Walk Into the Future

Category: Travel

Articles on travel.

  • Going alone with EmpowerMEnt

    “Solitude is independence”.

    (Herman Hesse)

    The Walk into the Future blog is ready to give a guest content creator shoutout to my friend Melissa Forges.  My first run at a topic suggested by Melissa was Make Every Second Count back in April.  She gave me a total of three topics to generate content and I’m ready to give topic #2 a run: Going Alone with EmpowerMEnt.

    We had a great chat while I drove over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon.  I promised her I would put effort into bringing her topics to life.  There are days when I don’t know if I can pull off some of my articles, but I gladly take on this challenge Melissa! 😊

    Our discussion centered around the concept of ME in empowerment.  This play on the word was done on purpose to highlight that it is okay to do things for yourself.  We spend a lot of time taking care of the needs of others and forget to take care of ME (you) sometimes.

    When was the last time you took a walk on the beach by yourself?  It’s okay, I’ll wait for you to think of that time. 😊

    EmpowerMEnt allows you to see it’s okay to do things for yourself without feeling guilt.  We spend so much time doing things for others and this becomes embedded in our psyche, and it becomes the norm.  Please know that I’m not saying drop everything and forget the folks in your life.

    Really, I’m saying the opposite.  The time you spend by yourself to recharge CAN allow you to come back to your normal routines energized.  Yes, taking time for yourself can help you recharge.

    Sitting on the beach is one of my favorite activities.  I just need my beach towel, a good book and beer to entertain myself for hours.  A quick nap is always a possibility when I’m getting ME time on the beach.  I’m able to get a lot of uninterrupted thinking time when I’m on the beach too.  This is a place and mindset that allows me to generate content for the Walk into the Future blog.  Yes, I jot down ideas to come back to for blog article development.

    Running is another opportunity for empowerMEnt in my world. I write about my running tourism experiences in this blog format but running allows me to clear my mind daily.  I’m able to get lost in my run and this provides a different level of comfort and relaxation for me.  I’m empowered to tackle running distances and races to continue my personal development.  I’ve thought about joining run clubs but can’t bring myself to do it since this would eliminate the solitude I desire when I’m out for a run.  Yes, there are thousands of people who run half and full marathons, but I don’t engage with them until the finish line with beers in my hand.  Running may be the best place for me to gain empowerMEnt.

    Researching and generating content for the Walk into the Future blog is my happy place.  I love getting immersed in the writing process as I develop new projects.  I have to avoid writing too late in the evenings because I find myself up past my bedtime trying to complete an article.  The Walk into the Future blog is my major empowerMEnt flex where I get to discover new things about myself while writing.

    Well Melissa, this is article #2! 

    How do you leverage empowerMEnt in your daily life?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “One can be instructed in society; one is inspired only by solitude”.

    (Goethe)

  • 2025 Negril, Jamaica (in pictures)

    “Wah gwaan”?

     

    My Walk into the Future ventured back down to Negril, Jamaica for spring break this year.  This is not a huge revelation since I make this trek yearly.  I’ve written about my adventures in Negril to include great food, reggae, snorkeling and enjoying irie vibes.

    This year was a little different since the water was choppy and there were days we were instructed to stay out of the water.  I still found ways to entertain myself and enjoy my time in my adopted hometown. 😊

    So, instead of writing about similar adventures I have each year, I’m sharing my Negril trip with pictures—enjoy! 😊

    Samsara views (Day 1)

    Negril sunsets

    Negril cliffs

    Samsara

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

  • 2025 Winter Park 10k

    “Every pizza is a personal pizza when you are marathon training”.

    (Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future continues to be centered around being a running tourist.  I love to sign up for races and explore locations and enjoy the sights and sounds of each city. 

    Winter Park, Florida is in my regular running rotation with multiple distances: 5ks and 10ks each year in my running schedule.  The Track Shack headquarters is right down the street and returning to Winter Park for races allows me to visit with my friends at Track Shack and Orlando.  I met the owners on a running trail in Tallahassee, Florida while they were visiting their daughter and grandchildren years ago.  It’s always great to return to check out new merchandise and talk with local runners before the races.

