Walk Into the Future

Tag: #lovethefort

  • 2023 – 2024 Running Season

    My 2022 running season was an aggressive approach for me.  Wanted to continue to test myself and see how much I could improve my running performance.

    I did not see any personal records (PRs) in 2022 but my conditioning and endurance were on display with each race.

    The ultimate challenge was stepping up and competing in my first full marathon.  I have been back and forth for years on running one but finally got the courage to sign up, show up and finish one.  Super proud of this fact.

    Now, I find myself signing up for half marathons as a normal part of my training program.  My training focus used to be getting ready for my next half marathon.  I’m at the point where I can run one on short notice and still compete well.  That’s well and fine but looking for a few PRs in the 2023 – 2024 racing season.  LOL.

    I want to PR a 5k, 10k, half marathon and the full marathon this season.  Aggressive I know but, that’s why we make goals.

    Here’s my tentative schedule so far:

    8/19/20232023 Celebration of Running 5kWinter Park
    9/3/20232023 Virginia Beach 10-milerVirginia Beach, VA
    9/16/20232023 Out Run Hunger 5kFort Pierce
    10/8/20232023 Hutchinson Island Half MarathonFort Pierce
    10/22/20232023 Cocoa Beach Half MarathonCocoa Beach
    11/4/20232023 Hollywood Half MarathonHollywood, FL
    12/2/20232023 OUC Half MarathonOrlando
    12/10/20232023 Garden of Life MarathonWest Palm Beach
    1/21/20242024 Vero Beach Half MarathonVero Beach
    1/28/20242024 Town of Celebration Half MarathonCelebration, FL
    2/10/20242024 Fleet Feet Run for your Heart 10kStuart, FL
    4/27/20242024 Nashville Rock N Roll Half MarathonNashville, TN
    6/1/20242024 San Diego Rock N Roll Half MarathonSan Diego

    May add a few additional races to this list but this should keep me training and competing this fall and next spring.

    What challenges are you tackling this year?

    Irie!

  • 2023 Bridge Busters 5k

    Bridge Buster

    “I wouldn’t say running solves problems, but it prevents me from causing them”.

    (Funny Running Quotes)

    My Walk into the Future allows me to find/adjust my adventures depending on what’s happening in my world.

    I spent a lot of 2022 getting myself physically and mentally prepared to tackle a full marathon.  One thing I discovered during this process was signing up and completing races was a more enjoyable way to log miles.  Example:  I used the 2022 OUC Half Marathon as my last long run prior to the full marathon.  Not sure other folks do this, but it makes for a more exciting training format for me.

    Decided to tackle the 2023 Bridge Busters 5k in Fort Pierce for the third time.  My first attempt occurred in 2021 when we were coming out of the COVID-19 era when races were being postponed.   I did not know much about this race prior, but it was enjoyable even though I had to make it up and over the Seaway Drive bridge twice to complete the 5k.  This concept was daunting back in 2021 but does not generate doubts for me now—guess my running program has matured.  LOL.

    This is a smaller race and attracts around 150 local runners.  The host organization uses the registration fees to donate to local education programs.  The money goes to a good cause, and I get a chance to test my endurance—everyone wins in this scenario. 

    Selected this as my first post full marathon run because it is a hometown race, and most of the course is on Seaway Drive which I train on quite a bit—minus the bridges.

    The weather was cool at the start, so this was an ideal way to launch into the 5k.

    I did not have a set finish time in mind when the race started but wanted to run a better time than last year if possible.  The double bridge crossing makes this a bit daunting considering the inclines we face going up and over.  The downhill portion is always easier, but you must maintain a controlled pace on the first pass to ensure there’s something left in the tank for the last mile of the race. 

    Fast forward and I ran the following splits:

    Mile 1: 8:51 / Mile 2: 9:09 / Mile 3: 9:02 / Mile .1:  :53

    Clock time:  27:52 (8:57 per mile)

    This was an improvement of 45 seconds over my 2022 race time.  Not bad considering I completed the full marathon less than 4 weeks prior.  Happy with my recovery from the marathon and excited to get back out running again. 

    Not sure how fast 2023 will be for my racing times but happy with my first race of the year.  Looking forward to getting more miles and races in this year.

    What are you looking forward to in 2023?

    Irie!

    “Runner’s logic:  I’m tired.  I think I’ll got for a run”.

    (Funny Running Quotes)

  • Marathon training – Week 5

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    “Of all the races, there is not better stage for heroism than a marathon”.

    (George Sheehan)

    The Walk into the Future blog is based on exploring opportunities, adventures and then sharing them with my readers.

    I have tapped danced around the concept to run a full marathon for a few years now.  Well, no more tap dancing, I am fully engaged in the marathon training process and just completed Week 5 of an 18-week training program.

