Space Coast Half Marathon–Weekend and Race Recap Day 3: Race Day

December 01, 2013

My oh my, 2:45AM came very quickly.  I didn’t sleep well, which isn’t THAT surprising the night before a race but mostly because I couldn’t get my body temperature correct.  Too hot.  Too cold.  Some hotels are like that for me.

The first bus was to leave at 4:15AM and I wanted to be downstairs with plenty of time.  So I kissed my husband goodbye and walked out of the room at 4:00AM.  I was happy to see that there were several buses there waiting and they were the large buses (think Greyhound) so there was plenty of room.  I sat up front and the lady that sat next to me was from Newburgh, IN.  Such a small world!  She was doing the full marathon and it would be her first ever.  We chatted the whole way there.

Although the weather forecast continued to say that there was a 30% chance of rain, it had been saying that all weekend so my hope was that it would hold off until I was done or mostly done.  I don’t know if this is an average forecast for this time of year in Florida or not.  The race officials were concerned that it was going to get warm quickly.   The half marathon was scheduled to start at 6:00AM and the full marathon was to start at 6:30AM.

First thing to do off the bus, go to the Porta Potty.  Since it was early, there was no line and they were pretty fresh.  The bad thing was that it was dark and you could NOT see in there.  After peeing, I walked around to see if I could find some Half Fanatics.  On Facebook no one could really pinpoint where we were going to do this picture.  Finally found some girls and at first it was determined that we would do it near the stage but then we found some other people and it was decided that we would have it taken by the flag poles.  This was probably a better option from a lighting standpoint.  This picture below represents many different groups; Half Fanatics, Bling Whores, etc.  A lot of people are in multiple groups.

I decided I’d better try and pee one more time so I got in line.  By this time the lines were LONG!  But while waiting my husband called and luckily he was near where I was and he was able to quickly find me.

We walked over to the start line area and we both got in my corral.  As we were standing there it was time for the National Anthem.  They had been  experiencing problems with the microphone cutting in and out and that continued while the singer was trying to do her thing.  But it made for a great opportunity as all the runners began singing together.  I think that made for an even better start.  My husband stayed with me for a little bit but then walked up to the front.  Unfortunately I was far enough back that I couldn’t see the video being played on the big screen and there was a tree blocking some of the view as well.  I’m assuming that it was of a shuttle or rocket being launched but I could tell that they were also making “smoke” appear as though it was coming from the boosters.  Pretty cool…if only I could have really seen it all.  You could tell that the countdown was an actual launch countdown.

And then we were off.  If I remember correctly it was about 5-8 minutes before I crossed the timing mat.  Luckily I saw my husband standing on the left side of the road and he was able to get this fun shot of me. 

Since this race started at 6:00AM, it was dark.  There weren’t many street lights so I just tried to focus on the people in front of me and to watch the road for any random potholes or dangers.

Funny…I know that Florida can be humid.  I’m from Indiana so I know about humidity but obviously we don’t have humidity in the winter so I mostly forgot that even though its winter in Florida, it isn't cold there so they would still have humidity!  Needless to say, I was sweating!   This course is basically and out and back down Rockledge Drive and the Indian River is on your left on the way out.  There were some beautiful homes on the right and also some that just seemed out of place.

I’m always very impressed with people that can run with “stuff” on that they normally wouldn’t be wearing and especially if it is a tribute to someone else.This was one of the aid stations (mile 2, I think) – Star Wars themed.  You can barely tell but this is Darth Vader & R2D2.Clever idea by these girls to take 2L bottles and turn them into rockets on their backs. 

I was keeping a steady pace although I had no “time” goal in mind for this half.  I just wanted to run it and have fun.  I was hoping that it would be a good and fun visual race.  Many people were dressed in costumes; Star Wars people, Star Trek people and lady dressed as Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie…which I had forgotten even had a “space theme” to it! 

Running back was a little more pleasant because we now had a breeze.  However, this also meant that we were running into the wind. Near the 8 mile marker I saw the Endurance Sports Connection’s Three Little Pigs Challenge stop.  As I ran by going south, I yelled to the pig that I would be back.  I was thankful that they didn’t make us stay there and actually eat the bacon (or gummy bacon, in my case).  The guy just checked off my name, cut open the package, gave me a small bottle of water and I was on my way.  I tucked the bacon in my race belt and kept going.

