Winter Park Farmers Market – Walk Into the Future

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!

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)

Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k

celebration 2

“Someone who is busier than you is running right now”.

(Nike)

The quote above speaks to me on multiple levels. There is always something happening in our daily lives and skipping a training run can become a habit.

I continue to look for ways to motivate myself to stay consistent with my training. It would be easy to blame COVID-19 since the racing world and protocols have changed. Again, that would be an excuse because we do not need a start or finish line to get a run in. My goal for the rest of the year is to maintain training consistency and get out and run.

I have written previously that running is my therapy. Running gives me an opportunity to clear my head and gather my thoughts after a long work week. This sport also helps me maintain a healthy body weight while I continue to eat without counting calories.

Decided to find a start line and signed up for the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k. This race served two purposes: helped me determine my fitness level and got to shop in a great city.

I ran this race multiple times when I lived in Oviedo, so it was an easy decision to get over to Winter Park for another Track Shack race. I did not get in town early enough to visit Track Shack, so I do not have an in-store shopping experience to share this time. I am pretty sure I own every color of the Track Shack training shirts—will add more to the wardrobe in the future. 😊

Got off work early on Friday afternoon and drove over to Oviedo. I normally get into a race town early the day prior, but this was a 5k and I did not need the extra prep time. Guess that’s what real runners say when they show up not knowing how well they will run the next day. My goal was to toe the line and run with enough intensity to determine what I needed to do to complete my half marathon training.

Happy to report physical distancing at races is still a thing. People were respectful of spacing and did not crowd together at the start line. Made my way to the 8 minute per mile area with the intent to avoid the crowds behind me and minimize bumping into other runners. I recognized quite a few runners from my days living in Oviedo. I smiled when a few of them recognized me too—guess runners never forget! 😊

I started with a controlled pace to ease into the race and to determine if there were any runners I wanted to pace with. Orlando has a great running community and there were several runners available to tag along with during this race. Somehow, I did not get my music playlist set prior to the race and ended up running without music. This is not normal for me during races or training so had to create my own rhythm listening to my breathing and feet pounding the ground. Not as interesting as bobbing my head to T.I.’s Motivation. I will have my music situation corrected before heading to Virginia Beach for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon.

My miles splits: Mile 1: 8:45 / Mile 2: 9:20 / Mile 3: 9:40 / Mile .1 / .59 = 9:13 pace.

Not bad for a training run. Decided not to push too hard and enjoy stretching my legs while getting in some extra road work.

Laughed a few times during the race when several Orlando runners complained about the HILLS on the course. I have experienced the Tallahassee and Nashville hills during training and races—the Orlando hills were simply sidewalk inclines. I did not even break strides to get up those big, bad hills the Orlando folks dreaded. I had to control myself and not give folks a hard time for walking up these very small inclines—guess hills are subjective to runners.

Crossed the finish line with a smile on my face and gas left in my tank. Made it over to the vendors and got pizza as an after-race snack. Yes, runners eat horribly once the race is over.

Happy with my efforts during the Celebration of Running 5k. Will continue to work on my conditioning as I prep for my visit to Virginia Beach in September. My goal is to enjoy the course and my time on the beach. I do not have a goal time for this race but will finish and enjoy the grind.

I’m sure I will have an article to discuss my race weekend! 😊

Irie!

“Long distance running is 90% mental, and the other half is physical”.

(Rich Davis)

Winter Park, Florida (Park Avenue Adventures)

“To travel is to live”.

(Hans Christian Andersen)

Happy to report the Walk into the Future adventures continue. I am excited to get back to regular excursions again with more and more people being vaccinated. COVID-19 put a halt to most outings, but I am getting comfortable being out and about again.

Decided to explore a familiar area recently and ventured back over to Winter Park, Florida to spend a day on Park Avenue. Park Avenue has an eclectic feel and provides multiple places to shop, dine and entertain yourself without having to get in and out of your car.

