Run Your Cupcakes Off - The Cupcake Race 5k 2021

Oh, you guys... I think this has to be Two and a Half Strikes, You're Out for this Race Director. At least for me... 

Back in 2018, I ran a local race called The Cupcake Race. It was bad, all the way around, from Packet Pickup to Final Results. But I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, you know! So a few years later, now in 2021, I signed up for Run Your Buns Off 5k in April. It would run along the Trail, a place I'm familiar with, and a similar route to the Cupcake Race from 2018. Okay, cool, let's do this!

And then the issues began.

First, they moved the race from where it originally started, at the local park, to a different park along the Trail - that was 30 minutes away from my house. Usually not a big deal, but I needed extra time now to take Hubby to work and make it on time to the race.  

Then, when I went to Packet Pickup the day before, I was told that they had no shirts available in my size (requested an XXL when I registered for this event), but they would be available the next day at the race... all I got was my bib. Okay, that kind of sucks. Being a Bigger Gal, I'm used to never getting a shirt in my size anyway, but I hate when I spend so much on a race and don't get any kind of swag!

And then Mother Nature herself decided to just shit all over the race. 

So the race was cancelled. 

People who showed up before the storm got their shirts AND a cinnamon bun!

Now absolutely, don't get me wrong here, cancelled a race with dangerous weather like this in the area absolutely was the correct way to go. I don't fault them one bit for this decision! 

Out of curiosity, I emailed them a few days later (to give them time to recover) and I asked about whether or not there would be a way for me to get my shirt, since I didn't get it at early packet pickup. I never got an answer back at all. Okay, fine. I'll just take the loss and move on. 

A week or so after that, we all got an email telling us that we could either defer to 2022, or transfer to The Cupcake Race in November 2021. I would also like to point out that they gave away all 200 cinnamon buns to St. Francis House, a local homeless shelter in the area, so that was heartwarming. 

I went back and forth for a while, trying to figure out what I wanted to do... I'd already run a Cupcake Race, and it was shitty. Would this one be better? They had a few years to work out kinks, right? Or should I wait for 2022? I decided to sign up for the Cupcake Race, because it would at least be cool (as opposed to an April race)! 

So, here we are in November, and boy, this was just slightly better than 2018, but not by much. On the Friday before the race, I went over to early Packet-Pickup at a nearby gym, and it was worse than 2018, I think. They had tables outside, but no organization at all. It took about 30 minutes for me to go from where I was standing in this photo to actually getting my bib and shirt. 

Now, you can see, again, that I requested an XXXL tank when I registered. And are we at all surprised that, when I got my packet, there were no XXXL shirts available. They didn't even order any XXXL shirts from the distributor. Like, if you aren't going to order them, don't have that size as an option! She ended up giving me an XL and muttering that I might be able to swap for a men's tank at the race tomorrow. Yeah, cuz that'll fit well... I'm not hopeful, folks, not at all. 

Two sizes too small, horrible color, juvenile MS Paint logo...

So, Saturday morning dawned a little overcast but temperate, so I wore one of my SparkleSkirts and headed to the race site. Parking was relatively easy, since I was able to get there so early. I was thankful that I hoard warm clothes in my car, because as I waited around, I could feel the air getting chillier... I think it must have dropped 10 degrees! I was regretting my skirt, I can tell you that! 

Looking toward the starting area

Alright, let's go!

We were told that the race started at 8am, so everyone started heading to the Start Line around 7:50am. 

We're all just waiting and shivering here!

And we waited. And waited. I ran into a friend of mine and we chatted for a while. Again - just like at the Cupcake Race - they were going to send the runners off in waves, even though we had not been told beforehand that this was going to happen. So, the half runners were sent off first, but a lot of them had no idea, because they were in the back of the line with us. Then they sent the 10k people. And finally, the 5k people. 

Nothing really eventful happened during the race, which was nice, so I don't have many photos. The only surprise on this course was the ass-destroying hill climb right around the halfway point. I'd never done this portion of the Trail before, so it was not something I knew about going in. 

The photos can't capture how steep this grade is!

But beautiful, and I'll run here again soon!

