Reggae – Walk Into the Future

2024 Town of Celebration Half Marathon

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“No matter how slow you go you are still lapping everyone on the couch”.

(Unknown)

The Walk into the Future blog made it back over to Celebration, Florida for the 2024 Town of Celebration Half Marathon. I ran this race for the first time in 2023 and vowed to make this an annual visit because of the course, community involvement and the outstanding post-race party.

Celebration, Florida may be the friendliest place I have ever visited for a race weekend. The downtown area reminds me of a movie set but it’s 100% real. The town rolls out the red carpet for runners over multiple days and it feels like returning home. Most races put on a good face to attract runners but don’t have a welcoming vibe. Well, Celebration, Florida welcomes runners with open arms and then invites us to hang out with them at the post-race party.

I was able to clock a surprising 2:09:16 in 2023 because of the flat course and cool weather. Didn’t think I would break 2:10 again a month after running my first full marathon but I felt great the entire race and kept moving forward. Told my friend Lauren my goal time was 2:08 but didn’t fully believe I could get close to that time. Funny what happens with a great course and weather conditions. 😊

I entered the 2024 half marathon coming off a 2:15 finish during the 2024 Vero Beach Half Marathon. Not my fastest or slowest time but a steady effort to get up and over the bridges twice. Viewed the Vero Beach Half as a good barometer of fitness and my overall training program. Wanted it to be a springboard for a fast 2024.

The weather at the 2024 Town of Celebration Half Marathon was surprisingly warmer this year. I watched the weather the entire week and race day was projected to be the warmest day of the week with humidity. Most folks know how I feel about humidity on race day but trusted my training would carry me on the course and it did.

I arrived at the race start line about 40 minutes before the race started. This gave me enough time to stretch, get a quick run in and visit the bathroom before toeing the line.

Found a spot towards the middle of the pack with intent to let the fast runners get out. I should have made my way closer to the start line since there were a ton of walkers in front of me. Never understand why walkers and/or slower runners make it to the front for race starts. It is dangerous for them and other runners who must maneuver around them to avoid a crash. This extra traffic takes a lot of energy to get around, but we all have to run our own race.

The course is completely flat, which makes this an ideal place to run a half marathon.

I couldn’t go out too fast due to the extra traffic in front of me. Decided to find a comfortable pace and enjoy the experience.

I was surprisingly consistent throughout the race—each mile split started with a 10. My fastest mile split was 10:05 (Miles 3, 4, 6) and my slowest mile split was 10:52 (Mile 13). Never could find another gear during this race because of the humidity but I am proud of the consistent effort throughout. Crossed the finish line at 2:18 but felt good and smiled as I finished with a kick.

Made my way to the race after party to get my beer, breakfast, and mimosas. Yes, runners drink beer at 9 am and we don’t blink an eye. The local restaurants had tables and gave out food samples to runners and family members. These were small portions, but you can go back as many times as you like. Spent two hours sampling food and drinking beer this year. Already looking forward to the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon. I’m sure the after-party will be epic again next year.

“When your legs get tired, run with your heart”.

(Unknown)

Negril Jamaica 2024 (In Pictures)

“Wah gwaan!”

Wah gwaan (what’s up?) is a friendly way to greet people while in Negril. The common saying is an easy way to integrate within the Jamaican way of life and make instant friends.

Mi deh yah (I’m doing well) is the most common way to respond to Wah gwaan.

Made my annual trek back down to Negril over spring break for some sun, fun, rum, and reggae. This year I went down for complete relaxation and to enjoy the Irie vibes.

I hit my normal food and music spots to maximize my time in Jamaica but made sure I finished reading the two books I had in my book bag.

Love Negril, irie vibes, reggae, and great food when I’m there.

Here are some pictures from my latest visit:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

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Where are you planning to visit this year?

Irie!

Negril, Jamaica (Repost)

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“Mi come soon!”

Decided to activate my Walk into the Future and make my way back down to Negril, Jamaica in July.