    My targeted race is the 2022 Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Wanted to pick a race that was close to home and with a flat course—check and check.  I have friends who have run this marathon and they say it provides the perfect course, backdrop, and time of the year to tackle the 26.2 miles.  Excited and terrified at the same time but my training program will get me to the start line and beyond. 😊

    MAIN

    I selected the 18-week training program to allow myself time to prepare for this major life event mentally and physically.  There are multiple training plans available (12-weeks, 16-weeks, etc.) but I went for the longer plan to ensure I had time to train with a buffer.

    This training plan starts out with lower mileage than most people would think of considering this is preparation for a marathon.  The following are the total weekly miles in the plan:

    • Week #1: 19 miles
    • Week #2:  20 miles
    • Week #3:  17 miles
    • Week #4:  23 miles
    • Week #5:  24 miles

    Again, the training plan is building up base mileage, but I exceeded the prescribed miles each week so far since I have been training for half-marathons throughout 2022.  I did not go over the prescribed miles by much but wanted to ensure I put in the work to lead to a successful and enjoyable marathon in December.

    My plan calls for incremental mileage increases as I prepare my mind and body for the challenge of completing a 26.2-mile race in December.  I complete my long runs on Saturdays with my longest run of 20-miles coming in Week #15.  I complete my long runs in Fort Pierce on Hutchinson Island where I do not have an issue of crossing traffic.  It’s the same route I run to prepare for my half marathons, but I am discovering unique points of interests on the route as I run out further due to my increased mileage.  My long runs are completed at a slower pace to ensure I can start and finish—this is recommended for all long runs.

    I just invested in a running hydration vest so I can carry water with me as I extend my runs.  Hydration is vitally important considering I am running in the August heat and humidity in Florida. 

    Resized_20220904_114135

    (Hydration vest)

    Looking forward to seeing how the hydration vest enhances my training as I continue to prep for the 2022 Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon.

    FYI—the next update will come in Week #10 of the training program.

    Irie

    “When you run a marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time”.

    (Haile Gebrselassie)

  • Hard Ax Lounge

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    “Everything goes great with some axe throwing”.

    (Instagram)

    The Walk into the Future blog allows me to capture my thoughts, adventures and, plans in a way that I can share with my readers.

    Never sought out a venue to capture everything but this blog provides an opportunity to highlight things I do to continue to Walk into the Future.

    My new adventure was a trip to the Hard Ax Lounge in Fort Pierce for a round of ax throwing.  This was my second time in the Hard Ax Lounge—several of us from work made it to the lounge in December for a teambuilding activity.  It was the same day as our ugly sweater party, and I never got around to capturing my thoughts on the original outing.

    Turns out I picked up ax throwing fast as I was the ax throwing champion for our group back in December.  Never imagined I would be good at throwing an ax but maybe my small-town upbringing in Jasper, Florida translated to becoming an ax man. 😊

    Made my way back for round two with a smaller group of friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  I did not have preconceived ideas that my first ax throwing adventure would translate to this session.  Everyone must go through the safety training—ax throwing can be dangerous, and it helped to get pointers from the ax experts that work there.

    There are different ax sizes, and each ax performs a bit different from the next.  The instructors show all participants how to hold and throw the axes based on size and weight.  They offer everyone an opportunity to throw each ax to get a better feel for which ax works best.  I had a lot of success with the smallest ax during my first experience so decided to stick with what worked best for me in the past.

    The first part of the throwing session is just getting familiar with throwing the ax and working on form and aim.  The concept is like throwing darts, but the ax does a lot more damage when it hits the target.  We went through several rounds of practice before the ax experts introduced the ax throwing competition into the session.

    The ax board is numbered, and scores are based on the number your ax sticks to (8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1).  The first game introduced was a game of 21.  You throw with the idea of hitting numbers that add up to 21 to be crowned the winner.  If your throw total goes OVER 21 then you go back down to 12 and throw again with the intent to end up on 21.  Pretty simple, huh?

    Throws are rotated between everyone on your lane, so everyone gets a turn in the rotation towards 21. 

    My throwing technique is very basic.  I grab the small ax, position myself on the lane and then let it fly—not rocket science but I try not to overthink this simple process.

    Fast forward and my throws got me close to 21 multiple times, but I had to go back to 12 since I kept going over.  Luckily for me, others throwing on my lane could not take advantage of me having to go back to 12 and win the game.  We played three rounds, and I was able to win 2 out of 3 rounds and leave as the ax throwing champion for the day.  FYI—double champion!

    Ax throwing is a fast-growing sport, and it continues to get bigger in the Fort Pierce area.  I’m sure this is not the last ax win for the Walk into the Future blog.

    https://hardaxelounge.com/

    Have you ever competed in ax throwing?

    “Throw your axe and have some fun”.

    (Instagram)