Savannah – Walk Into the Future

The Walk into the Future blog continues to grow

“Blogging is like work, but without coworkers thwarting you at every turn”.

(Scott Adams)

The first Walk into the Future blog article was introduced to the world on May 21, 2018.

Yep, four straight years of creating blog content and sharing it every week (mostly) with anyone willing to read about my thoughts, adventures, travel, and leadership pursuits.

Looking back my writing style has changed and grown over the past four years as I seek to find content that others may want to read. Scratch that thought—I am writing content based on my life and sharing with anyone who wants to read it.

I never had a clear idea where this blog would take me but decided to just sit down on my laptop and create content to publish. I did not set out on a particular direction for my articles but felt an urge to write and the blog concept seemed like a natural place to showcase my words.

I would be lying by saying I knew four years ago I would still be writing and sharing content through this platform. A bigger lie would have been I knew I would attract an audience of people who never met me and read my articles weekly. My friends and family are ALMOST obligated to read this stuff so knew ya’ll would be along for the journey! 😊

I quick THANK YOU to my day 1 folks and everyone who follow this blog and my journey.

I did a summary blog article awhile back to highlight Walk into the Future blog stats. Decided to do that again for this article to showcase the continued growth for the blog and the impact it has in the world. I am amazed daily when I get a new blog follower from another country. This puts a huge smile on my face because I never thought starting a blog in Tallahassee, Florida would generate international interest.

Martin Lawrence once joked that Michael Jackson was BANGING in Bucharest. Well, I get weekly blog views in Romania so I can joke I am banging in Bucharest too—not as big as Michael Jackson but happy someone over there likes my work.

I will continue to produce content for the blog as long as it is still fun to me and people want to read my work. Let’s see how long we can continue to Walk into the Future!

What topics do you want me to write about in the future? No pun intended!

Irie!

Wordpress

Happy Anniversary with WordPress.com!

You registered on WordPress.com 4 years ago.

Thanks for flying with us. Keep up the good blogging.

Walk into the future blog stats May 2022

“Blogging is a conversation, not a code”.

(Mike Butcher)

Running to Savannah

RnR Savannah

“The journey is the destination”.

(Dan Eldon)

Searched for a clever destination run quote since I have been writing about the 2021 Savannah Rock N Roll Half marathon for months now. The quote above brings me back to center with the simple concept on the importance of the journey.

Well, I have been working up to this journey for quite a bit of time. I was originally scheduled to run in Savannah for the first time back in November 2020. We know COVID-19 caused havoc and most races were cancelled in 2020.

The Rock N Roll folks allowed runners to defer race credits forward to 2021 races—I decided to do a direct swap to the 2021 Savannah half marathon since I have never run in the city. Please note, I have visited Savannah multiple times to enjoy the culture, food, and sightseeing. My draw was to be a running tourist in Savannah and take in the sights while running through the city.

Full disclosure, my running tourist adventures did not happen in 2021 and we cannot blame it on COVID-19 this time.

Savannah weather in the month of November is normally mild and attracts 15k+ runners from all over the world. I am sure my fellow runners targeted this race for the mild temperatures, flat course, music, and great food. Unfortunately, I am not sure many runners experienced any of these things.

The weather forecast for race weekend identified rain and colder weather early in the week. The premise was the rain would clear out before race day and keep temperatures cooler than normal. I was excited to run in cooler weather since I train in Fort Pierce, Florida and experience heat and humidity daily.

I got on the road on Friday to head up I-95 to Savannah. The trip was a straight shot up the interstate and took a little over 5 hours to get there. It rained the entire drive up, but it was never a heavy rain, just steady. My thoughts heading up was the rain would clear out by race day and things would be great in the morning.

This concept did not play out and the weather got much worse than projected.

I made my way to the EXPO to pick up my race packet and get some shopping in—normal routine. The rain impacted the foot traffic at the EXPO while I was there so getting in and out was quick. Most of the folks there had rain gear on, but we all were hoping the rain would be gone by race day. I was shocked with the number of vehicles still trying to get to the EXPO—I am sure the weather caused delays with runners arriving in town and then to the EXPO.

