Tipple's Beer Run (4-Mile Race)

Quote of the Race:
Random spectator friend at the finish line: "There's no beer."
Me: "WHAT?!?!"
Random spectator: "Yeah, right after the race started and ATF agent or someone showed up and shut them down because they didn't have the right permit."
Me: "Are you effing kidding me? That's horrible. What the hell? I'm going to get my T-shirt before everyone finishes and there's a riot!"

RACE STATS:
Location - Tipple's Brews, Gainesville, FL.
Cost - $30 FTC member pre-register, $35 non-member pre-register, $45 day of registration
Year of Running - 1st
Sponsor - Florida Track Club, Zen Fitness & Tipple's Brews
Charity - Fundraiser for FTC
Number of Participants - 417 (finishers)
Available Races - 4-Mile
Course Condition - Asphalt paved road mixed with concrete sidewalks. Flat, straight and Fast.
Pace Groups - None
Expo - None (packet pickup is on race day)

ORGANIZATION, SUPPORT & SPECTATORS:
Considering this was an inaugural race with what seemed like a surprisingly good turnout there are definitely some hiccups that FTC needs to and will undoubtedly address. Overall pre-race organization was with good intention by organizers, but seemed to be overwhelmed by too many participants in a confined space. It's a Friday race that starts at 6 p.m. Registration and check-in was open at 4 p.m., but most of the participants did not or could not show up until after 5 p.m. since it is a workday. We showed up at 5:10 p.m. and waited patiently in an awfully slow line just to pick up our bib numbers and timing chip in a room at Zen Fitness that was not big enough to accommodate the number of people trying to check in at the same time. It would have worked better if it was in a larger room or simply set up outside with more volunteers. I also saw a few participants that were obviously there for the beer rather than the run who were very confused by the check-in process, which was set up logically, but could have been more efficient. Parking was stressful, but organizers gave plenty of warning and suggestions through email prior to the event of where to park. It is, after all, Gainesville. Spectators were average for a race like this as a few people turned out along the course to ring cowbells and there was a large crowd at the finish line cheering the runners down the chute. Support along the race course was excellent with plenty of aid stations handing out water. There was even an aid station (official or unofficial?) with 1/2 mile to go handing out only beer!

ACCESSIBILITY:
Gainesville is Gainesville; the largest university in Florida and one of the largest in the country. There is traffic when school is in session so plan accordingly. There's a regional airport in Gainesville, good taxi services and excellent bus service. Interstate 75 runs within a few miles from the start line making it an easy drive from other major cities in Florida.

SWAG:
Goodie bags (reusable sack-style backpacks) were given out after participants finish the race. Inside the bags were a really nice race logo engraved drinking glass (obviously meant for beer), various sponsor information and coupons and a mini-box of cereal.

POST RACE AWARDS & FOOD:
At the finish line water and Gatorade were available as well as bananas and Domino's pizza (cheese). The top 3 male and female finishers received prize money $200/$100/$50. Each master winner got $100. The top 100 male and 100 female finishers received a black cotton T-shirt with race logo. NOTE: Organizers advertised that many prizes would be raffled off at the post race party including someone winning their "weight in beer." I cannot comment on if this happened or not because after we found out there was no beer we left to drink beer elsewhere.

MY RACE STORY:
I was very excited about this race the second I heard about it. In fact I registered weeks before Jenny did. Some of our Gainesville friends were planning to participate so the idea was we could visit them, run the race and Jenny can do her last long run (22-miles) before her marathon with some of her other friends also doing it since I'm not training for the full marathon.
We both took off work early Friday afternoon and started the 2+ hour drive to Gainesville and arrived about an hour before race start. There was an amazing turnout (I guess what you would get in a college town if you're advertising free beer) and most of the participants looked like college age students -- young and fast! There were even multiple guys and girls wearing bloomers with yellow racing flats! We found our friends and had time to socialize before the start.
As planned I decided that this race should be hashed. About 15 minutes before the start gun I found my way back to the truck and made my famous concoction of Redbull, Gatorade & Vodka. The last time I dabbled with this nonsense was the Run for Haven 5K back in March. This time around I made the drink a little weaker so I wouldn't be too buzzed. By the time of the start I was wide-eyed and happy and ready to run like a maniac.
It was a relaxed start. Basically everyone followed the race director up a small hill and into a residential neighborhood and then blew an air horn and everyone started running. We were all sort of in the middle of the pack. I took off running and didn't look back. Jenny and Katie decided to fun run together (they have a 22-miler ahead of them this weekend) and I started passing people and working my way into the right pace group of people for me. There were several guys dressed up as pink flamingos (did I mention there was an unofficial costume contest) yelling at the top of their lungs "cawwww.... acaaaaawwww." It was so annoying I decided to run harder to get away from them. There were a group of guys dressed up as construction workers, but looking like that guy from the Village People. Running next to them I could hear them laughing at the pink flamingo guys and joking that they had been outdone and that they were supposed to be "those guys."
I ran harder.
At this point I can see the lead pack breaking away about 100-yards up the road. They are absolutely flying at right around a 5-minute pace. The crowd thins out as we make a turn off a main road and down a narrow sidewalk. I pass up the aid station water to save time. It's only 4 miles and the weather is great!
At the halfway point I'm breathing hard, too hard. I look at my watch and see that my split time between mile 1 and 2 was sub-7 minutes. Damnit! This is way too fast and knowing that I'll never be able to sustain it I slow myself down to try and catch my breath. Other runners begin to pass me. In fact, runners pass me for the rest of the race. I've definitely started too fast on this one. During the last mile I'm forced to slow down a little bit more. I think the vodka/Redbull/Gatorade is getting the best of me. Note to self: Don't do this again no matter how "fun" it sounds!
With 1/2 mile to go I see an aid station. I toy around with the idea of taking a sip of water or splashing it in my fast. Right as I'm about to reach out for the cup I see that it's beer and quickly retract my arm. I'm already feeling like I'm going to hurl and the last thing I want to do is slam a beer or pour it over my head! I get a short burst of adrenaline during the last few hundred yards as there are people cheering and the finish line is in sight. I was hoping for anything under 30-minutes. Before the race I used the McMillan Running Calculator with my Half Marathon PR from a couple weeks ago to estimate my 4-mile race time and it came out at 31:12. After that I decided that anything better than 31:12 would be acceptable, but anything sub-30 would be fantastic!
I crossed the finish line and the clock read 30:35. I'll take it! Someone cuts off my chip and hands me a ticket for a T-shirt. Kickass! I was fast enough to get a T-shirt. I turn around the side of the chute and look back and Jenny and Katie are finishing about a minute behind me. We then learn about the "beer tragedy" going on and assess the situation. Apparently, they are only allowed to serve beer within Tipple's Brewery. Now let's face it. That business is not large enough to accommodate 500 people. Soon a line forms outside the business and stretches down the block. I'm told you have to drink the beer inside as well and can't have an open container in the parking lot. This does not sound fun at all. Then we hear that Florida Track Club is giving out refunds. Soon we decide to go get cleaned up and go out for proper post-race beer and food at a restaurant of our liking.
For the record, I believe that FTC did everything properly and despite a situation gone bad, they handled it the best they can. Giving refunds until they ran out of money and offering to mail refund checks to anyone else that wishes to get one was a good call on their part. I don't know the entire story, but it sounds like some authoritative official has it out for one of the sponsors or FTC. I mean, who the hell shows up in the middle of an event and shuts it down with no warning? They had to have known before hand and could have saved a lot of trouble by making a simple call to the race director BEFORE THE RACE! Florida Track club has issued this statement on their website and emailed it to all the participants:

