Bride of Frankenfooter 5K & Frankenfooter Half Marathon 2015

I've participated in the Frankenfooter 5k and half marathon for a couple of years now. The 5k was in the evening on Saturday, October 24 with the half marathon the next morning, October 25.  I was glad it didn't fall on Halloween weekend this year! For 2015, the Frankenfooter races benefited BAYS Florida with my cousin and fellow runner, Kelly, as race director.

It was a warm race weekend with temperatures in the mid 80s on Saturday evening for the 5K. I usually dress in costume for these races since it's so close to Halloween but just wasn't feeling it this year. I procrastinated and hadn't pulled anything together for a running costume. Instead I sported a cute RunningSkirt.

My 5k race time wasn't fantastic but it did get me 3rd place in my age group. Unfortunately, the race directors decide to award the top 3 male and top 3 female runners for a huge age group of 26-49. I was 7/80 in the female age group of 26-49 year olds.

On to the next race in my challenge weekend!  Half Marathon!

The half marathon the next morning had slightly cooler temperatures in the low 70s at the start of the race but the sun rose quickly and so did the heat.  Again, no costume, just cute RunningSkirts. 

I felt good for the first part of the race and kept a nice pace.  Around mile 8, my calves started to cramp which was a new and annoying aliment for me as a runner. I did some quick calf stretches and continued on with my race to no avail. Around mile 9.5 was the next water stop where they had bottles of water instead of the usual small race cups.  I grabbed water, walked and drank the entire bottle.  Soon after, my calf cramps were gone! Hallelujah!

I finished the 13.1 miles as best I could.  No PR but a decent time considering the heat and calf cramps. I earned 3 awesome finisher medals for my races, one for each distance and a Living Dead Challenge medal for completing both races.

Bride of Frankenfooter 5K
Age Div: 3/20
Overall: 28/168
Pace: 8:55
Chip time: 27:37

Frankenfooter Half Marathon
Age Div: 9/21
Gender Div: 34/89
Overall: 48/127
Pace: 9:40
Chip time: 2:06:40

Living Dead Challenge (5K + Half)
Gender Div: 3/27
Overall: 12/42

Sarasota Half Marathon Relay 2015 Recap

I've run the Sarasota Half Marathon for the past two years.  It's a beautiful course on the water near historic Sarasota.  The dolphin medal is the largest in the area.  This year, I decided to try the half marathon relay.  I invited my sister Patti to run the relay with me on March 15.

We came up with the team name Super Sisters.  I created a quick logo to have printed on matching shirts with our team name on the back.

On race morning, we dressed in our matching running outfits and headed to the start line.  The race started at 7:00 am with temperatures near 70.  I was running the first half over the Ringling bridge twice and Patti would run the second, flatter half.

It was still dark when the race started and I felt a little tired from the half marathon I ran the day before.  For this race, I only had to run 6.2 miles and I wasn't too concerned with time as Patti was nervous about the 6.9 miles she had to run (her longest race distance).  I told her not to worry about time and just feel good about her run. Patti waited with some of my running group friends and then made her way to the transition area.

The Ringling Causeway was killer on the way up but I flew on the way down.  We ran around St. Armand's circle and back over the Ringling Causeway bridge.  There were lots of little inclines here and there and I was glad Patti didn't have to run these as a newbie runner.  I met Patti in the transition area where we exchanged the timing ankle band and my Garmin.  I was so glad to be running the relay this year!!

The transition area was about a quarter mile from the finish, situated so the relay partners ran and finished the last portion together. I started to watch for Patti about an hour later. Luckily, I had some friends to pass the time with.

I was excited when I saw Patti approach the transition area.  She was doing fantastic with a nice pace.

I asked how she was doing and got a little emotional as we rounded the last corner together with the finish line in sight.

I was proud of my little sister for following through and finishing strong.

We both had a great race and pushed ourselves until the end.  I loved all the race photos and they were free this year!



