The Walk into the Future blog made a return trip to Celebration, Florida to give the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon a run. This race has become one of my favorite races on my calendar. I love the town of Celebration, and the people there put on a great race and after party. Yes, I call it an after party because the entire town comes out to celebrate (pun intended) with race participants. 😊
I doubled up on my races in January with the Vero Beach half marathon on the weekend prior to the Town of Celebration race. The weather is milder in January, and I don’t have to worry about heat and humidity early in the race year. The Vero Beach half marathon has two bridge crossings within the first 5 miles of the race, and this can hamper runners for the rest of the race. This will be my last year running the Vero race. I want to explore additional race options in January and may give the 2026 Houston Marathon a run next year instead of the local race.
The Town of Celebration racecourse is completely flat, and I love this aspect. This is a great component of the race regardless of the temperature. We had cool weather this year and I had to decide if I was running with layers on or go with my traditional running tank top. It was 47 degrees at the start of the race, so I decided to dress warmly with multiple layers. This was a great choice since the temperatures never got much higher than 51 degrees. Great for running but not for standing around waiting to start the race.
I lined up at the start line with the intent to leverage the cool weather and improve my time from last year. My goal was to hit the 2:08 mark for the half marathon with the cool weather and wanted to see how fast I could go. My fastest time for this race was 2:09:16 back in 2023 and I wanted to see if I could go this fast again. Well, the short answer for this year is no. I ran 2:14:27 which was a full four minutes faster than my 2024 time. I’m always happy to go faster in a race than the previous time out and I will take the results from this year. I struggled a bit in the middle of the race with my legs and had to stretch them out around the 8-mile marker. This helped me continue to push forward and I got a bit faster in the final 3 miles of the race. I’m happy with my final kick and completed mile 13 at 10:08 and a huge smile on my face. The crowd at the finish line was very inspiring and helped me enjoy the final stages of the race. I grabbed my race medal and took a few finish line photos to document my time in Celebration, Florida.
The after party was relocated closer to the finish line this year and I headed over to take my eating and drinking tour of the town. The race participants receive a food card that highlights each of the restaurants present for the event. You take your food card to each vendor, and they provide a food sample from their restaurant and mark your food card to signify you have been served. My first stop was at the Michelob Ultra table to get my two beers to get things started. I ventured to the Mimosa table next to get a sample before hitting the food tables. Fast forward and I made my way to every table available this year. The samples were a bit smaller than last year, but the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was outstanding. I hung around the after party a bit longer this year to soak up the atmosphere and chat with Orlando runners. I’m thinking I will spend an additional night in Celebration next year so I can just chill after the race and socialize a bit longer.
My next big race is the 2025 Nashville Half Marathon in April. I am looking forward to getting back to Nashville and enjoying great live music. Who’s going to join me in Nash Vegas?
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race”.
“You know you must be doing something right if old people like you”.
(Dave Chappelle)
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to give the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt another run! 😊
I created this topic with designs to write about Ali Siddiq who is an amazing storyteller and keeps audiences engaged. This prompt came to me because I drove up to Daytona Beach last weekend to see Ali at The Peabody for his new tour, In the Shadows. I started writing this article with the intention of telling my readers how great Ali Siddiq is but decided to take a slight detour to truly highlight the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).
This Five-Minute Thursday prompt is: My Favorite Comedian.
Surprise, it’s not Ali Siddiq but Dave Chappelle. I have been a fan of Dave’s comedy for a while now with my full introduction to his work via The Chappelle Show. This show only ran for two seasons but the amount of work he put into this show makes every episode a classic. The level of comedic timing and clever skits made him a household name. The show was must see TV and never disappointed the viewers.
There were a few skits that you really had to pay attention to keep up. One of these skits was: The Blind Black White Supremist. Yes, the skit was just as ridiculous as the title, but he made a point and kept the audience laughing. Check it out when you get a chance. 😊
Dave ventures into True Hollywood Stories featuring Charlie Murphy to tell stories about legends, Prince and Rick James. These are identified as completely true stories as told by Charlie Murphy. I still watch these clips on YouTube when I want to laugh out loud.
