Orlando OUC Half 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 WordPress Stats

blog blocks wallpaper — Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

“I made a decision to write for my readers, not try to find more readers for my writing”.

(Seth Godin)

Love this quote as it reflects my original thoughts when I started the Walk into The Future blog back in 2018.

My intent has always been to create content others would want to read but not seek out followers for the blog. Some of you are stuck with me because we grew up together, so happy to have you along for this journey. Others have found my writing via WordPress based on my content and/or topics presented.

I’m happy to have you here regardless of how/why you read my thoughts—appreciate the company on this life I live.

WordPress provides authors with daily, monthly, and yearly statistics directly on my dashboard. I’m able to identify when my work is viewed in another country and my reach continues to expand. Again, not driven by this but it is nice to see someone in Spain or India has read my latest blog post. Not sure how I attract folks so far away, but it feels great and inspired me to write a bit more and with more substance.

My 2023 stats can be viewed here: https://wordpress.com/annual-report/walkintothefuture.blog/2023

I’m back in the writing lab working on new topics and adventures I will begin sharing next week. I am also entering the busy portion of my racing schedule so there will be race recaps to include my 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon experience and the next BIG race on my 2024 schedule. Hint—I got accepted into the Chicago Marathon. This is exciting news for me and will be the largest run event I will participate in. Thanks to Orlando Track Shack and the global running impact of this organization—it helped me get into the Chicago Marathon.

Big things coming in 2024—stay tune! LOL.

Irie!

“Do or do not. There is no try”.

(Yoda)

Marathon Training Update #2

Medal Palm Beach

My Walk into the Future is closing in on the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon. I am heading down south on Saturday for my big race on Sunday.

The training this year went by smoother than last year. I chalk this up to having a better mental and physical understanding of the training program and what is required each week. I also view my hydration and nutrition planning as much improved from this time last year.

It is amazing how quickly you learn the things not to do to get prepared for a 26.2-mile race. Excited and terrified at the same time. Runners are a unique group of people with an adventurous mindset.

I didn’t have my friend Lauren training for a marathon with me this year, but she was always available to listen to me share about my progress. Hoping we will both get into the 2024 Chicago Marathon and enjoy this process together again next year. We both signed up for the marathon lottery system and will find out today if we get in. I will focus on the 2024 Chicago Marathon as my big race next year if I get in—fingers crossed!

The 18-week training plan has allowed me to increase my mileage safety as I built up my base miles. I added hill and speed training this year to increase my endurance towards the full marathon distance.

Here are my total weekly miles so far this year:

Week #10: 38 miles
Week #11: 23 miles
Week #12: 32 miles
Week #13: 34 miles
Week #14: 22 miles
Week #15: 39 miles
Week #16: 28 miles
Week #17: 29 miles
Week #18: 33 miles

I have logged 465 total miles during this journey to include multiple 5k and half marathon races. The process of racing brings me a level of enjoyment to my training program and is a lot more exciting (for me) than simply going out for long runs on my own. I got spoiled a bit in Oviedo by having an active running environment with all the Orlando Track Shack events to choose from. There are multiple running clubs in Orlando so finding a running club to get a few miles in with was an easy process there.

This week is dedicated to carb loading, extra stretching and getting a lot of rest. The full marathon beat me down last year so I’m adjusting my daily routine this year to conserve as much energy as possible.

Still have not decided my race strategy—will look to listen to my body and go out with a comfortable pace that I can maintain throughout the race. I started to struggle at the 18-mile marker last year so want to extend my progress beyond this point in 2023.

My goal is to beat my time from last year and set a new PR for myself. I’ve got a race goal time in my head but will not reveal it here just now. I will brag later if I hit my preset goal. 😊

Wish me luck!

Irie!

2023 Marathon Training update

“Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me”.

(Dick Beardsley)

My Walk into the Future allowed me to take the deep dive to sign up, train and complete a full marathon in 2022. The concept of running a full marathon had been with me for a while but I never committed to the process prior to 2022.

The 2022 Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon was the targeted race, and I am proud of my training efforts and completing the race. I did not think I would want to run another one but was surprised with my recovery and the impact the marathon had on me completing shorter races. I learned how to manage the pain and continue to press forward during races.

I leveraged an 18-week training program last year and decided this got me prepared for my first marathon and it will be the training program for 2023 as well.