My day started with a trip to my favorite run shop, Track Shack. I make a point to visit Track Shack whenever I’m in the area because the staff makes me feel at home. They also update their running gear selections, and I am always looking for new training ideas and gear. I wear Track Shack gear during my races and wanted to see if they had new color schemes to add to my wardrobe. I did not buy new gear on this trip but picked up some CBD gel caps.

I added CBD to my training program last year to help with soreness and inflammation from running. My run friends recommended CBD and I finally decided to add to my program to keep me running. CBD has allowed me to continue to train hard and not miss sessions due to soreness—it also helps me relax and sleep better. Give it a try!

Made my way over to Park Avenue after leaving Track Shack. The Winter Park Farmer’s Market is a huge Saturday attraction, and I made a stop to see what the vendors had for sell. The kettle corn vendor was the most popular vendor of the day—it is amazing to see folks buy the huge bags of kettle corn. I like kettle corn but could not make myself buy the supersized bags the vendor had.

There was a vendor at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market selling jerky—this is not a revelation but was surprised with the selection available. Most people know about beef, turkey, and alligator jerky. The surprise for me was this vendor had kangaroo jerky. I had no idea people ate kangaroo and did not expect it as a jerky selection. I am not a huge jerky fan but wondered all day why anyone would eat kangaroo jerky—may have to try it next time I am at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market.

Took the short walk over to Park Avenue to explore the shops and dining options available. Track Shack hosts multiple races in this area so I am familiar with Park Avenue—the races start and end in the heart of the entertainment district here.

Found a corner breakfast spot that I had never visited before. The Croissant Gourmet Bakery has a great menu and provides the perfect spot to dine, and people watch at the same time. This spot is right off Park Avenue but gets a lot of foot traffic. Most people came in for baked goods, but several stayed for breakfast and the coffee. The Croissant Gourmet Bakery layout reminds me of a New York style bakery—the staff was friendly and got people in and out. I had a traditional breakfast (two eggs, potatoes, bacon, toast with coffee). They had a fantastic raspberry jam I would recommend if you visit the Croissant Gourmet Bakery—well worth the trip. I plan to visit this spot again when I am back in Winter Park.

https://www.facebook.com/thecroissantgourmet/

One of my reasons to visit Park Avenue was to venture into the Wine Room again. The Wine Room provides a unique experience where you can purchase a wine card and then explore wines from around the world. Insert your wine card and then decide if you want a sip, half glass or full glass. This is a great way to try multiple wines and not commit too much money if you decide you are not a fan. I strategically visited the Croissant Gourmet Bakery first to ensure I ate something prior to exploring wine options. 😊

I am a novice wine drinker, so the Wine Room allows folks like me to try different wines without committing too much to the process. I favor the sweeter wines but experiment with others by purchasing by the sip. This process helps me determine if I like the wine and not waste time or money if I do not. I tried multiple wines that caught my interest, and most were very good.

I made my way back to the sweet Italian wine section and found one I really enjoyed. Decided to go all in and purchased a full glass to enjoy. The Wine Room is a great place to enjoy wine and get some people watching in. There were several folks there who really knew wine and it was interesting listening to them describe the wines to each other.

Will leverage their knowledge on my next visit to the Wine Room and explore additional wines—one sip at a time.

The most talked about wine during my visit was the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. It was very good, and I will try it again when I am back in the Wine Room:

https://www.abcfws.com/caymus-cabernet-sauvignon/234305

https://www.thewineroomonline.com/winter-park-wine-tasting-system

Left the Wine Room and got some window-shopping in. There were a lot of people out for the afternoon, and everyone had smiles. This was a fantastic way to spend the day and I enjoyed every minute of my time on Park Avenue. Look forward to additional adventures on Park Avenue—this may turn into a monthly getaway for me. 😊

Where have you wanted to visit? Give Park Avenue a try if you are in the Orlando area—highly recommended.

Irie!

https://orlandodatenightguide.com/2016/09/guide-perfect-afternoon-park-avenue-winter-park/

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