walking breaks in mile three. The humidity took a toll! I was happy to see I had a new PR (by just 2 seconds!) and placed first in my age group! I think half of the runners got medals. :)

Chip time: 30:53 (0:02 PR)
Placement details: 1st of 6 in age, 15th overall out of 51 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve cotton shirt. I got a first place age group medal (no finisher medals).
Cost: $20.00

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

Report written April 21, 2016
Racing photo (c) Almost There Photography

Hey, look, it's another race at Gemini Springs! This was the inaugural running of the Dash for Downs, which was held in conjunction with Welcoming Hearts' 2nd Annual Spring Festival. Proceeds from the race and the festival support Welcoming Hearts' mission to help those with special needs.

Training & Goals
Still running 3x a week, my training at this time was focused on preparing for my first half marathon coming up in mid-April. I had run a nine-miler the Wednesday before this race, with about 20 miles total for the week. As usual, I hoped to PR, because as a newer runner that was my normal!

Race Day: March 19, 2016
Race morning I headed over to Gemini Springs on my bike. I got my packet, bib, and t-shirt and secured the bike against what I hoped was an out-of-the-way tree. It looked to be a small race. I noticed there was no singing or playing of the National Anthem before the start. We started more or less on time with the race director shouting READY SET GO! It was 70° and overcast but not too muggy.

Mile 1: 9:40
This route was very similar to the Rotary River Run from February. I didn't take any walking breaks for this part of the race.

Mile 2: 10:15
I was still feeling pretty good, but my pace slowed. I took a short walking break at about mile 1.5, close to the turn-around. I was very surprised where the turn around was located, since I guessed it was nearly a quarter mile shy of the turn-around point for Rotary Run.

Mile 3*: 9:25
Approaching the finish area, I could see my Garmin was tracking the race shorter than a full 5K. As I sprinted to the finish line, I could hear the timing guy shout an encouraging "You're under 30 minutes!" But you can see by the look on my face I knew it wasn't going to be a PR after all.

In the end my Garmin gave my distance as 2.9 miles. I approached a small group of runners who were chatting and asked if anyone else tracked the race on GPS. Another guy confirmed it was a short race. Bummer!

After the race was over, the results were posted online. I could see that I placed so I wanted to wait for the medal ceremony, but the timing guy didn't know where the race director was. I decided to check out the festival and made a note to myself which stands I wanted to revisit to pick up some tasty treats. I took a photo with this character.

I was about to get a free massage when I heard the medals were about to be distributed so I ran over. Even though it was a small race (125 participants) it was still cool to hear my name called out as first in my age group. I collected my medal, got my free massage (so good!) and bought a celebratory cupcake or two to bring home.

Chip time: 29:10 (approximately 2.9 mile course)
Placement details: 1st of 8 in age, 16th overall out of 125 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve cotton t-shirt. I got a 5K placement medal. A small festival to visit after the race.
Cost: $27.50 including $2.50 transaction fee

*This was a short race.

Report written April 19, 2016
All photos except character picture (c) race photographer Chasity Hanners.

The Winter Park Road Race was my first 10K. This was also my first larger race -- the capacity was 3700 runners! This race was done in conjunction with a 2-mile race; participants could opt to race both and earn a "Distance Dare" extra challenge medal. Maybe next year!

This was the 39th running of this race, which benefits local youth charities. At the race expo Arthur and I noticed a local celebrity, one of our NBC affiliate meteorologists (Eric Burris), milling about. Later on social media I saw other personalitities from the same news team (Angela Taylor & Stewart Moore) also ran in the race.

The course for this race was advertised as featuring "slight inclines, tree canopied roads, historic homes and views of Chain of Lakes." It was a great route! We did run over some brick streets which proved a bit tricky on the footing.

Training & Goals
In preparation for this race, I started having slightly longer runs during my weekly training runs, building up to 10K. I hoped to finish this race in under 1:15.

Race Day: March 12, 2016
While Winter Park isn't terribly far from home, this was the furthest I'd traveled for a race (about 24 miles). Arthur went with me and we struggled a bit to find a parking place, first spinning around a parking garage before giving up and finding a tight spot on the street. A small group of runners saw us craning our necks and offered to scoot their car a bit to make room for us to squeeze in.

