The OUC Orlando Half Marathon put on by Track Shack has been a local favorite for years. The signature event is accompanied by a 5K. I participated in the 5K event this year.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. But I keep trying.

In the month or so before race day I had been getting out to walk/run a 5K 3 times a week. I planned for easy 1:15 run / 1:45 walk intervals for the race. I had no concrete goal but hoped to come in under 45 minutes.

Race Day: December 3, 2022
I left home around 5:45AM and headed to a downtown parking lot I had prepaid $11 for. There were a lot of runners heading to the Library Parking Lot so it was a slow crawl for about a half hour before I got to the entrance, where I saw that the price to park was $10. What the heck?

I found a spot and headed over to Lake Eola at around 6:45AM, which was perfect for the 7:15AM start. I had time to use one of the park's restrooms and drop off my gear bag before heading into the start corral, hanging out in the back. The corral was very crowded and as the start time approached, lots of runners were trying to cram themselves forward. Both the 5K and the half marathon started at 7:15AM and I think some half runners who didn't get to the start in time were frustrated to be stuck with 5K walkers in the back.

It was about 63°F with 88% humidity and clear skies when I crossed the start mat at around 7:20.

Mile 1: 14:05
I'm not sure why but this run was a huge struggle. My knees weren't worse off than usual, but my lungs weren't having it. I was super discouraged since I've been getting out regularly. My runs have been short but I've been consistent. 

Mile 2: 14:51
Anyway, running on the streets of downtown Orlando was fun. Even all the brick stretches. Somewhere in this mile I saw my run club friend Tom and we exchanged encouragements.

Mile 3+: 14:29, 1:51
I was a little worried about missing the turn on the course when the 5K split from the half marathon, but the route was extremely clear. There were multiple volunteers standing by, clearly shouting out directions for each race.

Race announcer John Pelkey did a great job MCing the race and it was fun to hear him call out my name as I tried to run in for a strong finish.

After the Race
There was a long chute after the finish line, with lots of goodies like water, sports drink, full bananas, oranges, and granola bars available. Runners also received a food passport punch card to redeem snacks in the finish area. Before exiting the chute area we also got sport towels and a drawstring backpack to keep all of the free goodies on offer.

Attached to our bibs were tabs to redeem for chocolate milk and 2 free beers from local vendors. The food passport was good for four more treats: donuts or mac & cheese; beans and rice; a small cup of ice cream or sorbet; and a tequila sunrise. I picked up various other freebies from the vendor tents, including race staples like lip balm, a stress ball (which becomes a toy for the kitties) and a small hand sanitizer.

All these great after-race perks are perfect for a half marathon and really nice for a 5K runners! I got my bib at the bargain price of $26 by using a coupon from least year's Best Damn Race, making this one of my best value races ever.

Recommendation
Course support is amazing -- there are lots of road closures and crossings, all manned by law enforcement or volunteers. The organization is great and the after-party is high quality. Highly recommended. I hope to run the half marathon some day.

Chip time: 45:11
Placement details: 43/70 in Age Group; 648th out of 898 finishers
Race Amenities: Gender-specific tech shirt, finisher medal, lots of free swag and a great after-party 
Cost: $26

Branded & overhead start photos (c) BBAction Photo

Marathon Weekend 2023 at Walt Disney World is coming up fast! The event begins with the Expo opening on Wednesday, January 4th, and continues with races the following four days: 5K on Thursday; 10K on Friday; half marathon on Saturday, and the full marathon on Sunday! Hopefully your training is going well and you've already got your outfit figured out -- but if you don't, I've got some ideas for you, from my shop on Etsy. If you'll be buying from my shop or another independent artist on Etsy, be sure to check the delivery dates for your purchases before clicking BUY, as deadlines for many Etsy made-to-order items are approaching fast!

As you probably know, runDisney events have themes or mascots for each race and each challenge event. 

The overarching theming for the 2023 race weekend has a definite 1990s vibe, with its colorful geometric pattern designs. The theming comes courtesy of the weekend marking the 30th anniversary of the full marathon.

Each race has its own mascots; here they are for Marathon Weekend 2023.