Dave Chappelle is a true stand-up legend. His Netflix comedy specials are some of the most watched. I believe I have seen them all and continue to watch clips on YouTube—his work never gets old to me. I jump on YouTube when I need a laugh before going to bed and I always search for something from the Chappelle archives. He just completed his fourth hosting stint on Saturday Night Live. I’ve watched them multiple times and he continues to bring the funny.
I highly recommend you jump on YouTube and check out some of his work. You pick what looks good to you, but The Blind Black White Supremist is worth a shot if you want to laugh at a concept this silly. The Prince skit is hilarious too. 😊 Challenge him!
Check out Ali Siddiq while you are browsing. He is a funny dude too!
My Walk into the Future helped me discover the Palm Beaches Marathon as I graduated from running half marathons to the full marathon distances. Nothing scientific on how I selected this race to start running marathons. West Palm Beach is less than 50 minutes from Fort Pierce, and I wouldn’t need to get on a plane after the race. This was attractive for me since I didn’t want to be cramped up on a plane and did not know how my body would respond. The race course was described as completely flat and that was a major factor for me as well.
My first full marathon was completed in 2022 at the Palm Beaches event. I wanted to improve my time, so I toed the line again in 2023. I enjoyed the first attempt a lot more than my 2023 run. The weather was a lot warmer, and the sun beat down on runners for the final 16 miles. I decided not to attempt the full marathon again in Florida and set my sights on the 2024 Chicago Marathon. I won’t rehash my training and time in Chicago, but I caught the bug to run larger races in the northern part of the country to enjoy cooler weather. The full marathon is hard enough without adding Florida heat and humidity.
I still wanted to run in West Palm Beach but decided to scale back my race to the half marathon. This would allow me to complete the 13.1-mile loop only one time vice doing it twice for the full. Fun fact—running the same route two times is not a lot of fun. 😊
The 2024 Palm Beaches Half Marathon was the weekend after the 2024 OUC Half Marathon. I wanted to finish 2024 with a series of races and this fit my schedule and is close to home. The race EXPO consists of 10 tents outside in the Meyers Amphitheater. There are a few vendors but the setup is strictly come get your bib, t-shirt and Garden of Life giveaways and then leave. I grabbed my goodie bag, bib and headed across the street to ER Bradley’s Saloon. It’s a funky place with a ton of South Florida history and great food. They normally have a DJ playing throughout the day and it’s a great place to people watch: https://www.erbradleys.com/
I made my way back to my hotel to relax and stretch a bit. I didn’t have a set finish time in mind but wanted to ensure I got off my feet so I would be ready to perform the next morning. There was forecasted rain in the morning so I didn’t know how that would impact me getting to the starting line and running the race. My hotel was within walking distance of the start line, and I used the distance as a race warm up. I always like to stretch my legs before racing and this was a great way to ensure I was ready to race. There was no rain on my way to the race, but the skies opened after I got down to the race area. I found shelter from the rain under one of the vendor tents and waited out the rain there. A lot of runners stood in the start corral and got wet for some odd reason. Yep, they just stood in the rain even though the race organizers made an announcement that the race would be delayed until the rain let up a bit because it was too dangerous to have us running on the wet and slick streets. Oh well, I stayed dry under the tent. 😊
The 13.1-mile course travels through multiple West Palm Beach neighborhoods and along the waterways. The views are spectacular so this is a race I would recommend just for taking in the sights. There are not a lot of spectators so it’s a bring your own motivation type of race. The Chicago Marathon has spoiled me because the spectators inspired me to run faster throughout the entire marathon.
My goal was to run as fast as possible and enjoy the views. I was hoping to run faster than I did in Orlando the weekend before but that did not happen. The temperature at race start in Orlando was in the 40s. The temperature in West Palm Beach was in the low 70s with humidity since we got all that rain. I was still able to pull out a 2:14 half marathon (10:13 per miles) which was 3 minutes over my OUC Half Marathon time. I was happy with this time and made my way to the race village to get my beer and pancake breakfast. I got my beer, but the pancake line was too long. Headed back across the street to ER Bradley’s and had a huge breakfast and beer there. It was a great way to complete my last race of 2024.
