Marathon – Walk Into the Future

2023 OUC Half Marathon

OUC Track Shack

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

(Mo Farah)

My Walk into the Future continues to seek out new opportunities and challenges to move me forward.

Distance running and racing have become a huge part of this process. 2023 generated an aggressive running schedule that allowed me to run new half marathons to add to my medal rack. The 2023 OUC Half Marathon was the 10^th time I tackled this race. I missed the 2018 race to run a smaller half marathon on Amelia Island. The OUC Half Marathon was also my first half marathon so I guess you can say this race launched my distance running program.

I love the races put on by Orlando Track Shack so expect to run this race annually until I can’t anymore.

The 2023 OUC Half Marathon was scheduled 8 days before the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon so viewed this edition as an extension of my marathon training. My long training runs ended the week prior but never want to feel like I’m missing out on the great vibes at the OUC race. My training plan called for me to taper my running since I was at the end of my training cycle but decided to toe the line at the OUC half anyway. The course is flat and friendly so decided to have fun and enjoy the process of racing in downtown Orlando.

I arrived early this year since I had trouble finding parking last year. Didn’t want to feel rushed when I arrived so found parking in a downtown parking garage and made my way over to the race village. I had time to stretch and socialize a bit prior to lining up for the start of the race.

The temperature was in the low 70s at race time with equal humidity. The forecast called for a gradual rise in morning temperatures so wanted to get moving to beat the heat.

I decided to line up further back in the start corral and use that as part of my race strategy. I tend to go out a lot faster when I’m close to the front so wanted to create a steady pace and stay measured throughout the race. I didn’t have a set finish time in mind but wanted to test my fitness to gauge how ready I was for the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon.

Targeted the first 8 miles of the race as my strategic marker to see how long I can run without discomfort and determine my marathon pace for next week. Eight miles seemed like an appropriate test—my plan was to pull back on the pace once I hit eight miles and then just take in the race day environment and the cheering crowds.

I wanted to stay in the 9:50 per mile pace for this race to clock miles and work on strategy. I had to keep reminding myself not to push too hard or fast since I had a full marathon coming up in 8 days. My normal strategy is to push the pace for this race since the course is flat and I can normally get a fast time. I set my personal record (PR) on this same course in 2019 and always think I can beat that time. This was not the day to try for another PR.

I hit the eight-mile marker without any pain or discomfort. I was still running high 9-minute miles but decided to race smartly and began the process of pulling back to save my legs for the full marathon. The rising temperatures and humidity made the decision to pull back a lot easier this year too. 😊

Completed the race in 2:22 (two hours and 22 minutes) for a 10:50 per mile pace. Very happy with this pace and effort considering the temperature, humidity and a pending full marathon coming up next week.

Got a chance to catch up with some of my Orlando running friends at the race after party. Nothing like a 13.1-mile race, donuts, and beer all before 10 am in Central Florida.

Next stop? The 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon!

Irie!

“I’ll be happy if running and I grow old together”.

(Haruki Murakami)

2023 Marathon Decision

“There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner”.

(Dean Karnazes)

I ran the 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon with the intent of being one and done. The training and pain I felt during the marathon was one of the toughest things I’ve ever experienced. The joy I felt when finishing was also a joyous time—I know that sounds weird but finishing the marathon was the culmination of a massive undertaking.

The quote above speaks volumes for what I experienced during the marathon and highlights the mindset of most runners. Yes, it hurts but I need to run this again. May not make sense to most people but runners live this life daily.

The day of the marathon my body hurt—same for the day after and the next five days. I started to feel normal again the week after the race but running this distance again was not a priority for me. I began to deconstruct the race, my training and nutrition the following week to determine if I could do better. The answer came back as yes, but I did not know if I wanted to experience this level of pain again.

I forgot about the marathon and embarked on multiple half marathons (Vero Beach, Town of Celebration, Nashville) and got faster with each race. I attribute this to my marathon training and the ability to manage the pain a lot better. The marathon taught me how to continue to move forward even when the body wanted to slow down or stop. Leveraged this newfound knowledge and fitness to get better when running half marathons.

Spoke with my friend Lauren Apgar about possibly running the marathon again. Casual conversations all the way up to the 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I was able to handle the Nashville hills and warm weather much better than I did last year. Again, this was because of the amount of training I put into the marathon process.

The concept of running another marathon kept coming back up so decided to explore what it would take for me to toe the 26.2 start line again.