I am currently finishing week 9 of the training program so I am halfway through with a lot more miles to come. I thought all miles were equal and incorporated too many miles on my exercise bike last year. I quickly discovered the error in my thinking and training process during the 2022 Game On Treasure Coast Half Marathon. This race was part of my training, but I did not perform as well as I should have—the miles on the bike did not translate to running in the Florida humidity. I completed the race in decent shape but could not find another gear to go faster which was disappointing.

Fast forward to 2023 and I made a concerted effort to ensure my training miles were outside. This meant I had to set a consistent bedtime so I could get up earlier in the morning to get my Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday runs in before work. My bedtime during the week is 8:45 pm with an alarm time of 4:45 am. Never thought I would go to bed this early, but it is necessary for my training program. Getting proper rest is a key component to quality training sessions.

I also invested in my nutrition plan more than I did in 2022. The proper use of carbohydrates and hydration are two of the improvements I’ve made so far. The carbs allow me to perform better during my early morning runs. My increased water intake provides a solid foundation for my training and keeps me fresh. I have increased my form roller use as well to negate muscle soreness throughout the week.

All of this is designed to help me arrive at the 2023 Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon ready to perform and run faster than last year. This race is flat and provides an opportunity for runners to go fast—I did not leverage this fact last year and will look to improve my time and enjoyment of the race day atmosphere.

Last year I identified I was excited and terrified to complete a full marathon but now I’m looking forward to each training session and getting closer to race day. Yep, my mindset is completely different this year. LOL.

MAIN

The 18-week training plan starts out with lower mileage and slowly builds up each week. Here are my total weekly miles so far this year:

Week #1: 16 miles
Week #2: 20 miles
Week #3: 26 miles
Week #4: 30 miles
Week #5: 29 miles
Week #6: 27 miles
Week #7: 30 miles
Week #8: 18 miles
Week #9: 37 miles

My miles during the work week are completed in my new neighborhood. I have an area in the neighborhood that does not have traffic since construction has not started there yet. This gives me a convenient place to run in the mornings safely. I bring my own water or Gatorade and leave it on my route so I can stop and get fuel during the run. This is a new feature of my running. Last year I utilized a hydration backpack, but it seemed to impact my running because it moved around a lot. Ditched the hydration backpack and decided to place my drinks in strategic spots—seems to be working for me so far.

My long runs are still done on Hutchinson Island—this allows me more options to get double digits miles completed safely.

I am happy with my progress so far and look forward to additional miles on this journey.

My next training update will be the week prior to the marathon.

Thanks for following me on this journey!

Irie!

“The marathon never ceases to be a race of joy, a race of wonder”.

(Hal Higdon)

2023 Celebration of Running 5k

WP1

The 2023 running season kicked off with the 2023 Celebration of Running 5k in Winter Park.

I have run this race three years in a row and love the experience. It’s August in Florida so the heat and humidity are high, so this adds to the challenge. I don’t run a lot of 5ks but this one remains on my list because it is flat and provides a training gauge for the year.

I never set out to run a PR here but want to test my physical and mental stamina. The race crowd is not too large, so this helps when trying to avoid other runners at the start.

Decided to line up closer to the front pack of runners to give myself room to operate without having to dodge folks. Still amazing that I know runners from when I lived in Oviedo. It’s almost like they don’t know I’ve been gone 9 years now.

My race goal was to go out and find an even pace. The secondary goal was to run faster than last year. I met both of my goals and enjoyed the race from start to finish.

I found a couple of runners with great paces and decided to hitch a ride with them to challenge myself. This was a fun activity since I train by myself. It was great having others around to inspire me to find another gear. Felt good enough at the end to leave my running companions and put in a good kick to complete the 5k. Crossed the finish line in 28:50.

Collected my medal, water, and banana before making my way to the beer garden. Yes, we drink beer at 8:30 am after races. We eat donuts too! LOL.

This was week 2 of marathon training so needed to get additional miles in after the race. Headed back over to the Seminole Cross Trail to complete my training with 6 miles there. Got a total of 10 miles completed on the day.

Made my way back to the hotel to shower and find some real food. Wanted breakfast so went by First Watch close to UCF for a huge pancake, eggs, and bacon. Favorite meal when I eat there.