I’m working to finalize my full 2025 race calendar. I want to add some new races and still compete in familiar races close to home. My new reveal is I didn’t get accepted into the 2025 Chicago Marathon, but I will pivot and race the 2025 Atlantic City Marathon with my homey Lauren Apgar. https://www.acraceseries.com/course. Marathon training starts on 6/15/2025 and I’m sure there will be articles that highlight my training progress. 😊
The concept of travel is a large part of my Walk into the Future journey.
Running tourism and Negril, Jamaica have been the focal points of my travel articles so far. I do write about local trips and my time sitting on the beach. I plan to get back to the beach more in 2025 so there will be more Florida beach explorations in your reading future. 😊
One of the great things about higher education is our winter break schedule. My current school is a member of the Florida College System (FCS) and our break schedules match our students, examples: Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break and the Winter Break. We are off when our students are not in classes.
Winter Break 2024 started the day after our last Fall Commencement ceremony. Our break ran from 12/19/2024 to 1/2/2025. This was a few days shorter than our normal Winter Break based on the academic calendar, but this was a nice break and provided us with an opportunity to enjoy some down time at the end of a long year.
I decided to get a little more adventurous this year over break and travel to a destination I have never been to. Several friends have been down to the Dominican Republic (DR) and everyone had great things to say about the island. I thought about going to my tried-and-true spot in Negril, Jamaica but wanted to get a new country’s stamp in my passport.
I did some initial travel research on Expedia to figure out a resort for me to visit in the DR. I did not have any preconceived ideas on my trip but wanted to get down and see some sights. I booked my flight, resort and ground transportation via Expedia which is how I book my Jamaica trips—no surprises with the process. 😊
I picked the Bahia Principe Grand Punta Canta resort based on reviews and proximity to the airport. I flew out of Orlando International Airport via Jet Blue and my adventure was off and running. The flight down to Punta Canta, DR was a little over two hours and I slept most of the way down. The Punta Canta airport is not a huge place so getting bags and through Customs was quick. I made my way out towards the ground transportation area to find my ride and head to the resort. Again, a very simple process and I was directed to the van waiting to take me to the resort.
The resort check-in process was simple, but I had to wait a bit since I arrived two hours prior to check-in. This allowed me to explore the property and get my bearings. The resort was as advertised with multiple bars, restaurants and places to unwind. This location was a big change from my stay at Samsara in Negril. This resort was a self-contained city and had everything that most people would want. The resort was not close to shopping or entertainment areas, so these things are provided within the resort. Not a complaint but a bit different from my time in Negril.
I decided to make the most of the resort and everything it had to offer. My room was spacious and centrally located to the beach area, restaurants and bars. It took me less than a 10-minute walk in either direction, and I could find something to entertain myself. The resort had multiple events scheduled during my trip, so I just made my way to the sound of music nightly and enjoyed the atmosphere.
The beach area was small and crowded but there was a nice little vibe there since there were multiple bars directly on the beach. One of the large pools was close by so I could hear music coming from the pool while I sat on the beach and worked on my tan. 😊
The food was plentiful and delicious! I found myself parked in the dessert portion of the buffet more than I thought I would, but everything was fantastic. The all-inclusive aspect of the resort allowed me to dabble in different types of food without feeling guilty.
The DR was a nice little get away before Christmas. I’m glad I made it down and got a new stamp in my passport. Been there and done that. 😊
I will head back to my happy spot in Negril, Jamaica in March for Spring Break 2025—back to regular travel.
Where have you always wanted to travel? Will you make it in 2025?
My Walk into the Future has led me to the Northeast multiple times in the past year.
The first adventure was a quick trip via Breeze Airways to explore Hartford, Connecticut. I was able to hit Springfield, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island over a long weekend in October 2023. The weather was great, and I got a chance to experience the wonderful colors of the fall season in the Northeast.
Providence, Rhode Island was an intriguing place, and I wanted to get back up there to explore more in-depth. I had never run a race in the northeast and saw the 2024 Rhode Island Half Marathon as an opportunity to get back up there and see the city from a ground level perspective. This trip saw me make my way up to Cambridge, Massachusetts and walked around Harvard. This was an outstanding opportunity to soak in the campus history and add content to the Walk into the Future blog.
