On Sunday I ran this half marathon with my brother. It was his first half marathon and it was my first out of state race. I had a great time & the weather was PERFECT!!
Expo-
Packet pick up was on Friday & Saturday. On Saturday afternoon we headed over to pick up our packets. Packet pick up was in the center of town. We were given a reusable shopping bag, with our bib's, tech racing shirt & various coupons. It was a small expo with vendors selling the usual race gear. There was also a vendor selling tutu socks which I have not seen before
http://www.cassidysplace.com/
Race-
Sunday morning we got up at 5am. I had a banana & some toast with a cup of coffee. We had planned to get there real early because parking is very limited & towing is heavily enforced. We got there about an hour early and were able to find a parking spot. If we arrived any later we would have had to walk a good 1.5 - 2 miles to get to the start line.
The start area was pretty crowded & we lined up between the 9-10 min pace group. There was a live DJ playing some "pump you up" music. Funny thing was I could hear people in the corral talking about how chilly it was but to me it was fabulous! I guess if they had to deal with a weeks worth of the Polar Vortex that was freezing the Mid-Atlantic & New England area they might not be complaining.
The race started promptly at 7 and the crowd inched its way across the timing mat & we were off and running.
The first few miles we ran through neighborhood streets. I kept up the pace with my brother the first 2 miles then I had to slow it down. I did not want to start out too fast because I knew I would regret it later. I really do not remember any more about the first several miles. I was just focused on trying to maintain a decent pace. I know after mile 7 we ran on a wooden walkway that went through a beautiful park. It wasn't the easiest thing to run on because it had quite a few sharp turns but I did not mind at all because it was so pretty. After running through the wooded park we ended up running around a lake surrounded by some huge houses.
Everything was going pretty good until just after mile 11. Holy calf cramp from hell, I had a major calf cramp on my right leg. I stopped on the side of the road & stretched it out. I tried running again and the cramp was back. A nice lady stopped and asked if I was ok I said "yeah just a stupid cramp". She reached into her running belt and handed me a salt pill. Let me just say that runners are an awesome group of people! I thanked her & took it and finished the rest of the water in my Camelbak. I tried to resume my run as painlessly as possible. The last 2 miles were rough but I was able to run to the finish.
I searched for my brother and couldn't find him so I started walking back toward the course & I spotted him running toward the finish.
The finish line party was really well done & the organizers went all out. They had the town's local businesses hand out samples of their products which included a wide range of stuff from Starbucks, mimosa's, sushi samples, lobster sandwiches etc... Each runner was given a post card & on the post card was the logo of all the businesses who were participating and handing out treats.
For an inaugural race, I have to give this one a thumbs up & a high five to the race directors because they did a excellent job. I would definitely run this race again especially if I lived in Florida.
Until next time .....:D
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