    I ran my first Winter Park 10k back in 2019 and have not missed a race since.  I ran my 10k personal record (PR) of 55:57 (9:00 minutes per mile) back in 2021.  Fun fact—my three fastest 10ks have all been run during the Winter Park 10k.  The course is mostly flat and allows runners to stretch out and go fast.  I think that’s the part I love about this race—I know I will be fast because of the course familiarity and understanding when to push the pace to hit the finish line with a good race time.

    The 2025 Winter Park 10k was the last long race before heading to Nashville for the 2025 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  The Winter Park race provides me with a fitness test to determine how much work I still need to accomplish before NashVegas.

    I made my way over to Track Shack the day before the race to pick up my race packet and get settled in my hotel.  I am a creature of habit so try to hit Track Shack before the large crowd arrives.  I like to get some shopping done while I’m in the store and it is better before the crowd arrives. 😊 They didn’t have any new gear in my size, so I just walked around a bit and then headed out to carb load.

    I made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to get my fill of wings, potato wedges and beers.  I didn’t need to go overboard with the carbs since this was a 10k—still needed carbs but decided to forego the pasta and use the potato wedges and beer to carb up a bit.

    Headed across the street to my favorite hotel in Oviedo to get off my feet and get prepared for a big race day.  My bedtime comes early when I have a race coming up and I need extra rest to feel fresh—mission accomplished.

    I headed over to Park Avenue in Winter Park with plenty of time to warm up and stretch before the race.  The race village was teeming with runners when I arrived, so I found a spot to stretch without getting run over by folks trying to get to the 2-mile race start line.  I’ve never completed the double race (2-miler and 10k) but a lot of folks like the challenge so they can double up on race medals. 

    I toed the 10k line feeling fresh and wanted to run a good time.  The weather was warmer than last year but there was no humidity in the air.  This normally means a fast time for me regardless of the distance.  Let’s fast forward a bit and I was off my 10k PR by a little over 2 minutes.  This was my fastest 10k since 2021 and I felt good from start to finish.  I was able to cross the finish line with a smile and passed quite a few runners at the end.  I normally zone out the finish line crowds but decided to enjoy hearing total strangers cheer for me.  It was a great day to race!

    I made my way back into the race village to take some pictures and get my ice-cold beer.  Track Shack partners with local nurseries and everyone got a nice plant to take home as a prize.  I collected my potted plant and made my way back to my vehicle.  I dropped off some of my running gear and headed to Croissant Gourmet Bakery for breakfast.  I’ve been to this spot before and decided to treat myself to a great breakfast and do some people watching before heading back to Oviedo.  I highly recommend this spot if you are ever on Park Avenue.

    https://www.croissantgourmet.com/

    Spring break for Indian River State College starts tomorrow and I’m heading back down to Negril, Jamaica for rum, sun and reggae! 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “You know you are a runner when you plan vacations around races”.

    (Unknown)

  • Samsara!

    “Home away from home in Jamaica”.

    (#IslandGetaway)

    Once you go, you know!

    That was the old tag line to promote Jamaica as a tourist destination.  I never got the tag line when I was young but fully get it now.  Jamaica is an island getaway destination full of energy and adventure.  Yes, that last sentence sounds like a Jamaica travel endorsement.  Hopefully, I can get to work soon as a travel blogger.  Fingers crossed! 😊

    I started coming down to Jamaica back in 2005 to explore and experience the culture.  I was hooked on that first trip and have only missed a few years since.  My goal is to make it down yearly to enjoy my second home—yes, I adopted Jamaica.

    I picked Negril back in 2005 because I wanted to try something different.  Most folks that come down hit the major tourist spots (Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, etc.) but I never heard anyone mention Negril.  I wanted to give it a run because it is smaller and less tourist type activities.  It’s a fishing village and has a slower way of life than the better-known areas.

    Truth be told, I got lucky when I picked Samsara as my resort.  It was listed as a 3-star resort, but I loved the pictures of the resort and how close it was to other things in Negril.  Centrally located on the cliffs and I can walk to other points of interest with no problems.  The cliffs provide another level of adventure for cliff divers, snorkeling and scuba spots. All this can be done without leaving the property. 