Feeling good about my training so far and look forward to a fantastic running season. Heading to Virginia Beach again for the 2023 Virginia Beach 10-miler over the Labor Day weekend. Should be fun getting back up to Virgina.

Will ramp up my marathon training when I return from Virginia. Time to lock in mentally and physically to prep for my 26.2-mile challenge in December. 😊

What are you looking forward to?

Why do I run?

VB 10 Miler

“Running is my private time, my therapy, my religion”.

(Gail W. Kislevitz)

The Walk into the Future blog continues to roll along and provides me space to share a small portion of my world with readers. Yes, this is a simple concept but one I take seriously to find new content to share with others.

Running is a huge part of my life and I am happy to be at this point of the journey. I started running as a small hobby to get in more cardio, but it has morphed into a lifestyle that energizes me daily. Who knew I would enjoy going to bed early so I could wake up before the sun comes up for a run? Well, that’s what I do now, and love every minute of it—even in the south Florida humidity.

So, why do I run? That’s a great question and I will provide some context to why with this post.

Solitude

The ability to go out for a run without having to coordinate or schedule the activity is appealing to me. There is a level of peace for me when I’m out for a run. I lace up my running shoes and just put one foot in front of the other until I hit my mileage goal for the session. The solitude comes in handy on days where I don’t feel like running faster—I can just move forward at my own pace without worrying about slowing someone else down. Also, I can enjoy my music and sing out loud when I want to. Not many folks come out at 5 am to hear my bad singing but it helps me when the miles get tough. The solitude of my run is a highlight for me and one of the main reasons I’m still out putting in the work.

Time to think

The solitude of my runs is great, and it provides me with a lot of free time to think and change the world—hyperbole here! LOL. The space and time to think are enjoyable aspects while I’m out training. This time has helped me come up with solutions to work problems, generate new ideas for the Walk into the Future blog and new topics for my leadership consulting side hustle. There are times when I just run without thinking about ways to change the world but running provides me with a platform to simply think and be me. Sounds simple but this keeps me lacing up my running shoes and logging the weekly miles. Who knows, there may be another blog article coming from my next running session.

Physical wellbeing

An obvious outcome of my running program is the physical wellbeing it brings. I leverage running to help me maintain my weight without having to count calories. I practice intermittent fasting daily but can eat whatever I want because of my running program. Running is also a great way to build up leg strength and muscles. The development I have in my legs rivals muscle growth I saw when I was more active lifting weights (squats, leg presses, etc.). Again, the physical aspects of running leads to a better mental outlook as well.

So, there you have it—I run for solitude, time to think and physical wellbeing.

Why do you run?

Irie

Race Medals

Medal Rack

“Racing is the fun part; it’s the reward for all the hard work”.

(Kara Goucher)

Runners sign up for races for multiple reasons. Some are there for the competition, others are chasing a specific time, and then you have the running tourists who are looking to see new places while testing their mental and physical stamina during the race.

There are other reasons to toe the start line and cross another finish line but we all happily collect race medals when it is all said and done. Larger races have bigger budgets to invest in the hardware they provide to runners, but each race looks to create a unique medal experience for runners.

My medal collection continues to grow as I enlarge my running tourist program as I add more yearly races. Extremely proud to have crossed the threshold to become a full marathoner.

Decided to highlight a few of my most recent medals in this post and provide a better view on the design of each of them. Please note, I plan to run these races again next year so will collect a new medal design and will share those in the future. 😊

Palm Beaches Marathon

Medal Palm Beach

Ran the 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon in December 2022 and chronicled my training that led up to the race. This is my favorite medal in the collection since it is the first and only full marathon medal I have collected to date. I have already signed up for the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon and begin my training cycle again the first week in August.

OUC

Medal OUC

My first half marathon was the 2013 OUC Half Marathon. This race launched my running program and got me invested in distance running. I planned to run one half marathon just to say I did it but have not stopped competing yet. Running has become a huge part of my daily life and I can’t imagine what I would be doing without my running program (training and racing). The 2022 OUC Half Marathon was used as a training run to gauge my progress for the Palm Beaches Marathon—enjoyed the race and happy with my efforts. The OUC medals are always colorful and depict the Lake Eola area in downtown Orlando.

Vero Beach

Medal Vero

The Vero Beach Half Marathon is a small race with only about 250 runners. The race takes runners through multiple neighborhoods and the famed beach. The medal highlights the beach and turtles which gives it a unique look and feel. Lots of color and surprisingly heavy.

