January 2023 – Walk Into the Future

Poetic Flow / Solitude (Repost)

Solitude

(Image by claudia martinez from Pixabay)

Solitude

Solitude rhymes with gratitude

And really is not the end of the world

Most people assume

The hustle and bustle of life

Makes the gratitude for solitude profound

In the life of those who can allow

Solitude to influence their attitude

And enjoy the energy and flow

Solitude in life can help you grow

2022 Palm Beaches Marathon

Palm Beaches Marathon1

“Forever is composed of nows”.

(Emily Dickinson)

Prince famously sang in his hit song, Let’s Go Crazy, “Electric word life, it means forever and that’s a mighty long time”.

Well, I’m here to share that I will forever have the moniker of marathoner! 😊

According to Trackshack.com, only half of one percent of the population has run a marathon.

https://www.trackshack.com/blog/1262/bucket-list…-number-1:-run-a-marathon

I did not make this rate go up much but happy to join the folks who have toed the line and completed a full marathon.

I have documented my goal to complete a marathon in 2022 and provided updates on my training progress since July. I selected an 18-week training program to prepare me for the journey. The training plan was precise on when to run and how far to run to build a base to start and complete a marathon—mission accomplished.

Thanks to my friends and family for the encouragement during the training—it meant a lot to get positive shout outs while I was on this journey.

Made my way down to West Palm Beach the day prior to the marathon to get acclimated to the area and attend the Gardens of Life Palm Beaches Marathon EXPO. I was expecting this to be a large venue like the Rock N Roll events, but it was much smaller than I imagined and completely outside. The EXPO was a series of tents in front of the Meyers Amphitheater close to the water. There were only a handful of vendors at the EXPO so not much to browse or purchase. Check-in was simple considering the size of the venue. Got my race bib, t-shirt, goody bag and headed across the street to get food.

Made my way to the ER Bradley’s Saloon which had a funky vibe, great atmosphere and was still serving brunch when I arrived. The World Cup was playing on all the TVs and they had a DJ spinning tunes in the middle of the afternoon. Seems like a great place to hang out when I’m back in West Palm Beach.

https://www.erbradleys.com/

PB Marathon water5

Headed back to the hotel to get off my feet, rest and mentally prepare for what was coming in the morning. Got to bed early since I needed to be up around 4:30 am to prepare and make it to the start line for the 6 am race time.

Leveraged my hotel proximity to the start line and used the 1-mile distance as part of my warmup before the race. Yes, I used this distance to run/walk my way to the race start—wanted my legs to be warm for the race.

This race did not have corrals so found a nice spot in the middle of the other runners and waited for the race to start. We got delayed for 10 minutes which had a few folks upset since they were ready to challenge themselves and the course. We never heard why we got delayed but the horn went off and runners surged towards the start/finish line.

I decided the day before to keep my pace as even as possible and focused on mile splits within the 10:30 – 10:50 range. This would allow me to gauge my fitness and mental capacity over the first half of the race to determine what I had left in the tank.

The first few miles went by, and I realized I had a big smile on my face. This was because the months of training, early mornings and sacrifice was being played out in a real marathon. Looking back, I was smiling at this point because we started around 6 am and the sun was still not out—didn’t realize it at the time but the coolness of the morning was going to go away very soon.

Fast forward and I kept the 10:30 – 10:50 pace range through the first 16 miles of the race. I crossed the half marathon (13.1 mile) point at 2:26:32 which may have been too fast, but I felt good. This is where my lack of marathon experience showed. I was able to maintain my run form and kept moving forward with this pace.

The sun came out in full force at the 16-mile mark, and I noticed my pace start to slow. At first it was a gradual slow down then the pace slowed more. I felt great mentally, took water/Gatorade and gels at every station. A lot of folks talk about hitting a wall in the marathon, but I won’t completely say that’s what I did. I never thought about quitting just was upset with myself because my legs did not respond when I wanted them to.

Decided at this point that I didn’t care what the clock said I was finishing this race.

Amazing thing that happens during marathons is you get to see other folks experiencing the same mental struggle, pain, and doubts. We even talked to each other as an impromptu support group to keep moving forward. Even funnier is when you see another runner talking to their legs to keep them going, I didn’t do this because I didn’t think it would work. LOL.

The last 10 miles of the race was just me putting one foot in front of the other and showing the most grit I’ve ever displayed in my life. I set a goal to complete a full marathon and I got it done. Can’t say it was slower than I imagined because it’s the fastest marathon of my life (yes, the first one too) so I’m proud of the effort to make it from start to finish.

Official clock time was 5:48:28 (five hours, forty-eight minutes, and twenty-eight seconds).