    The chefs at Samsara are just as amazing as the views.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner have a unique Jamaican flavor and allows visitors to explore multiple food options.  I used to get the all-inclusive package but now I like to hit other locations for food when I’m in Negril.  I still eat breakfast and other meals at Samsara but love the freedom to explore and hit other food spots:

    • 3 Dives / Jerk chicken
    • Push Cart / Ox tails
    • Rock House / Grilled snapper with callaloo
    • Xtabi / Pan fried snapper
    • Chances / Best pizza in the world 😊
    • Samsara / Breakfast buffet with blue mountain coffee

    Samsara continues to provide a level of comfort and enjoyment.  Most of the staff have been there since I’ve been coming to Jamaica.  They remember me like I never left and this makes me smile.

    I recommend Samsara if you’re looking for an Irie feel for your vacation.  No big production or resort type feel.  I love this location because it allows me to explore as a Jamaican instead of being stuck in a large resort with tourists.

    Give Samsara a run if you’re looking for a Jamaican getaway.  Tell them that Williams sent you! 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Chasing sunsets in Jamaica”.

    (#SunsetLovers)

  • WPBF Interview

    “You’re not famous until your mother has heard of you”.

    (Jay Leno)

    Love this quote from Jay Leno and it fits my life quite a bit. 😊

    My mom is the only person who introduces me as Dr. Williams.  She gets a lot of joy introducing me that way and I think it’s a cool dynamic.  She does not think of or view me as famous, but she has heard of me and the work I’m doing on my Walk into the Future.

    I was asked to come down to WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss some of the work we do with our military and veteran populations.  We have a large number of enrolled students with military affiliation and conduct a lot of outreach in the community.  This outreach caught the attention of the WPBF news director, and they requested we come down and do a live TV spot to promote the event.

    I was a regular on the local news scene when I worked in the Florida State University’s Career Center.  This was my first opportunity to get back on the air at my current institution.

    You can view the interview here:  https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-indian-river-state-college-supporting-local-veterans-hobbies-helping-hands/64185475

    I’m not sure I’m famous now but it was a fun experience.  Hope you enjoyed the interview.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it”.

    (Henry David Thoreau)

  • Back to the Future

    (Image by Tumisu from Pixabay)

    “Opportunities don’t happen; you create them”.

    (Chris Grosser)

    What did you want to be growing up?

    This was an icebreaker question in a recent meeting we had at work.

    It seemed like a simple question, but it made me pause for a second.  Why do you ask?  Great question as always Maria! 😊

    Well, I had my mind set on being a forest ranger when I entered high school.  I didn’t know anyone who was a ranger, but I always saw them around growing up in rural northern Florida.  My hometown is Jasper, Florida which is right on the Florida / Georgia line.  It’s known for farming and fishing, so I spent a lot of time outdoors and wandering in the woods.

    I thought being a ranger would allow me to enjoy this aspect of growing up and help make a difference in the world.  I researched everything about becoming a ranger and joined 4H to develop additional skills.  I thought being in the woods and protecting the environment was going to be my career.

    Well, that all changed when I took a TV Productions class in my senior year. We got a chance to host live TV segments that aired in our school.  I never thought I would enjoy that aspect of the class but found a new joy going to school.  We got a chance to produce segments and conduct interviews with different topics ranging from sports, education and life after high school.

    I changed my mind about becoming a forest ranger due to our TV Productions course.  I started watching nightly news shows looking for pointers I could leverage in our class.  Journalism was going to be my new career, and I was excited about this.   I put a lot of extra effort into this course and a few of us were requested to video football and basketball games and provide the tape to coaches. This was an exciting time and showed another aspect to the course.  I was hooked!  Journalism was my thing.

    Fast forward a bit and I received a partial Journalism scholarship to Lake City Community College.  Turns out school was not my thing at that point in my life.  I flunked out of community college and joined the Air Force.  I had an outstanding Air Force career but never forgot about journalism.

    I started the Walk into the Future blog to share adventures and stories.  It’s not a traditional journalism role but I have people around the world reading my blog and sharing experiences with me.

    I’m not writing for a large newspaper or covering stories from New York as a photojournalist, but I am chronicling adventures and stories to share with folks around the world.  This may have been an unconventional route to get where I wanted to be back in high school but I’m here pounding out articles weekly.

