chimera
<font color=deeppink>WISH Racing Team Member<br><f
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Inaugural Sarasota Half Marathon Race Report2006 Grouper Run
Saturday, March 4, 2006. Read the 3 articles in the paper about the race. This is Sarasotas first attempt at a marathon, so theyre hoping it goes off well. One article was about a man from Kenya who was planning to run the full. His PR for a full was 2:20...he says that puts him about in the middle of the pack in his country. In fact, the race he got the PR, he came in 15th!
Off to the Y in the afternoon to pick up my packet. The race was sponsored by one of our local orange growers so all of our stuff was delivered in a big bushel citrus bag. Lots and lots of stuff in the bag...threw away at least half. Someones apparently worried about our udders...got at least 10 sample packs of Udderly Smooth udder cream. Also some Biofreeze samples...still dont quite know how or when to use it.
Out to dinner at one of our favorite beachside restaurants, Banana Cabana
. Got paella in an effort to get some extra carbs with the rice. It was very good...I brought at least half of it home for later. Started packing for the race. First thing, put my chip on my shoe! No more repeats of the nightmare at WDW. Packed my waist pack with Clif Bloks, camera, cell phone, $20 (in case I need a cab back to the finish), my business card with ICE info on the back, and Chapstick. Got out my race clothes. The start was forecast to be 53F, so that meant pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Also grabbed a jacket and another long-sleeved shirt just in case. (I know, I know... ).
Went to bed at 10pm. Race start is at 6am and they want us in the start area by 5:30. I only live about 10 min from the race start, so set the alarm for 4:40am.
Sunday, March 05, 2006. Up before the alarm, but I did manage to sleep the night, unlike WDW where I only slept about 2 hours. Got dressed, drank my Slim Fast and ate my Snickers Marathon bar. Went to the bathroom 3 times. Took my multivitamin, Prilosec and Imodium. Grabbed the Garmin, changed the battery in my MP3 player and slid it on the Garmin wrist band. DH got up to drive me to the start so I wouldnt have to drive back tired.
Got all my stuff together and went outside. Not sure what the temperature was, but I went back in and grabbed the extra shirt I had pulled out. We drove to the Ringling Museum of Art, where the race was starting. More traffic then Ive ever seen at the museum! Got to the start area with plenty of time and took my place in line at the porta potties. I was worried about the facilities after WDW, but there was not one, but two rolls of toilet paper in the potty!
Back to the start area as they were calling for runners to line up. Tried to take some pictures of the banyan trees on the grounds, but our new camera apparently is not good in low light. Made sure I lined up in the back...but not all the way. Sometimes its nice to have a few folks starting behind you! National anthem, then the obligatory boat horn and we were off at 6am. I waited to start the Garmin as I crossed the start line...not sure how long it took to get from where I was to start, but estimating less than 5 minutes.
The first mile went by fast...it was dark and I had no idea where I was. My split didnt seem that great though...14:12. The first 3 miles or so were through residential areas...some folks were actually up and sitting in their driveways to cheer us on...in their jammies! Some of what we ran past were multi-million dollar homes on Sarasota Bay. Sorry, Christa and Bree, too dark for photos.
By mile 3, my splits had improved and were generally just under 14:00. Mile 4 brought us out to US 41, the least nice part of the course. Still along the bay, but also on a busy 4 lane road, running with the cars next to us in the left lane. Somewhere in mile 4, the lead runner passed me on his way back...at about 52 min! Not too much later the Kenyan passed me on his way back from the full...about 1:06 when he passed. There were some fans scattered along the route here, including one lady wearing her 2006 Donald. I told her I had a necklace just like hers!
Around mile 4.5ish, you come along to Bayfront Park and then you know its coming...the Ringling Bridge.
We circled under the bridge first where I took this photo of Sarasota Bay:
Now, time for up and over. Yikes, but not as bad as I expected. Of course, the wind was at our backs. A lady who looked to be about my age caught up and told me I had been her pace person so far. She was coming back from having her 2 kids (ages 1 and 2) and hadnt raced in awhile. Seems like when you do intervals, theres always a group of people that you trade places with for the entire race. We all started chatting as we went along the way.
Turn around was cool at the Sarasota Yacht Club. The miles seemed to be flying by, so in honor of Helen, I flew around the curve, arms out and everything. But oh no, theres that darn bridge again. I had been trying to take pictures as I went along, but noticed that there seem to be a problem with the camera. Id take the picture, but it didnt seem to be recording it. Oh well, new camera, Ill figure it out later. First mile marker after the turn around was mile 13...wow, those last 6 really went by fast!
So up the bridge again...oh, theres that darn wind, in our faces this time. Not good. The wind was whipping pretty good, particularly at the top of the bridge. I skipped my running interval going up and tried to make it up going down. I made it, but that was not my best split time.