The course needs to be flat. I prefer the race to be close to me so I would not have a huge travel commitment. The race needed to provide a fun environment and an opportunity to become a running tourist again. The Palm Beaches Marathon checked all these parameters, and I am familiar with the race. It does not have the greatest EXPO experience, but the course support was great, and it allows me to redeem myself and improve on my 2022 race time.

I’m not trying to qualify for Boston or the New York City marathons. Just want to get back to my training program and improve my marathon time. My competitive nature drives the need for improvement, and I know areas I can improve my training. I leveraged my exercise bike a bit too much during training and know these miles are great for cardio but do not translate to the road work needed to run the best marathon time. I will use the exercise bike only when the weather is bad and running outside is not an option. I make a point to train at different times of the day—this allows me to acclimate to the South Florida heat. The heat at mile marker 20 got the best of me so will not let this happen again this year.

I plan to leverage the 18-week training plan again this year with emphasis on building my mileage base slowly and mastering the long weekend runs.

Excited to embark on this marathon journey again. I’m sure I will generate training articles again to allow my readers to follow my pain! 😊

Irie!

1,300 in 2022

Sunrise

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else”.

(Lawrence J. Peter)

I start each year by creating a set of goals for myself to ensure I continue to Walk into the Future.

Past years I created a goal to run a set number of miles during the year (example: 1,000 miles) but decided to eliminate this practice and concentrate on run quality instead of quantity.

My 2022 run goals centered around 3 quality runs weekly without the shadow of a set number of miles as the goal. I always found myself singularly focused on the end number instead of the impact each run had towards my goal and fitness level. Mentally I was always chasing a number I made up in January and that was not always a fun activity.

Fast forward and the 1,312 training miles I completed in 2022 is the most yearly mileage I have ever completed. Launching my full marathon training program in July helped me clock miles but I was well on my way toward a mileage personal record (PR). The marathon training process highlighted I needed to add training sessions and mileage to fully embrace the run challenge of a full marathon.

I routinely ran 3 days a week prior to my marathon training program and needed a 4^th day to continue to build my mileage base. I also needed to create a true run plan to identify the targeted mileage for each session.

Prior to 2022 I would just go out for a run and then determine how far I wanted to go during that session. Running in 2022 forced me to lay out a detailed weekly training program to identify how far I would run during each session. I know this sounds simple and I’m sure most folks do this, but my running program had structure but needed more focus to get me to the start line for the Palm Beaches marathon. I discovered putting a number on the training session (3 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 8 miles on Thursday, 10 miles on Saturday) made me hit my mile markers each session. Anything less than what I projected left me looking for ways to get my miles in. Weekly mileage numbers were critical to my running success in 2022.

Mile by mile, day by day allowed me to top 1,300 miles in 2022. I’m sure I could have surpassed that number if I put more focus on the mileage for each session prior to July 2022.

My 2023 run goal is to run 4 days weekly (25 – 30 miles total) with one day dedicated to speed work. I am registered for 10 races for 2023 with a combination of 5ks, 10ks and half marathons. I don’t know if I will tackle another full marathon in 2023 or ever but never say never. I will let my weekly running sessions determine how many total miles I run in 2023. Excited to track my progress and growth as I expand my running base and test myself with road work.

What goals do you have for 2023?

FYI: Clocked 127 miles in January 2023! 😊

Irie!

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”.

(Zig Ziglar)

Race for Recovery 5k

“Life is for participating, not for spectating”.

(Katherine Switzer)

The theme lately is training and racing! Don’t think that is going to stop anytime soon since I have a marathon to get ready for.

Happy to leverage local races to supplement my training program since running in races is a lot more fun than just training miles. Discovered 5k’s can be fun again and a great way to warm up my legs prior to my long training runs. Fun fact, either I am getting faster, or the competition is just letting me run by them—still trying to figure out which. LOL.

The latest Walk into the Future race was the Race for Recovery 5k hosted in Port St. Lucie on the Indian River State College Pruitt campus. I consider this to still be a hometown race since the campus is only about a 20-minute drive from where I live in Fort Pierce.

It rained the night before and I considered bypassing the 5k but knew I still needed to log weekend miles so took a chance and headed to Port St. Lucie to toe the line again.

I did not get a chance to pick up my race bib during the week so needed to arrive a bit early so I could get my race swag and prep for the race. Check-in was painless, and I made my way back to my vehicle to get organize, stretch, and get a quick jog in to loosen my legs.

There was not a huge turnout for this race but the folks there were friendly and ready to run. It started to sprinkle a bit, but I was committed to run since I made it to the start line. Made my way to the start line to ensure I did not get caught up in traffic to start the race.

I did not have a preset race time or pace in mind but wanted to enjoy the course and get some miles in before heading off for my long run.

This course starts within the Pruitt campus and then heads out for a 3-mile loop before coming back on-campus for the finish. It is completely flat, and we never had to cross traffic which is always a good thing.

I went out with a controlled pace to allow other runners to spread out a bit to avoid bumping into anyone. I located a runner I knew who normally runs a great pace so decided to use her as my pacer. That only lasted for about a quarter mile since she was not pushing the pace and I felt like I wanted to go faster.

Mile-1 was completed in 8:58. Mile-2 went down in 9:17. Mile-3 clipped by at 9:22. We got hit with a heavy rain down pour right after the Mile-1 marker so I’m happy with my mile splits. This is because there is nothing worse than running with water drenched shoes and socks. My feet felt like I was running with weights around my ankles but wanted to keep pressing forward to see what I could do in these conditions.

Turned the corner to head towards the finish line and coasted a bit. The funny part here is the runner I mentioned above who was not running fast enough for me was using me as her pacer. We crossed the finish line in a dead heat, and she thanked ME for getting her across the finish line. 😊

Both of us clocked 28:04 and finished first in our respective age groups. Had a good laugh as we collected our awards and headed our different ways. I still needed to get in additional miles so headed home to dry off, change my clothes and put on a dry pair of running shoes.

Got my remaining 11 miles done before relaxing and enjoying the rest of the day.

The 5k races were done to get me mentally ready for the 2022 Clearwater Rock N Roll Half Marathon. Found out yesterday this race was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian lurking in the Gulf of Mexico. Looks like this race is reschedule for October 2023—hope to run this race one of these days.

May look for another 5k to keep me running fast—we will see.

What are your running goals for the rest of 2022?

Irie!

“Sometimes you just do things”.

(Scott Jurek)

Southern Shores, North Carolina (Repost)

Duck tree

“Never lose your sense of wander”.

(TheWanderlust.com)

Southern Shores is a small town located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I heard of the Outer Banks but did not know it was comprised of several small coastal towns.

My introduction to Southern Shores came about because one of my best friends visited the area last summer and shared how nice it was there. Decided to explore the area as part of my ongoing quest to Walk into the Future.

Southern Shores is a quick and easy drive from the Virginia Beach and Norfolk area. Made my way over to explore the area and take in a few sights.

Discovered a nice Air Bed and Breakfast (AirBNB) for my visit that was centrally located to the main areas. It was a short walk or drive to Duck, North Carolina which I had never heard of prior to my trip. Turns out one of my work friends has a family vacation home in Duck and she was excited to learn I was heading there. She also gave me suggestions on places to visit and eat while in the area.

Aqua Restaurant & Spa was recommended as a great spot for food, music, and views of the bay. Aqua lived up to the hype and more. The service and food were great and the sunset bouncing off the water was a great way to end a day.

https://aquaobx.com/

Tullio’s Bakery was the recommended breakfast spot. They have pastries, donuts and breakfast sandwiches made to order. Grabbed a bacon and egg croissant and coffee before heading over to the beach for the day. The sandwich was a very simple selection, but the fresh croissant really made it stand out. Wish I had grabbed a second one before I hit the beach. 😊

https://www.tulliosbakery.com/

The Outer Banks beach scene is a lot different than the beaches in Florida. The main attraction for the beach goers is the ability to drive on the beaches. There are ‘air down’ stations where people lower the air pressure in their tires so they can get better traction on the beach. I had never heard of this process for driving on the beach. It appears less air in the tires allows vehicles to not get stuck and spin out while driving on the beach. I just assumed a 4-wheel drive vehicle would be fine in the sand, but big truck drivers dropped air pressure too.

Got a chance to sit on the main beach in Duck and caught a nap while enjoying the weather and watching people drive by. There are wild horses on the Outer Banks but did not get a chance to see them wandering around. Spent about 30 minutes searching but decided to just relax and enjoy the sound of the North Carolina waves.

Turns out the North Carolina waves sound like my regular Florida waves. Went over to the pedestrian side of the beach so I could walk without worrying about cars driving by. Decided to walk and enjoy the sun and relax.

Ventured to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to explore more while in Duck. There was a lot of activity at the lighthouse with tourists looking for adventure. Took one turn around the area and then headed back to the AirBNB to rest up.

Discovered the HULU show Only Murders in the Building while back in the AirBNB. Binged watched multiple episodes and really got into the characters and plot of the show. Highly recommend checking this show out on HULU if you have not watched it. Got a free trial on HULU so I could watch the final episodes when I returned home. Looking forward to Season #2 in September—love clever shows!

https://www.outerbanks.com/currituck-beach-lighthouse.html

Duck light house

Happy I made the trek to Southern Shores to explore a new area during my Walk into the Future. Don’t know if I will make it back there but it was a great adventure and I’m happy I made time to get there. Always looking for new places to visit and the adventures that come with travel.

No regrets, ever! 😊 😊 😊

Where are you planning to visit this year?

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”.

(Pinterest.com)

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. 😊

https://gardenoflifemarathon.com/

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.

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(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)

Cross Seminole Trail run

Seminole Cross Trail

“Running: my sport is your sport’s punishment”.

(Funny running quotes)

Took me a little time to fully understand what being a runner truly means. I started getting serious about running when I moved to Oviedo, Florida from Bonaire, Georgia.

I ran in Georgia because I was still in the Air Force and needed to maintain my cardio fitness to ensure I completed our annual fitness test. I was always in shape but focused on football, basketball and weightlifting while in the Air Force. I signed up for an occasional 5k but never really trained for them—just showed up and ran. I also had NO idea how important the correct shoes can be in this sport.

Now, back to the quote above. I played football, basketball, and baseball back in the high school days. I transitioned to flag football, basketball, softball and weightlifting during my time in the Air Force. Coaches in both worlds routinely assigned RUNNING as a motivational tactic or punishment depending on how they felt. A missed assignment in football was punished by running a lap or two around the track. A missed free throw in basketball was punished by unlimited ‘down and backs’ on the basketball court. An error in baseball or softball got a lap around the field to regain your focus. So, as you can see, the quote above rings true in more ways than one. 😊

Fast forward to today and punishment from my younger days is something I routinely leave my house to accomplish, for fun! The therapeutic benefits have been amazing also.

Running has taken on a large part of my Walk into the Future, and I do not see it diminishing anytime soon. I got into running later in life, so I am blessed to not have run related injuries that limit my ability to get my miles in. I also know the importance of nutrition and stretching so make sure I take care of my body before, during and after my runs.

Another fun fact about my running program is I bring my running gear whenever I travel in case I can sneak a run in. Sometimes I never get a chance to break out my gear but want to be ready.

My work with the Central Florida Employment Council (CFEC) back in May brought me back to the Orlando area and the large trail systems available there. My event with CFEC was on a Friday afternoon so I decided to hang out in Oviedo after the event so I could get up on Saturday morning and run the Seminole Cross Trail while in the area. Yes, you read that right—Inspiration Man made a point to get a run in while in town making a difference.

I love the Seminole Cross Trail because it has visible mile markers and most of the trail is shaded. I made sure I got out early because I wanted to beat the Central Florida heat and still have time to enjoy time in Oviedo.

There was a lot of activity on the trail with bikers, walkers and runners sharing the trail. I made a point to wave and say hello to everyone I saw on the trail. My Fort Pierce runs do not provide many opportunities to see many folks during my runs, so it was great seeing others out enjoying the morning on the trail.

A first for me was seeing someone riding a unicycle on the trail. Guess I only thought people rode unicycles as part of a circus act but this guy rode by me at a good pace. I was impressed with the ability to balance and ride a unicycle while avoiding people on a busy trail. Started to wonder if I could ride one of those things. Running provides time to think about stuff. 😊

I was able to complete a quick 6 mile run on the trail before it got too hot—not bad considering I was there for an event.

I look forward to leveraging the Seminole Cross Trail more as I ramp up my half marathon training. I plan to get back into racing later in the year and need to start getting long runs in again.

My run gear bag remains packed, and I am ready to keep logging miles. Each run brings me closer to 1,000 training miles for the year.

How many miles have you logged this year? Let’s get busy!

“Running helps me maintain my ‘never killed anyone’ streak”.

(Pinterest)

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