I made a point to visit Negril on an annual basis prior to COVID-19 and this was my first trip back down since May 2019. I felt comfortable when I traveled out to Portland, Oregon for the NACE2022 conference back in June and got the urge to get down to Jamaica since COVID restrictions were scaled back.

I went back and forth on when to travel to Jamaica but decided to just look at hotel and air prices to determine the best time for me to travel. Found dates that were compatible with my work and life schedules and booked a trip to my favorite spot, Samsara, which sits on the cliffs on the West End of Negril. I found Samsara years ago and always stay at this resort when I’m in Jamaica. The location is great for snorkeling, catching sunsets and experiencing Jamaica in a more authentic manner than staying at a large resort and never leaving the property.

The staff at Samsara is great and most remember me when I return which makes me feel like a family member.

My overarching goal for this trip was to get down to Negril and relax. Yes, I could have found a spot closer to home to relax but the Irie vibes in Jamaica kept calling me. I made sure to pack my snorkel gear since I wanted to spend as much time in the water as possible on this trip—mission accomplished.

Arrived at Sanger International Airport after my 2-hour JetBlue flight from Orlando. Made my way through customs, got my luggage, and headed to the Jamaica Tours counter to catch my shuttle to Samsara. The airport is about an hour and a half away from Samsara, so I got a Red Stripe beer at the airport and got on the shuttle for my ride over to Negril.

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Samsara has gone through a remodel since my last time down there. They added a couple new buildings, a new infinity pool and deck overlooking the water. These additions were a complete hit with me as they brought a new level of adventure to the resort.

My room was in the newest guest building and was steps away from the infinity pool. This view created some unique pictures for me with the sunsets bouncing off the pool and the ocean. I did not get in the pool but appreciated the addition and several other guests were regulars. Guess not everyone goes to Jamaica to get in the ocean. 😊

I did not book the all-inclusive packages since I wanted to explore and not have to be at the resort at a determined time for a meal. Also, there are other options close by and I like to experience different venues for my meals.

One of my regular spots on this trip was the 3 Dives Jerk Centre on the West End. This spot has some of the best jerk chicken on the island and the price is fantastic. I’m not a huge fan of spicy foods but the seasoning they use is great and they provide the jerk sauce on the side so I can add more or not. Mostly, I don’t add sauce and just eat the jerk chicken with rice and peas.

I made another stop at the Rock House to get lunch and had the grilled snapper, peas and rice and plantain. The chef at the Rock House has an international reputation for great Jamaican dishes and I’m never disappointed when I dine there. The rum punch is pretty good too!

There was not as much live reggae available as past trips but believe this is because the island is still adjusting to having tourist back. Legends on 7 Mile Beach is a sister resort to Samsara and they host a live reggae band on Sunday nights. This is a new music spot from the last time I was in Negril and the band was good. The larger venues had DJ music which was fine but I’m a huge fan of live music so gravitated more to the bands/groups that were playing. Hoping the live music continues to come back since I’m already planning my next Negril trip.

This song was a surprise request for the band:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksg-6gYP_us

I was able to snorkel daily in the morning before leaving the resort for my food and music excursions. The water off the cliffs is calm in the mornings and provide a perfect place to float and see a wide variety of fish. There were no jelly fish this time, so this allowed me to stay in the water for extended periods of time. There were only a few other folks in the water, so it felt like I had the ocean to myself. 😊 Plan to get out to the reefs my next time down to explore a bit more.

I was able to get 4 full days during this trip and enjoyed every minute I was back in Negril. Hope the become a regular visitor again so I can enjoy the irie vibes, food, and great views.

Continue reading “Negril, Jamaica (Repost)”

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!

Poetic Flow: Find Your Light

Out of the darkness comes the light

Each day is a struggle of life

The trials of the world weigh you down

Life comes fast…like intersections choke full of traffic

No direction…no director; just darkness

Out of the darkness comes the light

Find your direction, become the director

Act, make it happen

Open your eyes, it doesn’t have to be dark all the time

(Fort Pierce Inlet)

Poetic Flow / Hope

Day 1 n

Hope springs eternal as

I search the distant landscape

The path I choose will determine my fate

The goal is to win the daily grind

Which path will I take?