Town of Celebration

Medal Celebration

Ran the Town of Celebration Half Marathon for the first time in January. I ran the fastest time in the past 3 years during this race. The town of Celebration really comes out to welcome runners, and they throw a great after race party with lots of food and drinks. I plan to run this race yearly since I enjoyed the entire experience so much. The medal is a homage to the movies with the 2023 theme: Take 10. This was the tenth running of this half marathon so next year will be Take 11—get it? 😊

Nashville

Medal Nashville

The 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon medal continues the trend of highlighting the great music in Nashville. The Honky Tonk Wings were a new addition to the Nashville medal and provide a fantastic back drop for this medal. I love Nashville and will run this race every year until they tell me to stop coming—won’t be anytime soon.

Resized_20230421_171204

Can’t wait to collect more medals in 2023 and beyond.

Which one is your favorite?

Irie!

2023 Winter Park 10k

WP 1

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you”.

(Fred Devito)

Ventured back to the Orlando area for the Track Shack 2023 Winter Park 10k.

This was my 5^th time toeing the start line for the race but the first time I did not enter with a set finish time in mind. I spent the past 4 weeks recovering from Piriformis Syndrome and my training was limited prior to the race. Yes, this sounds like an excuse, but I was excited to race pain free again. Decided this race would be my test to determine how well I recovered and make a final decision on the 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon in April. Pain in this race would have eliminated me from traveling to Nashville to tackle the hills up there.

Made my way to Track Shack on Friday before the 10k to pick up my race packet and do some shopping. I’m always looking to get new Track Shack gear and wanted to make sure I had time to check out the new selections and colors. It appears a lot of runners had the same idea—the line was out the door when I arrived. This is the first time I’ve experienced a long line at Track Shack, but this was an indication race capacity was full this year.

I didn’t do a major carb load process for the 10k but made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to indulge in wings, potato wedges and beer. This is the meal I leveraged to launch me into the 10k. Made sure to get to bed early so I could make my way over to Winter Park with enough time to warm up, stretch and test out my legs prior to race time. I wanted to get a two-mile warm up before the race to ensure I was ready to complete the 6.2 miles with minimum leg issues. There’s a lot of activity around the Winter Park race village—vendors, runners and the Saturday Farmers Market are all in the same area. Great place to watch people.

Made my way to the 10-minute per mile section of the starting corral. I didn’t want to be too close to the front because my competitive nature would have taken over and I would have pressed the pace. Figured limiting my starting position would keep me from going out too fast and possibly aggravating my leg again.

The race was crowded, and the first mile was slow not necessarily by choice but because there were so many runners. This worked in my favor since I couldn’t go fast even if I wanted too at this point of the race.

The runners started to thin out a bit around mile 2 and again after mile 3. I did not experience any pain through this point of the race and settled into a nice clip and started to enjoy the process of racing again. I leveraged a couple of runners for pacing to help me keep a consistent pace through the middle portion of the race. Mentally processed the concept of speeding up but decided to just enjoy the course, great weather and being around other runners. There was no need to push the pace or myself at this point and didn’t want to create a situation where the piriformis became irritated.

I increased my cadence at mile 6 when we made our way back onto Park Avenue. There were a ton of spectators at this juncture, and I pressed the pace a bit to see what I had available for the end of the race. I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and no pain in my legs.

Finished in 1:02:39 and made my way over to the race village to get my beer and take a few pictures while there. Got a chance to catch up with a few runners I know from the Track Shack circuit and did some light shopping at the Farmers Market.

Happy with my performance and not aggravating my running injury. Looks like I’m clear to travel to Nashville and tackle the Music City hills.

Of course, I will get in some line dancing and country music while I’m there. 😊

Irie!

2022 Palm Beaches Marathon

Palm Beaches Marathon1

“Forever is composed of nows”.

(Emily Dickinson)

Prince famously sang in his hit song, Let’s Go Crazy, “Electric word life, it means forever and that’s a mighty long time”.

Well, I’m here to share that I will forever have the moniker of marathoner! 😊

According to Trackshack.com, only half of one percent of the population has run a marathon.

https://www.trackshack.com/blog/1262/bucket-list…-number-1:-run-a-marathon

I did not make this rate go up much but happy to join the folks who have toed the line and completed a full marathon.