    Hooray for that TV Productions class back in Jasper, Florida!  It opened opportunities and doors for me in life.  Well done, Mrs. Klepper!

    What did YOU want to be when you grew up?  Let’s make it happen.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”.

    (Confucius)

  • Make Every Second Count

    (Photo by Jordan Benton)

    “You may delay, but time will not”.

    (Benjamin Franklin)

    The Walk into the Future blog continues to look for new topics to develop.  Most of the content comes directly from my travels, life adventures and items of interest.  I have reached out to tree branches for thoughts on new blog content and then try to develop their concepts into something I can share with my readers. 

    I had an outstanding conversation with Melissa Forges on my drive over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon.  We got a chance to catch up on life and have a few laughs in the process.  Melissa shared three topics of interest and gifted them to me to see if I could develop them into a blog article. Well, here’s my run at her first topic: Make Every Second Count.

    We all understand the concept of time and how our days on earth are numbered.  There’s a finite amount of time we get to live this life, and this is our way to inspire YOU to live more.

    I decided to do a little research to put your time in perspective.  What does time look like?

    • 12 months in a year
    • 365 days in that same year
    • 7 days a week
    • 1,440 minutes in a day
    • 86,400 seconds in a day

    The first three time markers are the most common and talked about in our daily interactions.  Days turn into weeks, months and then years at a faster pace as we get older.  This may be a perception thing, but it feels real to me.  I left home to join the Air Force in 1986 and just celebrated 39 years on this life journey post Jasper, Florida.  We hear time flies, and it seems to become a reality as I get older in this life.

    Let’s dive into the minutes and seconds we each have in a day.  How many of the 1,440 minutes in a day are you doing something to make the world a better place?  What about the 86,400 seconds in a day? 

    I take my role as a tree (mentor) seriously and look to enhance my interactions with my tree branches daily.  I’m not sure I maximize every second of every day, but I put a sincere effort into this process daily.  It’s easy to say I will get something done tomorrow but I don’t want to waste time or effort and ignore today.  Yes, it’s easy for me to write this from the comfort of my keyboard but I will begin to leverage the time concept into my writing as well.  I have new responsibilities at work and there are days when I don’t sit down to work on my writing craft.  I assume I have time to develop topics into blog articles but need to leverage every second available to ensure I have a large library of blog articles to select from.  I normally have seven to eight articles drafted before I publish weekly.  Maximizing every minute and second in the day will get me back to a place where I have a large library to select from again. 

    Making every second count can be leveraged in all aspects of life.  I plan to use this mindset when I start my full marathon training program in June.  The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon is scheduled for October of this year, but I must use my training time smartly.  Lauren, how will you make every second count before we toe the line in Atlantic City? 😊

    How can blog readers who are parents maximize your time with your kids?  Yes, they have busy lives but are you making every second count with them?  Just a question Melissa but remember, this was your topic! LOL

    Have you booked the vacation you have been talking about for the past few years?  Again, time stops for no one—are you making every second count?

    I can add more scenarios but believe you get my point on time. 😊

    One final point.  My grandmother passed away in 2012 and the pastor that delivered her eulogy used the concept of time to inspire the family to live life.  He gave us the 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds per day to highlight how my grandmother lived life to the fullest.  His exact words were: She Lived!  He challenged the family to follow in her footsteps and live life.

    I’m still a work in progress but I maximize my time daily.

    So, I challenge my Walk into the Future blog readers to make every second count!

    Melissa, how did I do on your first topic? 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Time moves slowly but passes quickly”.

    (Alice Walker)

  • 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon

    “When your legs get tired, run with your heart”.

    (Unknown)

    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”.

    (Spectator sign)

  • Five Minute Thursday: Favorite Comedian

    “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!

    Who is your favorite comedian?

    Calvin Williams

    “I love my jokes”.

    (Dave Chappelle)

  • 2024 Palm Beaches Half Marathon

    “Shut up legs.  We got this”.

    (Unknown)

    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. 😊

    What do you have planned for 2025?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Running is a mental sport…and we’re all insane”.

    (Robin Williams)