Atlantic City – Walk Into the Future

Wilmington, Delaware

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“Adventure is worthwhile in itself”.

(Global Castaway)

Dictionary.com defines adventure as an unusual and exciting, experience or activity.

Well, my Walk into the Future provides plenty of opportunities for me to live out adventures.

I wrote about my journey to Atlantic City, New Jersey for the 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon and time spent with my friend Lauren Apgar.

I also wrote in an earlier post about my refrigerator magnet collection and how I make sure to get one from new locations. My time in the Air Force gave me the travel bug and I have visited 37 states so far. I review my list yearly to identify how/when I can visit a state I have never been to so I can cross it off my list.

Where I’m I headed with this? Great question!

Delaware is about 85 miles from Atlantic City, and you are correct, I had never been to Delaware. I did not know if I would ever be back in this area so decided to venture over to Delaware to explore a bit and then get my refrigerator magnet. My original reason for being in this area was to run another half marathon but decided to take advantage of the proximity to Delaware and get a visit in so I could cross the state off my list.

Made my way back to the hotel after all the half marathon activities and breakfast with Lauren and Reese. Needed to get some rest and get off my feet for a little bit and recharge myself for the next adventure.

I double checked the distance to Wilmington, Delaware one more time to determine if this was an adventure I really wanted to take on. I needed to visit Delaware to add to my states visited list so did some leg stretches, grabbed some water, and got in my rental car to head west towards Delaware—my magnet and adventure awaited. 😊

The route from Atlantic City to Wilmington was a straight shot but needed to drive through Philadelphia to get to Wilmington. Took the Atlantic City Expressway West from Egg Harbour, New Jersey. This route took me directly through Philadelphia and I got a chance to see downtown Philly from a fantastic vantage point.

The Walt Whitman Bridge is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River and leads directly across the state line. The views of downtown Philly while driving on the bridge were great. Wished I had the ability to get a few pictures from this vantage point, but I was driving. You will have to take my word for how spectacular the views are OR visit Philly yourself and drive across the Walt Whitman Bridge. 😊

Traffic was not too bad as I made my way through Philly and then ventured a bit south towards Delaware. I leveraged Google Maps to get me to my destination and had no trouble getting into Wilmington.

I did not have a set adventure in mind but wanted to explore a bit since I made the drive over. Followed Google map directions towards downtown Wilmington to get a better view of the city. The only thing I knew about Wilmington is Joe Biden has a residence there but had no interest in finding this. Drove around downtown a bit and discovered some pretty rough neighborhoods in the city. Never thought of Wilmington having an inner city look/feel but it does—lesson learned.

Decided to find a spot where I could collect my refrigerator magnet and then head back to meet Lauren and Reese for dinner. Found a shopping plaza with multiple stores and ventured into a Hallmark store to search for Delaware souvenirs. Told the salesperson what I was looking for and she directed me to the rack with Delaware swag. She asked if I was interested in the Biden residence and seemed shocked when I said no. Guess visiting the residence is a big thing when people visit Wilmington—magnets are a bigger deal for me! 😊

Got my magnets and headed back towards Atlantic City. Made good time and was able to meet Lauren and Reese for dinner on our last night in the area.

Happy I could get over to Delaware to add to my list of states visited and collect my magnet. I have already signed up for the 2023 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon so I will be back in the area next year. I have no need to visit Wilmington again. 😊

What adventures do you have lined up for the rest of 2022?

Irie!

“Do more than just exist”.

(Pinterest)

FYI—the 2023 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon has been cancelled. The Rock N Roll folks decided not to continue to host the race. Luckily, I made it to Atlantic City in 2022.

2022 Rock N Roll Atlantic City

AC EXPO4

“Don’t dream of winning, train for it”.

(Mo Farrah)

The 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon has been in focus for me for the entire year. I targeted this race since I have never run there before, and the course was described as completely flat. I wanted to visit the famed boardwalk and see how my training translated to the course.

Another exciting aspect of running this race was the opportunity to see my tree branch, Lauren Apgar again. Lauren has been a tree branch since our time in the Florida State University’s Career Center. We were able to connect during the 2019 Philadelphia Rock N Roll Half Marathon and I have not seen her since due to COVID-19. Atlantic City provided an opportunity for us to reconnect and for me to finally meet Reese, her boyfriend.

I signed up for the 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon back in June 2021 so had this destination on the running tourist calendar for a while.

I normally fly on Southwest Airlines, but they do not have flights directly into Atlantic City. Flying Southwest Airlines required me to fly into Philadelphia and then drive an hour plus over to Atlantic City. Took a chance and viewed flight options on Expedia and discovered direct flights on Spirit Airlines to Atlantic City from Orlando. The price point for the roundtrip flight was less than a one-way ticket to Philly on Southwest Airlines so Spirit became my airline of choice for this trip. I did not know much about Spirit, but the experience was great for me start to finish.

I flew into Atlantic City on Friday with designs to get use to the area and catch up with Lauren prior to the race on Sunday. My hotel was in Egg Harbor Township which is only 8 miles away from the famed Atlantic City board walk and race start line. Note: I will stay much closer in 2023.