Made my way to the hotel to check-in and then look for a place to continue my carb loading program. Decided to make a quick trip to a local Goodwill store to buy a sweatshirt I could wear in the corral while waiting for the race to start. Runners routinely drop sweatshirts and blankets prior to racing—these items are then donated to local homeless shelters. I did not find a sweatshirt at the Goodwill so headed across the street to Burlington and found what I needed for a very good price. 😊

Headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to complete my carb loading process and watch some college football before going to bed early. FYI—it was raining the entire time I was out and about, but the hope was the rain would stop before morning—it did not!

I laid out my race outfit like normal when I got to the hotel. Decided to dress in layers with a long sleeve run shirt since it was colder than normal. My sweatshirt would allow me to stay warm prior to the race—in theory.

Fast forward to race day and it was STILL raining! The rain was a drizzle when I headed out towards downtown and got a bit heavier the closer I got to the shuttle pickup spot. My fellow runners were dressed in layers wearing rain gear, trash bags and large coats to stay dry and warm. This should have been an indication of what was to come but we all got on the shuttle and headed to the start line. The rain appeared to get heavier the closer we got to our drop off spot.

Everyone got off the shuttle with full intent to run the half or full marathon. This intent lasted for about 30 minutes as the rain came down harder and the streets started to flood. I met a lot of nice people from all over America as we huddled and shivered under a restaurant overhang trying to stay dry and somewhat warm.

There was a gentleman who flew in from Seattle two days prior who needed to run this race to complete his goal of running a half marathon in all 50 states. He was conflicted with the weather but determined to run. Other runners had similar stories or reasons they wanted to run. The consensus was none of us expected the weather to be this bad and completing the race in these conditions would be tough. Some vowed to stay and run while others said to hell with this.

I was in the hell with this camp since I rarely train in the rain but have done it. The temperature at the time was 41 degrees and we were experiencing a downpour with no end in sight. I decided to call NO JOY and not risk injury or sickness with the current conditions.

Made my way to Forsythe Park since that’s where the shuttles were to drive runners back to their vehicles. A positive note is the shuttles had heat and provided a dry environment to get us out of the rain. I have never made it to a race start line and not run but this was the best option for me considering the cold, rain, and race conditions for the day.

Happily made it back to my hotel, took a hot shower and got back in the bed for a 2 hour nap! 😊

I normally write about the sightseeing from a race location, but the rain never stopped. I made my way back downtown so I could visit New Realm Brewery. My first experience with New Realm Brewery was when I ran in Virginia Beach back in September. Great food again! They were out of the Acai Berry cider, but I was able to enjoy another local craft beer which was pretty good.

That’s about it for my trip—the rain and cold weather was not conducive to exploring so I didn’t. Made my way back to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch more football and stay dry.

Don’t know if I will try to run Savannah again—two tries and two false starts.

May just take a trip back up in the summer to experience the city as a regular tourist. 😊

https://www.savannahnow.com/story/sports/recreation/2021/11/06/nasty-weather-forces-rock-n-roll-savannah-marathon-shortened/6300893001/

RnR Savannah 2

Track Shack UCF 5 Miler

5 Mile race

“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most”.

(Buddha)

Merriam-Webster defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

Happy to report there has not been any misfortune for me, but the change has been an adjustment to my training regimen. I am still putting in work but not able to get the same quality sessions I put in pre-COVID. This can be directly attributed to my work role in Fort Pierce but please do not think I am complaining.

We have made some major operational improvements and there is light at the end of the tunnel where we will soon normalize operations and I can get back to putting in more training miles.

The concept of resiliency reminds me of the old saying: try and then try again!

Decided to use shorter races as a bigger part of my training program to get me prepared for the rigors of the half marathon distance. I have the 2021 Rock N Roll Savannah half marathon in November and the 2021 Track Shack OUC half marathon in December. My overall goal is to run a half marathon under 2 hours and the Track Shack OUC half marathon is the ideal setup to make this happen. I need to put in additional training miles to build my endurance back to my 2019 levels.

My fastest half marathon was the 2019 Track Shack OUC half marathon with a time of 2:05:51 (two hours, five minutes, and 51 seconds). 2020 was set to be my fastest year ever but of course COVID-19 shut down racing and my training lagged—that’s on me! 😊

So, what’s my plan to correct my training and speed issues? Well, I check multiple running clubs to see what races are being offered locally and within driving distance to me in Fort Pierce.

I routinely scan the Fleet Feet Stuart and Orlando Track Shack events pages to determine which races are available to help with my training program. I just shared with my best friend I have a hard time training with race pace—it is a mental thing for me since I do not have competitors or anyone to pace with. I am sure I may be the only active running with this issue but targeting real races seems to get my competitive nature going. This may not be the ideal strategy, but I will try this out to get me closer to my half marathon goal.

Made my way back over to Orlando for the 2021 Track U Can Finish 5 Mile race to get some speed work in. I ran this same event when I lived in Oviedo, but this is the first time I tackled the race distance in 8 years.

This is an interesting event because it has multiple distances available for runners to try. The first event is the U Can Finish 2 Mile race and Track Shack has a distance dare. Runners can sign up to run the 2-mile race and then compete in the 5-mile race right after. The hook for distance dare runners is the opportunity to collect 3 medals: 2-mile, 5-mile, and distance dare medals. Runners love their bling and a lot of them took part in the distance dare. I did not—officially. 😊

Did something new on race day to ensure I got in extra training miles. I stay in the same hotel each time I visit the Orlando area and it is down the street from the UCF campus.

I decided to leave my vehicle parked at the hotel and ran the 2-mile distance to the UCF campus for the start of the 5-mile race. Figured this was a great way to warmup and stretch my legs before my race and ensured I would get in a long training session—it was just broken up into segments.

Toed the line for the 5-mile race completely warmed up and excited to run on the UCF campus again. The race village was setup directly in front of the Career Services building where I worked for 4-years prior to moving to Tallahassee and the FSU Career Center. Great being back on the old stomping grounds. 😊

My goal for the 5-mile race was simply to test my endurance and consistently run miles splits with a 9 on the front of them (9:05, 9:10, etc.). Mission accomplished.

The UCF campus is completely flat which helped a lot. Went out with the intent to run my race based on feel and then push myself when I could.

Mile-1 went by at an 8:44 per minute pace and I felt good with the effort. Mile-2 through 5 were: 9:15, 9:33, 9:57, 9:42 which got me to the finish line at 47:29. Targeted 45 flat but happy with my results considering I put in a 2-mile run before my race.

Collected my 5-mile medal and took some pictures to commemorate the race and my time back at UCF. Got some refreshments and stretched a bit before heading out. I tucked my race medal away and began my 2-mile journey back to my hotel—yes, I ran back for a total of 9 training miles for the day. Felt great every step of the day!

I will look for additional races to help me prepare for my next two half marathons. Still have some speed in these legs, just need to release it in my unique way.

FYI—I am still on pace to meet my 2021 goals of 1,000 training miles. Imagine my mileage if I could stay consistent with my training.

Irie!

How do you display resilience in your daily activities? Thanks!

“Life does not get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient”.

(Steve Maraboli)

New way to train, beach runs!

Beach Runs

“I want to run the beach’s length, because it never ends”.

(Deborah Ager)

The quote above makes me laugh because it could not have been written by someone who runs. The beach is a wonderful place to get in some training but there are challenges and rewards to running on the beach.

I am always looking for a training edge to allow me to run at a faster pace. My goal to set a personal record (PR) for every half marathon I run stays true—that is the goal every time out.

I ran the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll half marathon in early September to get back into the swing of being a running tourist and to test my training against other runners. I am happy to toe the start line again but want to see improvement each time I finish a race. Decided to find a new training method to help me get better daily and work towards improving my half marathon times.

I was able to increase my endurance by running the rolling hills in Tallahassee when I lived there. Did not realize how much hill training helped my ability to run faster until I relocated to Fort Pierce which is completely flat. Running on flat surfaces is better than nothing but it is hard to replicate the intensity needed to get up and over rolling hills.