Determination sets the course as the search continues

Multiple options, multiple venues

Working towards the important things in life

Without trying the only thing left is strife

Negril 2023

Day 1 Calvin

The Walk into the Future blog went back home to Negril, Jamaica over Spring break last week. Decided I wanted to get back down for some sun, fun, rum, and reggae. Mission accomplished.

Spent most of my time relaxing but got some good reading in while making time to break out my snorkel gear. Not much into the tourist activities but enjoy hanging with the locals and seeing the island from their perspective.

Documented this trip with pictures instead of my usual word play:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

This was a good trip for me. Love to explore and get great pictures while in Jamaica. Looking at traveling to the Dominican Republic or the Turks and Caicos on my next adventure.

Which one would you pick?

Irie!

Oviedo Get Away

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

(Lao Tzu)

My Walk into the Future allows me to discover adventures large and small. There are some weeks when I lay low and stay local and others when I get the urge to just get up and go.

Well, needed a bit of adventure in my life so decided to get up and go and make a circuitous route back to one of my favorite places Oviedo, Florida. I spent 4 years in Oviedo when I worked at the University of Central Florida and still enjoy getting back over there when possible. It has grown from a sleepy little town east of Orlando into a traffic heavy little town. The urban spawl is real there.

I did not have a dedicated plan when I headed over, just wanted to see a few sights and enjoy being back in Oviedo. I knew I could take advantage of the running trails as I continue to work towards my first full marathon.

Outlets

The Orlando outlet malls are not close to Oviedo so that’s why I described my adventure as circuitous. Most folks know I love outlet mall shopping and will stop anytime I can get close. The Orlando outlets are huge and provide access to name brand companies with the idea of good prices. Some of the outlet stores are running sales and clearance specials, so the prices are even better now.

I focus on Nike, Timberland, GAP, and Columbia stores when I’m in Orlando. I added the Cole Haan outlet store to my rotation on this trip. I have been in the store in the past but never really took the time to see everything they offered. There were a lot of shoes marked down and these prices got better by joining the Cole Haan club (it’s free). Just needed to provide my cell number and I was signed up to receive additional discounts while shopping. Picked up a new pair of Cole Haan shoes on this trip and look forward to getting back for more deals soon.

Made my way down to the Nike and Columbia stores to find additional bargains. My hope was to upgrade my hiking boots prior to my trip to Asheville but could not find anything I liked on this trip. I have enough sneakers, so my Nike visit was to look for new running gear. I picked up a few items in Nike and made my way over to Oviedo.

Seminole Cross Trail

I was able to leverage the Seminole Cross Trail again to complete one of my long training runs. The trail provides 20+ miles of multi-purpose access for runners, bikers, and walkers. This trail makes my long run process easier since I don’t have to figure out where and how I will hit a specific mile number (5 miles, 10 miles, etc.) since the trail is well maintained with mile markers easy to spot. Needed to get a 10-mile run in while in Oviedo and was able to hit my mileage with plenty of shade to cover me during the run.

Bob Marley’s

Bob Marley’s at Universal Orlando City Walk has been a favorite stop for me over the years.

It’s a unique venue to listen to live reggae music and catch an irie vibe. Some of the bands I have heard there over the years rival some of the best reggae artists in Negril. Always thought that was amazing considering the musical talent that resides in Jamaica. COVID-19 still influences the venue—it is mostly a dining place with a live band playing while patrons are eating. Prior to COVID-19 this was the spot in Orlando to listen and dance to reggae music. People came from all over the country to experience this venue and hear some world class musicians.

The music during my recent visit was still outstanding but most of the folks just sat at the dinner table and rocked their heads from time to time. No dancing or excitement from the patrons but they appeared to enjoy the food while there.

I stayed for an hour or so and decided to call it a night—happy to get a chance to listen to live reggae again.