Fast forward and I had an opportunity to explore the northeast again with my volunteer work with the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). I was selected in July to serve on the NACE Sourcing and Nomination Committee. This is the group of NACE members who review all Board of Director applications and select the next generation of board members.
Boston was selected as our meeting location based on one of our members providing access to the meeting space within her organization. This provided us with a great location in downtown Boston with access to sights and great restaurants.
Most of our committee work was accomplished virtually from our home locations. We were able to review application packages in a blind format—there were no names associated with the applications, and we scored based on the NACE rubric provided. The work in Boston was to finalize our scores and discuss candidates as needed. This was a great experience for me to help NACE select the next wave of leaders. The experience also helps me understand the process in case I want to launch a future run for a board position.
Boston experiences:
Walking the halls and grounds of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Touring the Novartis Headquarters
Walking through the Beacon Hill neighborhood
Walking on Acorn Street
Italian dinner at the famed Toscano restaurant
Our Novartis host got us a reservation 😊
Not sure when I will get back to the Boston area but enjoyed my latest adventure.
The results from the NACE selection process will become public in early February. Excited to watch our new leaders move the organization forward.
“I think goals should never be easy; they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time”.
(Michael Phelps)
Maria, I agree, this Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt is here for the long run! 😊 This process continues to provide the Walk into the Future blog with additional outlets and enhances my ability to leverage topics quickly.
Let’s give the Five-Minute Thursday prompt another run.
I shared that I create yearly goals for myself in early January to help guide me through the New Year. My goals are broken up into different categories: reading, writing, travel, exercise, family, etc. My 2024 running goal was to run 4 days a week with a target of 30 – 40 miles per week.
The seventh prompt for Five-Minute Thursday is: 2024 Running Goals.
My running focus was to get myself in great physical shape so I could improve my full marathon time. I was able to train and complete multiple full marathons, but I knew there was another leverage of training I needed to reach. I didn’t just decide to increase my mileage but wanted to break down the process and ensure I could enjoy the training without injuring myself.
The 4 day a week concept comes directly from my full marathon training program. I ramped up my training once I entered the 18-week marathon training program in the past but decided to keep this volume for the entire year. Seems simple but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance this year when it came to fitness and being ready for the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
So, where does 1,500 in the article title come from? Great question, Melissa! 😊
I’m currently sitting at 1,548 training miles for 2024. This is the highest amount of training miles I have completed since I started tracking my run progress. I mixed in a few exercise bike miles in this total but 95% of my training was pounding the pavement or treadmill when the weather did not cooperate. This additional mileage total correlates to my 2024 weight goal to get to and maintain 198 pounds.
FYI—I did not write 1,500 down as a mileage goal but got to this number by meeting my goal to run 4 days weekly. Incremental steps and going to bed at 8:30 pm nightly allowed me to get up and grind on my run days.
Not sure how many miles I will log in 2025, but I have a great blueprint on the correct way to increase mileage without injuring myself.
Let’s thrive in 25! 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time”.
“It takes an endless amount of history to make even a little tradition”.
(Henry James)
The Walk into the Future blog has a ton of history with the OUC Half Marathon. I started my half marathon journey at the 2013 OUC Half Marathon on the promise to run with a seasoned running friend. She convinced me to step up from running 5ks and jump into the half marathon arena with the promise we would run it together. Well, my friend Lauren and her family moved to Dallas, Texas before race day and I decided to still run it since I committed to the process. The 2013 OUC Marathon is the slowest I have ever run a half marathon, and I am always trying to improve my time when I toe the line in downtown Orlando.
So, as you can see I have a lot of tradition with the OUC Half Marathon and Track Shack. I look forward to this race every year. The 2024 OUC Half Marathon was my eleventh time running the event. I decided not to run the 2018 version to avoid the miles of brinks on the course. The course was changed in 2019 to ensure runners did not have to endure the same number of miles running on the brink streets. What’s the big deal? Most of the brinks are uneven and cause some runners to stumble and makes you slow down to avoid a misstep while on the brinks. I was happy that Track Shack adjusted the course to protect runners towards a safe race outcome.