Back to the stretch along US 41. Starting to get a bit tired by mile 9, but I was able to keep up the W3/R2 I started with. At WDW, I had to drop back to W3/R1 at about 8.5 because I was just dragging. Actually made it to 11.5, before dropping back the intervals to W4/R1. I have to admit, I was feeling it shortly after mile 10. I dont think I trained as well for this one...life got in the way and I missed quite a few weeknight runs, though I didnt miss any of the LR. I also didnt do a 12 before this half like I did before WDW...my longest this time was 10. My legs were really sore, calves and R hip.
When we did get to mile 12, I caught a second wind. Only one mile to go! Still kept the intervals at W4/R1, but they didnt feel as bad. The lady I was running with found her family along the course. Her husband couldnt get into the museum lot to park, so I started looking for my family in case theyd had the same trouble. Turned back into museum property and hadnt found them yet, so I assumed theyd made it in. Started looking for the finish...knew it had to be there somewhere...Id seen it that morning. Id swear they moved it It took a LOT longer to find it than I remembered. Saw my family a few yards in front of the sign with the video camera They called out our names as we ran through the finish. Im pretty sure the clock was right at 3:05:00 when I crossed. They herded us into the chip removal line. As I stopped and put my foot out, I felt a bit dizzy, but did okay. Then hey, I forgot to shut off the Garmin! Not sure how much extra time was added, but the Garmin time is 3:03:07...maybe my official time will be closer to 3:00 than Id thought. Got my medal and my medal photo and some water, then found the family. DD13 took this photo of our house for Christa:
(Actually, Ca dZan, the former home of John and Mable Ringling)
She came back and told me the camera had been on movie mode. I must have accidentally set it when I was fumbling it in and out of my waist pack. So half the race is in movie format...as soon as I figure out if I can convert them to still photos, Ill share.
Overall, a good race. Came home, showered and crashed afterward, which may have been a mistake. I woke up with really tight calves and a really big headache. My legs are still pretty sore and my favorite bad ankle is starting to go. I couldnt walk on it without a brace the morning after after WDW. I did Clif Bloks at miles 3, 6, 9...much easier than fighting with the honey packets. I definitely like them. And no potty breaks (thanks to Lisa SP for mentioning the Imodium at Trails End)! Overall, I feel better than after WDW, but my calves hurt more. No visions of the full dancing in my head at this point...those last 3 miles were pretty tough. Maybe consider it if the Minnie goes well!
Oh...something a little weird after the race. I took off my shoes and both my big toes had come right through my socks! That's never happened before!
Thanks for all your support! WISH yall couldve been there, but I definitely thought about you along the course!
Splits:
1 14:12 8 14:37
2 13:50 9 13:18
3 13:42 10 13:40
4 13:49 11 14:20
5 13:17 12 14:46
6 12:45 13 14:19
7 13:31
Saturday, March 4, 2006. Read the 3 articles in the paper about the race. This is Sarasotas first attempt at a marathon, so theyre hoping it goes off well. One article was about a man from Kenya who was planning to run the full. His PR for a full was 2:20...he says that puts him about in the middle of the pack in his country. In fact, the race he got the PR, he came in 15th!
Off to the Y in the afternoon to pick up my packet. The race was sponsored by one of our local orange growers so all of our stuff was delivered in a big bushel citrus bag. Lots and lots of stuff in the bag...threw away at least half. Someones apparently worried about our udders...got at least 10 sample packs of Udderly Smooth udder cream. Also some Biofreeze samples...still dont quite know how or when to use it.
Out to dinner at one of our favorite beachside restaurants, Banana Cabana
. Got paella in an effort to get some extra carbs with the rice. It was very good...I brought at least half of it home for later. Started packing for the race. First thing, put my chip on my shoe! No more repeats of the nightmare at WDW. Packed my waist pack with Clif Bloks, camera, cell phone, $20 (in case I need a cab back to the finish), my business card with ICE info on the back, and Chapstick. Got out my race clothes. The start was forecast to be 53F, so that meant pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Also grabbed a jacket and another long-sleeved shirt just in case. (I know, I know... ).Went to bed at 10pm. Race start is at 6am and they want us in the start area by 5:30. I only live about 10 min from the race start, so set the alarm for 4:40am.
Sunday, March 05, 2006. Up before the alarm, but I did manage to sleep the night, unlike WDW where I only slept about 2 hours. Got dressed, drank my Slim Fast and ate my Snickers Marathon bar. Went to the bathroom 3 times. Took my multivitamin, Prilosec and Imodium. Grabbed the Garmin, changed the battery in my MP3 player and slid it on the Garmin wrist band. DH got up to drive me to the start so I wouldnt have to drive back tired.
Got all my stuff together and went outside. Not sure what the temperature was, but I went back in and grabbed the extra shirt I had pulled out. We drove to the Ringling Museum of Art, where the race was starting. More traffic then Ive ever seen at the museum! Got to the start area with plenty of time and took my place in line at the porta potties. I was worried about the facilities after WDW, but there was not one, but two rolls of toilet paper in the potty!
Back to the start area as they were calling for runners to line up. Tried to take some pictures of the banyan trees on the grounds, but our new camera apparently is not good in low light. Made sure I lined up in the back...but not all the way. Sometimes its nice to have a few folks starting behind you! National anthem, then the obligatory boat horn and we were off at 6am. I waited to start the Garmin as I crossed the start line...not sure how long it took to get from where I was to start, but estimating less than 5 minutes.