The expo area was pretty big, with vendors and local businesses at various stands. I exchanged my shirt for a different size and had a last pit stop at the porta-potties before kissing Arthur goodbye and getting ready at the starting area. It was a steamy 68° at race time.

The starting area was super crowded! Runners piled up on the street and spilled out onto the sidewalks. I ended up behind the line (corral) for walkers and tried to scoot forward among the masses as the time drew near. Once the race began it took me a good two minutes before I crossed the starting mats.

Mile 1: 10:45
I spent the first 2+ miles bobbing and weaving between slower runners, which was a very strange feeling! Of course, there were a lot of walkers in the mix too. And I was getting passed myself. For several blocks I and other passers would hop onto the sidewalk in order to pass walkers who took up space on the roadway. After about 2 and a half miles I was able to remain mostly to the road.

Mile 2: 10:19
At various spots during the race, local residents were out to watch us run and give encouragement. At some point a spectator offered free high fives so I took one to power up. Later (not sure which mile at this point) we ascended a hill but we were assured by spectators that Florida doesn't have hills. Unfortunately his mind tricks didn't really help.

Mile 3: 10:50
There were porta-potties in two spots during the race, but I'm not sure any of them were specifically for us. First (again not sure of the mile locations of these) there were a couple standing near a home construction site. Runners were lined up to use them! Later we passed a few set up at a local park, which I also saw being used by runners.

Mile 4: 10:51
The course took us past Lake Maitland, where we could see we were not the only ones racing that day. Teams of rowers were propelling their boats across a marked trail on the water.

Mile 5: 11:12
During this mile we passed the third and final water stop. I didn't take any but made sure to thank the volunteers. I didn't see any trash bins so I think they must have been busy after the race picking up after everyone.

Mile 6+: 11:27, 4:03*
Spectators increased as we approached the finish line in downtown Winter Park. It was really encouraging to see everyone cheering us on, including plenty of folks who had finished the race and already had their medals. I heard the emcee calling out names ahead of me, and then when I crossed the finish line I heard my name! That was funny and unexpected! I knew from my Garmin that I had accomplished my time goal; once the times were posted I was happy to see my official chip time was well under 1:15.

I got my medal and then lined up to pick up my finisher's beer glass (oh yeah!) and complementary sport towel (woot woot). I found Arthur and got in line for my free beer (yum!). We milled around the expo for a bit and then I scored another beer ticket from a non-drinking runner so we hung around the expo area a bit longer. I picked up some other free swag like hair ties, pink sunglasses, rice crispy treats, and of course the obligatory post-race banana.

Cooled down and a bit sloshed, we headed to the car to drop off all the goodies and I changed out of my sweaty race duds. Winter Park's weekly market was worth a look so we walked back to the center of town and got ourselves some tasty quiche for a late breakfast. It was a great morning with a fun race that I look forward to running again!

Chip time: 1:08:27 (new distance = PR)
Placement details: 128th of 310 in age, 1478th overall out of 3139 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve ladies tech shirt, a finisher medal for all, a nice glass pint glass, and a sport towel. A good spread of eats and a free beer for every runner.
Cost: $33.00 with $2 coupon code

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

Report written April 4, 2016

Final Mile Race Management had a promotion this year: free birthday races! My birthday fell on a Saturday this year and there happened to be a race, Groovin’ @The Grove 5k & Family Fun Run in Deland. I got a free registration by sending a copy of my ID -- sweet! The race was to benefit Citrus Grove Elementary School and had a lot of students signed up to race.

Training & Goals
In February I ran 3 times per week, usually two 5K runs plus one "long" run in the 10K range. This was my fourth 5K race in a row in February, and I had gotten a PR in each previous race. Noob gains were still going strong! Since it was my birthday and I was looking forward to a fun day out with my husband, I told myself that I wouldn't worry about making another PR. *cough* *cough*

Race Day: February 27, 2016 (my 44th birthday!)
We arrived at the school about 25 minutes before race time. It was cold out, perfect running weather but cold standing-around weather, so I picked up my shoe tag and waited in the car until about 5 minutes before the 8:00AM start. It was 48°F and sunny.