I entered the 2024 OUC Half Marathon without a preset finish time in mind. I did not complete a specific training program for this race since I was still coming off the Chicago Marathon high. I ran consistently in November with a 6-mile run during Thanksgiving week being my longest run in the training cycle. I had multiple 5-mile training runs leading up to race day but did not extend to double digit runs since my fitness levels were still high off the Chicago Marathon training cycle. I did not know how this would translate to race day, but I was content to give this process a run. My legs felt fresh so I knew I would complete the half marathon; it was just a matter of how fast I would run on race day.
Track Shack upgraded the EXPO experience this year and moved it to The Plaza Live. This was the first year the EXPO was not located at the Track Shack location but provided a larger venue and parking space for race participants. The bib pickup process was seamless and there were several vendors at the EXPO including local TV stations to promote the race and the impact Track Shack has on the Orlando running community.
I was in communication with the Track Shack Vice President of Communications prior to the EXPO and we conducted an interview at the EXPO to highlight my Walk into the Future and how running with Track Shack helps me with content. I’m not sure when this footage will be released but I will share when it drops. 😊
Fast forward to race day and the temperature was 42 at the start. I made a Goodwill run the night before to get a throw-away sweatshirt to wear prior to starting the race. I learned about this trick at larger races and used this concept at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Most race organizers collect these items and donate to homeless shelters. This was the best $6.99 investment I have ever made because 42 is cold to stand around without warm clothing.
I got to the start/finish line in plenty time to warm up and get a few pictures before the race started. I originally positioned myself towards the back of the starting corral but decided to move up towards the faster runners since I felt good about my fitness and decided to commit to running fast. I was not sure what fast meant but the weather conditions were favorable to get out fast and maintain the pace. I did not set a time goal but going out hard and controlled were the main things I wanted to accomplish.
Track Shack changed the course again this year to make the race a better experience for all runners. I did not know the impact of the course change prior to the race but enjoyed running on less bricks this year. Did I say I hate running on the bricks? 😊
Fast forward and I ran 2:10:39 (9:53 per mile) this year. This was my 5th fastest of 37 lifetime half marathons. I ran my fastest half marathon during the 2019 OUC Marathon (2:05:51 / 9:33 per mile). Not bad considering my long run since Chicago was 6 miles. I trained between the two races but did not dedicate time to long distance running. Looks like my fitness levels still got me around the course. I was able to finish the last mile of the race with a nice kick and a smile on my face. FYI—the lack of humidity in the air really is great for runners. I did not want to waste this opportunity to go fast this year. 😊 Fastest mile was #3 @9:32 and slowest mile was #12 @10:28.
I got my beer and some pictures in the race village but didn’t hang around as long this year because it was still in the 50s. I did not have my throw away sweatshirt anymore so I decided to head to my vehicle so I could get back to my hotel and warm up.
I am happy with my results this year and look forward to a fast 2025 racing season.
Lining up some new races for 2025 to bring to the Walk into the Future blog.
“The successful warrior is the average man with laser-like focus”.
(Bruce Lee)
Let’s give the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt another run. I’m starting to love the simplicity of this writing concept and having fun generating content for the Walk into the Future blog.
My fitness journey primarily chronicles my running program and the tourism opportunities this brings to me throughout the year. I also write about being goals oriented but, I don’t believe I ever identified one of my 2024 goals was to get to and maintain my body weight at 198 pounds or less.
The sixth prompt for Five-Minute Thursday is: 2024 Fitness.
My normal weight over the past three years was right around 205 pounds. This was fine as I increased my running program and got a bit more serious with my marathon pursuits. I completed marathons in 2022 and 2023 with my weight at 205 pounds. I was able to get the training done but wondered what would happen if I trained AND got my weight down a bit. I set my weight goal back in January 2024 and put effort to meet and/or exceed the goal this year.
I started January 2024 at 203 pounds after taking three weeks off from running after my 2023 Garden of Life Marathon in December 2023. I reevaluated my training program and my diet to determine the adjustments I needed to get my weight down. Again, I was not looking to lose substantial weight, but I wanted to get down to see how it impacted my daily life and fitness levels.
I changed my diet and decided to stay out of the drive-through lines more in 2024. Yes, I write about my running program, but my diet has never been the greatest over the years. Also, it is so easy to hit a drive through after work instead of going home and cooking. I didn’t eliminate this process completely, but I put a huge dent in making these stops on the way home. I got more use out of my grill in 2024, and this helped me with better meals throughout the year.
I also rededicated myself to following my training programs especially with my 2024 Chicago Marathon 18-week training process. My goal for this training block was to not miss a session to ensure that I give maximum effort to get ready for the Chicago Marathon. I only used the exercise bike as a warmup for my runs—this was a bit different from previous cycles. I also adjusted my bedtime to 8:30 pm daily and woke up at 4:30 am to ensure I had time for morning runs before work. Going to bed at a consistent time helped me get prepared to get up and run in the morning.
The 18-week marathon training plan increased my mileage weekly, and I incorporated additional mileage in my training process. I’m on pace to finish 2024 with over 1,500 training miles which would be 300 miles over my previous maximum running year.
Fast forward—I got down to 192.5 pounds on 9/14/2024 and ran the 2024 Chicago Marathon at 197 on 10/13/2024. I’ve consistently met my goal to stay under 198 this year. My fitness levels are much higher within this weight range. Fun fact—I have started to order new pants since my old ones don’t fit as well now. 😊
Not trying to get down more but want to maintain this new level of fitness and keep my weight right around the 195 – 198 range. My friend Lynn calls me skinny now—not sure I agree but I have a new level of fitness and I’m happy with it. 😊
What 2024 goal are you proud of accomplishing?
Irie!
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be”.
“How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you”.
(Jimmy Fallon)
Sweet home, Chicago!
This is how I felt when I finally arrived at my hotel in Chicago. Why the excitement? Well, I’ve chronicled my training for the past 18 weeks but didn’t know if I would make it to race day.
Hurricane Milton caused havoc on Wednesday of race week, and I didn’t know if my flight on Friday from Orlando was still going to happen. My original Friday morning flight was cancelled by Southwest Airlines, but they rebooked me on a later flight to Chicago. I decided to just enjoy the process and was extremely happy to be on my way to running the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
My flight was uneventful, but it got me closer to the end of this 18-week journey. I grabbed my bag after landing and made my way out into the Chicago night to head to my hotel. I am a Marriott brand fan, and my hotel was picked based on proximity to the marathon start and finish lines. I wanted to be able to walk around Chicago during my adventure without having to worry about traffic or waiting around for a ride. I checked into my hotel room late Friday night due to the airline delays. Made a quick trip to a corner store to stock up on water, bananas and bagels before heading to bed.
My original plan was to hit the 2024 Chicago Marathon EXPO on Friday since my arrival time was supposed to be 8:35 am. Again, Hurricane Milton changed this, and my true arrival time was 9:30 pm. No worries, I got up Saturday morning and walked over to McCormick Place for the Abbott Health & Fitness EXPO. This walk was an outstanding way to see Chicago neighborhoods and take in the excitement of race weekend. I have been a running tourist for a few years and experienced EXPOs in multiple states. Nothing prepared me for the sights from the Abbott Health & Fitness EXPO. This was by far the largest EXPO event I have ever seen. There were over 180 vendors with products from around the world. There were close to 20,000 people in the EXPO (runners, family, friends) and I felt the crush of people in the venue. Runners are a friendly group so that made it easier to navigate while in the venue.
Packets pickup was a breeze since the Chicago Marathon organizers sent each participant an event ticket. The ticket helped EXPO volunteers direct runners to the correct lines for bib pickup and corral assignments. This is the first EXPO that utilized a photo to ensure the correct person got the correct bib number. Technology is amazing!
I made my way around the EXPO to check out vendors, sample nutrition and get my photos while there. 😊 I wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible but didn’t want to spend too much time on my feet the day before the marathon.
I headed back towards my hotel and wanted to check out the race start line area. This was my way to ensure I knew where to report on Sunday morning. The Chicago Marathon has a detailed process to place runners in corrals to ensure the start of the race is organized and gets runners out without overcrowding the roads. I was slotted for Wave 3 and Corral K. This means my time was projected to be closer to the middle of the pack which was exciting for me. I made a few more stops to take in the city and then headed to Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta for a pasta lunch. I still needed to add more carbs into my system to get ready for race day.
Headed back to the hotel to prep my running outfit for the big day, get off my feet and hydrate. I was able to get in a quick nap too. 😊 I left the hotel after my nap to get in another carb loading meal to finish off the process at Portillo’s. I did some light stretching and meditation to help me get ready for the big day ahead. I was a few hours away from running the 2024 Chicago Marathon!!!
I woke up on race day a bit anxious because this was the largest race I have toed the line for (55,000+ registered runners). I also had no real idea how the start line corrals would work—we were told to arrive two hours early, but this meant having to stand around in the corrals and wait patiently to start the race. My hotel was a mile away from the start line, so I leveraged this distance to stretch my legs with the walk toward Grant Park. I purchased a long sleeve shirt at Goodwill for $6.99 and used it to stay warm while waiting for my race to start. Race organizers provide ‘drop off’ areas where runners discard their warm clothing items prior to starting the race. These items are donated to homeless shelter by the race organizers.
I made my way to the Wave 3, Corral K start area around 7 am. My group was scheduled to start running at 8:35 am. What do runners do for an hour and thirty-five minutes? Great question! We sat on the pavement like grade school kids to conserve energy and get off our feet. Thousands of adults just sitting on the ground quietly and listening to music to pass the time. Our group was called to start moving towards the start line around 8:30 am and running the 2024 Chicago Marathon got real at that moment. I tossed my long sleeve shirt into the clothing donation area and started to get myself mentally ready to rock the Chicago Marathon. A sense of pride came over me at this point because I knew I had trained better during this cycle and wanted to see how this translated for this marathon. Said a quick prayer and it was showtime!
My goals for the marathon were to enjoy the process, run a controlled race and improve my time from my last marathon. Well, two out of three is not that bad! 😊 I enjoyed the process and set a marathon Personal Record (PR) at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. The one goal I missed was running a controlled race. I’m not complaining considering I ran a PR time here. I fault the crowds, and the energy generated for my lack of control during the race.
So, what was the problem with my pace? The crowds were so hyped that they energized me beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. My first mile was run in 9:45 (nine minutes and forty-five seconds. My second mile was run in 9:45. My third mile was run in 9:31. See a pattern here? 😊 The funny thing is I knew I was moving too fast, but it felt great! The fourth mile was run in 9:42. At this point I decided to just run the damn race and see what would happen regardless of my intended pace. The cooler weather, the crowds and the flat racecourse felt right so I just ran. I had a huge smile on my face for the first 23 miles. Lactic acid kicked in after that and I lost my smile for a bit. I looked at my watch and knew I was well ahead of my previous marathon times—I just needed to hang on. I mentioned to several friends that I wanted to run 4:44 this time out. I realized I would not hit this pace, but a PR was well within my reach. I gave myself a pep talk at mile 24 and then got my mind right. Finished the marathon in 5:23:35 (five hours, twenty-three minutes and thirty-five seconds). This is a 25-minute PR for me. My 4:30 am training sessions paid off nicely! 😊
Race results below:
Participant
Name (CTZ)
Williams, Calvin (USA)
Bib Number
59296
City, State
Fort Pierce
Division
55-59
Gender
Man
Short
CW
Race Info
Start Time
08:37:57
Totals
Place Gender
25103
Place Age Group
1478
Place Overall
43983
Finish Time
05:23:35
My Runner
Add/Remove
Race Status
Race Status
Finished
Last Split
Finish
Pred. Finish
–
Pred. Finish (Time of Day)
–
Splits
Miles Kilometers
Split
Time Of Day
Time
Diff
min/mile
miles/h
05K
09:09:07AM
00:31:10
31:10
10:02
5.98
10K
09:42:31AM
01:04:35
33:25
10:46
5.58
15K
10:15:07AM
01:37:10
32:35
10:30
5.72
20K
10:49:30AM
02:11:34
34:24
11:05
5.42
HALF
10:59:06AM
02:21:10
09:36
14:05
4.26
25K
11:27:12AM
02:49:16
28:06
11:36
5.18
30K
12:08:21PM
03:30:25
41:09
13:15
4.53
35K
12:53:06PM
04:15:09
44:44
14:24
4.17
40K
01:41:38PM
05:03:42
48:33
15:38
3.84
Thanks to everyone who reached out to me during my training cycle to send encouragement. Also, thank you to my friends who I couldn’t hit Friday night events with because I needed to go to bed so I could get up and run on Saturday mornings. Thank you to Walk into the Future blog readers for following my training updates and sticking with me on this forum. Appreciate all ya’ll!!! 😊
I will shift gears towards my half marathon schedule for the next few months. I have the 2024 OUC Half Marathon in Orlando the first weekend in December. I follow that up with the 2024 Palm Beaches Half Marathon the following weekend. I will not run the full marathon down there because of humidity—I learned a valuable lesson last year.
