I'm Not a Quitter - St. Augustine Half-Marathon Race Report

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I really don't even want to write this post. I'm already getting irrationally mad. Usually, I'll outline the post the night of the event, and write it the next day, but to be perfectly honest, I'm writing this from the future, oooooooooo! This race kicked my ass, not in a good way, and I'm done... I'm done with running this race.

So, since there's no outline, and I'm blogging from the future, I'll try to keep this short.

Hubby and I, sans Kiddo, drove in to town, going first to the "Expo" (which is just a tent to get your shirt and bib, then maybe two vendors), then checked in to the Super 8 Saint Augustine Beach. Previously, we've stayed at the Regency Inn & Suites (practically next door), but they were full because I took too long to book the hotel. So we settled for this (pro tip - don't stay here. It's not shitty, but I've stayed at plenty better $60/night hotels!). We had some lovely Adult Time, then headed over to Schooner's for dinner. This place is great; my dad always taught me to not just eat where the locals eat, but to eat where the local old folks eat - they know where the great tasting, and affordable food is. I've never been steered wrong! (You can also get great seafood at O'Steen's or Barnacle Bill's, but I'm partial to Schooner's).


When I woke up Saturday morning, I began to worry. At 6am, it was already 72º with 75% humidity. Today was going to be difficult.

They changed the course a little bit, and this year, we all lined up behind the field, rather than on A1A by the Castillo. This year, the 10k, 5k and Half-Marathon all ran at the same time (okay, so there's a 5-minute take-off time difference).

Gotta love Florida in November

At 7am, those of us running the half took off into the already hot and humid Florida morning.

There was a beautiful Indian couple having wedding photos taken at sunrise... so wonderful!

Seeing the mile markers in slightly different areas was a little disconcerting - I'm used to Mile 1 being somewhere else...

Only 12 to go

I made it over the bridge, though I was bombarded on both sides with 5k and 10k runners.

Seriously... I was beat by a dude with crutches

We lost a lot of runners to the 5k, and the crowd in front of me got much smaller.

There's still some bodies ahead of me

Sadly, by the time I got to the Mile 3 sign, I was 3rd from last. I hate being last. Only the TuTu girls were behind me. My mood - which was already in the tank already - was not improving. I wanted to bail. I wanted to quit.

There's a runner... way up there.

I stared at this for a long time, walking up to it... I could turn around right now. No one would know. I could just tell my Hubby that I wasn't "feelin' it" and decided to cut out early. He'd understand.

Do it.   Do it.   Do it.   Do it.   Don't do it.   Do it.   Don't do it.

But I couldn't do that. I'm not a quitter.

But, holy shit, how bad did it feel to walk past that turnaround, knowing I had 10 more miles to go?

By Mile 4, I accepted my fate that I was going to be 3rd from last for pretty much the entire race. 

I'm so alone!

No, buzzards... I'm not gonna die here...

No... I'm pretty sure it's a miracle that I'll finish

By Mile 5, I don't think I could even see anyone in front of me. It was very lonely out here.

I haven't even completed 10k yet...

I huffed and puffed my way up the bridge. I was so far in the back, there were hardly even any runners on the other side of the bridge!

Very few folks over on the left

Mile 6 now, going downhill.  I'm not even halfway through this race and I want to quit.

Fuck your sign. I want to quit.

Ironically, my 10k split isn't all that terrible. That's maybe 2-3 minutes slower than my usual time. But with less than 500 runners, it just looks bad.

I've run dedicated 10ks slower than this split... maybe it's not so bad...

Oh damn... there's the Cone Wagon

I came around the turn around spot and began my way back up the bridge when the worst happened... I was passed by the final two walkers.  You may remember them from last year - the TuTu wonders who wanted to be the final two finishers.

And they passed me.

Never have I felt so betrayed!

Mile 7 means I'm officially past the halfway mark. But all that really tells me is that I have that much more to go...

I kept up with them for a good quarter-mile or so...

I'm just so spent at this point. It's hot as fuck. My lungs are dying, despite multiple hits from Vlad (the Inhaler). My legs feel like cinder-blocks, despite being on the ball with my fuel plan (Goo or Chew, every Two).

I'm being followed by the Sag Vehicle by Mile 8 (actually, probably while still on the bridge), and I'm mentally in tears. I've never had a race feel this bad... internally, externally, mentally... I was in hell.

I got to Mile 8 around 9:30am

I turned to the Sag Wagon and motioned him forward to me, but I think he  thought I was waving him ahead of me, like I was holding him up. After 30 seconds of this pantomime, I walked back to him and asked if I could Sag in his car for a little bit. He said sure, so I climbed in the backseat.

This was taken at 10am, back on A1A behind the TuTus

I was a quitter. I sat in the back of that car and mentally reamed myself for all of the bad choices I'd made over the past few months, over the past few days, and during the race. Run faster, fuel better, take fewer rest breaks, blah blah blah. I truly hated myself.

The Sag Wagon still had to Sag, so we ended up following the TuTus, and that's when I learned why the course was changed: In previous years, the race went through Anastasia Island State Park. When the Race Director was planning this year's race, the Park demanded thousands of dollars for that access (it was either $3k or $5k, I can't remember)! So, the RD said no thanks, and rerouted the course. It still went through the neighborhood around Santandler, but it came back out and followed A1A to the finish.

We followed the TuTus through the neighborhood and back out to A1A.

Another decision the RD made - and one of the big reasons I'm not going to do this race again - is that they were going to open the roads at 10am. That meant that - even though I'd been told the race had a 3:30 course time limit - they were shutting the course 30 minutes earlier than advertised, and those of us in the back would have to finish the race on the sidewalk. This also meant that any water stops would be gone. I've run this race three times, and each time, I've felt undervalued as a Back of the Pack runner. This time, I felt like a disgusting piece of gum on a fast runner's shoe.

We stayed behind the TuTus until 10am, when the roads were opened, and then the Sag began to take off towards the finish line. I asked if he would stop and let me out - I wanted to finish this on my own two feet, including walking back over the bridge. He was hesitant, but let me out right past Mile 11. Those of you who can math, that means I sagged for 3 miles.

I passed the Mile 11 sign (still in the car) at 10:07

I'd been in the car for about a half-hour, enjoying comfortable Toyota Avalon leather seats and beautiful air conditioning, so by the time I got out, my whole body had stiffened up. I worked out the kinks pretty quickly though... on the sidewalk.

I paid the same race fee, don't close the roads!

Even up here, among the "faster" Back of the Pack people, there were very few people. I think I saw two people ahead of me?

The Mile 12 sign was now in front of the bridge, rather than in the middle of it, thanks to course redesign.

I'm not a quitter - I'm gonna cross that bridge when I come to it!

I was able to get across the bridge without having to stop for a fucking drawbridge, too!

It's a shitty photo, but the sentiment is clear

I had to dodge tourists all along the seawall sidewalk, between the bridge and the Visitor's Center. I had to walk through the grass near the Castillo parking lot. I had to cross the street like fucking FROGGER to get to the damn finish line behind the Visitor's Center.

But I got there.

My "official" time was 3:30:07. My 10k split was 1:46:50. I was 32nd out of 32 in my age group. I came in before 9 other people, including the TuTus, whose actual names are Abdiela and Pattie. They came in at 3:49, and were able to beat 2 more people. The last finisher came in just over 3:52.

Using the pace time from my split to predict a more accurate time would put me crossing the finish line at 3:45:23. Still a great time for me (would be my 2nd fastest time, ironically).


When I crossed the finish line, I got my medal, and went over to where Hubby was. He saw the look on my face and knew something was up. I was mad. I told him I had to sag and that I wasn't going to do this race again, and... it must have been the tone in my voice, but he stopped asking questions after that.

Oooh, fancy filter

The finish line was pretty barren by the time we headed out; I don't think I got any Columbia's or even a can of soda, because they had already packed up. There might (might) have been some bottled water somewhere. I didn't want to stick around, I wanted to get my clothes out of the car and go change. Maybe getting the sweat of this race off my body would help improve my mood.

Once changed, we walked to Harry's for lunch. Hubby and I joked about the 2nd floor area - like I could really climb stairs! - and the waiter asked if upstairs was okay! HA! I gotta go up there, now...

We got a lovely - and quiet - table in a corner with lovely windows. One window looked towards the Castillo, while the other overlooked the exterior balcony and the Bridge of Lions.

Looking towards the Castillo

At least it's still a great medal

Smooshed by me, not them (they gave me TWO waters, since I ran!)

The burger was just okay... I should have stuck with fried shrimp. Oh well... Lesson learned for next time. Hubby liked it though.

We walked back along St. George Street, picking up some fudge and Oreos for the kiddo, then back to the car. With a stop at RaceTrac (no WaWas in St. Augustine), we headed home.

Next year, I'm going to have to find a better race for November/December. I can't do this one anymore. Even if this race was $50, I wouldn't feel it was worth it, because of how slow runners get the shit end of the stick. I paid $75 for this race, and I never will again. 

Go Girl!! - Wine & Dine Weekend Volunteering Report

Last night before I went to bed, I tried to activate my new TracFone (I was replacing an older LG phone with a newer Samsung Galaxy), but it wasn't working. I gave up and went to bed. When I got up on Friday at 7, I hopped in the shower and then Twittered on the couch with some OJ. I checked on the phone and it still wasn't activated (so, I couldn't actually use it). I got the family up, packed up the car and hit the road. Pit stop #1 was for Daylight Donuts. Pit stop #2 was for Polar Pop sodas at Circle K and Subway next door. I had a great coupon to use and didn't realize that I had to purchase a soda to use it, so I ended up with two very large sodas (even with the extra purchase of the soda, we saved $4!).

Our ETA to ESPN Wide World of Sports was about noon, but as we got near the Okahumpka Turnpike Plaza, I needed another pit stop. The entire way down, my poor ovaries were tying themselves in knots. I wasn't expecting my period for a few more days, but I wanted to be sure. I was correct, but I protected myself anyway, since I'd be busy for the next 12 hours.

Welcome to ESPNWWoS

We got to ESPN around 12:15, picked up our credentials and then sat in the lounge to eat our Subway (we couldn't check in for our Expo shift until 1pm). When we checked in for Expo, we were able to choose Shirt Exchange again, yay! We finished our sandwiches, picked up some Ziploc bags (you can only have one gallon-size Ziploc bag for your items, on the Expo floor - no longer allowed to have even clear backpacks), and headed over to Shirt Exchange with Paul, Darren, Ed, Joyce, and James.

Always fun to plow through crowds

Here we go!

There were lots of shirts this time around, we weren't turning away too many exchangers, which is always good. Although, it's getting out of hand, I think. You know, as a runner, when you sign up what size you are. You aren't going to magically lose 60 pounds before race day. So fat folks (of which I am one) really shouldn't be ordering a Small if they are currently an Extra-Large. If you are Chesticularly Gifted, assume the shirt will be tight on your girls and order up. If you're an extremely large gal, know that a Women's 2x will not fit you, and choose a Men's 2x - that equals a Women's 3x, but is boxier and not cut for a woman's body. It might not be "cute" but it will fit. If you know you want to give the shirt to your mom/dad/sister/brother/cousin/gas station guy/dog/whatever, order their size, rather than try to exchange your size, and get pissed when we don't have their size. You paid $200 for THAT shirt, not any shirt that you might get instead. Register wisely.

Okay, rant over...

Anyway, all three of us headed to lunch at 3:30; I picked up 2 Wetzel's Pretzels and sodas for me and The Kiddo, then we headed over to the Volunteer Lounge.

I wish they were saltier

When we came back, it was like someone opened the gates; it was busy!!! All I was doing was spinning back and forth, folding shirts, throwing shirts, spinning some more... A bright spot in my afternoon was a lovely guy named BJ. BJ was hoping to exchange his XL shirt to a Large or a Medium. We didn't have any right at that moment, so we stood around chatting for a while. He was a newbie, so he'd never been to an Expo like this one. He asked Hubby what was up with the lines for KT Tape - what does tape do? Hubby, of course, deferred the question to me, and I quickly filled in BJ about the benefits of kineseology tape.

He got tired of waiting for a different size shirt, so he took off (and to be honest, it was a little more boring after he left...) and we wound down our shift, counting shirts, so the next shift would know how many where left.

And then... out of nowhere... BJ! After talking about taping - he has a bad back - he went and stood in line at Rock Tape and got himself taped up. He came back to check on shirts (he finally swapped out for what he wanted, thanks to some Disney magic🎇), but also to show me his awesome tape job. So, here you go, Internet - BJ's back!

BJ!

We checked out, grabbed a sandwich and popped over to WaWa, then headed to the hotel - Red Lion Inn again. We scored a ground floor room with 2 queens (the kiddo isn't a fan of sofa beds). Once we unpacked, I pulled out my phone and saw it still wasn't done with activating. I've tried to activate like five times today. I was getting really frustrated, but I was too tired to care. We went to bed around 9:30. After setting the alarm for 1:30am, I was asleep within the hour.


Saturday, the alarm went off way too early, so I slammed the snooze at least twice before getting up and changed. The kiddo was running slow, but we made it out the door by 2:20. Yes, in the morning.

With a pit stop at WaWa for breakfast, we made it to Epcot by 3:40 and had time to eat breakfast in the car.  We checked in around 3:55 and got our shirts, snacks, and water. I chose to go up a size and get a 3x shirt to wear over my long sleeve shirt (rather than deal with a jacket).

We had to wait until 4pm to go to our spot, and while we waited our Team Leader handed out chEAR Squad clappers!

Someone pulled down one of the huge balloons

Our tiny Team Leader

Our spot ended up being behind the scenes at Epcot, where the Gospel Choir is. With nothing to do, to set up, or prepare, we were basically told to be at our spot by 5:45. I walked around a little bit, up to the finish line and back, into the park up to the Fountain of Nations, then a quick potty break in a Cast Member bathroom (ooh, the perks of being a volunteer, lol)

Sure hope they move that ladder

Empty Park!

I could photograph the sidewalks all day long

Toilet Selfie!

Back at the picnic table, I finished my Little Debbie brownie while Hubby and the Kiddo were babbling on about video games. I got so bored at one point, I pulled out my little notebook and began the outline for this blog post!

Hubby and the Kiddo, bonding over Pokemon or something

🠜 Finish Line                           Gospel Choir 🠞

Once done with that, my butt was hurting from the metal seat, so I wandered over to the Gospel Choir... they're lip syncing!!! I knew it! I feel as if millions of runners have been betrayed over the years!

Pretty

The first runner came through about 6am and it very quickly became a blur of people. Once the fast folks came though, I ditched the clappers for high fives - everyone loves those!

Goodbye, Clapper - time to high five

Basically every photo I took looked like this!

My camera battery died, so I switched over to my old phone and took photos with that. I saw lots of fun costumes, and we even saw BJ go by! He was in the zone, so he didn't see or hear us, but that's okay.

She's a runDisney Snack Box!

Mr and Mrs Potato Head

A Box of Popcorn

Tweedles, Jose and Panchito (Two Caballeros)

The last runner passed us by 9am, and then we walked back to the Volunteer Tent to check out. I grabbed a few leftover Powerades and then we headed back to the hotel.

After changing clothes, I got on the phone with TracFone to deal with a human. I was trying to move my service from one phone to another. My previous phone had over 1200 minutes on it, but for some reason the phone was not activating (spoiler alert - it was user error), and after 10-15 tries, it was time to get a human involved. I spoke to a lovely gentleman named JC and after about 30 minutes we were able to activate the phone, but he stated that they would only be able to move over 682 of my 1200+ minutes, was that okay? Uh, no, that's not okay! I paid for those minutes, I'd like to keep those minutes. After more back and forth, being put on hold to talk to "a supervisor" he came back to tell me that, oh, okay, just for you, I'll do it.  I think I actually still got screwed out of 100 minutes or so, but I was just happy to get the majority of them and to have my phone freaking work!

To celebrate, there was no better place than Long John Silver's for lunch, yum!

Spectacular photo...

Chicken and Shrimp Platter

We also made a stop at a close-by Walgreen's for some girl supplies and some cough drops. The Kiddo was feeling crappy, so we skipped a park, and headed back to the room for a nap. 

We woke up around 6, and nothing really sounded good for dinner, but we knew we needed to eat something. We decided on junk food from the 7-eleven across the street. The place was janky! Dirty, full of creepy people, and it even had a damn tourist kiosk by the door. Sure, creepy guy, let me stand here and buy Disney tickets from a sweaty dude at 7-eleven.  We got our Slurpees and Nachos to go, and after eating, we were asleep by 11pm. 

Sunday is always our last day, and it's always the hardest day, partly because we're already tired from the previous two days and partly because the final race is the biggest race, so there's more to do. 

We were up at 3am, and off to ESPN after picking up breakfast at WaWa. At check-in, they didn't have any 2x or even XL shirts available; I had to get a Large. A LARGE!  But guess what??

IT FIT!!!

We bused to Animal Kingdom, and our Team Leader was very quiet. We generally sit in the back of the bus (less chance of crowding), but I don't think we'd have been able to hear her if we sat in the 7th row! We had no idea what she was saying. 

Once we got to Animal Kingdom, we were going to be assigned spots. Only two people per spot, so the three of us would be split up. Very few people were volunteering for spots, because everyone wanted to be in Pandora. The Team Leader got very frustrated and just began grabbing people. The Kiddo and I were assigned to a spot right outside of Festival of the Lion King.  Hubby ended up two spots away by the Tree of Life. 

I took a potty break, then returned to our spot while the Kiddo pottied as well. While she was gone, Ola, a Character Handler, came out with six members of the Festival of the Lion King show! Oh, lord, Kiddo is gonna freak out. She absolutely loves The Lion King!

Festival of the Lion King Cast, with a Character Handler

We were able to get an amazing group shot with all of them, and another shot with Rafiki before the lead male came through. 

This is AMAZING!!

Rafiki!!

I can't help it... I love his blue butt

And hot on his heels, moments behind, was the lead female!!! Holy shit! That never happens! Women just aren't built to run the same that men do, but she won!!! 

Giovanni Martins (Brazil) finished the race with a time of 1:19:16. The lead male finished at 1:19:22. Seriously wish I could have been at the finish line for that!! She even took the time to give Mickey and Minnie a freakin' HUG before crossing the finish line. Come ON! How spectacular is she??

Okay, where was I?

Oh yeah... everyone else running...

We were in a spot right where runners had just come around a corner, so they couldn't see what was coming up (us) until they rounded the corner. I gotta say it was fun to see so many faces with surprise and delight when they saw the FotLK folks! The kiddo and I had a great time, dancing, singing along, all while wrangling runners or just chatting with them. The line was always long so time went by really fast!

Runners dressed up as FotLK characters

Bacchus (from Fantasia)

Darkwing Duck and Gosalyn Mallard

Bubble wrap for tentacles?? GENIUS!

They're dressed as WDW Transportation Signs

Indiana Jones (he ran in Paris, was doing Coast to Chateau, and had his Paris medal in his bag!)

Construction sign

Balloon Ladies - the end is near

We missed BJ coming through, but Hubby said that he saw him come though. Hopefully he finished! 

Every runner came by, by 7:30 a.m. so it was time to go.

Not before more photos, though! I'm so happy about this one!!

I love this one!!

Cast Group Photo, with Ola (Character Handler)

Okay, we gotta go or we're gonna miss the bus!

But... but... empty park photos!!

The Bridge to Pandora

The Floating Mountains of Avatar

The Tree of Life

Welcome to Dinoland U.S.A.

Looking through foliage towards Expedition Everest

Unpopular Opinion? I like Dino-Rama!

Come on!! Okay... <grumble, grumble... drag feet like a 3-year old...>

We bused through Animal Kingdom's backstage and back to ESPN to check out. Since our shift ended so early, we were able to return back to the hotel, though, the traffic was terrible!

Backstage, looking towards Expedition Everest

The Christmas Tree is almost ready to install

The Backside of Water (ride... Kali River Rapids)

I was looking forward to soaking in a hot bubble bath, but there was no tub stopper (I should have just shoved a washcloth in the drain...)! So we just chilled out, then packed up and checked out.

We braved race traffic again and headed over to Disney Springs for lunch. 

The front of Disney Springs is very pretty

We went to D-Luxe to try their new Donut-Breaded chicken nuggets. We got the nugget kid's meal as well as 2 cheeseburgers, fries and sodas. Hubby and I split the nuggets and one of the burgers. The nuggets were good, but actually weren't "donut-y" enough. I think I'll stick to their amazing burgers. 

While sitting there, enjoying Florida autumn, we discussed going to the park. We pulled up MDE, but after seeing random wait times, we conceded it was too damn busy and we were too damn tired. 

With a full tank of gas and a bag of snacks from WaWa, we headed home. My cramps returned with a vengeance, so by the time I got home, all I wanted to do was die. I stayed on the couch until 5:30 or so, then popped some popcorn and watched movies in bed.