The first mile went by fast...it was dark and I had no idea where I was. My split didnt seem that great though...14:12. The first 3 miles or so were through residential areas...some folks were actually up and sitting in their driveways to cheer us on...in their jammies! Some of what we ran past were multi-million dollar homes on Sarasota Bay. Sorry, Christa and Bree, too dark for photos.
By mile 3, my splits had improved and were generally just under 14:00. Mile 4 brought us out to US 41, the least nice part of the course. Still along the bay, but also on a busy 4 lane road, running with the cars next to us in the left lane. Somewhere in mile 4, the lead runner passed me on his way back...at about 52 min! Not too much later the Kenyan passed me on his way back from the full...about 1:06 when he passed. There were some fans scattered along the route here, including one lady wearing her 2006 Donald. I told her I had a necklace just like hers!
Around mile 4.5ish, you come along to Bayfront Park and then you know its coming...the Ringling Bridge.
We circled under the bridge first where I took this photo of Sarasota Bay:
Now, time for up and over. Yikes, but not as bad as I expected. Of course, the wind was at our backs. A lady who looked to be about my age caught up and told me I had been her pace person so far. She was coming back from having her 2 kids (ages 1 and 2) and hadnt raced in awhile. Seems like when you do intervals, theres always a group of people that you trade places with for the entire race. We all started chatting as we went along the way.
Turn around was cool at the Sarasota Yacht Club. The miles seemed to be flying by, so in honor of Helen, I flew around the curve, arms out and everything. But oh no, theres that darn bridge again. I had been trying to take pictures as I went along, but noticed that there seem to be a problem with the camera. Id take the picture, but it didnt seem to be recording it. Oh well, new camera, Ill figure it out later. First mile marker after the turn around was mile 13...wow, those last 6 really went by fast!
So up the bridge again...oh, theres that darn wind, in our faces this time. Not good. The wind was whipping pretty good, particularly at the top of the bridge. I skipped my running interval going up and tried to make it up going down. I made it, but that was not my best split time.
Back to the stretch along US 41. Starting to get a bit tired by mile 9, but I was able to keep up the W3/R2 I started with. At WDW, I had to drop back to W3/R1 at about 8.5 because I was just dragging. Actually made it to 11.5, before dropping back the intervals to W4/R1. I have to admit, I was feeling it shortly after mile 10. I dont think I trained as well for this one...life got in the way and I missed quite a few weeknight runs, though I didnt miss any of the LR. I also didnt do a 12 before this half like I did before WDW...my longest this time was 10. My legs were really sore, calves and R hip.
When we did get to mile 12, I caught a second wind. Only one mile to go! Still kept the intervals at W4/R1, but they didnt feel as bad. The lady I was running with found her family along the course. Her husband couldnt get into the museum lot to park, so I started looking for my family in case theyd had the same trouble. Turned back into museum property and hadnt found them yet, so I assumed theyd made it in. Started looking for the finish...knew it had to be there somewhere...Id seen it that morning. Id swear they moved it It took a LOT longer to find it than I remembered. Saw my family a few yards in front of the sign with the video camera They called out our names as we ran through the finish. Im pretty sure the clock was right at 3:05:00 when I crossed. They herded us into the chip removal line. As I stopped and put my foot out, I felt a bit dizzy, but did okay. Then hey, I forgot to shut off the Garmin! Not sure how much extra time was added, but the Garmin time is 3:03:07...maybe my official time will be closer to 3:00 than Id thought. Got my medal and my medal photo and some water, then found the family. DD13 took this photo of our house for Christa:
(Actually, Ca dZan, the former home of John and Mable Ringling)
She came back and told me the camera had been on movie mode. I must have accidentally set it when I was fumbling it in and out of my waist pack. So half the race is in movie format...as soon as I figure out if I can convert them to still photos, Ill share.
Overall, a good race. Came home, showered and crashed afterward, which may have been a mistake. I woke up with really tight calves and a really big headache. My legs are still pretty sore and my favorite bad ankle is starting to go. I couldnt walk on it without a brace the morning after after WDW. I did Clif Bloks at miles 3, 6, 9...much easier than fighting with the honey packets. I definitely like them. And no potty breaks (thanks to Lisa SP for mentioning the Imodium at Trails End)! Overall, I feel better than after WDW, but my calves hurt more. No visions of the full dancing in my head at this point...those last 3 miles were pretty tough. Maybe consider it if the Minnie goes well!
Oh...something a little weird after the race. I took off my shoes and both my big toes had come right through my socks! That's never happened before!
Thanks for all your support! WISH yall couldve been there, but I definitely thought about you along the course!
Splits:
1 14:12 8 14:37
2 13:50 9 13:18
3 13:42 10 13:40
4 13:49 11 14:20
5 13:17 12 14:46
6 12:45 13 14:19
7 13:31
Congratulations! 