Pluto for the 5K
Chip N Dale for the 10K
Donald and Daisy for the Half Marathon
Mickey and Minnie for the Full Marathon
and then there's Goofy and Dopey!

Pluto for the 5K

Dress up at Mickey's best friend and four-legged companion with fun all-over print costume pieces inspired by Pluto! Here are some pieces I've got in my Etsy shop.

Chip N Dale for the 10K

The mischievous chipmunks are a fun pair! Dress up as Chip or Dale with these pieces available in my Etsy shop.

Donald and Daisy for the Half Marathon

Mickey and Minnie for the Full Marathon

Just like the ducks, there are plenty of Mickey and Minnie themed outfits available for runners -- just search Etsy. We've got a lot of popular retro pattern designs that are perfect for the marathon and would work well for any of the other race distances; see some examples below. You can find the entire race weekend themed gear collection here: Race Weekend Inspired from WeRunForFun.

Whatever you decide to wear, consider the weather and have options in case of extreme heat or extreme cold -- both are possible! I'll be running the 5K and as of right now, I've got some ideas... but I'm not entirely sure what I'll be wearing. Eek!

WVR's fourth annual club race took place on Sunday, November 20, 2022. The Central Florida Legends race event offers three distances: a marathon; a half marathon; and a 5K. All of the races take place on our beautiful mixed-use trails here in Volusia County with a start/finish at my beloved local park Gemini Springs. The park was closed for over a month since Hurricane Ian hit us at the end of September; it reopened only the Thursday before race day.

I volunteered for the inaugural event in 2019, and ran the 5K virtually. I participated in person this year for the 5K.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. But I keep trying.

In the three weeks before race day I had been getting out to walk/run a 5K 3 times a week. I planned for easy 1:15 run / 1:45 walk intervals for the race.

Race Day: November 20, 2022
I biked over to Gemini Springs in the dark at around 6:20AM. I picked up my packet and looked around to see if any help was needed but there were enough volunteers.

I chatted with some friends and loafed around until the marathon started at 7AM. More loafing until the half marathon runners began a half hour later. I took off my sweatshirt and stowed my bag just before the 5K started at 8AM. It was 57°F with cloudy skies as I crossed the start line.

Mile 1: 14:04
Most races from Gemini Springs head west out of the park and then south on the Spring-to-Spring Trail, but all distances for Legends head east out of the park. It's a simple out-and-back for 5K runners. The half and full have a small detour through Green Springs Park on the way out and keep on the trail for the entire way back. This year, flooding on parts of the trail meant the full had to be diverted for a small portion of the course.

Mile 2: 13:43
The course runs right by the road to my house, close to where the water stop was just into the second mile. I'm on this trail multiple times a week but I rarely go in the other direction.

Mile 3+: 13:46, 3:16 (my Garmin came in at 3.25 miles)

After the Race
There were plenty of treats for runners, including beer, pizza, chicken tenders, bars and bananas. I wasn't feeling great and it looked like it was going to rain so I headed out after watching the first few half marathon runners come in. The after party for this race is popular but I wasn't feeling up to it, unfortunately.

Recommendation
It's my awesome club's big race! It offers very good course support, excellent race management, a fun after party, and very good swag with unique age group awards. Highly recommended.

Chip time: 44:40
Placement details: 4/8 in Age Group, 118th place out of 172 finishers
Race Amenities: Tech shirt, nice finisher medal, swag bag and freebies from vendors
Cost: $30.24

Race branded photo (c) Almost There Photography
Friends photo (c) Marieann Bannan

My husband Arthur and I had volunteered for a few runDisney events before helping out at water stop #5 for the 2022 Wine & Dine Half Marathon this November, but I hadn't done any write-ups before. So I thought I'd post a little summary of what runDisney is like from the perspective of a water stop volunteer. 

First, a little background: we've previously worked water stops at the 2019 Princess 10K and Half, the 2020 Marathon, and the 2020 Princess 10K and Half. This was our first post-pandemic volunteer gig. This was also the first runDisney race following changes with volunteer staffing and management, where Disney (or other hired) cast members have taken over a lot of the posts previously worked by volunteers (like at the Expo, and course pointing). Volunteer staffing management also shifted from runDisney to Track Shack. (This is my very basic understanding of the changes; I may have gotten some details wrong).