Having just passed the 8 mile maker, I was surprised how many people I was still seeing going south.  This is obviously a very walker friendly course.  And it wasn’t until the 10(?) mile marker that I saw the first marathon runner coming toward me.  And he was flying!  There was no one near him for a good 5 minutes or so.  The marathon runners are routed north initially. 

The sun never really came out and it was mostly overcast but since it was lighter I could see the sights better.  My running and taking pictures with my phone skills have seemed to decline.  Probably because I rarely STOP to take a photo now.  Maybe if & when I upgrade my phone, pictures will be better.  These course photos are better than the ones above because I actually “paused” to take them since I was on my way back to town.

Looking back now at the Finish area, I really don’t remember running around the circle in Riverfront Park.  It was nice that we were given beach towels at the finish instead of those crazy Mylar blankets that you can never keep on.  And surprisingly, I used the towel because as I started to cool down I became chilly. 

I saw my husband right before the finish line and afterward as well.  He got some not so flattering shots of me coming in to the finish line but took some other/better photos as well. 

We grabbed some pizza but I only ate about half of a slice and then I saw a chocolate covered donut.  While it wasn’t the best donut I’ve ever had, it was tasty at the time.  I really wanted some water but I couldn’t find any anywhere.  There was soda and Vitamin Water but no plain ol’ water.  You could also get a pancake breakfast but I just wasn’t in the mood for that.

We hung around for a little bit, looked for the 50 States tent but there wasn’t anything going on there and I got to see a friend from Half Fanatics.  But we didn’t stay long.  Since my husband drove, it was nice to just get in the car and drive back to the hotel.

After showering, I tried a bite of the “bacon” and I was even MORE thankful that they didn’t make me stay there and eat it.  It was gross and tasted like the plastic it was in.  Plus there were four pieces and they were pretty thick. 

I don’t know if I’ll do this TLP challenge again…depends on what the medal will look like! 

Since I didn’t plan on pushing myself, I feel like I finished with a respectable time and of course THIS is why I participated!

Florida became state #16 in my quest to run a Half Marathon in every state.

After a short rest, we headed back toward Orlando to visit with my husband's niece and to meet her son for the very first time.

Later in the evening I was craving a salad bar so I did a quick local search and found a place called Cocoa Beach Lobster Shanty.  Guess what it didn’t have?  A salad bar!  I guess the review from March 2013 should be updated.  The food was okay but you know how it is when you are craving something and that’s not what you get?!?!  Back to the hotel and early to bed.  Needless to say, it had been a long day.  Thankfully we don’t have an early flight Monday morning.

Space Coast Half Marathon–Weekend and Race Recap Day 2: Expo

November 30, 2013

The plan was to get to the Expo early and get it out of the way and then maybe look around Kennedy Space Center.  Although we didn’t set the alarm, we were up & going by 8:00AM.  First stop…breakfast!  There was an IHOP just down the road so that’s where we landed.  There were several other runners in there (you could tell because they were wearing shirts from events that they have done) and a Marathon Maniac was in the booth behind us.  While eating, some folks wearing Colts gear came in and one of them was going to do the marathon tomorrow.  And our server – sadly I don’t remember her name now – was awesome.  You could tell she really likes her job.

After breakfast we were on the road headed to the Kennedy Space Center.  It was approximately 30 minutes away and although we missed the first exit that we should have taken, the second one would got us there just the same.  Florida may be labeled as the Sunshine State but it certainly wasn’t giving us that weather this weekend.  It rained off and on the entire time but that also gave us the opportunity to see a rainbow now & then.

I downloaded the parking pass that the event provided for us so we didn’t have to pay for parking.  It was fun that the Space Center was decorated for Christmas. 

But I think that also distracted us because we weren’t really sure where we were supposed to go once we got to the ticket gate.  You could tell that everyone was being scanned and using a ticket but we didn’t have anything like that.  After asking a security person, we discovered that we (mostly) walked right by the Space Coast Marathon table that would give us our entry pass.  To our defense, it wasn't signed and was next to some other quick pass ticket area for the park. 

Anyway, we got our ticket and went inside.  You had to be told your bib number by a volunteer outside before you could go in to get your stuff.  That was all fine and everything but once you were inside, the marathon people needed to go to the left and the half marathon people should go to the right…again, no instructions were given to do that so my husband went “my way” and had to be redirected to the other side.  Although he wasn’t going to be able to run, he was still going to pick up his bib & shirt.  I was surprised at how small this bib/packet pickup area was.  After getting our bags we went in to the merchandise area.  I was also looking for the 50 States table so that I could get my club specific shirt from them.  While walking aournd I didn’t really see anything that I wanted to buy.  I contemplated a pink Space Coast hat but passed.  We went back into the lobby area and saw this display of all the medals in the series.  SWOOOOOOOON!

Finally found the 50 States table and  - as is usually the case - there was someone there not realizing that OTHER PEOPLE need to get their stuff as well and just kept going on and on with questions about the shirt and some other shirt she bought and could her son join, etc.  SHEESH!  Eventually got my shirt and decided to make one more pass in the merch area and go back and get the hat.  But there weren’t any left.  Like my husband said, if you think you want it, you should grab it right then and there. 

Before exiting we walked through the small Space Center area and checked out the display.  We decided that we didn’t want to buy tickets to tour the entire Center and this was really good enough. 

As we walked outside, there was some lady barking out that if you were done at Expo and didn’t have KSC tickets you needed to leave the park.  But we are rebels and continued on to check out the rockets and things they had on display.  My thought is what’s the harm of letting people walk around?  By seeing some of this stuff that might interest them in to purchasing tickets for the rest of the park. 

We got lucky in that it never rained while we were there and we were able to get some good pictures.

       

Back the hotel to drop our stuff off and took a quick trip down to the beach.  They were getting ready for a wedding but I think I overheard someone say that it had been delayed because of the rain.  It was RED flag conditions but surprisingly, there were people out in the water.  After walking south for a bit we went back to our room to get ready for dinner.

                                       

Before dinner I also need to stop at the Radisson to get my Three Little Pigs (TLP) challenge bag.  The TLP challenge was something that I saw on Facebook.  I knew that they did this during the Disney races but I was surprised to see it for this one too.  Of course I jumped on board, especially when I found out that there was a vegetarian option – strawberry flavored gummy bacon.  It was an additional $30 to do this.

We got the address to the closest Applebee’s and headed there after the stop at the Radisson.  There wasn’t much in this bag but it is cute!

If you have read any of my other posts you know that if we are out of town for a race, I like to go to Applebee’s for the celebratory carb load meal the night before the race.  I always get the 3 Cheese Penne Pasta.  It works for me and now it has become a family joke and an homage to Major League.   #RespectTheStreak

After dinner we drove into Cocoa to see if we could tell where the starting line would be and what the parking situation might look like.  It was less than a 10 minute drive from where we had dinner.  And then it was back to the hotel.  We watched a little football but I was going to need to be in bed between 8:00PM and 8:30PM.  There were two shuttle times in the morning; 4:15AM and 5:00AM but the Half Fanatics had scheduled to do a group photo at 5:15AM so I needed to be on that first bus.  I set my alarm for 2:45AM.  Who am I?  Obviously my husband didn’t need to get up that early so he went down to the hotel bar to watch some more football.

I got everything laid out for in the morning and then it was lights out by 8:30PM as scheduled.  You could tell that we were at a host hotel and that more than likely everyone was there for the race because at one point before he went downstairs my husband got excited about a football game and started yelling.  Although it was somewhere in the 7:00PM hour, we were the recipients of banging on the wall from folks wanting him to pipe down.  And I didn’t hear a peep once I went to sleep…aside from my husband coming back in around 10:00PM.

Space Coast Half Marathon – Weekend & Race Recap Day 1: Traveling to Florida

November 29, 2013

I first learned about this race (and the series) when in some other race goodie bag, there was a postcard for it.  This would be the start of a 5 year series and if you did 3 of the 5 years, you got a bonus medal.  If you complete all 5 years, you get 2 bonus medal.             ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  WHERE DO I SIGN UP?!?!?!?! 

But how was I really going to get this done?  Indiana to Florida isn’t just a day trip.  So I waited but kept an eye on it.  The website had a countdown clock and an “at capacity” meter too.  It was all the buzz on Facebook and I started to get nervous when it was at 70% so I pulled the trigger and registered.  I emailed my husband and asked him what he wanted to do.  The reply was that he wasn’t willing to commit to the whole series.  Umm, okay.  The next day, the half marathon was sold out.  So, he now had to sign up for the full.  Live & learn.  Oh and all of this took place in July for a race in December.  I was able to get a $5 discount through my Half Fanatics membership so the entry fee then became $70 but once all the fees/taxes were added in, the total was $75.25.

There were several race “host” hotels.  The main hotel was already sold out but I was able to get in to the next one listed which was the Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront.  Original room rate was $179.00 but the race price was $119.00. 

Side note: My husband bought a book to help him with a condensed marathon training program but began experiencing some calf pain.  The doctor diagnosed it as Exertional Compartment Syndrome.  He had already backed out of the half marathon in Alabama and now wasn’t going to be able to run this event either.

After knowing that we were in the race and we had a hotel lined up, I really didn’t think much more about this one.  I had plenty of other races ahead of me to tackle and wanted to move up a level in Half Fanatics.  Plus, the original plan was that we would drive down on Friday, stopping at some point but getting to Florida on Saturday and then we would start the drive back on Sunday after the race again stopping about halfway or so and getting back to Indiana on Monday.  However, out of the blue one evening my husband surprised me by saying that we would cash in some credit card points and fly down there.  SCORE!!!  I called the hotel to see if I could get a room on Friday as well.  They had a room available but couldn’t get the discounted rate.  Oh well.

So fast forward to Friday, November 29th; our flight left Indy around 8:30am.  This was the day after Thanksgiving and thankfully the airport was not very busy.  We had a brief stop in Atlanta and arrived in Florida around 12:30pm.  That was one of the easiest smoothest flights I’ve ever experienced…and then we had to go to the car rental area.  All of the people before us seemed to have issues.  Once we finally made it to the counter, we were in and out.  We wanted to turn around and say, “See how easy that was people?!?!”  It was a little over an hour drive from the Orlando airport to the hotel.  As we got to the registration desk, I asked the lady if there had been any cancellations so that we could get the group rate for Friday as well.  She worked her magic and told us that it was taken care of.  NICE! Basically we went up to the room, unpacked some of our stuff and took a quick nap.  The room had a refrigerator so we went to the store and got our supplies for the weekend; Gatorade, waters, chocolate milk, tea for my husband and snacks.  Then we just hung around in the hotel room until it was time for the “meet & greet” that was taking place in our hotel.

It was called the “Marathon Mingle” & was a free pre-race party with light hor d’oeuvres and live music with some drink specials.  They had a race themed light apple martini and so I got one.  Yep, still not a fan of martinis.  The food was pretty good and my husband enjoyed the musician.  I thought he was “fair” mostly because it wasn’t the kind of music I wanted to hear at that time.  But it was good that it wasn’t too loud so that you could still have conversations with people. 

There weren't many people down there at first but I was pretty sure that I recognized Jeff Galloway sitting at one of the tables.  Eventually I went over, introduced myself and had my picture taken with him.  He was so nice and throughout the evening he talked to everyone that approached him and took pictures with each person as well.  At anther table I thought I recognized some people from the Half Fanatics Facebook page but upon going over there and introducing myself, that wasn’t who they were.  They were still really nice and I stayed there and chatted with them a bit.   At one point a lady come over and join me & my husband at our table.  She was from California and had done the race before.  We didn’t stay too long; It had already been a lengthy day.  There was also a meet up for the 50 States Running Club (and I kept getting the two of them confused about what was going to take place) but it was at the Radisson which was 4 miles away. 

But before going up to our room we ventured out to the beach so my husband could put his foot in the ocean.  Yep, we are tourists through and through!