FYI—Lauren and I signed up for the 2025 Chicago Marathon and are waiting to see if we get in next year. There may be another marathon training program in 2025—get ready because I’m starting to figure this marathon training out. Who knew I could get faster as I got older. 😊
“Running isn’t about being the best; it’s about pursuing your personal best”.
(Runkeeper)
My Walk into the Future allows me to pursue adventures in multiple ways.
Running is one of the ways I found 12 years ago, and I have not looked back.
I started running Orlando Track Shack and Front Running Sports races when I moved to Oviedo, Florida from Warner Robins, Georgia back in October 2010. I never thought the local 5ks in Orlando would lead me to become a running tourist and multi-time marathoner. Big things start with small steps.
I have focused on the half marathon as my preferred distance over the past 4 years but still lace up my running shoes for 5ks. The Treasure Coast running community is not as large and visible as the Orlando running community. We have races but they are not as large as the Track Shack productions and most don’t have beer at the finish line. It seems like a small thing, but true runners are looking for beer and donuts once we cross the finish line. I still run a few local races but find ways to travel to the Orlando area for Track Shack events.
The Treasure Coast Food Bank hosts a September 5k and I have run this one for the past three years. It’s a small race but it is a great way to help stock the local food bank to help our residents with food insecurity needs. I also leverage this 5k as a speed session to help me prepare for longer races. This year the 5k fit nicely into the Chicago Marathon training program and allowed me to test my fitness and work to get faster leg turnover.
The race starts and ends at Causeway Cove on Hutchingson Island in Fort Pierce. This location makes it easy to get in and out without a ton of traffic or waiting around when the race is over. I also park on the mainland side of the Seaway Drive bridge and use the bridge as a warmup before the race. I get a slow jog in crossing the bridge and then stretch once I make it to Causeway Cove.
Again, it’s a small race crowd so I normally post up in the middle of the starting pack to avoid undue stress moving through runners. I didn’t enter with a specific finish time in mind but wanted to go faster than my last 5k back in August (Celebration of Running 5k). Always surprised I don’t know many people in these races even though I live in Fort Pierce—this is not a tight running community.
My goal was to run a controlled race without much deviation between each mile split. I’m happy with my finish time of 28:29 which equals 9:10 per mile. This was a faster time and splits than my Celebration of Running 5k outing. I ran the entire 5k with a smile on my face because the pace felt good, and I knew I could maintain this for additional miles. I didn’t feel the need to push much faster considering this was a 12-mile training day as part of my Chicago Marathon training program. I was surprised to see that I won my age group for this race. I have placed in the Top 3 of this race in the past but this was the first time I was the ‘Top Old Dude’. 😊 I decided to stick around the race village to collect my additional award and get some extra pictures taken on the top step of the podium.
I took my prizes and headed back over the bridge. I still needed to get in an additional 9 miles to complete my long run training for the day.
Feeling good about my mental and physical fitness as the 2024 Chicago Marathon draws closer.
Walk Into the Future 