Met Lauren and Reese at Chickie’s and Pete’s which is a local sports bar in the area. Lauren picked this location for us to help with the carb loading process and catch up for missed time. It was great to sit with her and talk about family, friends, and professional growth. The three of us were able to enjoy some good food, beer, and the reunion.

AC Lauren Reese

Egg Harbor

This was Lauren’s first Rock N Roll race experience so wanted to make sure she got the most out of the experience. We agreed to meet at the Atlantic City Convention Center for the EXPO the next morning. I was surprised to see outlet stores downtown as I drove into the heart of the city. I knew there would be casinos, but the outlet stores put a smile on my face since I love shopping outlets.

Lauren, Reese, and I entered the EXPO to check in for the race and visit with the vendors. We were able to navigate the check-in process and make our way to the vendors to check out new equipment, gadgets, and nutritional products.

The first vendor we encountered provided free sessions using the NORMATEK leg compression sleeves. We were able to plug in and enjoy the technology to increase blood flow and relax before race day. The 20-minute session was a highlight of the EXPO—I will have to research these sleeves more and invest in a set soon since my running program is ramping up for the Fall 2022 race season.

AC EXPO1

We made our way through the EXPO, and I got additional CEP leg compression sleeves. Decided this new color pattern would be a good addition to my collection.

A new feature for this EXPO was gaming tables that were setup to allow participants to try blackjack, roulette, and craps games. Race participants received a $100 coupon to play during the EXPO and we made our way to the roulette table. My favorite number is 15 so played that continually while at the roulette table. I was able to hit 15 once which pays 36 to 1 odds. I was excited to add chips to my growing stack. A few others won as well, and this is where it got interesting. We all assumed we were playing for prizes (water bottle, towel, etc.) but the dealer let us know we were just playing for fun. Most of us went all in with our chips after discovering we were playing just to say we were playing—no money, no prizes, and no glory. 😊

Left the roulette table and got some energy gels before heading out for lunch.

Got the customary EXPO shots most of you expect:

AC EXPO2

Made our way to Wingcraft Kitchen and Beer Bar for lunch. This restaurant was conveniently across the street from the Convention Center. They have a very nice menu but settled on wings, fries, and beer to continue the carb loading process. Hit the Nike and Gap outlet stores after lunch to pick up some sales before heading back to the hotel for a quick nap.

Had a pasta dinner at Jerry Longo’s which is inside Bally’s casino. Headed back to the hotel to rest up for the big race.

The forecast called for rain and fog most of the weekend and it was spot on. Woke up on race day to thick fog which equals a certain level of humidity. The temperature was in the mid-50s when I woke up, but the fog made it feels a bit warmer—not Florida warm but not exactly what I envisioned for New Jersey in April.

I was able to park and catch the shuttle bus to the start line with minimal issues and met Lauren at the start line prior. Lauren told me on Friday she planned to run with me, and we began to work on our race strategy. I told her my normal routine of running water stop to water stop and to take on fuel throughout the race. This also helps mentally break the half marathon distance into chunks instead of viewing it as one long race.

My plan was to run a smart tactical race and get us to the finish line while enjoying the process of racing. Mission accomplished!

Lauren and I ran the entire race together. I am extremely proud of her effort and perseverance during the race. She was able to set a Personal Record (PR) and took two full minutes off her best time. We crossed the finish line together, but she officially beat me by three seconds based on official times—congrats my friend!

Our race splits are below:

Mile 1: 9:28 / Mile 2: 9:35 / Mile 3: 9:26 / Mile 4: 9:52 / Mile 5: 9:32 / Mile 6: 10:29 / Mile 7: 10:10 / Mile 8: 9:53 / Mile 9: 11:14 / Mile 10: 10:59 / Mile 11: 10:48 / Mile 12: 11:33 / Mile 13: 10:38 / Mile 14: 1:56

We celebrated with pictures, beer, and breakfast on the board walk! This was a great course, EXPO, and race experience—so good, I have already signed up for the 2023 race.

I plan to stay closer to the boardwalk next year so I can enjoy the entertainment and shopping more. Looks like Lauren will be coming back as well so we can get her another PR! 😊

Well done, Lauren!

Irie!

“The man who moves mountains begins by carrying small stones”.

(Confucius)

The Walk into the Future blog continues to grow

“Blogging is like work, but without coworkers thwarting you at every turn”.

(Scott Adams)

The first Walk into the Future blog article was introduced to the world on May 21, 2018.

Yep, four straight years of creating blog content and sharing it every week (mostly) with anyone willing to read about my thoughts, adventures, travel, and leadership pursuits.

Looking back my writing style has changed and grown over the past four years as I seek to find content that others may want to read. Scratch that thought—I am writing content based on my life and sharing with anyone who wants to read it.

I never had a clear idea where this blog would take me but decided to just sit down on my laptop and create content to publish. I did not set out on a particular direction for my articles but felt an urge to write and the blog concept seemed like a natural place to showcase my words.

I would be lying by saying I knew four years ago I would still be writing and sharing content through this platform. A bigger lie would have been I knew I would attract an audience of people who never met me and read my articles weekly. My friends and family are ALMOST obligated to read this stuff so knew ya’ll would be along for the journey! 😊

I quick THANK YOU to my day 1 folks and everyone who follow this blog and my journey.

I did a summary blog article awhile back to highlight Walk into the Future blog stats. Decided to do that again for this article to showcase the continued growth for the blog and the impact it has in the world. I am amazed daily when I get a new blog follower from another country. This puts a huge smile on my face because I never thought starting a blog in Tallahassee, Florida would generate international interest.

Martin Lawrence once joked that Michael Jackson was BANGING in Bucharest. Well, I get weekly blog views in Romania so I can joke I am banging in Bucharest too—not as big as Michael Jackson but happy someone over there likes my work.

I will continue to produce content for the blog as long as it is still fun to me and people want to read my work. Let’s see how long we can continue to Walk into the Future!

What topics do you want me to write about in the future? No pun intended!

Irie!

Wordpress

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 4 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

Walk into the future blog stats May 2022

“Blogging is a conversation, not a code”.

(Mike Butcher)

2022 Treasure Coast Half Marathon

TCHM1

“Running a marathon takes balls, other sports just play with them”.

(Anonymous)

I created an aggressive (for me) 2022 running schedule to make up for lost races in 2020 and 2021. Not trying to recapture those miles but wanted to get back to running races in multiple locations and get this running tourist thing going again.

Targeted a monthly half marathon for the first 5 months of 2022 with the intent to get better mentally and physically with each passing race. The full goal is to run as fast as possible when I get to Atlantic City for the 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I have never been to Atlantic City and thought it would be a great place to visit, run and take a shot at a personal record. I still need to put in the training work for the PR to occur but the flat course there is enticing for me. A bonus is the opportunity to see my friend, Lauren Apgar while in town. 😊

The 2022 Treasure Coast Half Marathon is a local race for me in Stuart, Florida. The race location is only a quick 30-minute drive down the Florida Turnpike and I thought this would be a great race to test myself and see a new city in the process.

The EXPO was held in a local middle school gymnasium and had several interesting vendors selling gear. My focus for the EXPO was to pick up my race packet and then get a sneak peek at the course I would be running the following day. Got my customary photo op at the EXPO and tried a few of the energy drinks the vendors made available to runners. Did not spend a lot of time at the EXPO since I was interested in getting a view of the bridge, I would have to cross during the half marathon. There are multiple bridges in Stuart, but I was happy to discover the bridge half marathoners had to cross was not one of the steep one. Left with the knowledge this bridge crossing and location would not be as diabolical as what I experienced during the 2022 Florida Marathon in Melbourne.

Went to bed early with the knowledge I would face a challenging course but one that was manageable with good effort.

Drove back to Stuart at 5 am the next morning to ensure I got parking and could warm up before the 6:15 am race start time. There was plenty of parking near the start/finish line and I made my way over to the race village to get prepared for the race. Got some stretching in and made one last bathroom stop before heading to the start line.

This was not a large race so there were no corral assignments for the runners. I settled into the middle of the half marathon pack to ensure there was separation between myself and the other runners.

We were still bunched tight, so I decided to hold back a bit, so I did not get caught up in traffic and possibly bump into anyone.

Surprisingly, I clocked 9:18 for Mile 1 and felt good doing it considering the amount of traffic I had to avoid. Miles 1 – 4 all were run with a 9 out front (9:18, 9:38, 9:39, 9:45). Mile 5 is where we crossed over the bridge for the first time, and I still clocked a 10:52 which is not bad for me with a bridge ascent. Miles 5 – 8 all were run with a 10 out front (10:52, 10:46, 10:37, 10:41).

The temperature at race time was 74 degrees and it got progressively warmer as the race unfolded. What’s my point? Happy you asked!

My race pace, strategy, and energy all took a hit once the temperatures climbed into the mid-80s. You could say I fell off a cliff or hit the wall after Mile 8. You pick the race metaphor and it applied after Mile 8.

Most of the course was run in direct sunlight and the higher the temperatures got the more the sun beamed down. I am happy with my efforts during the latter part of the race because I was able to bear down and keep moving forward. My pace slowed but I was making positive progress towards the finish line and found an extra gear to cross the finish line with a smile on my face. This was not my fastest half marathon but that was not the point of signing up for this race. My January, February, and March races are laying the foundation for my April and May races. I have a hard time making myself run fast on my solo training runs so decided to leverage races as my long runs and help me get faster in the process.

My next race is the Winter Park 10k on March 12, 2022. I set a 10k PR last year and look to repeat this feat in 2022. The speed I generate in the 10k will allow me to gauge my fitness levels for the 2022 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon in April and the 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half Marathon in May. I will use the summer months to build mental and physical fitness to launch into the next running season in October.

Still got goals and races to conquer!

What goals do you have to accomplish in 2022?

“My doctor told me that running could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already”.

(Milton Berle)

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