Suncoast Striders' Relay Teams

Overall Place: 105/285
Female Place: 46/159
5K: 30:45 - 9:54 min/mi
10K (relay transition): 1:03:37 - 10:15 min/mi
15K: 1:32:55 - 9:59 min/mi
Chip Finish time: 2:18:03 - 10:33 min/mi

**Disclaimer:  As a member of the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was given a race entry.  All opinions are my own.

Pasco Challenge Half Marathon Recap 2015

The Pasco Challenge was hosted by the Alzheimer's Family Organization.  The half marathon was on Saturday, March 14 at Starkey Park.  I run Starkey Park every Saturday so I knew the course well.

I wanted to run a half marathon under 2 hours so originally I thought this race would be perfect for meeting that goal.  The course was very flat and I knew it well.  A couple of details I missed when planning my goal for this race were; this was Florida and it can be quite hot in March AND the Starkey Trail was mostly in full sun.  Both of those equal HEAT.  Heat and running fast don't really work for me.

Not thinking of the heat or sun, I set my Garmin's pace keeper to alarm if my pace was too slow to meet my goal of under 2 hours.  I needed my average pace to be 9:09.  I'd just run an average pace of 9:09 at the Gasparilla 15k so I thought it was doable.

On race morning, I talked with a couple of friends from my running group.  It was a smaller race with less than 100 people running the half.  The race started at 8:00am with temperatures in the mid/upper 70s.

During the first mile, my Garmin alarmed that I was running too slow for the pace I set.  I shook it off because the first warm up mile is usually slower.  When my Garmin continued to alarm through mile 3, I was ready to take it off and stomp it to death.  Instead, I turned off the pace keeper.

I felt decent for the first 6 miles.  Shortly after that, the course turned around and I was done.  I felt light-headed, overheated and exhausted.  I wasn't even half way finished.  At that point, I didn't care if I walked the rest of the race.  There was no way I'd finish under 2 hours.

At the 6 mile turn around, 3 members of my running group passed me.  One of them, Trish, fell back from her group.  She was ahead of me so my goal was to close the gap.  I had to have a goal to prevent me from walking too much.  After some running and walk breaks, I caught up to Trish who was practicing a run/walk method to keep her heart rate in the correct zone.  I decided to stay with her and finish the race using the run/walk method.  I was really struggling and Trish helped me through the run portions.  I got to a point were I could only run one minute with a minute walk.  That was the worst I've felt during a race in years.*

I finished in 2:15.  No PRs but thrilled to be finished.  I left the awards ceremony early because I had to shower, pack and head to Sarasota for another race the next day.  I won second place in my age group!  Looks like the heat sucked the life out of everyone else too.

Age Place: 2/9
Female Place: 17/43
Overall Place: 39/83
Ave Pace: 10:21 min/mi
Chip time: 2:15:37

*Come to find out...my thyroid was overactive again so that's why this race sucked so much.

Sarasota Half Marathon and Relay Preview

The First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon & Relay is celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year.

This year's race is on Sunday, March 14, 2015, starting at 7:00am at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota, Florida.

The First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon's scenic course takes runners over the John Ringling Causeway and around St. Armand's Circle, then down the Tamiami Trail and by the Ringling Museum of Art before they make their way back to the finish line at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center.  The finish area is right on the gorgeous Florida water.

This race is know for it's giant finisher medal!  I have two from previous years.

My sister, Patti, and I are participating in the relay this year.

Who's joining us this year at the Sarasota Half?

Space Coast Half Marathon 2014 recap

For the second year in a row, I traveled over to the east coast of Florida the weekend after Thanksgiving to run the Space Coast Half Marathon.  I enjoyed and PRed the course last year so I had to go back for more bling!

The 2014 medal featured the Challenger Space Shuttle with 7 stars representing the seven lives lost when the Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986.

Denise and I drove over on Saturday to visit the expo and pick up our race bibs and packets.  The expo was at a local hotel instead of the Kennedy Space Center this year.  The expo had more exhibitors than last year but was extremely crowded and hard to maneuver.  They ran out of women's race shirts which was very annoying, especially considering I did early registration before the general public.



Expo selfie with fellow Striders

After the expo, Denise and I checked in to our hotel and then met the Striders for dinner.  At dinner, one of my fellow runners, Bob, volunteered to pace me in the half to an under 2:00 hour finish.  I just PRed at the Savannah Rock N Roll Half with a time of 2:02:26.