First and foremost, thank you. The outpouring of support over what happened at the Beer Run was astounding. It was clear things did not go as planned, but the number of people who were supportive and encouraging far outweighed the other side of things. Thank you so much for your support.

Secondly, I want to express my most sincere apology. My team and I poured ourselves into this race and truly left no stone unturned. The specifics regarding the permitting issue are still murky to me, but separately, 2 of our representatives were told on 2 different occasions that there was ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM with the beer festival. In fact, they accepted payment for the permit. To put it mildly, we were surprised when an enforcement agent showed about 30 minutes before the event and left us with literally no option but to shut down. It was heartbreaking personally, but more so because the Florida Track Club is a non-profit organization that supports so very many other non-profits in town and this race was our most critical fundraising event of the year.

Third, and most importantly, our sponsors, Zen Fitness and Tipple's Brews had NO part in any piece of the event's challenges; this was a Florida Track Club event and the blame lies with us. These are two local businesses that made tremendous efforts to support this event and our community, and they should be commended. Zen Fitness and Tipple’s Brews are models of what good corporate citizens should be and I hope you'll join me in thanking them for their leadership and generosity.

Finally, I want to apologize on behalf of the Florida Track Club. We were told and believed we were in compliance. It's not clear what we should have done differently but I will tell you we WILL make every effort to make this right. We look forward to partnering with Tipple's Brews and Zen Fitness again to bring you an absolutely amazing follow-up race & beer festival.

Again, thank you for your support & encouragement. We hope you'll give us another shot - we can't wait to throw the kind of party you deserve.

Sincerely,
Jake Logan - Race Director

I will close with saying that no matter who was at fault for what happened, it's a shame that an event meant for a good purpose in a town where hundreds of similar events happen each year purely for profit was hampered down upon by some stupid rule or misunderstanding. If FTC holds another event similar to the Beer Run, I WILL give them another chance and participate.

My official stats:
79th out of 417 total finishers
8th in my age division out of 39
Official time: 30:35
Watch time: 30:25
Average pace: 7:38 (with positive splits, lol)

Tipple's Beer Run (4-Mile Race) = C

Post race celebratory drinks at The Red Onion!

20-Miler in Gainesville summer heat

It's the pinnacle of any marathon training schedule. It's the top of the hill. It's the week you look at during week 1 and say, "holy sh*t! I wonder if I'll be able to do that!" Or for marathon veterans, it might be the week you look at and say, "I can't wait until I'm rockin' that mileage again!" For Jenny and myself it was last weekend and it involved a 20-miler through around, over and across the city of Gainesville, Florida. That's right; home of my beloved Florida Gators!



To make things more interesting the weather forecast boasted a "low" of 77 degrees and humidity levels were 90+ percent so basically that's the best it's going to get no matter what time we set out to run. Being one of the highest overall mileage weeks, my body was down right sore and pissed off. Runner's knee in my right leg and an old lower calf/Achilles tendon injury speaking up in the left leg. Bottom line: TallguySurfing was nervous, anxious and driven all at the same time.

I convinced Jenny (who isn't human when it comes to running in hot weather) that we must get up at 4 a.m. and be on the road by 5:30 a.m. to give us at least an hour to 90 minutes of running time before the sun begins scorching us. I could tell this didn't sit well with her as it's nearly an hour earlier than we've ever gotten up for a long run. This strategy veers from the routine. She's nervous about getting started earlier than our norm and I'm nervous about getting started too late. We attempt to go to sleep super early, but really only get about 5 hours, of which the last hour Jenny lays there awake.

As planned we start running at about 5:28 a.m. from the Gainesville Health Center down University Blvd. and it's humid. It's so humid that the water vapor is clearly visible in the air beneath the street lights. By mile one I'm covered in sweat and we're going at a 9 minute pace. "Ugg, it's going to be a long run," I think to myself.


The conversation begins to flow as normal, but I'm not feeling very talkative. Looking back I realize how freaked out I was about the 20 miles before me and the higher level of focus occurring, which unfortunately was hindering my conversation skills.

We are both wearing hydration packs to allow for more fluid consumption and to not have to worry about how far until the next water stop. Mine is filled to the max with a full pack of Crytomax blended into it. They will be serving Crytomax at the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon and want to make sure it agrees with my system in case I need something more than just water on race day. I'm also packing four GUs, including a Jet Blackberry with 2x caffeine for those last few miles.

Around mile 9 we are running through Hale; an upscale neighborhood with large and expensive homes. We stop at a tennis club. It's an upscale facility that I imagine the likes of the Stepford Wives or Desperate Housewives using at a more respectable hour. Since it's hours before anyone actually arrives so we have the place to ourselves. The water fountain is like that of a soda fountain with disposable cups, chip ice and cooled water. I'm in Heaven. I fill my Camelbak reservoir with ice. We discover the women's room is decked out with hair products, lotions and soaps. I curiously go to the men's room to find it barren and basic. Can you say "what the eff?" See pictures below. There are clean cloth towels ready for my sweat at courtside. This was the nicest water stop ever!






At mile 10, we met up with Tracey, whom planned to run part of the route with us (about 5 miles). As crazy as it sounds this relaxed me knowing that Jenny and Tracey could chat away and I could just push on through without having to worry about talking. I'm not going to lie. At this point of the run we are down on Archer Road west of I-75 heading east for 2 miles straight into the early morning sunrise. There is no shade and lots of traffic noise. I was not having fun at this point as I realize my shoes are actually squishing and squashing because they are full of sweat. Never in my life have I sweat so much that my shoes have become saturated this much. I've heard stories, but generally I'm not a crazy "sweater" guy. My feet feel heavy and my legs on par with fatigue. I ponder if I'll actually get blisters and if the new sweat saturation will help or hinder blister development. Tracey and Jenny are 20 feet ahead of me deep in conversation. We finally make it to a gas station at 75th and turn north. Knowing that we have passed the point of being the furthermost point from where we started helps my mental state ever so slightly. We stop at the gas station to use the restroom. My urine is a brilliant shade of yellow kind of like an elite Kenyan's shoes. No bueno. Back on the road and I'm slamming GU and sucking Camelbak like a big baby, but I keep to myself as I follow the two girls going north on SW 75th. At mile 15 it's time to say goodbye to Tracey as she needs to head back to her place and we have to head the opposite way. It was great having her company for part of the long run!



By now the temperature is surely in the upper 80s and while my legs are feeling pretty good all things considered, my cooling system is not happy at all. Jenny looks at me and tells me I look better than previous "hot" runs we've done. "You're fine," she says and urges me to keep going. This is good in my mind. At least she isn't worried about me. We hit a short 1-mile stretch of road with no sidewalk and little shoulder. The highlight of this section is an overpass bridge going over I-75. Jenny is NOT thrilled about this section and tells me we need to get over it quickly. She takes off (probably only at our original 9-minute pace that seems like a sprint now) and I'm left chasing the pony tail up the bridge. In my mind it's Mount Everest. By the time I reach the top she's already at the bottom on the other side. I stop and walk as a reward for my accomplishment of conquering this peak. The scenery of a 6-lane highway below me is not very rewarding so I begin running down the hill where I find Jenny waiting at the next intersection. Only a 5k to go from here!

During those last 3 miles I had to stop 4 times because of the heat. It went something like this:
1.) You feel your breathing begin to increase involuntarily almost to the point of hyperventilation.
2.) Your brain tells your legs to keep running, but the lack of oxygen (reaching VO2Max) overrides the orders of your conscience and primal instinct makes you stop and walk.
3.) Annoyed as all hell you either a.) cry, b.) curse or c.) grunt
4.) After a matter of seconds or minutes of involuntarily walking you are able to catch your breath, replenish your blood oxygen levels and your brain can force your legs to start running again.

This is not my idea of a good time. I'm so out of it that I don't even stop my watch as I have previously done at water and bathroom stops (I wanted to have an idea of pace while running on this run). With 1 mile to go we can see the gym where we started. This is almost cruel as we must turn away, run through a neighborhood, up and down another hill and then return to the finish. This is also good because the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon course goes by the finish line at the halfway point and again with a few miles left. Finally, Jenny points to a brown sign and says that's the finish line. We both finish strong and a sense of joy overwhelms me knowing that I just ran 20 miles with my girlfriend! And, my legs are feeling pretty good. Without the beginning stages of heat exhaustion I think I would be perfectly fine running 20 miles. A new level of trust in the training schedule is achieved!

After 20 miles!

I'm drenched from head to toe and feel like I just got out of the ocean. There's not an article of clothing on me that can't be wrenched out. We head home, shower, meet friends for the biggest brunch ever at Flyin' Biscuit and then nap the afternoon away. By evening we're feeling pretty good. During the run we played a game. The runner that curses the most has to buy Seattle Manhattans at The Top to celebrate the 20-miler and beginning of taper later that night. English curse words count as 1 point. All curse words in foreign languages count 1 point for ever two since it takes more premeditation on these words. If you've read my entire post up to this point it's not hard to imagine that I'm buying us drinks. I owned this game and even dropped profanity in English, Danish, German and Spanish during the run!

Here's to the Seattle Rock n Roll Marathon, running our 20-miler without injury and beginning a slow 3-week taper! A round of "Seattle Manhattans" at Gainesville's Top bar and restaurant.

Double Pump Weekend Recap!

First off, let me just say how thankful I am for all the support we've received from my last post and the donations that have been made already to our fund raising race benefiting American Heart Association. Now for the blog post! This weekend was a blast. Since it's both surfing and running I'm going to break it up into two parts.

Surfing

On Thursday and Friday New Smyrna Beach actually had warm air temperatures, swell in the water and light offshore winds. I was able to hit it Thursday evening after work with Norton, Blythe and Jeremy. I'm super excited that the water seems to be warming up. It's still cold and I still doubled up on wetsuits, but the end is in sight for this coldest winter of my memory!
Since we all had been watching the forecast all week and waiting for it to actually hold true, there was a lot of excitement upon arriving at the beach and actually finding good surf. The paddle out was a sprint and a good way to warm up. The waves were coming in long period sets of 5 to 6 and they were a comfortable chest to head high size range. I recently watched a surf video on Holly Beck's blog here, that got me super pumped up to surf and decided to bring my Go Pro Surf Hero camera along with the intend on getting some barrels, but the waves just weren't pitching out enough. I did get some good video and maybe I'll find the time to edit up a little video sometime in the future, but what really is worth mentioning is the final 15 minutes of the session.
The sets were rolling in pretty consistently and we were having a blast. After about a half hour I looked out on the horizon and saw a huge set coming. "Outside," someone yelled and we all started paddling out. Brian and I made it over the first wave, but Blythe was sitting a little inside and had to take the wave on the head. An even larger wave followed. Norton took the fourth wave and rode it through the impact zone and into the slew. I continued paddling out trying to decide which of the last few waves of the set to take. I could hear a few choice curse words behind me as Blythe continued to take bigger and bigger waves on the head. I dropped in on the 6th or 7th wave and cutback to the right. It was at least a foot or two over my head and I could see it setting up for a huge section (probably a closeout) about 30 feet in front of me. I generated a LOT of speed and totally launched myself and 9'0" Walden Magic off the lip. I got so much air that I kicked away from the board and back flopped behind the wave. It actually hurt!
The next event was the event of the session. Remember Norton took a way all the way to the slew? Well, at the point Blythe had given up trying to get back on her longboard and was treading water and swimming under each massive wave with the leash keeping the board within 10 feet or so behind her. Norton spots something floating in the water next to him and turns out it's the front half of Blythe's board, which is actually Norton's longboard, also a Walden Magic. He collects the broken board and yells Blythe's name. When she finally hears him she turns around to see him holding up the board half and saying "look at this!" Then she realizes her board is broken. That's about the time I hear her calling my name instead of the curse words. By now I'm taking wave after wave on the head too, but I'm in position to turtle roll a few waves and be in the clear. I look back and see Blythe saying, "look at this," and holding up the bottom half of her board! She turns and rides what's left of the board in body board style. I see Brian inside and decide she's OK and head back out. The freak thing is after that the waves calmed down and went back to how they were. Freak set came, broke board and left! Here's a picture from my Go Pro after the session...




Running

This weekend was my first experience running two races in one day. It worked out perfectly because the morning race was a 10k trail race (6.2 miles) and the afternoon race was a 5k (3.1 miles) or 10k. I opted for the 5k making my entire mileage for the day 9.3 miles, which fit into my Seattle RnR Marathon training schedule perfectly! Both races were up in Gainesville and so much fun!I had everything for two races laid out the night before!

The morning race was the Trail of Payne 10k put on by Lloyd Clark Sports (a killer running store) that included admission into Payne's Prairie State Park (see photo from the My Tracks app on my phone). We were told it would be muddy so we came prepared with old running shoes and ready to get dirty. It was a little colder than expected (49-degrees) at the start and I couldn't make up my mind to keep the long sleeve shirt on or take it off. Finally, about a minute before the race start Jenny and I both took off our long sleeve shirts and hid them in the woods. Overall, the race was well organized, featured a sweet tech race t-shirt and had us running a grab bag of trail, road and pathways (even a short boardwalk bridge). We ran around lakes, through pine forest and oak forest, up and down small hills and out onto the Payne's Prairie where Bison (yes, Bison in Florida) actually roam wild. I started in the middle of the pack near Jenny and several of her friends. Soon Jenny was a few feet ahead of me and I could see her for at least the first half of the race. I took it slow to begin with and let a lot of people pass me. I haven't run a 10k since winter of 2008 so I'm still learning how to pace myself. The two sections of mud were not too bad. I was able to avoid complete shoe submersion by running the edge of the trail (I was told later runners had no choice but to plow through the middle as the trail got tromped more and more). Around Mile 4 I was feeling pretty confident so I increased my pace. It also took me a long time to warm up (I hate cold!). The last two miles of the race I was able to pass about a dozen runners and nobody passed me. That's always the best feeling! I crossed the finish line at 50:33 for an 8:09 average pace. This beat my only other 10k race and PR by more than 4 minutes (54:50 - Ed Root 10k 2008). Although I really REALLY want to finish a 10k under 50 minutes, I was stoked about this time! It felt really good and I'm sure if it was on a flat road course I would have killed and totally owned 50 minutes! Next time!