I have documented my goal to complete a marathon in 2022 and provided updates on my training progress since July. I selected an 18-week training program to prepare me for the journey. The training plan was precise on when to run and how far to run to build a base to start and complete a marathon—mission accomplished.

Thanks to my friends and family for the encouragement during the training—it meant a lot to get positive shout outs while I was on this journey.

Made my way down to West Palm Beach the day prior to the marathon to get acclimated to the area and attend the Gardens of Life Palm Beaches Marathon EXPO. I was expecting this to be a large venue like the Rock N Roll events, but it was much smaller than I imagined and completely outside. The EXPO was a series of tents in front of the Meyers Amphitheater close to the water. There were only a handful of vendors at the EXPO so not much to browse or purchase. Check-in was simple considering the size of the venue. Got my race bib, t-shirt, goody bag and headed across the street to get food.

Made my way to the ER Bradley’s Saloon which had a funky vibe, great atmosphere and was still serving brunch when I arrived. The World Cup was playing on all the TVs and they had a DJ spinning tunes in the middle of the afternoon. Seems like a great place to hang out when I’m back in West Palm Beach.

https://www.erbradleys.com/

PB Marathon water5

Headed back to the hotel to get off my feet, rest and mentally prepare for what was coming in the morning. Got to bed early since I needed to be up around 4:30 am to prepare and make it to the start line for the 6 am race time.

Leveraged my hotel proximity to the start line and used the 1-mile distance as part of my warmup before the race. Yes, I used this distance to run/walk my way to the race start—wanted my legs to be warm for the race.

This race did not have corrals so found a nice spot in the middle of the other runners and waited for the race to start. We got delayed for 10 minutes which had a few folks upset since they were ready to challenge themselves and the course. We never heard why we got delayed but the horn went off and runners surged towards the start/finish line.

I decided the day before to keep my pace as even as possible and focused on mile splits within the 10:30 – 10:50 range. This would allow me to gauge my fitness and mental capacity over the first half of the race to determine what I had left in the tank.

The first few miles went by, and I realized I had a big smile on my face. This was because the months of training, early mornings and sacrifice was being played out in a real marathon. Looking back, I was smiling at this point because we started around 6 am and the sun was still not out—didn’t realize it at the time but the coolness of the morning was going to go away very soon.

Fast forward and I kept the 10:30 – 10:50 pace range through the first 16 miles of the race. I crossed the half marathon (13.1 mile) point at 2:26:32 which may have been too fast, but I felt good. This is where my lack of marathon experience showed. I was able to maintain my run form and kept moving forward with this pace.

The sun came out in full force at the 16-mile mark, and I noticed my pace start to slow. At first it was a gradual slow down then the pace slowed more. I felt great mentally, took water/Gatorade and gels at every station. A lot of folks talk about hitting a wall in the marathon, but I won’t completely say that’s what I did. I never thought about quitting just was upset with myself because my legs did not respond when I wanted them to.

Decided at this point that I didn’t care what the clock said I was finishing this race.

Amazing thing that happens during marathons is you get to see other folks experiencing the same mental struggle, pain, and doubts. We even talked to each other as an impromptu support group to keep moving forward. Even funnier is when you see another runner talking to their legs to keep them going, I didn’t do this because I didn’t think it would work. LOL.

The last 10 miles of the race was just me putting one foot in front of the other and showing the most grit I’ve ever displayed in my life. I set a goal to complete a full marathon and I got it done. Can’t say it was slower than I imagined because it’s the fastest marathon of my life (yes, the first one too) so I’m proud of the effort to make it from start to finish.

Official clock time was 5:48:28 (five hours, forty-eight minutes, and twenty-eight seconds).

I’m going to bask in this accomplishment, take some time off from running and sleep in for a few weeks. My Walk into the Future has a busy 2023 race calendar so will enjoy some downtime before cranking up the training.

Here’s a preview of what I have planned so far:

1/22/2023	2023 Vero Beach Half Marathon
1/29/2023	2023 Celebration Half Marathon
2/25/2023	2023 Calgary Stampede 10k
3/4/2023	2023 Orlando Best Damn Race Half Marathon
3/18/2023	2023 Shamrock Half Marathon
3/25/2023	2023 Winter Park 10k
4/22/2023	2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon
6/4/2023	2023 San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon
10/23/2023	2023 Clearwater Rock N Roll Half Marathon
12/2/2023	2023 OUC Half Marathon

Where are you racing in 2023?

Irie!

“You are going to want to give up, don’t”

(realbuzz.com)

2022 OUC Half Marathon

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you spend your life running up and down the field and never score”.

(Bill Copeland)

My 2022 Walk into the Future became focused on completing my first full marathon in December.

The 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon provided me with a new goal and a physical challenge to work towards. The 18-week training program provided me with flexibility with my runs, so I continued to look for ways to make training as exciting as possible. This included signing up for 5ks and half marathons to help me break up the training sessions.

My last long run before the Palm Beaches Marathon was scheduled to be an 8-miler. I graduated from the super long runs (18, 19, 20) a couple weeks earlier but wanted to test my fitness one more time before the marathon.

I signed up for the 2022 Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) half marathon back in December 2021 and decided to fulfill that commitment since I needed the miles. I also enjoy being back in Orlando to see my friends and the culture the Orlando area provides.

Rode over to Orlando the day prior to the race to pick up my race packet at Track Shack. Always love visiting the Track Shack running store since they are a one stop run store where I can pick up running gear and supplements. Started purchasing CBD gems (gels) at Track Shack because they have a huge selection with the best prices. Bib pickup was uneventful—I got there before the big rush and purchased a new running shirt.

Left Track Shack and headed back to Oviedo to check into my hotel. I stay in the same place since I’m a creature of habit and it allows me to spend more time in Oviedo. Headed to my favorite Italian restaurant, Café Panuzzos. Love the food and atmosphere there and always come back when I’m back in town: https://cafepanuzzos.com/

Got back to the hotel to relax and mentally prepare for the race coming up. I was still deciding how I wanted to attack the race from a strategic standpoint—do I go out for a specific time or just clock miles as part of the training plan? Decided to completely test my fitness to see what my training program accomplished.

Made my way downtown the next morning to toe the line for the 9^th time for the OUC Half Marathon—guess you can say this is my hometown race now.

Things were going as scheduled until I got downtown Orlando. Normally it is easy to get downtown to park prior to the race. This year the Orlando police changed the traffic patterns and had cars lined up for miles. I finally got out of my normal parking garage line and found a surface lot two blocks down. This put me closer to the start line, but I lost about 45 minutes trying to get parked—never experienced this before.

Made it to the start line in time to hear the national anthem and the starter encouraging runners to have a good race. I was able to get a light stretch in and got into the back of the race corral behind the walkers and parents with strollers. Never been this far back so figured I was in for an experience during the race. Fun fact—I have never passed so many people in a race. I guess starting in the back does have some benefits. 😊

Made my way through the other runners from the back of the pack and started to get comfortable with my pace. Could not go out much faster since I had so many runners to navigate my way through. The weather was great—nice cool central Florida morning so put a smile on my face and then kept pressing forward.

Ran Mile 1 in 10:01 and did not feel pressed even though I had to weave my way through strollers and walkers. Felt good after the first water stop and decided to see if I could run negative splits (faster times) for each mile. Here’s what I got accomplished:

Mile 1: 10:01/ Mile 2: 9:57 / Mile 3: 9:43 / Mile 4: 9:47 / Mile 5: 9:40 / Mile 6: 9:45 / Mile 7: 9:54 / Mile 8: 9:37 / Mile 9: 9:57 / Mile 10: 10:34 / Mile 11: 10:19 / Mile 12: 11:18 / Mile 13: 10:36 / Mile .1 / 1:45

I laughed at myself when I saw my Mile 12 split because I got caught up looking around and sightseeing a bit too much and did not realize I slowed down that much. Had nothing to do with fitness or pain, I simply drifted off looking at Orlando scenario when I should have been bearing down to finish this race. Lesson learned. Completed the OUC Half in 2:12:52 which was my second fastest half of 2022—should have been my fastest but Mile 12 took care of that. LOL.

Crossed the finish line feeling the best I’ve ever felt while running a half marathon. The full marathon training really helped me manage the lactic acid and pain. Felt fresh and ready to run more if it was needed.

I’m ready to tackle the 2022 Palm Beaches Marathon—let’s make it happen! 😊

Irie!

“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at”.

(Bruce Lee)

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: