“What happens on the airboat, stays on the airboat.”
(Unknown)
My Walk into the Future allows me the freedom to find adventures wherever I happen to be.
I added the Advent Health Watermelon 5k to my running calendar this year. The race brought me back to Winter Park, Florida for a long 4th of July weekend getaway. I enjoyed the race and seeing some of my Track Shack folks in the race village. I needed to get some additional miles in to ensure I stayed on schedule for my Atlantic City Marathon preparation.
I’m always looking for new adventures, so I decided to head over to The Black Hammock for an airboat ride. I visited The Black Hammock on a regular basis when I lived in Oviedo back in the day. It was always a laid-back place to hang out, people watch and listen to some good live music. The Black Hammock is an off-the-beaten path type of place, but it is worth a visit if you are in the Oviedo area.
My sole purpose for this visit was to get out on the water via an airboat. The airboats run every 30 minutes and are a popular destination for locals and visitors. Lake Jesup has one of the highest concentrations of alligators in the state of Florida. There are an estimated 14,000+ alligators in the lake.
There were three families waiting to get on the airboat when I arrived. The adventures on the water started once I paid my fee and got outfitted with ear protection. Fun fact, airboats are loud, and ear protection is needed to ensure an enjoyable experience.
Our captain has over 20 years of experience on Lake Jesup and had a route already created to highlight the wildlife on the lake.
We were able to see turtles, waterfowl, nesting ospreys and alligators. The gators were not moving a lot since it was the middle of the day, and a storm was approaching. The speed and maneuverability of the airboats was impressive, and we were able to get the complete tour in before the rain arrived. The skies opened as we were getting off the airboat. I normally stick around and take pictures from the shore but decided to head out since it didn’t look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon.
I’m sure I will visit The Black Hammock again when I’m back in the Oviedo area. I recommend it to anyone visiting and looking for an adventure:
Fun fact, summers in Florida are hot! Ok, that’s not much of a revelation since we all know the summer months are the hottest everywhere. 😊
I continue to train and chronicle my running adventures with the Walk into the Future blog. I’m not sure when I will stop writing about my progress but 2025 is not the year. I bring up the summer heat in Florida because I have stayed away from Florida races in May, June and July. I still train and get my miles in to prepare for fall races but signing up for summer races just didn’t catch my attention. Well, 2025 is the year where I accepted new challenges and summer races were added to my schedule this year.
I added the Fargo Half Marathon to my race calendar at the end of May. I know this is not in Florida but the temperatures on race weekend were about 10 degrees warmer than normal. There was no humidity, so I was able to handle the temperatures and run a good tactical race. I finished the Fargo Half Marathon in a time of 2:11 which is my fastest half marathon so far in 2025. I view this time as a great predictor of faster times to come when we get to fall races.
I’ve added the Madison Mini Marathon (Wisconsin) to my August race calendar. This will provide me with a new running tourist adventure and allow me to visit a new city and state. There will be more on the Madison Mini Marathon in a later article but let’s get back to Florida races in August. 😊
I am proud of my running schedule, but I have never run a race on the 4th of July. I’m normally traveling or sightseeing on the 4th but decided to take on a new challenge and signed up for the Track Shack Advent Health Watermelon 5k in Winter Park. This was the 30th year for this event but it never made it on my running calendar. Again, July races in Florida were never attractive to me so I never paid attention to this race. I guess I thought I wouldn’t be able to perform well with the heat, but I have improved my training program to combat heat and humidity.
I love Track Shack races, so I decided to give this race a run (pun attended). I took a day of vacation time to make sure I could pick up my race bib the day before (Thursday) the race. I got to Track Shack around 2:30 pm and avoided the crowd in the store for bib pick up. I was able to get some shopping done while in Track Shack and picked up a new race top. I may reveal the new top when I head up to Madison in August.
I made my way back over to East Orlando close to the University of Central Florida campus. My destination was Buffalo Wild Wings so I could get wings, potato wedges and beer. This is my go-to meal the night before a 5k. The hotel is across University Boulevard from Buffalo Wild Wings, so I headed over to check-in and get off my feet. I didn’t need to get to bed super early but wanted to ensure I got 8 hours of rest prior to the 5k—mission accomplished.
There was rain in the forecast for race day but I’m happy the rain held off so we could enjoy the race and race village. The humidity was thick, and I started sweating as soon as I got out of my vehicle. I wanted to get in a good warmup to ensure I stretch out my legs and get acclimated to the humidity and the Park Avenue bricks. Park Avenue is a great place to visit in Winter Park, but the bricks can be tough if you have never run on them before.
I made my way to the start line without a set race time in mind but wanted to go as fast as possible. I’m in Week #3 of Atlantic City Marathon training and my training plan called for a 6-mile-long run. The plan was to leverage the warm-up, 5k and treadmill session to get the required miles in to stay on track with marathon training.
The event had corrals setup based on projected times (6-minute mile, 7-minute mile, etc.) so I lined up with the 8-minute crew. There were over 2,500 runners so the start was congested but the runners were mindful of each other and there were no issues getting out on the course.
I was able to get out on the course and find open space, so I didn’t have to weave around other runners. There were a few runners close by who were running at a good pace so I tucked in behind them to draft and see how long I could keep up with them. My mile splits were:
Mile 1: 8:47 (fastest mile split in 2025)
Mile 2: 8:53
Mile 3: 9:17
Mile .13: 1:01
5k: 27:58
I was able to cross the finish line with a little kick and a smile on my face. I felt the humidity a bit more in Mile 3 but I’m happy my pace didn’t completely fall apart at the end of the race. This provides me with foundational information to improve my training and conditioning as I move closer to the longer distances to prepare for Atlantic City.
I got some watermelon and sat for a bit to enjoy the race village and say hello to Track Shack folks that I know. I made my way back to my hotel so I could get additional miles in on the treadmill to complete my required 6 miles for the day.
This was an outstanding Central Florida run adventure and I’m looking forward to my return to Winter Park for the 2025 Celebration of Running 5k on 8/16/2025.
“You don’t stay undefeated without being a little stubborn”.
(Andre Ward)
32 – 0! Yes, I’m going to claim an undefeated marathon training record at this point of the cycle.
You may be wondering what the heck I’m talking about—happy to explain! 😊
I just completed Week #8 of my 2024 Chicago Marathon training cycle: https://www.instagram.com/chimarathon/?hl=en. The training schedule has me running multiple distances Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. 8 weeks times 4 days per week = 32 training sessions so far. 32 – 0.
I am showcasing the 32 – 0 record because I have not missed a training session, projected mileage or hit the snooze button once so far in this training cycle. I’ve trained for 2 other marathons over the past few seasons but have never displayed this level of consistency and commitment to the process. I want to see a ton of improvement in how I perform on race day in Chicago and dedicating the proper energy into my training program is my way to build towards the big day.
Will I remain undefeated? No idea but I plan to continue to put the effort into this training cycle to build physical and mental strength to guide me in Chicago. Training is going well as I hit my mileage markers daily but need to incorporate more speed work into the program. My future Wednesday morning runs are designed to run at 2024 Chicago Marathon pace so this will force me to begin to work on my stride to generate speed. Excited to start targeting marathon goal paces to mentally prepare for the full grind of 26.2 miles. I know I can complete the distance, but this year is all about going a bit faster than before. I’m projecting to have a finish time with a ‘4’ in front of it (4:35, 4:41, 4:59)—I will share my goal time the week of the Chicago Marathon. Yes, I have a projected goal time I’m targeting. Melissa—can you guess the time? 😊
Here’s my weekly progress so far:
Week 5
41.67
Week 6
33.61
Week 7
34.11
Week 8
50.26
Total
159.65
The weekly mileage has gone up from the previous updates. This will continue through Week #15 before the mileage starts to taper down. The full marathon taper process will start in Week #17 and continue until marathon race day. My previous marathon training cycle had me competing in the OUC Half Marathon the week prior. Not sure if this helped or hurt my race day performance but I will not repeat this process again for the Chicago Marathon.
Can I stay undefeated and make it to 72 – 0? Great question!
Thanks for joining me on this training cycle!
Irie!
“I don’t think being undefeated is going to determine my greatness”.
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 10th 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”.
“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 4th 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”.
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.
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.
“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 9th 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:
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”.
“There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have”.
(Unknown)
My Walk into the Future continues to move forward towards the Palm Beaches Garden of Life Marathon in December.
The 18-week training plan I’m using allows me some flexibility, but the one constant is a progressive long run on the weekends. I am leveraging local races to energize my long runs and tackled the Game On Half Marathon in Fort Pierce in October. This seemed like a nice local race, and I signed up for this half prior to committing to run a marathon. Luckily, this race and distance fit right into what I needed to keep moving towards the marathon start line.
The Game On Half Marathon is fairly new on the circuit—last year’s race was the first running. I did not know about this race prior to this year but may keep it on my regular rotation since there are not travel costs associated with a race in the town I live.
This was a smaller race with the projected number of runners less than 300. I normally avoid smaller races since they do not have the crowd support like the Rock N Roll running series. It may seem simple but having a crowd of stranger cheering for you helps when the miles start to get tough. Also, the larger races have a ton of volunteers to man the water/Gatorade stations. I was pleasantly surprised this race had fuel stops at 1.5-mile intervals and this really helps with the process of completing a half marathon.
Again, smaller race so there was not an EXPO experience. Race bib pickup was scheduled the day before the race at Causeway Cove Marina. The process was simple, give them your name and they hand you a bib, t-shirt and four safety pins to attach the bib. That’s it—no vendors to visit or anything to buy. I got a quick picture in front of the Game On promotional truck with my bib and went about the rest of my day.
I started my carb loading process earlier in the week and went to get some more pasta to continue to ingest carbs. Also wanted to get off my feet to ensure I was ready to toe the line in the morning—I find it harder to just kick back when I’m competing in a hometown race. Feels like I should do normal, daily activities but this can lead to tired legs on race day.
Made a point to get to bed early so I could get up and make it to the start line with plenty of time to warmup. This race started at 6:15 am to get and stay ahead of the South Florida heat—yes, it’s still hot and humid down here in October.
Got to Causeway Cove Marina in plenty time to park, stretch and warmup prior to the race start. Made my way through the darkness towards the start line and got in the corral with the other half marathon runners. The race organizers did not have runners line up based on projected pace time—no big deal for this race since it was only about 150 runners for the half marathon. There was also a 10k being run with those runners starting 10 minutes after the half marathoners got started.
I did not have a projected pace or finish time in mind since this was part of my long run. I just wanted/needed to get miles in and the pace for this day was not as important as it normally is when I run a half marathon. My goal was to start, finish and enjoy the race as much as possible.
This was an out and back race so wanted to enjoy the course and have fun. We started in complete darkness so decided to leverage other runners as pacers and to ensure we did not go off course. The half marathon organizers mapped out the course to be completed on Seaway and Ocean Drives on Hutchinson Island, which is completely flat, no bridges to cross which was a welcomed addition.
I started with a comfortable pace and did not push myself hard in the beginning. Paced with a couple runners for the first three miles and then decided to pick up the pace a bit. We turned onto Ocean Drive and headed south towards Jensen Beach. Interesting thing happened at the 4-mile marker. Another runner pulled up next to me and began a full conversation on life, hobbies, and the type of work we both do. I have talked with other runners during races, but it is normally just small talk before we get down to the real racing. Found out this was her 5th half marathon and she had friends running but she wanted to go faster so decided to tag along with me.
We had a nice conversation going for the next 4 miles before she decided to pull back since my pace was pretty good at this point. The great thing about running and talking with her is it created a nice distraction from the race. I focused more on the conversation than my pace so can’t tell you how fast I was running at this point, I was just putting one foot in front of the other.
Leveraged Miles 8 – 13.1 to test my endurance levels to determine adjustments I need to make to my training and nutrition program. I felt good physically but need to ensure my carb loading process is improved. I also need to map out my fueling process (time, distance) to keep moving forward with pace during races. My lactic acid threshold is getting better but need to work on my glycogen levels consistently.
Finished in 2:23:41 (10:58 per minute pace) which is not fast for me, but I still took third place in my age group. I’ll take it considering this was part of my weekend training run. Got an additional 5 miles in after the half marathon for a total of 18 for the day.
Still have work to do as I prep for December but happy with my progress so far.
What challenges are you facing right now?
Irie!
“A marathon is like life with its ups and downs, but once you have done it, you feel that you can do anything”.
“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”.
Walk Into the Future 