Luckily, a brutal hill climb like this on an out-and-back course means a beautiful hill descent on the way back, which it was! The rest of the race was smooth sailing after that. I finished in just over 57 minutes, which absolutely sucked, but whatever... Covid fucks everything up. 

I got my cute little medal and looked around for the damn cupcakes. 

Aww, it's so tiny

Cupcakes this time around came from Gigi's, and included varieties such as Cookies 'n' Cream, Wedding Cake, Affogato, Red Velvet, and Toffee Crunch. I defaulted to Wedding Cake ("Perfectly simple vanilla cake topped with signature homemade buttercream") because everything else seemed too over the top for me at the time. 

It was... alright. Nothing spectacular to write home about. Certainly not a $5 cupcake. But it was full of sugar and carbs, which always comes in handy after a 5k. 

So... Yeah. I'm done with Craig Levan (the RD). He and his team are just not good at this. I don't want to keep spending $35-40 on a race that sucks. Sorry, buddy. 

Empty Beaches & Treasure Hunting - Endless Summer 5k Race Report 2021

So, this was a race that I've wanted to do for a few years.  I love St. Augustine, and I love the quirky description of the tee you get: 

Our Turtle Shirts have been extremely Popular. In fact, it's the "BEST T-Shirt in Running HISTORY" (so says the artist).  

This year was the 18th annual race, which benefits Don's Foundation, a foundation dedicated to encouraging college students to choose the Alternative Break, where students choose to travel on their breaks and help those less fortunate. Sadly, Don passed away at only 22, in 2009, after a tragic fall while at home. 

I was psyched for this race when I signed up in March, but a few months later, we planned our Anniversary Adventure Road Trip, and oh crap... This race was scheduled for September 11, when we're on vacation..! I was bummed, and reached out to Jim the Race Director to see if I could have my swag mailed to me. He was more than willing to send everything to me, which was great. 

But then, just a few weeks before the race was set, I got an email telling participants that the race was postponed (not cancelled!). Don's Foundation chose to move it to November because of "current Covid concerns."   

Endless Summer 10K Cross Country and 5K Beach Run/Walk are temporarily postponed...not canceled.

 We are making plans for a November run as we did last year.

Both the 10K & 5K Runs are SOLD OUT.  However, many of those who registered for the runs have recently transferred to the Virtual Runs amid current covid concerns.  Also, our Florida State Park system and our local Sheriff's Office have been affected by covid, as you may have heard.
     For these reasons we have chosen, out of respect for many of you and our partners at the State Park, to postpone the events until a date in November (to be determined).  Note that this was not at the request of the State of Florida......just a decision we made to support you and our local partners.  
   Many of you will be glad that the events are being postponed, as most of the Virtual Runners would rather switch back and run the actual 10K or 5K.    Also, many of you may be disappointed....but, we can all hope that the weather will be much nicer in November :)  Also, we hope to be able to run both races in November with less restrictions (as last year).  
    We do have a nice advantage as our runs take place in Anastasia State Park, which also allows us to reschedule for any reason including inclement weather.
We will not have a September packet pick up, as we did last year.  All packets will be picked up during race week (dates to be determined soon).

This was a very tough decision for us.
We want to put on a great event for all of the participants and hopefully things will be a little better in a month or two.  We are exploring a date in November and will let all of you know very soon.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
We appreciate each and everyone of our participants, sponsors and partners.

Oh, okay! This sucks for everyone who was ready for a September race, but this worked out great for me! I quickly emailed Jim and let him know that I was able to participate in person, and looked forward to a much less humid fall race along the beach. 

Oh, but wait?!?

Is this the same week as The Cupcake Race? No, it's okay. That race is the weekend after this one. 

So I made my way to St. Augustine on a cloudy Saturday morning, sadly without my little point & shoot camera. Yes, I lost another freaking camera (Hello, my name is Lazy and I lose cameras). The last time I remember having it for a race was last month at Run the Runway. For the life of me, I can't figure out where it would have disappeared to, or where I might have lost it. At this point, I'm wondering if it's even worth it to buy a new camera, or if I should just embrace doing photos with my phone... I guess I'll shop around and see if there's anything affordable out there right now. And if I can get a Tile or something to help me find that one when I inevitably lose it, too!

Anyway, I was able to score a parking spot inside Anastasia Island State Park - I think there was only one or two more spots open before they made people park outside the park. I picked up my goody bag, which was a neat backpack, and had my bib, tee (damnit, they gave me a dude's shirt, not a ladies v-neck, grrrr), sticker, and random koozie. 

Single-Strap Backpack with Front Pocket & Luggage Tag

Sticker (will turn into Magnet)

Boy Howdy! What is Creem USA? 

Photo of Race Shirts (courtesy Don's Friend website)

I ran it back to my car, hit the potty, then lined up near the Start Line. We sang the Anthem then started the race. 

The flag was massive, hung from a Fire Truck

We went right out onto the beach, through an entryway that was a bit of a bottleneck. 

Waiting for the fast folks to get out of my way

Once on the hard-packed shoreline, everyone spread out and found their pace. 

Lots of room now

Dreary Selfie

Turn Around Point for the 5k

It was a very boring course, honestly. The overcast sky made everything so dank and dreary; there was no gorgeous Florida sunrise to enjoy.  

Yes, there's people behind me!

If I was just out here to enjoy the beach, as a beach-goer, I would have loved the day, but there was no energy here, and I often felt completely alone. 

Hello? Is there anyone out there? 

Eventually, we had to leave the beach, and instead of coming back in where we came from, we had to climb these "massive" dunes to get to a gorgeous boardwalk. I feel like this was just an accident waiting to happen, especially for the really, really fast people, and the really, really slow people in the back. For instance, the pair in front of me were probably in their 70s, and had a hard time fighting through the soft sand. 

There's a walkway there somewhere

Once up on the boardwalk, it was much easier to keep your footing, and it was beautiful in that area. 

This is probably gorgeous during sunset

At the end of the boardwalk, you hooked a right, made a circle of the parking lot (I left my water bottle on the trunk of my car, so convenient!) before coming up the road to the finish line. 

Almost done!

Hang a right!

With an amazingly terrible time of a few seconds over ONE HOUR, I picked up my medal and wandered around for a few minutes before asking someone to take a finish photo for me. 

It's a cute medal; matches my manicure!

Wearing my "Waves" Sparkle Skirt (get it, waves?)

I came in 267th out of 300 total runners, last in my age group, and the 165th Female out of only 187. 1:01:16 Gun Time (1:00:49 Chip Time), with a 19:35mm pace. I blame some of this on the "beach" part of the race, but also just because I wasn't feeling this race, and so I didn't put a whole lot of effort into it. 

I wandered around afterward a little, drinking some water, but didn't stick around for any awards or anything. I changed my clothes in the restroom near the car, then headed out into the city to find treasures. First up was the Betty Griffin Center Anastasia Island Thrift Shoppe on SR-312. There's another on in Fruit Cove (haven't been to that one), and they support survivors of domestic or sexual violence in the local communities. 

This was the first time I've been there, and I'm in love! I generally don't look for clothing at thrift stores (because fat girl clothing is hard to find, and usually worn ragged), but I was impressed by the amount of clothing they had. They had massive amounts of shoes and accessories too. In one area, they had what felt like an entire department of textiles - sheets, pillowcases, towels, blankets, etc. I scored 2 blank pillow forms, two half pillows, and two Christmas pillows. I also picked up a few kitchen items, and two massive Christmas wreaths for four bucks each! I plan on going to Dollar Tree to get stuff to decorate them. 

After scoring some treasures, I had a trashy lunch at Steak & Shake, complete with electric cheese sauce for dipping. 

Last stop on any trip to St. Augustine is Buc-ee's. I really wanted this shirt, but they didn't have it in my size (and let's be honest... I stain any white shirt within a week of owning it). 

Yes, that's a cart full of Buc-ee's treasures! Chips, fudge, cookies, jerky, Beaver Nuggets, probably a shirt, and two drinks for the road. 

So, would I do this race again? Eh, maybe. I liked Don's Foundation and what they support. I liked the location, kind of. I think I'm going to withhold a decision for now... Covid has made so many things weird and wonky, that I should do it at least one more time, when shit gets totally back to normal, before making a final decision.