I’m going to bask in this accomplishment, take some time off from running and sleep in for a few weeks. My Walk into the Future has a busy 2023 race calendar so will enjoy some downtime before cranking up the training.

Here’s a preview of what I have planned so far:

1/22/2023	2023 Vero Beach Half Marathon
1/29/2023	2023 Celebration Half Marathon
2/25/2023	2023 Calgary Stampede 10k
3/4/2023	2023 Orlando Best Damn Race Half Marathon
3/18/2023	2023 Shamrock Half Marathon
3/25/2023	2023 Winter Park 10k
4/22/2023	2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon
6/4/2023	2023 San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon
10/23/2023	2023 Clearwater Rock N Roll Half Marathon
12/2/2023	2023 OUC Half Marathon

Where are you racing in 2023?

Irie!

“You are going to want to give up, don’t”

(realbuzz.com)

2022 OUC Half Marathon

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you spend your life running up and down the field and never score”.

(Bill Copeland)

My 2022 Walk into the Future became focused on completing my first full marathon in December.

The 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon provided me with a new goal and a physical challenge to work towards. The 18-week training program provided me with flexibility with my runs, so I continued to look for ways to make training as exciting as possible. This included signing up for 5ks and half marathons to help me break up the training sessions.

My last long run before the Palm Beaches Marathon was scheduled to be an 8-miler. I graduated from the super long runs (18, 19, 20) a couple weeks earlier but wanted to test my fitness one more time before the marathon.

I signed up for the 2022 Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) half marathon back in December 2021 and decided to fulfill that commitment since I needed the miles. I also enjoy being back in Orlando to see my friends and the culture the Orlando area provides.

Rode over to Orlando the day prior to the race to pick up my race packet at Track Shack. Always love visiting the Track Shack running store since they are a one stop run store where I can pick up running gear and supplements. Started purchasing CBD gems (gels) at Track Shack because they have a huge selection with the best prices. Bib pickup was uneventful—I got there before the big rush and purchased a new running shirt.

Left Track Shack and headed back to Oviedo to check into my hotel. I stay in the same place since I’m a creature of habit and it allows me to spend more time in Oviedo. Headed to my favorite Italian restaurant, Café Panuzzos. Love the food and atmosphere there and always come back when I’m back in town: https://cafepanuzzos.com/

Got back to the hotel to relax and mentally prepare for the race coming up. I was still deciding how I wanted to attack the race from a strategic standpoint—do I go out for a specific time or just clock miles as part of the training plan? Decided to completely test my fitness to see what my training program accomplished.

Made my way downtown the next morning to toe the line for the 9^th time for the OUC Half Marathon—guess you can say this is my hometown race now.

Things were going as scheduled until I got downtown Orlando. Normally it is easy to get downtown to park prior to the race. This year the Orlando police changed the traffic patterns and had cars lined up for miles. I finally got out of my normal parking garage line and found a surface lot two blocks down. This put me closer to the start line, but I lost about 45 minutes trying to get parked—never experienced this before.

Made it to the start line in time to hear the national anthem and the starter encouraging runners to have a good race. I was able to get a light stretch in and got into the back of the race corral behind the walkers and parents with strollers. Never been this far back so figured I was in for an experience during the race. Fun fact—I have never passed so many people in a race. I guess starting in the back does have some benefits. 😊

Made my way through the other runners from the back of the pack and started to get comfortable with my pace. Could not go out much faster since I had so many runners to navigate my way through. The weather was great—nice cool central Florida morning so put a smile on my face and then kept pressing forward.

Ran Mile 1 in 10:01 and did not feel pressed even though I had to weave my way through strollers and walkers. Felt good after the first water stop and decided to see if I could run negative splits (faster times) for each mile. Here’s what I got accomplished:

Mile 1: 10:01/ Mile 2: 9:57 / Mile 3: 9:43 / Mile 4: 9:47 / Mile 5: 9:40 / Mile 6: 9:45 / Mile 7: 9:54 / Mile 8: 9:37 / Mile 9: 9:57 / Mile 10: 10:34 / Mile 11: 10:19 / Mile 12: 11:18 / Mile 13: 10:36 / Mile .1 / 1:45

I laughed at myself when I saw my Mile 12 split because I got caught up looking around and sightseeing a bit too much and did not realize I slowed down that much. Had nothing to do with fitness or pain, I simply drifted off looking at Orlando scenario when I should have been bearing down to finish this race. Lesson learned. Completed the OUC Half in 2:12:52 which was my second fastest half of 2022—should have been my fastest but Mile 12 took care of that. LOL.