With the reduction of available positions for volunteers, shifts were harder to come by. I am part of a Facebook information group for runDisney volunteers and there were even more disappointed would-be volunteers for Wine & Dine weekend than usual. Arthur and I were lucky to get our one shift. We were initially assigned to work different water stops, but an email to Track Shack got us sorted out so we could work together.

Credentials
Before showing up to the shift, volunteers need to pick up their credentials ahead of time. For us, that meant a mid-week visit to Track Shack in Orlando during the week prior to race weekend to pick up our badges and lanyards. Since Arthur's shift was changed to match mine after the badges were printed, he got a sticker placed on his badge to reflect his correct assignment. It's important to check that your badge credentials are correct before leaving pick-up.

Wake Up Call
Like runDisney runners, volunteers also face early wake-up calls to get everything ready for the race. We were to meet at the Wide World of Sports (WWOS) complex at 3AM in order to meet our bus. That meant leaving home shortly before 2AM! 

Check In - Site Arrival
Once we arrived at WWOS, we headed inside the main building to check in, where we showed our badges and ID.

There we also picked up our orange volunteer t-shirts (lightweight and soft, really nice this year!), safety vests (required for volunteers who are stationed on roadways), snack box (yes! volunteers get snack boxes, too!), and small bottles of water.

We ran to the restrooms to change into our shirts and then headed back outside.

Next it was time to pass through security, where our transparent bags were checked and we were wanded.

Although we arrived on time, we were surprised to be among the last to board our assigned bus! Soon we were on our way to mile 6.6, water stop #5, where a crazy mad rush of setting up tables and filling water cups would begin! 

Pre-Race Set Up
Setting up a water stop involves moving a lot of supplies around: tables, water bottles, sanitation equipment, cardboard garbage bins, rakes, cups and cup dividers, PowerAde mix, and more are all dropped off in a central location before the volunteers arrive. 

When we get to work, some volunteers move and set up tables, others use wagons to distribute packs of water, while others work on sanitizing the tables and setting up the cups, and another team works on mixing and distributing PowerAde. While we had some rain during set up (and the race), we were lucky that there was no wind. Wind poses a big challenge when setting up the cups! 

For this race, we didn't have enough time to set up all of the water and PowerAde cups that were on our plan; in the end we were missing a couple of layers of water or PowerAde cups by the time runners started coming through. Luckily, though the weather was warmer than ideal, the plan called for extra cups that were not needed in the end, so we could serve all runners who came through. 

In previous races, we've been done with our set up before the runners come through, leaving time for all of the volunteers to take a little break, drink some water and have a snack and/or visit the restroom before the real work begins. Before runners came through for the 2019 Princess half marathon, we were very close to a character stop and even had a chance to get our photo taken with the villains before handing out water to runners.

Water Stop Volunteer
When you think of water stop volunteers, you might not think about the early wake up call, and all the pre-race work. You might only think about the volunteers standing before long tables full of cups, holding water in their palms for runners to take as they pass by. Seeing all of the athletes and handing out water is certainly the best part!

On Sunday, for this race, we were busy filling cups until well after the race began, and there was no time to take a breath until it was all over. Many volunteers continued to fill cups as the first wheelchair athletes and runners started to come through. Arthur and I started handing out water right away, and Arthur even handed out the first few cups before things really got moving. 

The early runners are fast, and come through sporadically. There are a lot of bike marshals with the early runners and wheeled athletes. After about a half hour, the pack becomes less loose and it can get a bit crowded handing out water. We were standing in a spotlight, with the runners back-lit, so it was really hard to see when someone would point to one of us for a cup (usually a great thing to do so the volunteer knows you're coming in for a grab). 

Once the sun started to come up, runners came in really thick and we had a blast making eye contact with the athletes, seeing all of the fun costumes, and watching the rest of the race field run by with lots of Disney joy.

After the Race
The runners came in the thickest right at the end. This time, we were just outside of Hollywood Studios, and probably just before a sweep point. Once the Balloon Ladies came through (effectively the pace-setters for the end of the race), there was a surprisingly large contingent of athletes walking behind them, with bike marshals encouraging everyone to catch up or risk being swept. We even saw a couple of golf carts taking runners to the next bus. And then it was all over! In the past, we volunteers had been tasked to do a bit of clean-up: taking down and stacking tables, clearing cups. But this time, all of that was taken care of by Disney castmembers, and we were really done. We finally had time for a quick restroom break -- and a photo! -- and then it was time to board the bus back to the WWOS for check out!