Mile 1: 10:04
There looked to be a lot of folks who were going to walk the course, so I tried to position myself mid-forward at the start. An older gentleman runner standing next to me wished me good luck and shook my hand. Kids from the school sang the national anthem before the DJ hit the airhorn and we were off. We looped around the school parking lot and then headed into the neighborhood for the lollipop course. We had been told there were spectators in the neighborhood sitting out with signs in their front yards. One family had a sign that read MAY THE COURSE BE WITH YOU. We passed the water stop just before the loop close to the mile 1 marker. I took two ~:30 walk breaks at about 4 minute intervals.

Mile 2: 10:16
More spectators with signs. A couple of little girls cheered us on with pom-poms. They were adorable. Others wished us a good morning or encouraging words. I took two more short walking breaks and noticed a couple of other runners taking similar short breaks at similar intervals. A fellow runner I menally dubbed White Tube Sock Woman seemed to be running very close to my pace.

Mile 3+: 9:58, 1:23*
We passed the water stop again shortly after M2, regaining the out-and-back part of the route. I took a cup during a short walk break, my last on the run. Now I was racing closely against White Tube Sock Woman, who I guessed was in a younger age group. We approached the school and as I turned into the parking lot I started running as fast as I could, overtaking WTSW briefly. With 50 yards to go I could hear her gaining on me, and she overtook me right at the end. But I also saw the clock read just slightly over 31:xx so I hoped for a new PR when the results were posted.

White Tube Sock Woman ended up being in my age group, but we were well behind the top finishers. As I was sucking down a bottle of water I saw her sitting on the curb next to me. She offered her hand so we could congratulate each other on a great race.

Chip time: 30:55 (1:08 PR)
Placement details: 8th in age, 67th overall out of 173 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve ladies tech top. No finisher medals.
Cost: FREE

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

Report written March 8, 2016

The DeBary Rotary River Run 5K was a new race that took place at Gemini Springs, just about a mile from my house. A race so close is hard to resist entering. The local Rotary club put on the race along with Florida Hospital Fish Memorial to benefit the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Training & Goals
All through February I ran 3 times per week, usually two 5K runs plus one longer run in the 10K range. This was my third 5K race in a row in February. I had gotten a PR in my previous two races and I hoped to do so again in this race, especially since I'd be running in very familiar territory.

Race Day: February 20, 2016
I rode my bike to the park and locked it up. I got my shoe tag and then waited for the race to start. I chatted with a birding friend, Eli, for a bit before the race started. It was nice to see a familiar face at a race. The starting corral area was quite open. I tried to position myself somewhere in the middle. It was 57°F and partly cloudy at 8:00AM when the race began.

Mile 1: 10:04
I had been running with 5:1 (5 minutes running, 1 minute walking) intervals in training. When my watch beeped for my first break, my pace looked terrible. I decided then to skip taking breaks in this race.

Mile 2: 10:09
This was an out-and-back course with a loop at the end. Mid-race we made a sharp turn-around on the Spring-to-Spring Trail, looping around a traffic cone and a photographer.

Mile 3+: 10:34, 1:53*
Skipping walk breaks took a toll on my pace here. Approaching the finish line a volunteer encouraged me to gun it to the end. I sputtered "No PR though!" which is a lousy attitude and I regretted saying it even though I was laughing at the time. I tried to pick up my pace at the very end and did my version of a "sprint" through the finish line.

I downed a banana and a bottle of water as I waited for the results to post. I was pleased to see I got another PR, this time by just 17 seconds. One celebratory chocolate chip cookie turned into three. Other runners enjoyed the free burgers being offered. I went to pick up my bike and rode home.

Chip time: 32:03 (0:17 PR)
Placement details: 9th in age, 84th overall out of 216 finishers
Race Amenities: Swag included a short sleeve ladies cotton tee and a finisher medal for all.
Cost: $22.70 including $2.70 transaction fee

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

Report written March 8, 2016
Featured photo (c) Eli Schaperow; start photo (c) Almost There Photography