On race morning, I was ready to conquer my half and hopefully a new PR under 2:00.  I met up with Bob and was a little nervous for him to pace me because we hadn't ever run together before.  We lined up near the 2 hour pace group in the start corral.  Shortly after, the race started and we were off, running along the scenic Indian River.

At about mile 3, my legs were already tired (probably because I walked around Busch Gardens all day on Friday).  We ran a nice pace and did not start out too fast.  I told Bob I wasn't sure this under 2 thing was going to happen today because I already wasn't feeling it.

The 2 hour pace group (A) and the 2 hour Galloway pace group (B) kept passing each other.  At about mile 4, I needed a little walk break just to catch my breath so we stopped to walk with the Galloway group.  I figured we could catch up with the other group (A) on the next run portion.  The Galloway group started their run portion and it was a SPRINT.  This Galloway group was equivalent to running intervals for 13.1 miles!  No thanks!  We caught up to the other group (A) but after the sprint I just ran, I couldn't keep pace.  The 2 hour pace groups ran off ahead but I was ok with that.  I ran my own race and if I didn't meet my goal, there would be another race.

Bob kept me going towards the end of the course where I would have slowed down my pace if I was by myself.  It was a hot day that slowly zapped my energy for running.

The last .10 mile curved around Riverfront Park in a half circle to the finish line.  We ran over a timing mat that I thought was the finish line and stopped running.  Bob looked back at me and yelled "come on" and I heard people yelling, "keep going"!  I was not at the finish line yet but the mat that allowed the announcer to call out our names.  UGH!  I started running again and crossed the finish line about 10 steps ahead.  I was glad to be done!  I didn't finish under 2:00 but did PR by 24 seconds.

Overall Place: 434/3304
Female Place: 184/2329
Age Div Place: 33/417
Average pace: 9:19
5K time: 28:33
10K time: 57:08
15K time: 1:26:15
Chip time: 2:02:02

I love the space shuttle medal and will be back for more!  What's your favorite race medal?

Savannah Rock n Roll Half Marathon Recap 2014

My very first half marathon was from the Rock n Roll series in St. Pete, FL so I decide to give Savannah, GA a try.  A girls' weekend with my Suncoast Strider running peeps.

With a new marathon PR under my belt, I wanted to run a half marathon under 2:00 hours.  I wasn't sure if Savannah would be the place I'd try or if I wanted to enjoy my run.  Because let's face it, if I'm trying to PR or beat a time, I'm not enjoying the pace I have to keep.  I picked up a free pace bracelet from the expo incase I decided to go for under 2 hours...at an average 9:09 pace for 13.1 miles.  Yikes!

photo by David

I had a great time at the Savannah Rock n Roll Expo!  Some of the vendors had discounted shirts, jewelry and PB2 for only $5.  I loved getting deals at this expo instead of everything being full price.  After a little sight seeing, dinner and hotel drama, I settled in for a fantastic night sleep.  The start corrals were literally right in front of our hotel on Bay Street.



Pre-race team pic, photo by David

The weather was a cool 46 degrees and crisp with humidity.  I had another throw-away jacket from Goodwill to keep me warm while I waited in my corral for the race to start.  I decided to try for a 2 hour finish time.  I honestly didn't think I'd get close because my weekday runs sucked since Chicago and I didn't do any runs longer than 6 miles.  My friend, Patty, offered to try to pace me for a 2:00 finish time.

My corral started shortly after 7:00am.  After warming up, I tossed my jacket about a quarter mile into the course.  Patty and I were going strong, keeping a nice pace.  I wasn't used to running with Patty and knew she ran faster than me so that pushed me a little because I didn't want to hold her back.  At about mile 3 when I started to feel the effects of my exertion, I told Patty that she didn't have to stay with me if she wanted to take off, but she stayed.

I ate a vanilla GU with caffeine WHILE I RAN.  I finally mastered that task while running.  Yeah me!!  If only I could drink water without spilling or pouring it up my nose, while running.  That caffeine GU gave me a boost!  I felt great for the next couple of miles.