New this year, volunteers received their gift immediately after the shift. In the past, we'd get single day Disney World passes for each water stop shift. These would arrive in the mail some two months afterwards. This time, however, we recevied a single day, after 1PM Disney World pass as our gift. We also received a cute bento box as part of our thanks.

Next up, we're signed up to man a water stop during the 2023 Marathon Weekend full! We're looking forward to seeing the runners on Sunday, January 8th!

Ted Lasso fans can dress up in Team Lasso style with officially licensed gear from Zazzle. Sport shirts and leggings, as well as other apparel and gift items, can be found with a variety of different patterns and designs inspired by Coach Lasso, AFC Richmond and the Greyhounds, and other characters and themes from the extremely popular comedy show with heart.

Carry the enthusiasm of Coach Lasso with you on your next run, or inspire others in earnest style at your next race event! Ted Lasso running gear is a perfect gift idea for the running Lasso fan in your life!

You can find the entire collection in the official Ted Lasso shop on Zazzle. Some of my favorites are below.

Ted Lasso T-Shirts for Running

Ted Lasso Sport Capris and Leggings

Leggings in two different styles, capri or regular length, are also available. These are made from a comfortable moderately compressive fabric blend of 88% polyester and 12% spandex.

I ran the inaugural Monster Mash-N-Dash at our hometown brewery Central 28 on Saturday, October 29th. The race took place on our awesome multi-use trail in DeBary with a start/finish at the brewery. Some participants dressed up for the Halloween holiday run and there was complimentary tasty beer for (over 21) finishers.

Training & Goals
My knees continue to be a big problem, with pain hindering any progress I try to make in getting back into running. Regular steroid shots lose their effectiveness before I'm eligible to get a new one and they take longer to provide any relief. So it's not great. By race morning I was several weeks out of running at all and had very low expectations. 

I set up easy 1:2 run:walk intervals on my Garmin and aimed to do what I felt up to, after a walking warm-up. 

Race Day: October 29, 2022
I cycled over to the brewery on race morning, found a spot to park by bike, and picked up my shirt and bib with plenty of time to spare. I met up with some club mates before the race began. There were a lot of runners from WVR at this one; the brewery has long been a favorite of the club.

I decided not to wear a costume, but I did put on a somewhat scary looking "run or die" shirt from INKnBURN to at least be on the Halloween theme.

It was 72°F and cloudy with 94% humidity when I started my race at 8:03AM

Mile 1: 14:04
We picked up the trail after a short run on the road from the brewery. There was a pair of endangered Florida Scrub-Jays calling along the side of the trail at the beginning of the race.

Mile 2: 13:44
A pair of Bald Eagles perched on a power line structure along the trail and called out as we ran by. This was an out-and-back race so we could watch the faster runners come back as we approached the turn-around.

Mile 3+: 14:31, 2:12
Ugh, I felt bad, but I did my best to run when my watch told me to, though I had to slow down during the last mile.

After the Race
It was a festive atmosphere, with the costumed runners, many familiar faces, and tasty brewery beer flowing.

Recommendation
This was a good event on our local trails. The course is fast, flat, and safe with very little time on the sleepy industrial area road. We were well supported with law enforcement presence on the road and on the trail. There was one water stop at around mile 1.3 that we hit twice. I like the purple shirt we got and the unique wooden finisher medal doubles as a coaster, which was a first for me. Recommended.

Chip time: 44:25
Placement details: 10/18 in age group; 163/254 finishers
Race Amenities: Soft cotton race shirt, wooden coaster medal, free beer at finish line 
Cost: $35.50

If running is always on your calendar, you might find that people asking you about your plans can get a little old. With these fun designs for runners you can honestly admit that you only run three days a week!

Although if you look closely, you'll see that those three days are actually yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

These funny designs are made for runners training for events and runners keeping themselves fit and in good running shape for physical health, mental health, and general wellness.