Finish off the adventure the next day at the local Costco to stock up on household items. Made my way back down to Fort Pierce to get ready for the work week.

Quick little getaway but made sure to maximize my time while away. LOL.

Where do you go for a quick getaway?

Irie!

“If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet”.

(Rachel Wolchin)

Run to Stop Hunger 5k

“Running is real and relatively simple…but it ain’t easy”.

(Mark Will-Weber)

My Walk into the Future allows me to mix and match my adventures depending on what I am trying to get accomplished.

I always love the running tourist part of my journey since I get to explore and stay in shape by training. My big running goal for 2022 is to run and complete my first full marathon in December. My training program is going well as I am averaging 30+ weekly miles to prepare for the task of running 26.2 miles in Palm Beach. The 18-week training program allows me some flexibility but a standard in the program is the long run concept each weekend. The miles increase incrementally each week and I have been dedicated to ensuring I get up on Saturdays to do my part to ensure I am ready for the full marathon.

Decided to sign-up for local 5ks to improve my speed and warm up prior to going out for my long runs. The 5k (3.1 miles) distance provides a great opportunity to get out and test my fitness levels, gauge my speed, and have fun.

Signed up for the Run to Stop Hunger 5k in Fort Pierce in September. This was a hometown race, so the running tourist did not get a chance to explore new locales, but I did get to see Fort Pierce in a different context.

The race start and finish line was located within Causeway Cove which sits directly on the Indian River in Fort Pierce. I run by this location weekly but never ventured onto the site to explore everything that is located there. I see the signs for jet ski rentals when running and always think about going in to rent a jet ski but have not made that happen to date. Interesting spot with a lot of different activities hosted there: RV park, drive-in movies on Saturday nights, concerts, food festivals, etc.

https://causewaycovemarina.wordpress.com/

Needed to complete 14 total miles so decided to park closer to downtown Fort Pierce and run across the Seaway Drive bridge as a warmup before the 5k. My goal was to get a 1-mile prerace run in to loosen my legs and give me a springboard to get up to speed during the 5k. Made my way across the Seaway Drive bridge at a comfortable pace and arrived in Causeway Cove warmed up and ready to go.

I did not set a time goal for this 5k but wanted to go out faster than I did for the Celebration of Running 5k back in August. We did not have as many runners for this race so there was not as much traffic to navigate on the course. The course was completely flat, and we did not have to cross traffic at all.

It was an out and back race format with the turnaround at the 1.5-mile marker. It was cool getting a chance to see the leaders heading back towards the finish line—got a chance to gauge how close or far I was from the race leader. 😊

My first mile was run in 8:40 and I felt comfortable with this pace. Smiled when I looked at my watch and saw my first mile was well under a 9-minute pace. The Florida humidity was thick as always, but this did not keep me from maintaining this pace throughout the race—my goal was to get some speed work in so no need to back off at this point.

I locked in on a couple runners to help pace me the rest of the way after crossing the race midpoint. I felt the humidity a bit more in the second part of the race but had my music cranking (TI’s Motivation, again) and kept running hard.

Crossed the finish line at 26:43 for a pace of 8:35. This was my fastest 5k since March 2020 so extremely happy with the results. This time allowed me to finish second in my age group and collect a medal and age group award. Got a chance to talk with some local runners while waiting for the awards ceremony—we are a friendly bunch of people.

Still needed to get in additional miles so left Causeway Cove and ran back over the Seaway Drive bridge to my vehicle. Got my additional 9 miles completed on Ocean Drive for a total of 14 for the day.

Happy with my results and how my legs feel during this preparation phase of training. Will leverage speed work more as I get closer to my marathon date.

Happy running folks!

Irie!

“As we run, we become”.

(Amby Burfoot)

Poetic Flow / Drive

cars ahead on road — Photo by Taras Makarenko on Pexels.com

Drive

Keep moving ahead

The dreams you dream are all in front of you

The actions you take

The dedication you display

The time you take

To chart the course

All come down to the drive you have

To seek your dreams and then to fulfill those dreams

Drive your success by allowing your dreams to come true

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