The afternoon race was the Run for Haven 5k/10k at the Tioga Town Center out to the northwest of Gainesville. It didn't start until 4:30 so Jenny and I consumed a large brunch, took an hour nap and waited for Harrison to show up. It was Harrison's first 5k race so we wanted to show him a great time. This was a big social event and many of Jenny's friends were out to race and support the event. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by running two races in one day. Thinking back, it was an irrational intimidation as I've done many things in one day that burns just as many calories, for example, surfing 5 or 6 hours in one day. Nevertheless, in good spirit, or should I say spirits, I decided to amp myself up it was a good idea to drink a good mixture of Gatorade, Red Bull and vodka about 15 minutes before the gun. This left me buzzed as a spring breaker and again I found myself in the middle of the pack when the race started. I looked around for Harrison, but we had managed to lose him so I ran with Jenny and one of her friends for probably the first mile (the one thumbs down I have for this race was no mile markers on the course) until the course split. The 10k continued on through some woods and that made me envious because the 5k looped back through residential neighborhood and nothing but pavement. I waved good by to Jenny and cranked the Rise Against in my iPod. This, combined with a drunken buzz, some 'get-there-idis' and boredom, caused me only to run faster. At some point I saw some dude in front of me a ways that looked like Harrison. As I got closer I realized it was Harrison! He had started closer to the start line and was ahead of me. No wonder I couldn't spot him behind me! We chatted a bit, but as we approached an aid station I opted to not drink (I merely splashed the water in my face) and blasted through and next thing I know he's behind me. I figured he doesn't want me distracting him so I continue on increasing my pace. It would have been nice to have mile markers because I remember worrying about running out of gas at my current pace, which I really have no idea of what I'm doing.... but I'm feeling good so I keep going and end up passing people again just like the morning race. This is a new experience for me (usually, I'm the one getting passed) and I have to say I like it! Soon I see the finish line and in all my buzzed/drunken self I sprint it out until reaching the chute. My time is 23:47 for an average 7:40 pace. Can you say HOLY CRAP! Yeah, that's what I said when I logged it into the computer. It's not a PR, but it's a lot faster than I thought I was going. A volunteer hands me a t-shirt and I walk back to the end of the course to see Harrison finish not far behind. I wave the t-shirt in the air and tell him to kick it out! Again everyone finishes unscathed and a few of the friends win their age group or place overall. The after party makes the lackluster course totally worth it as there's plenty of beer and food to go around.

Two races in one day?

SUCCESS!

I'll leave you all with this picture I took of the road way going through the state park. Who wouldn't want to run down this road?!?

Gainesville 6-miler Go Gators Recap!

As I'm sitting in a Borders Bookstore writing this I can help but think about all our fellow surfers and friends in Hawaii who are evacuating to higher ground right now as a 3-to 8-foot tsunami rushes toward them at the speed of a jet airplane. My thoughts go out to them and hope that since they've had so much time and warning it won't be anywhere near as bad as Thailand tsunami was a few years ago. Mahalo my friends.

In other news, I've got a great run to recap from yesterday!

Jenny and I are having a lazy Saturday here in Gainesville. She's writing Rockstar Energy drink right now about possibly sponsoring her relay team for the upcoming Sunset to Sunrise relay race across Florida and I'm monitoring the Hawaii situation. It was forecast to be rainy and cold this morning, which is was, but now it's turning out to be a beautiful day. We had planned our first official long run for Seattle Marathon training for this morning, but when we saw the forecast we opted to do it after work last night at dusk instead. It wasn't nearly as cold and since it was only a 6-miler it works perfectly for me (getting back into the swing of things) and Jenny (recovering from her kick ass finish at the Donna Half Marathon last weekend).

Jenny mapped out a route through the University of Florida campus and sent it to me via MapMyRun.com and I was instantly stoked! I graduated from UF in 1999 and while I've been back for football games (Go Gators), I haven't really explored the campus in more than a decade. This would be a great opportunity and to share memories with Jenny!

We met at the Publix on University and 34th and started our run just minutes before sunset. As we ran down 2nd and past the University Golf Course a walnut fell into the road right next to us missing a passing car only by inches. I looked on the road for the nut and was confused because I couldn't find it. Then Jenny realized it was a golf ball. Amazing. A stray golf ball missed us only by about 10 feet and a car by only inches! We continued on past the law school and toward Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; a.k.a. The Swamp.

This is the spot where I was T-boned by a short middle eastern man that wanted to kick my @ss until I got out of the car and he saw how tall I was back in 1998! Ahhh the memories!

This alligator was not built when I was a student, like so many things, but we had fun running past it as it stands sentinel to The Swamp!

After passing the stadium we kept going west through so many new and old parts of the campus. Between buildings, dorms and stores that I walked thousands of times back in the day. It's funny what you remember vividly and what memories are triggered by seeing your old college, or old band marching field or the hill on Newell Road that I used to charge on my bicycle. As we turned back west the sun was setting and the sky was on fire.



When we crossed North South Road (it's called something else today, but I'm going by what it was when I was a student) a group of about 20 students walked by all wearing bandannas on their heads. Another oddity. Then we saw a student running in the road barefoot. No frog feet, just plain old barefoot. That's hardcore. I'll run barefoot on the beach, but not on a road. As we arrived down at Lake Alice it was twilight and a beautiful site!

Then I noticed there are now TWO bat houses at UF! Those bats must have been breeding like mice! There were a few dozen people standing around watching the bats leave the house for the night just as I remembered it, but we didn't stick around. We had a run to finish! (Plus, I see more bats near my house along Riverside Drive in the summer).


From here on out it was a simple shot up 34th Street back to our cars. As we pass the famous wall on the hill near University I get goose bumps as we pass the memorial to the 1990 slayings of five students by a sick twisted douchebag serial killer. When I was a student this wall stood memorializing their memory and it still does today. I remember once that someone painted over the memorial and within hours it was painted back.


I'm happy to say how much fun this run was; laid back and relaxing. The weather was beautiful and I received no complaints from Mr. Achilles! Finally tally for the week:

15-miles down. . . 413 miles to run before Seattle RNR Marathon!

5-Miles for 5-Points of Life!

I've never been one to get behind Valentine's Day. Yes, it's great to be romantic, but why do we need a highly commercialized holiday (keeping the florist in business?) for an excuse to be romantic? What's even worse is Valentine's Day probably causes more grief, arguments and downright depression (amongst the lonely) than what it's worth. With that being said...

I had the best Valentine's Day of my life last weekend. No pressure. No expectations. Just fun. In fact, Jenny and I have decided that from now on we will always run a race on the dreaded V-day.

This year was a last minute race. To help a marathon relay team Jenny and I decided to fill in for a couple of absentee members of a team in need; Team Lickety Splits.

The Race?

Gainesville's Five Points of Life Marathon (a USATF Certified Boston Qualifier race) that consists of a half marathon, full marathon, marathon relay and a 5k. The health expo and packet pickup the day before was small and FUN. The race T-shirts are technical shirts (huge thumbs up there) and the overall coordination of the race including post race finisher area was excellent! It might go down as one of my favorite races to date.

Here's my recap!

Jenny and a bunch of her friends are running the Run with Donna Half Marathon in Jacksonville Beach next weekend and I'm still officially "taking a break" before beginning Seattle Marathon training so our goal for this race was simple: To Have FUN! No expectations of time or place. We meet up with our teammates at the expo and didn't even discuss strategy. It seems that everyone is just out to have fun, which equals perfect. The only drawback to this is being left wondering just how fast your teammates will be and when they will be showing up to hand off the microchip to you at the transition area. I've learned to never judge a runner based on appearance so we leave the expo not knowing what to expect. All Jenny and I know is I'm running miles 15-20 and I'll hand off to her to finish miles 20-26.2. She's the anchor and I'm the chain!

There are 19 relay teams with 5 members on each team. This is the first year for relay teams as part of the marathon. To prepare for this race Jenny and I did the following:

1.) prepare a light pasta dish with mushrooms and red sauce and eat a red bell pepper with humus all mixed down with a $3.99 bottle of pinot grigio labeled Promiscuous.
2.) Attend a private "martini party" at a country club with a "Prom" any decade dress code (yes, TallguySurfing wore his vintage 1996 Tuxedo) until the wee hours of the morning.
3.) Carb load with a mixture of Appletinis, Pomegranatinis and Cosmos until we felt and, unfortunately for viewers, acted like Rockstars!
4.) Made sure all of our muscles were in good racing order by dancing for extending periods of time.
5.) After approximately 3 or 4 hours of sleep (we can't actually remember) get up at 5:45 a.m. to head to the race starting area.
6.) and in retrospect I would not recommend this race preparation unless you plan to Chase Cows.



By the way, the temperature at this time of day is about 28 degrees. Seriously people? Have I mentioned that I live in Florida?!?!? As Jenny and I pull up to the parking area later than hell, we see the race start and hundreds of runners tear down 34th Street and Hull Road. Ironically, the race even started late at 7:10 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.



This is when I realized how glad I was NOT to be one of the first runners. At least it'll warm up just a bit before it's my turn. We find a race coordinator and make our way to the limo service that's busy transporting all the relay team members to their transition points. I load up with all the 4th leg runners. It's a full on party bus limo with two "stripper-like" poles in the aisle, flashing lights and dance music blaring. My head is pounding, my hands and feet are freezing numb and my body reminds me of the wonderful job I did preparing for this race last night. All 19 runners are sitting inside in silence. I think we're all thinking the same thing of not really knowing what to think.

Once we're dropped off at the transition point there is some confusion about "drop bags." The race volunteer on the limo does not know what will happen to our bags if we leave them at the transition point that is currently manned by nobody. The only concrete option she has for us is to leave our bags on the limo dropping us off so they can be transported back to the start/finish line. It's still below freezing and by my best estimate the elite runners leading the race probably won't be here for at least 30 minutes. Leaving my jacket right now sounds like suicide so a few fellow relay runners and I devise the brilliant plan of reminding our teammate's to bring our bags back for us as we're getting our chips handed off to us. Problem solved!

Now the waiting begins. On the limo nobody was talking. I try to be social and end up talking to a few runners. One girl ran the Disney Half Marathon last month so we compared notes on how we both froze our asses off in those races. Another runner is actually a physician at the hospital and knows Jenny. We have a friendly conversation as the lead runner approaches. He's moving at a strong clip and refuses water or Gatorade. He just blasts right through the aid station. What's even more amazing is he's got a minute and a half on the second and third position runners at mile 15. He would end up winning the race with a time of 2:25:34.3.

All in all I estimate waiting for about 45 minutes at the transition area. During this time I lose feeling in my toes, but manage to keep the rest of my body warm. The physician, who gets his hand off about 10 minutes before me, removed his long pants before leaving and said while he feels cold he believes he'll warm up at his 7-minute intended pace. This sparks an idea in my head... a leap of faith or an experience gaining event in my growing running education. It hasn't occurred to me to take off my Nike DryFit long pants and run the race in the shorts I'm wearing underneath. My personal time goal is anything under 43-minutes and as long as I run at that pace I think I'll warm up quickly. A few runners and I guess that it's warmed up to mid-30s and I nervously remove my pants and reveal my chicken legs. Yes, it's cold, very COLD, but almost catching me off guard I notice my teammate approaching mile 15. She's looking strong and this energy charges me even more as I'm stoked there are still at least half the relay people still waiting. She arrives and I quickly ask her to bring my bag back, grab the microchip and I'm off!

The volunteers are clapping and yelling as I blow through the aid station and head east toward downtown. There are no other runners around me, but I'm energized! I have to tell myself to slow it down a bit after a half mile or so. The course map shows some hills in the first two miles or so of my leg and then a lot of downhill action the last half. The air is really cold and actually hurting my lungs. I look at my watch and it reads 9-minutes. I'm somewhere in downtown Gainesville, but I haven't been paying attention. I never saw a mile-16 sign, but I know I've gone at least a mile. Finally I spot the mile 17 sign and check my watch - 14-minutes. Kickass! I'm feeling great. And bonus... I can feel my toes again!

I start to pass a few runners. I actually slow down behind the first one because I feel bad about passing him and decide to think about whether I should say anything to him as I pass. He is running the full marathon and I don't want him to feel bad when I blow past him near the infamous 18-mile mark. What should I say? "Excuse me, don't mind me, I'm just a lowly marathon relay runner," or "It's OK I'm a relay runner, but I ran the full Disney last month and I feel your pain dude... you're doing great by the way... tallyho?"

I decide not to say anything, not to make eye-contact or anything. I just pretend they aren't there and run on by minding my own business. Thinking back I probably should have said some kind of words of encouragement. Oh well, I've got a relay to run!

Right around mile 18 when I'm expecting a lot of downhill running I run around a slow curve only to see a giant hill in front of me. "What the eff?" This is not a big deal, but when you are expecting to go downhill and you see a giant uphill half mile in front of you it kind of blows your mind. I had to laugh about how angry I'd be if I was running the full marathon. "Congratulations! You've made it to mile 18! Here's a wonderful hill for you!"

The last two miles are up and down with several large hills. I feel them slowing me down and I try and make up time as I run down each hill, but going down just sucks for me. It actually hurts my legs more than going up. I need to run more bridges! What's worse is last night's martini-drinking carb loading debauchery seems to be catching up with me. For some strange reason my body has decided it will be useful to burp... A LOT. At one point it seems like I'm burping every other step. I'm sure things could be way worse in the world of runners and embarrassing body "functions" but this is very odd and amusing to me.

Burp burp burp....

It's a good thing that nobody is within 100-yards of me. If it were Disney I'd surely be getting a few stares by other runners hearing my burping. Stupid martinis!

Soon I see the mile-20 marker. Then I see Jenny waiting for me. Then I dramatically drop the microchip as I try and undo the strap a few hundred feet before the transition area, which I'm sure was some cheap entertainment for all the relay runners freezing their butts off to watch while waiting. As I make it to Jenny I stop my watch, hand her the chip and manage to tell her good luck, remember not to over do it, fun run is the goal and give her a kiss! She tears off down Williston Road to finish out the remaining 6.2 miles.

After at least a 30 minute wait the limo service picks up about 10 of us relay runners and takes us to the finish line where we arrive just as Jenny is crossing the finish line.

Team Lickety Splits official time: 3:39:34.1
Not to shabby!
My 5-mile leg time (according to my watch as there were no split timers): 40:15

I was so stoked to have beat my goal. I think without the hills and burping I probably could have sustained that early 7-minute pace, but that's for a different race. I'm glad I ran it in short pants as opposed to the long pants and I felt strong the entire time. I also absolutely LOVE my Brooks Adrenaline shoes!

This was a great race for a great cause. Everything was run smoothly and the only minor confusion in the relay portion was the deal with the drop bags and having to wait an extending amount of time in the cold after running for a shuttle back to the finish/start line. I'm sure they'll get the kinks worked out of the relay next year. Now if only Mother Nature would warm up Florida a bit, provide a good swell and longer days. I am way over due for a surfing post!

New Years Weekend Trail Run

A few posts ago I introduced you to the Cellon Creek Loop at the San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park here in Florida where the Dietitian and I ran a 5-mile loop and I regrettably forgot my camera. I was forced to use a couple stock photos of the park in my recap.

But guess what?!?

I returned to the park for another trail run this past New Years weekend with the Dietitian and two of her running friends. They set out to do 15-miles. Not wanting to risk aggravating my Achilles tendon, I decided to run the first two miles with them and then take the Cellon Creek Loop back to the truck and see how I feel. This time we saw even more deer. My last count was 22 I think. I completed one loop and then a little extra to make it 5 miles and felt amazing. The air temperature was in the upper 30s when we started out. Nobody like it. I wore my Nike Fit long pants, wool socks, long sleeve Under Armor Heat Gear, Addias running gloves (which I'm absolutely in love with) and a beanie. It took at least 3 miles to warm up, but by the end of the first loop I felt so good I decided to go for another loop. It would be about 10 miles. Hey, it's better to be running and staying warm than freezing cold and waiting for the girls to finish their 15-miler!

Not 30 seconds after I finished my 10 miles and started to stretch I hear voices behind me. The girls have returned. I think to myself, "Holy crap, they did 15 in the time it took me to do 10? Damn, I'm slow." The Dietitian runs up and gives me a big hug! They are all stoked, but have only done 11.5 miles. "Thank God," I think to myself. They doubled back to use the restrooms and still plan on finishing off the 15-miles on the Cellon Creek Loop.

For good measure, I jumped on my mountain bike and did the Loop one more time crossing path with the Dietitian and her friends somewhere near the middle.

So... Less than a week until the Disney Marathon and I was able to run a 10 mile trail run at around a 10-minute pace (picture taking included) and do another 5 miles on the mountain bike with very little Achilles tendon pain. What's even more exciting is I kept telling myself after the run/bike that I need to remember to take some anti-inflammatory drugs and ice my Achilles. We all went out for a glorious brunch at The Flying Biscuit and I totally forgot about my Achilles until hours later. I neglected it by accident only to realize there was no difference. It wasn't swollen up or aggravated. While the ice and drugs make for a good precaution, I didn't need them after all. Maybe I'm more healed up than I think?

I remembered the camera this time around! Here are a few pictures I snapped during the run.

Hitting the trails in Gainesville

Ahhhhh Gainesville. So many memories, so many stories. It's hard to believe that it's been a decade since I lived in this small, yet big, college town surrounded by what I like to call "real Florida," or otherwise known as the north central part of the state that tends to be more "southern" than the Hispanic dominated south Florida or the Yankee dominated coastlines. It's amazing that my college memories during my years at the University of Florida seem to be primarily limited to parties, football games, friends and a few bars, some of which no longer exists, but the parks, natural environment, recreation areas and outdoor activities are nothing but a void. I guess I had a few too many beers back in the day.

Nevertheless, I'm happy to say that last week I got to experience a small slice of this town that I'm actually a little ashamed of never taking advantage of while I was a resident party animal. The San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, located just north of Gainesville off C.R. 232, is absolutely beautiful. It's about 6,900 acres of trails accommodating hikers, bicyclist and equestrians. The Dietitian and I planned out a 4.5 mile run, turned 5-miler (we got temporarily confused), along the Cellon Creek Loop, which is described as "traversing both sides of Cellon Creek as it winds through rolling terrain and across small jog jumps. This is a 4-mile intermediate level trail."

It was a crisp morning as the air temperature was in the upper 40s. This would be my first trail run since before injuring my Achilles tendon in September. Not really knowing how to dress for running in cold weather (we're used to running in 90+ degrees down here in Florida) I opted for a long sleeve Under Armor Heat Gear top, running shorts and some wool snowboarding socks. The dietitian wore a long sleeve tech shirt, long running pants and gloves.

The trail was super fun right away. Unlike some of the trails I run around New Smyrna Beach, this area of Florida has very little palmetto plants and palm trees. There's less under growth in the hammock making for better visibility. Less palm trees mean more oak and pine trees and other hardwoods. The trail was heavy with gnarly roots protruding chaotically here and there on the trail requiring constant attention to every step. This dodging of the roots works the core muscles so much more than a regular run on pavement. I love it! The ground is laden with leaves. So much so that extra care must be taken not to slip. The leaves also have the tendency to cover up and hide one of the gnarly roots just waiting to twist an ankle, but this is what I define as trail running!

About halfway through the trail we realize that we're not on the trail. We've been chatting up a storm and totally not paying attention. It's a good thing the Dietitian knows the area because I'm completely lost and would otherwise have to pull out some Bear Grylls knowledge to get us back on track. We double back and find our way back on the trail. About a mile later we're chatting away again making a bunch of noise while I hear a loud shuffle ahead. At first I think some mountain bikers are headed our way and then appearing out of nowhere two deer jump right in front of us not but 20 feet away! They're both doe. Figures that the one time I leave the camera in the truck, this happens! They stop and watch us run by and I sense little fear from them, unlike the deer found in the woods around my home that are more accustomed to hunters shooting at them. Awesome.

Right around the 4-mile mark we emerge into a huge grassy field rolling with small Florida "hills" that reminds me somewhat to other areas of the south like Alabama. The last mile skirts the tree line just within the woods but keeping visibility of the field before we arrive back at the parking area. The run was great. My company was even better. My Achilles tendon spoke to me a little, but did not complain in the hours and days after the run so I'm giving myself a big SUCCESS on this trail run and look forward to visiting the preserve again on future trips to good old Gainesville!

Tour de Florida Football Recap

327 miles driven
1 trumpet dropped on concrete
1 camera dropped on concrete
3 orange and blue glazed donuts consumed
2 football games in 2 days
2 tailgates in 2 days
1 Waldo sighting

Favorite Weekend Quotes:
"You suck... back up!"
"Gator Band Good!"
"What F*ck The?" (WFT not WTF)
"Squeeze hit!"
"Are you ready band, Hell yeah!"
"I want to set her purse on fire."

What a great weekend? I'm soooooo tired and at the same time feeling the need for some exercise. I ate way too much junk and drank enough to almost be worthy of living in Gainesville again. This weekend was the Gator Band Alumni Game. The University of Florida Gators (who are number 1 in the polls by the way) played Florida International University (a sacrificial lamb of sorts). The final score isn't important. We'll just say they could have had the Gator cheerleaders in playing toward the end of the game. The important part was the fun times. I got to see dozens of old friends, some of whom I had not seen in a decade since our old glory days as band geeks. This was the first year I've attended Alumni Band for the entire weekend and not just the game. Yes, they actually have a practice, a business meeting and a cookout, not to mention marching across the field at halftime with the real band to park and play a few songs. I lucked out and got a spot on the 50-yard-line only three rows back. Trumpets always get a kick butt spot on the field. I figured out a way to clip my Go Pro Camera in my music lyre on my trumpet for some interesting wide-angle shots. On Sunday I said farewell to my friends and Gainesville (ahhhh... what a great town) and drove up to Jacksonville for football day two! I rendezvous with some other friends to tailgate and attend the Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Buffalo Bills. Jags won with a game winning touchdown with 56-seconds remaining. Here's a few photos to recap the good times!

Let the tailgating begin!

One of my contributions to the Alumni Band tailgating... a recipe I found on Vancity Allie's blog. See it here under "The Most Absolutely Delicious and Moist Banana Bread Recipe."
It really is the most absolutely delicious banana bread and I'm totally making it again for Thanksgiving!

TEBOW! Need I say more?!?

Go Band!

Daniel and I before halftime. Two old trumpet friends!

"Gator Band Good!" lol... you'd have to be a band geek to get it. Can you spot me?

Can you spot Waldo? Where's Waldo?

Jags game!

It was a fun weekend, but like I said, I'm seriously feeling the need for some exercise. My Achilles tendon is still prohibiting me from running, but I'm going to try some long bike rides this week, perhaps some surfing and yoga. Happy Thanksgiving week everyone!