Crossed the finish line feeling the best I’ve ever felt while running a half marathon. The full marathon training really helped me manage the lactic acid and pain. Felt fresh and ready to run more if it was needed.

I’m ready to tackle the 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon—let’s make it happen! 😊

Irie!

“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at”.

(Bruce Lee)

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville Waterfall 2

“Mountains are the soul’s fuel”.

(Asheville Connections)

Decided to trade in my Gatlinburg and Smoky mountains adventures this year for a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge mountains.

I pass through Asheville yearly on my way to Gatlinburg but my only time in the area was for a gas stop and to get snacks. I have several friends who swear by Asheville, so my task was to shake up my annual mountain getaway and see what the Asheville area had to offer.

Happy to report Asheville is exactly how everyone describes it: lots of adventure, shopping, dining, and a bit of a funky, eclectic downtown area.

My first stop in the Asheville area was to the outlet mall. Yes, I drove from Florida to North Carolina and made a run to the outlet mall—sue me. LOL. I am always looking for a deal and there were a few different brands available in Asheville. I made a few rounds to ensure I did not leave any deals here before getting down to business of finding some hiking trails to explore while in the area.

I am very familiar with the hiking available in Gatlinburg since I am a frequent traveler there.

The Asheville area trails took a little more research and time to get to them. Asheville is a much larger area with things a bit more spread out. A quick Google search gave me several options to explore, and I mapped out my hikes to maximize my time in the mountains.

The temperatures were in the 30s during my visit to Asheville, but it was not a major factor for me since I seemed to warm up as I moved my way further up into the mountains.

My first hike was in the Bent Creek portion of the Pisgah National Forest.

The Hardtimes Trailhead was described as an easy to moderate trail so decided to tackle it to warm up to the Blue Ridge mountains. The trail did not have a ton of obstacles (rocks, down trees, etc.) but it goes straight up from the very beginning. The inclines are gradual, but they are inclines. The trail has multiple side trails, but I decided to stay on the main trail and see where it would end up. There were some great views on the way up the mountain and I made a point to get some shots in when I took a break heading up. I made it to the top of this trail after a 3-mile hike and decided to turn around and head back down. Got a chance to see several joggers coming down the trail so this area is popular with runners and folks on mountains bikes.

My next adventure took me to Looking Glass Falls. Everything I read described this water fall as a great place for pictures and feel the power of nature. The waterfall is a short drive from the Hardtimes Trailhead, but it was difficult to park since there were a lot of people trying to experience the waterfall. I had to turn around twice before I could find a place to park and then make the short walk down to view the waterfall. I helped a family and took their picture with the falls in the background and then had them return the favor for me as well. People are friendly in the mountains. Made my way down to the falls to get some shots closer to the water and enjoy the energy of the water coming down the mountain.

Asheville Waterfall

My next adventure was to explore downtown Asheville since I heard great things about the area. Again, the temperatures were in the 30s and felt colder once the sun went down. Decided to just explore downtown and get a feel for it and hopefully find some live music.

Turns out Asheville is known more for the arts and food than music. Found a lot of creative places to eat but did not hear music, live or DJ. No worries discovered Highland Brewing and Buxton Chicken Palace within the S&W Market. The chicken sandwich and craft beer were great and there was a small band playing live music. A funky little vibe all around but it was worth the trip downtown.

https://highlandbrewing.com/sw/

One of my best friends owns a store in the small town, Black Mountain.

Ventured over on Day 2 to check out the town and get some hiking in over there. Again, Google gave me some hiking options and I headed towards Graybeard Trail for more adventure. The trailhead had a very small parking lot and it was full when I arrived. Parked a bit down the road and made my way onto the bridge that led to the trail. I read about the trail beforehand, but the descriptions did not do this trail justice. It was rocky, scenic, uphill from the start and crossed flowing streams multiple times. Sounds like I’m complaining but I’m not! The views on top rivaled the views I get in the Smoky Mountains and the waterfall at the top was the cherry on top. I wanted to sit up there for a bit longer, but the temperature started to drop once the sun went behind the mountain. Also, didn’t want to get caught in the mountains in the dark so made my way back down to ensure I still had light to guide me.

Made a quick trip to visit my friend’s store before it closed:

https://blackmountainnaturalfoods.com/about-black-mountain-natural-foods

Cute little place if you are ever in Black Mountain!

Explored the downtown area a bit and came across the mural of Roberta Flack. I remember her music from the 70s but did not know she was from Black Mountain, North Carolina. Hit a small downtown brewery to experience more local flavor and spend some time with the locals at the Black Mountain Brewing Company. Great spot with a good selection of beers.