I loved the course so far with even streets and cheering spectators along the way.  Handmade signs always make me smile.  This race my favorite was "You've got stamina, call me".  The water stations were well managed and the GU station was clearly visible.  At about mile 7, Patty needed to slow down but she told me to keep going.  I felt great so I continued on the course.

I needed some energy around mile 10 so I tried the salted watermelon GU.  Not my favorite, nor will I try it again.  According to my free pace bracelet, I was more than a minute behind pace.  At this point, I stopped looking at my Garmin and pace bracelet and just ran the 5K I had left.  I knew I wouldn't be under 2:00 but thought I could still PR.

The last part of the course (it felt like a mile but was probably a quarter mile) was a continuous incline to the finish line.  I had a little bit of a sprint in me as I crossed the finish line with a new PR of 2:02:26!

photo by David

You can't see the chocolate milk in my right hand but it was cold and delicious after running 13.1 miles.  I drank two!

photo by David

photo by David

We ran in support of Friedreich's Ataxia, a progressive neuro-muscular disease, for Team Gavin & Team Mike.  With permission from his doctor, Mike ran the entire half marathon!  We were so proud of our fellow Strider and his accomplishment!

Mike in blue surrounded by his supporters

It was another beautiful day in gorgeous Forsyth Park where we got to see Phillip Phillips in concert!  We sang along, danced and enjoyed life.

5K: 28:55
10K: 57:36
10 miles: 1:32:53
Division: 187/1195
Gender: 1308/7327
Overall: 2709/10603
Avg pace: 9:20
Chip time: 2:02:26

My next half marathon is in 3 weeks at Space Coast.  Will I get under 2:00???

Sarasota Half Marathon Recap 2014

We had gorgeous running weather for the Sarasota Half Marathon on Sunday, March 16.  The starting temperature was cool, in the mid 60s, and about 75 at the finish.

The morning of the race, Denise and I hit some major traffic trying to find a parking space in downtown Sarasota.  We finally parked in a small business lot, with approval from the police officer on duty, and made our way to the start of the race with only 15 minutes to spare.

Before the race started, I wanted to use the bathroom so we stood in line for the porta potties.  As we got closer to the front of the line, people leaving the porta potties let us know there was no more toilet paper.  Wonderful, fantastic, super, terrific.....I needed toilet paper.  By this time, the race had already started so I decided to find a bathroom on the course. UGH

Denise and I entered the race corral behind the 3:00 hour pace group.  I knew this wasn't going to be a fast race for me but I had to pass the 3:00 hour pace group!  We ran over a big bridge and little bridge that took us to St. Armand's Circle, then back over the little and big bridges.

At about mile 4.3, I spotted the first porta potties.  Of course there was a line that would eat into my race time. BOO!  But on the bright side, there was toilet paper. SCORE!  It was a necessary stop if I expected to get through the next 9 miles.

We passed the relay hand-off at mile 6 and I wondered why I wasn't doing the relay.  They got the same awesome finishing medals as the half finishers.  I remembered last year's race and that I disliked the second half of this course because of the slanted roads.  Oh well, I was in for the long haul again.

Right before mile 8, I caught and passed the 2:30 pace group.  I expected and was fine, to finish anytime between 2:15 and 2:30.

The second half of the race did take us through lovely shaded neighborhoods where the oak trees swayed in the gentle breeze.  I got a whiff of orange blossoms, one of my favorite smells. I stopped to take a selfie with a fellow runner.  The roads were slanted but I took time to enjoy my surroundings.

Near mile 11 or 12, I caught up with Haley.  We ran the remainder of the race together and pushed each other to finish strong, including a sprint to the finish line which I didn't think I had in me.  I really need to take my own advice and run during the week again!

Age place: 166/311
Female place: 944/2057
Overall place: 1791/3235
Chip time: 2:23:16

It was no PR but at least I beat last year's time and earned some sweet race bling!

Disclaimer: As part of the Tampa Bay Bloggers network, I received a complimentary entry to the First Watch Sarasota Half Marathon and Relay in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.