Bahama Breeze – Walk Into the Future

Track Shack1

“Running teaches us that we are capable of so much more than we ever imagined”.

(Patti Sue Plumer)

The 2022 running season started for me with the 2022 Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k in August. I have run this event multiple times and view it as a great way to launch my running season and test my fitness levels prior to the half marathon schedule. An added angle for me this year is this event allows me to combine the 5k miles within my long run for the weekend.

I officially started my training program two weeks ago to prepare for my first full marathon on 12/11/2022. My program calls for a long run on Saturdays so used these 5k miles as a warmup and then got down to the longer portion of my run while I was in the Orlando area.

Traveled to Orlando on Friday after work this year with designs to pick up my race bib and t-shirt prior to the race on Saturday morning. I had enough Marriott Bonvoy points for a free night so took advantage of this and stayed at my favorite Marriott property in Oviedo, Florida. There were locations a bit closer to the race sight, but I planned to leverage the trails in Oviedo so decided to just stay there and drive a bit for race day.

August in Florida is hot and humid, but the weather was a bit cooler this year. I was not ready for the humidity in 2021 but my new training focus has me running several days per week and acclimating to the heat a lot better than last year.

Made my way to the Orlando Science Center on race day to get my bib and allow time to warmup before the race. There were a lot more runners this year as people are starting to come back and enjoy the running communities again. I got a chance to catch up with a few runners I have known for years and made sure my legs were ready to move me around the course. I completed several rounds of stretches, lunges, and hip swings to bring everything into alignment to avoid injuries while running.

Track Shack allows runners to self-identify their projected pace at the start line, so this makes the start of races interesting to say the least. I say interesting because you will have people who plan to walk the 5k at the very front and this creates traffic faster runners must maneuver through. It also causes folks to bump into each other, but no one got hurt this year, but it is a weird dynamic. I always line up in the 8 minute per mile group with the intention of using that pace as a guide for my race plans—sometimes it works. 😊

My marathon training so far has focused on building up my base miles, so I have not done much speed work. I race at a faster pace than I train so know I can speed up on race day—it’s just a matter of determining how fast I can go based on how my body feels and the conditions.

Decided not to focus on a specific time but to run as fast and safely as possible. Wanted to enjoy the course, the process and just being back around the Orlando running community. There were several folks I followed as pacers and this race was a lot of fun for me this year.

My time was 29:35 which is a 9:31 per minute pace—not superfast or slow, just steady for me.

Mile 1 = 9:17
Mile 2 = 9:45
Mile 3 = 9:37
Mile .1 = :58

I was able to finish the final portion of the race with a sprint to the finish line and felt good—I had another gear but did not fully engage for the race. I collected my medal, got water, fruit and my complimentary beer—yes, we drink beer at 8 am. I got a few pictures in the race village to document the day and prepared for the next phase of my training program.

I left the Orlando Science Center and drove over to Oviedo to take advantage of the Cross Seminole Trail again.

The trail provided a great and shaded place to complete the next 6 miles of my weekend training plan. I parked in downtown Oviedo and walked over to the trail to begin the journey towards 9 total miles for the day.

The Cross Seminole Trail is professionally maintained and is used by walkers, runners, bicyclist, and skaters. The people I encountered all had smiles on their faces and greeted me. It was great being back on a trail with folks again. My runs in Fort Pierce are done mostly on sidewalks and there is not a lot of folks to interact with—not complaining just stating facts.

My goal on the Cross Seminole Trail was to run out for 3 miles, regroup and then come back for a total of 6 miles on the trail. Mission complete. Most of the trail run was uneventful but at one point there was a truck parked in the street blocking a portion of the trail. I did not understand why the truck was there but quickly discovered the driver’s pit-bull got out of the truck somehow and was roaming the trail. The driver was trying to get his dog back into the vehicle, but the dog was not ready to go yet. This caused a bit of a scare to folks on the trail, but the dog was just excited and happy to be out and about. It started to run with me on the trail, so I stopped and turned around to lead it back to the owner. Never imagined my long run would include me directing a dog back to an owner—fun day! 😊

Completed my run with no problems and made my way back to my vehicle so I could get out of my sweaty clothing. Made my way back to the hotel and then got lunch at Bahama Breeze which is one of my favorite places to eat. Got some quick shopping in at Dick’s Sporting Goods and then got on the road to head back to Fort Pierce.

This was a quick trip over to Orlando for the 5k but eventful. I will leverage my 5k efforts into my training program to continue to get faster and mentally ready for my full marathon in December.

Irie!

https://www.osc.org/

https://www.seminolecountyfl.gov/departments-services/leisure-services/greenways-natural-lands/trails/cross-seminole-trail.stml#

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful”.

(Eric Thomas)

10k2

“Life is short…running makes it seem longer”.

(Baron Hansen)

Decided to test my fitness again by running the Winter Park 10k with Orlando Track Shack. It should be obvious Track Shack is my favorite running organization but will go ahead and say it again—I love Track Shack and the way they put on racing events.

The 2021 Winter Park 10k was the last event in the Track Shack running series. I was a regular Track Shack Fanatic when I lived in Oviedo but only get to participate in a couple events now. The Track Shack running series consists of 6 scheduled races over an 8-month period which ends with the Winter Park 10k event. You do not have to be a Fanatic to run the Winter Park race, so I made a point to sign up again this year to test myself against the best runners in Central Florida.

My 10k goal continues to be to run faster than my tree branch, Lauren Kume and eventually beat her 10k Personal Record (PR). A quick note, I did not beat her time but was able to shave a substantial amount off my PR and set a new one in 2021. Lauren still has the best time in the family! 😊

Made my way over to Track Shack on Friday afternoon to pick up my race packet and get some last-minute shopping in. I love making it into the Track Shack store to see the new running gear they have. I did not need anything specific but always seem to come out of the store with something new. I try not to run with the same outfit two races in a row, so I am always looking for additional color schemes for my run outfits.

I found a new Track Shack running tank top that caught my eye due to the unique color. Unfortunately, they did not have my size on the rack. Betsy Hughes who is the co-owner with her husband Jon helped me as I was shopping in the store. Small world fact—I met Betsy two years earlier while I was out for a run in Tom Brown park in Tallahassee. One of their daughters lives in Tallahassee and Betsy and Jon were up for a visit. I noticed her Track Shack gear and stopped my run to say hello. Fast forward two years and Betsy remembered me from our quick conversation on a running trail in Tallahassee. Betsy brought Jon over and we got a chance to talk about the great running trails Tallahassee has to offer. Great time catching up with them both—they wished me luck for the race, and I thanked them for being so awesome! 😊

Race day was a comfortable 58 degrees—perfect weather for a run through the Winter Park neighborhoods. Made sure I got there early to make sure I could find parking and get to the start line on-time. COVID-19 has adjusted how races are run so there was not as much activity prior to the race as in the past. There were vendors available but just not as much traffic. We followed Track Shack protocols, and everyone wore their face masks as we waited for the start of the race.

Race time

The starting area was organized to ensure we maintained physical distance prior to the race.

The corrals were marked to ensure runners knew how to line up—there were dots placed on the ground to ensure we stayed a safe distance from the other runners. Runners were able to line up based on their projected mile per minute time (example: 6 minutes, 8 minutes, etc.). I decided to line up with the 8 minute per mile group to avoid having to navigate through a crowd of runners at the beginning of the race.

Happy to report I was able to get out without having to adjust my pace to make it through the initial traffic. I set out to establish a fast but comfortable pace and then see how I felt at the halfway point. Luckily, the runners in my immediate area set a good pace and I decided to hang with them to see how much my conditioning had improved since my last big race which was the OUC Half Marathon in December.

Mile 1: 8:35 / Mile 2: 8:54 / Mile 3: 9:12 / Mile 4: 9:18 / Mile 5: 9:16 / Mile 6: 9:18 / Last .2 / 1:27

I was happy to get in the sub 9-minute miles at the beginning of the race. My goal was to clock as many sub 9-minute miles as possible and then hang on to my form to get me to the finish line. Felt comfortable from start to finish this year. There was a steep incline in the middle of Mile 3 so had to adjust my stride to ensure I did not lose much momentum going up. I broke my sub 9-minute streak here but felt good once I made it to the top. Made up a few seconds on the descent but not enough to keep me under 9 minutes for Mile 3. Took advantage of the first water stop just before the Mile 4 marker—new COVID protocols do not allow open containers so we were provided sealed bottled water during the race. I got back to running comfortably after the water stop and decided to see how much I had left in the tank. Happy to see my times did not drop off as I got deeper into the race. I knew at the Mile 5 marker I would not beat Lauren’s time but had a good race going and a new PR was within reach.

Crossed the finish line strong with a new PR of 55:57. Erased close to a minute off my 2020 10k time.

I am happy with my race results and conditioning at this point of the year. Will look to incorporate speed training to increase my endurance and help keep and maintain my pace for the next race. I am not projected to run another race until the OUC Half Marathon in December. Track Shack has a 5k scheduled in Winter Park in April—thinking about coming back to the Orlando area and run that one. The course is flat and may set-up for another PR for me to lower my 5k time—we will see how it goes.

FYI—I added Tart Cherry juice to my prerace routine and believe it helped my performance from start to finish. I did not experience a lactic acid build up during the race or soreness after.

Give it a try: https://cheribundi.com/

“I chose running as my therapy”.

(Dean Karnazes)

Tag: Bahama Breeze

2022 Running Season

Running and enjoying the Winter Park 10k

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