A majority of my Fort Pierce runs are done close to the beach on Ocean Drive. I enjoy the views on this route and feel safe since I do not have to cross traffic. I am parallel to the beach when running and make pit stops to catch views and listen to the waves. Example: I run 2.5 miles on Ocean drive and then sit on the beach for a bit before running back 2.5 miles. Some of my best Instagram pictures come from the middle part of my run. 😊

This process and route have worked well for me but wanted to find a new way to train since I do not have hills to climb.

Decided to leverage the beach and start running directly in the sand. This is not a novel approach but one I have not maximized since I moved here. I have run on Jacksonville Beach, but it has a flat surface without awkward inclines. Most beaches in Florida have an incline which puts pressure on one side of the body. The Fort Pierce beaches have this incline closer to the water but provides a flatter surface further away from the water. I used this part of the beach to build my mental and physical endurance.

My goal for the beach runs is to slowly increase my distance each time out as I establish a new training threshold. Running in the sand creates unstable footing and makes the body adjust to continue to move forward. This process brings in muscles that are not used with traditional running and strengthens them. The sand on the beach moves with each step and forces the body to adjust. Going fast is not the object of the training sessions—building endurance and mental focus are the top outcomes of running on the beach.

My initial foray on the beach allowed me to finish a 2.5-mile run. I extend my beach runs an additional .5 miles each time I go out with an end goal of 5 miles completely in the sand.

The benefits of this training approach will pay off when I tackle the Savannah Rock N Roll half marathon in November. I plan to run faster in Savannah with an end goal of setting another PR at the Orlando OUC Half Marathon in December. The flat surface should be conducive to running fast. Who’s going to join me in Orlando?! 😊

What new techniques have you incorporated into your training program?

“When I run on the beach, it is always in slow motion. That’s how I roll”.

(Amber Heard)

https://www.runrocknroll.com/news_article/show/1135109

Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon

Virginia Beach half

“Remember, the second most important thing to choosing the right shoe is choosing the left one”.

(Unknown)

Decided to exercise one of my 2020 race credits for the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon over the Labor Day weekend. I targeted this race in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down running but never got a chance to explore Virginia Beach.

I have traveled to the state of Virginia before, but it was in the Washington D. C. area—never the coast. Starting and finishing a race on the Virginia Beach boardwalk was an appealing draw for me and wanted to explore the area as a running tourist.

Happy to report the race, festivities and weather were fantastic and I enjoyed my adventure.

I have been training but knew my current regimen was not where it needs to be to run a Personal Record (PR). Most folks know I am always chasing my next PR, but it appears I am getting wiser with my mental focus. My goal for Virginia Beach was to take a measured approach to the race and then determine how fast my pace would be for the rest of the race.

Booked an early Southwest airlines flight out of Orlando to get to my race destination. This was my first plane ride since my Rock N Roll half marathon and cheesesteak adventures in Philadelphia back in 2019. I did not know how I would react to being back on a plane but felt safe since everyone in the airport and on the plane wore their masks. I have seen horror stories on the news about people not wearing masks but did not experience this at all.

Settled into my exit row seat with extra leg room and enjoyed the two-hour flight to Virginia. This was a perfect opportunity for me to catch up on my reading. I currently have two books going—Eat that Frog and Start With Why. Both books speak to my current work situation, so I bounce back and forth between the books. May need to just finish one so I can tackle the other one with more energy—we will see!

The flight to Virginia Beach was uneventful—nothing special happened but was excited to finally arrive to get the adventure started.

Hotels close to the race venture were booked or too expensive for my taste. Ended up staying in Chesapeake, Virginia which is close to a lot of shopping and entertainment. Made the most of this fact and did some light window shopping and got a pedicure. Nothing like having your feet rubbed prior to pounding the pavement for 13.1 miles. 😊 Completed my carb loading process with extra pasta at The Olive Garden and made sure to drink extra water.

The weather was projected to be hotter than normal so drinking water was necessary to stay hydrated.

EXPO

The Rock N Roll EXPOs are always a highlight of the weekend. The excitement of being so close to race day puts a smile on the face of most runners. I was happy to be back around runners again and experiencing a new city. The Virginia Beach Rock N Roll EXPO was light on merchandise and vendors—believe this is because 2021 was the 20^th Anniversary of this race and also the last year for the event.

The Virginia Beach city leaders decided they did not want to host the race anymore and wanted to leverage the Labor Day holiday weekend for other activities. There were vendors available but not as many as I am used to for the Rock N Roll series. I made sure to shop and buy a new set of leg compression sleeves since they were marked down 50%–got a pair of white CHEP compression sleeves. I am sure you will see picture of me rocking them soon. 😊

Virginia Beach Expo

Boardwalk

Made my way over to the boardwalk after the EXPO to get a taste of Virginia Beach. Got a chance to take some pictures at the King Neptune statue that sits right on the boardwalk. King Neptune is popular with running tourists so had to ensure I got the photo. The beach was crowded—this could be because it was Labor Day weekend, and the local schools start the following week. There were a ton of families on the beach enjoying the sun, surf, and weather. Decided to find a spot to get a drink and food.

Virginia Beach

Found Catch 31 right on the boardwalk and pulled up at the outdoor bar to enjoy the beach and the view. Ordered crab cake and beer so I could people watch and enjoy college football on the TVs. This was a popular place, and everyone was friendly—I would recommend visiting Catch 31 if you are in the Virginia Beach area.

https://catch31.com/

Virginia Beach Neptune

Race

Left Catch 31 with the intent to get to bed early so I could get up the next day to run the half marathon. I hit the bed to get my rest and get off my feet. I always set my race outfit out the night before since this makes life easier on race day. Decided to rep the Orlando Track Shack running club again during this race. My Track Shack race shirts always get attention from other runners and give us something to talk about before the race.

The race start was staggered to ensure we maintained a safe distance prior to crossing the start line. I was assigned Corral #4 again based on my projected finish time. Happy to report my start position has improved over the years which means I am running faster than most of the runners in each race. 😊

My goal was to run a steady pace, enjoy the process and not hurt myself by trying to do too much. Mission accomplished! The race started one block over from the beach and we made our way to the boardwalk within the first mile. It was great running next to the beach with a nice sunrise coming up over the water.

The course brought us back onto the main drag and then we headed south through neighborhoods for most of the race. My plan is always to run to each water stop and then walk through them when I get water or Gatorade. I take off running again and head towards the next water stop. This approach has allowed me to complete multiple races and set PRs in the process.

I ran with a smile on my face for the first 8 miles then my quads and hamstring started to scream at me. Again, I have been running but not putting in the correct number of miles to build the lactic acid threshold needed for a half marathon. I knew this coming into the race, but it never seems to help when your legs are burning—you just keep moving forward. I continued my game plan even with the pain, but I was not moving very fast.

Mile 10 is where I decided trying to run a PR was not happening so slowed my pace to enjoy the rest of the race. Luckily for me I decided a PR was not worth the pain—Mile 11 is where runners faced the problem of running up a steep bridge to get closer to the finish line. Most of us let out an audible ‘Holy Crap’ when we saw the bridge and the knowledge we had to get up and over to finish the race. My pace slowed down even more while making my way over the bridge. The downhill portion was great and led us back to the boardwalk to finish the race. There were race spectators along the boardwalk and they cheered us to the finish line.

Very happy and proud to finish this race considering my training program was subpar—I can improve and will put more effort into my preparation.

Realm Brewery

The reward for completing the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon was a trip to New Realm Brewery. This spot was highly recommended and did not disappoint. Realm Brewery is an open air and inside sitting establishment. The outside sitting is covered and there is plenty room to social distance while enjoying food and drink. I got the Acai and Blueberry Seltzer and New Realm Burger which was outstanding. There was live music in the afternoon and the environment was fantastic. They did not have TVs outside to watch football but that is a small thing considering how great this place is. Yes, I will visit again when I am back in the Virginia Beach area.

Unfortunately, the Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon will not be run again. Great location, course, and entertainment in the area—guess I will have to explore other Rock N Roll locations to continue this running tourist program. 😊

Savannah is next on the list!

“If found on the ground, drag to the finish line”.

(From a runner’s t-shirt)

https://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/

https://newrealmbrewing.com/vab/

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: