Once upon a time, I was a Lazy Lady. In 2011, I decided to train for a half-marathon and since then, I've done 5ks, 10ks, 15ks, a few trail runs and over fifteen half-marathons! I haven't lost my focus though; I'm still lazy, and I'm still frugal, so please pull up a chair and join me in my continuing endeavor to be healthy, frugal, and happy!
When I registered for this race, I kinda forgot that I'd already signed up for a 5k just last weekend, so yeah... A back-to-back!
I didn't do a Race Report for the other race, but it was the Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward 5k. Always a good time, easy race because so many people are just walking. Nothing amazing happened. I got an amazing parking space about 1000 feet from the after-party, which was great. The tee shirt is super comfy. Picked up half a dozen bottles of Core water (love those for work because they're sturdy and refillable). Finished 56:38 and got a great medal.
Carry Forward 5k Medal
Anyway, so on to this race, the Endless Summer 5k on St. Augustine Beach. I did it back in 2021, and I said that I wasn't impressed, but that I'd give it another shot, so here we are.
I got there with plenty of time to spare to ensure that I got a parking spot in the lot within the park, and went to the front to get my packet, and that’s when shit
hit the fan. I was told that they didn’t have a shirt in my size – a Women’s XXL,
which I paid extra for. The old blue-haired cat-lady “allowed” me to get a Men’s XXL instead, which
was just so frustrating… Men’s shirts suck because they’re so boxy, which is
why I chose a Women’s shirt, and why I paid EXTRA for a Women’s shirt that
would actually fit my large woman body… At least the reusable tote bag and
sticker were cool.
Size 11 Flip-Flop for reference
As I
walked around and made my way over to the start line, I got a text on my phone;
it was my old boss asking if I was here – he said he thought he saw me! We
texted back and forth a few times before we found each other, gave each other
hugs, and then he went back to his family. We
took off and trudged through the soft sand to the hard-packed water line. I won’t
lie, my only goal today is to stay far enough in front of my old boss so
that we don’t have to chit-chat for an hour, or do that awkward “walking near
each other” dance. So I put some speed in my steps and kept my pace pretty
quick (of course, “quick” is relative, lol). Didn’t end up working all that
well, because we finished within a minute of each other, and only 10 people
between us.
Finished 59:42 (353 out of 463 Total Runners)
I got
my medal and photo, then headed back to my car. I hit up one of the beach
showers to wash all the sand and yuck from my legs before I headed out. I
changed my clothes and headed toward downtown to get some fudge, but sadly, my “super-secret
parking lot” directly behind Savannah Sweets has been turned into private
parking! So I drove around for a little bit, looking for parking, but it was
just busy EVERYWHERE, what the hell? Before I knew it almost an hour had gone
by! I gave up on fudge and went over to Schooner’s for lunch, and when I asked
the waitress why it was so busy in town, she told me that today was the first
day of Nights of Lights. Yep, that’ll do it! Everyone was here to see the town lit up in millions of
Christmas lights, no wonder there was nowhere to park! Also explains why I kept
seeing a lot of “Park Here for Shuttle” signs – being a person who goes to
Saint Augustine a lot, I assumed that those were for something specific, and
probably cost $20 to park! Oh well, no fudge for me. Instead I got delicious
fried shrimp. After that, I hopped over to Walmart for some pre-vacation shopping, then made my way home to pick Hubby up from work.
So,
now that I’ve done this race twice, do I think I’ll do it again? Nah, probably
not. The shirts are cute, but this is twice now that they haven’t had a shirt in
my size (ahem… THAT I PAID EXTRA FOR), and it’s just not special enough
to overlook that. Being in Florida, there’s lots of options for on-beach races, if I
want to do one of them instead (and I will… spoiler alert!)
Race
Notes
Location:
Anastasia State Park (Saint Augustine), FL
Host: Don's Friends
Race
Fee: $45.29 (Saved $3 with promo code ACRR)
Extra Fee: $2 (Women's XXL V-Neck Shirt)
Packet
Pickup: Easy to find, didn't have my shirt size
Parking:
Got there early enough to park in large Park parking lot; more parking available along the roads
Support:
One water table (accessible up and back)
After
Party: A few vendor/expo type tables, good snacks (Utz pretzels, Rice Krispie treats, bagels, bananas, water); No music or entertainment afterward
I've never been a trendsetter before, but you guys! I spread enough awareness of this run amongst my parkrun people that there were a bunch of us there! Whenever a group of us at parkrun are standing around, it never fails that we talk running and races! Last year, two people heard me talking about Spud Run and they ran it (I didn't know this at the time). A few weeks ago, I saw one of the guys wearing the 2024 shirt, and we started chatting about it, and he told me that he never would have known about it if not for me. As we were talking, another person asked about it, so I told them about it, and they told me the following week that they signed up to do it in April. Word got around and by race day, I think we were up to almost 10 people! Luis, Cliff, John, and Samuel all did the 15k challenge, where they ran the 10k first then the 5k. The rest of us just did the 5k.
I got there pretty early and got a good parking spot really close to the starting area. The library was closed off this year, so packet pickup was outside. I got my bib and shirt, and I was a little frosty... They didn't have any 2X shirts - why offer them if you aren't going to order them?! The XL fit, but is definitely tighter than I'd like, so for now, it's been relegated to a "hang around the house" shirt. I picked up my bag of potatoes and brought everything back to the car. I walked toward the finish line to cheer on any 10k parkrun finishers, but I could see Clifford's Big Red Truck and he was already done, so I made my way over there instead. We BS'd for a while then I went looking for others. I found Luis, who said that he finished the 10k in about 40 minutes! After that I found Kristen & Troy, the rest of our parkrun people, did the group shot (above) then lined up for the 5k.
I tried, y'all... I was looking forward to getting some running in, but my IT Band was not happy, so by Mile 1, I went back to straight walking. Kristen & Troy caught up with me and we walked together for about a mile, then took off on their own intervals (they finished maybe two minutes before me).
I actually beat my 2024 time, coming in at 56:32, wow! 278th out of 317 total finishers, I was the 160th female (out of 190) and the last finisher in my age group.
Yes, that medal is shaped like a potato!
Finish Line Video
Afterward, we all picked up our potatoes (I got a second bag, in lieu of cabbage) and went our separate ways for the day. I was kind of bummed, because I'd psyched my introverted self up for a group breakfast or something, but at the same time I was relieved that I didn't have to suffer through a group breakfast or something.
These potatoes were so freakin' delicious!
I changed clothes and got a soda at the nearby RaceTrac then spent the day shopping around St. Augustine. I was on a mission to find a nice pair of work pants and/or a nice dress that made me feel pretty. I've been feeling down on myself lately, and I wanted to change that.
First stop was Bealls Florida, which I thought was going to be a Beall's Outlet, but was actually their department store. I've actually never been in a Bealls Department store! Their Plus Size section was a good size, but their dress selection was small. I found a cute A-line dress that fit well, only made me look like a small tent, but none of the patterns were cute on me. I found a few cute shirts, but they didn't fit well (either too big or too tight across the bust). This store is interesting in that it truly is just how they advertise... "The Florida Store." All of the clothing was light, breezy fabrics that would be cool in the Florida sunshine. Lots of pineapples, flamingoes, nautical, or tropical vibes. The only problem is that I'm not much of a Florida fashion kind of gal. So all I ended up with was a blousy blue top and a cool running hat with a hole in it for a ponytail (I've been wanting one of these, and this one was on clearance for about ten bucks!)
Next up, I checked out the Burlington; now, I always have pretty good luck at the Burlington in my town, but boy, oh, boy... this Burlington was nasty. It looked like the store was going out of business, and there was about a month left before it closed its doors for good, and management didn't give a shit if the store looked good anymore. It wasn't going out of business, of course, but it looked that way... The Ladies fitting room was closed and blocked off by two tables full of clearance items and surrounded by carts full of junk. The wired locks that secured the more expensive purses were just dangling from hooks in the purse section. There was random crap on the floor. Racks were picked over and messy and overstuffed so you couldn't move stuff around. After about five minutes of walking around and trying not to flee from the ick of it all, I gave up... I felt like I was in a thrift shop where bad things happen in the back. And don't get me wrong, I LOVE thrift shops!
Okay, so that was a bust; I regrouped with a corn dog and pretzel from Sonic then headed over to my all-time favorite Dollar Tree and found lots of goodies to bring home! I got some snacks, some root beer, a ready-to-finish vase, and some fake flowers to make a few new arrangements for my office. I bought a bunch of acrylic (okay, plastic) drawer organizers, but now that I'm back home, lord only knows what I'm going to use them for... It seemed like a smart buy at the time, I swear!
Next up, I wandered around Beall's Outlet, since I was still on a mission for pants and dresses, but they had nothing, so I went over to Marshall's. I was ready to give up at this point... These types of stores rarely have anything Plus Size, and if they do, it's of the Clown or Tent variety, so I didn't even look for anything really... I ended up with some undies and a bag of Butter Toffee popcorn.
At this point, I was super-tired (I've been dealing with some PMS-like symptoms this week), so I decided to call it a day. I picked up some Chick-fil-A nuggets and a drink and made my way home.
Hello, and welcome to a very melancholy race report, brought to you by the letters D, E, A, T, and H.
For those who may not know, our cat Clover was diagnosed with Lung Cancer a few days after Thanksgiving, and after giving a kitty middle-finger to the nurse who estimated she had a very short time left, she passed away on December 13.
Yesterday.
Over the past year, personally, I've been trying to get myself back into some semblance of a routine, and getting back to running and doing races. I signed up for Santa Suits on the Loose way back in the spring, so from that standpoint, this was the worst day for a race to be on for me. If Clover was still alive, there was no way I would have left the couch, but when I went to bed last night, I thought that this would be good for my mental health. I've been moping around the house a lot this year, because of Hubby's health issues, my own health issues, and then Clover's health issues. So, I decided to go and kind of force myself to be jolly.
I drove out to St. Augustine (as always, leaving too early), and parked in my favorite spot. I put on some of my festive gear (like my cute skirt and my Christmas Tree hat), but I just felt like a faker. I walked around everyone else feeling like a robot.
I honestly can't tell you anything that stood out from this race... There were cute dogs and babies and costumes and a marching band. But I have no funny stories, or random thoughts that I had at Mile 2. It was like I was just programmed to walk and think of nothing at all. And, in a way, I'm so thankful for that. It was an hour of not thinking, or feeling loss, or actually crying. I was able to just zone out and stop feeling at all. I didn't have to think about Clover. Or work. Or Christmas. Or anything. I simply existed to put one foot in front of the other (okay, Winter Warlock).
On the upside, because I wasn't thinking about anything, I wasn't thinking about how far I was walking, or how long it was taking, so I kind of just "arrived" at the finish line without realizing it'd been an hour! I picked up my medal and a bottle of water, and a few snacks.
As I was walking around, heading back to my car, I saw that there were a few tables set up, for what I assumed was massage, but then realized it was for a company called Stretch Zone. Usually after races, these types of services are either busy because they're free, or empty because you have to pay. These were free and they were empty! So yeah, you bet I walked over there! After a short chat with the employee, telling him that I usually felt pain in my upper external calves and lower external hamstrings after a race, he moved ahead with a full lower-body routine. I figured that this would be more akin to a quickie chair massage, but I was on this man's table for at least 20 minutes! He stretched my leg up toward my head, out (like a straddle), in across my body, bent my knee and shoved my foot toward my tushie, rotated my knee out like a frog... There was a lot that he did, and holy shit, it all felt so good... well, as good as it can with my jacked-up muscles. He said that my hip flexors were severely tight (no, you don't say?!) and that I should work on them at home. As I got myself back together, I thanked him for his stretching, saying that I'd never experienced an actual stretching session before. He reached into a box and pulled out a Goodie Bag for me! He said that there was some swag in there, as well as a gift card, and took a photo of me for social media (I wonder if they'll use it, lol). Back in the car, I checked out my goodies, which included a container of Tic-Tacs, some lip balm, and y'all... a $50 gift certificate to the local Stretch Zone! Yeah, they're probably really expensive then, right? Nah, I don't think so. I looked them up later, and they look to cost about $100 for an hour-long session, so basically, it's half-price. I plan on using it soon, next time I'm in St. Augustine (maybe after Gate River Run in March... that's only an hour's drive south). They also have something called a Flex Membership, that is $100/month that includes two stretches per month, with the ability to pay a smaller fee for extra stretches. Honestly, $50 is about what I spend for my massages... And I found out that they have a Stretch Zone in the city I live in! I'm really wondering if it's beneficial to get me limbered up to a point that I can take over and fix myself the rest of the way...
Anyway, after a delicious stretch, I headed over to Culver's for lunch, picked up some groceries at Aldi, then headed home. I felt a little better by the time I got home, but when I parked and didn't see Clover in the window, I remembered that she was gone, and it just hit me all over again. I went inside and snuggled with hubby for a while then had dinner and went to bed early. Today helped a little, but not nearly as much as I wanted it.
ETA: I don't think it fixed as many of my mental issues as I thought it did... I kind of had a little meltdown about a week after this post... Not my finest day, but a totally understandable one.
After a less-than-stellar "running season" over the past few months, I knew it was time to get my running shoes back on and hit the course.
When I checked the weather the night before, it looked... okay. Like, overcast, a nice temp, but no rain in the forecast until 10am or so, definitely after I finished and got my medal. But that was not to be the case. I got a few drizzles on the way there, nothing more than spittle.
I parked and went in to get my bib, then got in line for the potties, behind two women who brought their little toe nipper dogs - not service animals, just pets - into the ladies' room. The dogs felt that it was fine to stick their heads under the stalls every chance they got, and yet barked loudly and annoyingly when it was their owner's turn in the stalls! Ooh, it's just a peeve I have... dogs are not children!!! They don't need to go everywhere with you, like inside libraries, inside library bathrooms, or inside library bathroom stalls. When it was my turn in a stall, a huge boom of thunder announced the incoming deluge of rain that had just begun. It was pouring out there! Oh well... Sugar melts, but spicy sticks around, so I went over and got my potatoes and took them back to the car, getting absolutely drenched. I chilled out in the car for a bit (I'm always either way early or way late!), watching the raindrops on the window.
Still Life, Car Park, Water on Glass
It seemed to abate when it was time to head to the start line, and the sky actually looked like it was clearing, so I debated bringing my rain jacket, or just get wet if it started again, but I decided to wear the jacket. It was 70º when I left the car, but a wet 70º is much different from a sunny 70º!
Deep enough to get my ankles wet if I stepped in it
And it turned out to be a smart decision because within two minutes of starting the race, the downpour came back. It felt delicious, honestly, warm and welcoming on my face. I heard random people nearby who were complaining about the weather, but whatever... it's just water! I put my headphones in and just walked. Oh, yeah, I'm just walking now. I'm still dealing with some leftover bullshit from February/March, so my goal was to walk this entire thing and see how I felt at the end.
Honest confession... I don't know what's up with my camera settings, lol
The first two miles of the race were uneventful, just wet. I was happy to be back at it, happy to have some time to myself with my thoughts (it's been a hard two weeks since we got back from Arkansas), and happy to be able to move relatively pain-free.
At one point, the rain was just pounding us, the heaviest it had been all morning, and the song I Am Here by P!nk came on my playlist, and y'all... I'm not usually that person who heavily identifies with music, like at ALL, but for some reason a few lines really just hit me in the right way...
I can think of 1,000 places
Much worse than this
But I am here, I am here
My face is also a potato
Like, yeah, it's raining, and I'm tired, and my legs are hurting now, and I'd much rather be in my nice, warm bed, with my nice, warm hubby, but damn... it could be so much worse! It made me realize how blessed I am to be happy, healthy, and here.
The last mile was rain-free, and warmer, so I took off my jacket and wrestled with it for the entire time (it's slippery and didn't want to stay tied around my waist). I finished with a chip time of 57:49, which wasn't terrible, given my lack of training, plethora of pains, and the weather. Though we all know at this point, I'm not doing this for PRs... I'm never gonna get faster. I was 252nd finisher out of 272 (even though only 411 people registered for this run... I have a feeling the weather kept a lot of people home this morning!), 148th out of 165 females, and 10th out of 11 in my age group. The last finisher came in at 1:23:17.
I was able to score another bag of potatoes on my way back to the car, and then made my way over to Race-Trac to change and get a Pepsi, before driving up to IKEA to pick up some shelves I needed for the living room. And then (logic be damned), I drove all the way back to St. Augustine to get some maple fudge (IYKYK) from Savannah Sweets, hit up Buc-ee's and then drive home.
I'm going to preface this race report with good news...
I finished!!!
Now, let's back up a little bit...
In January, I had to quit Celebration Half-Marathon at Mile 6, due to some really bad Plantar Fasciitis and leg pain. It wrecked me, mentally, and I had a bit of a mini-meltdown afterward.
But I was determined to get up and fight, so I took care of myself in the weeks after (lots of massage and stretching), and I was able to complete both races in February at Gasparilla.
And what about Gate River Run? It was literally six days after Gasparilla... I was so mad when I had to quit Gate last year because of weird side/rib cramps, that I felt determined that I HAD to do it this year. I knew that it would be an amazingly stupid decision to do another (almost) 10 miles on a jacked up foot. But I didn't want to waste the money that I paid to do it, so I wondered if there was any sort of deferral (very rare) or virtual option. I reached out to 1st Place Sports and was told that there was no 'official' virtual option, but that if I picked up my packet at the expo, they could mail me my medal the following week after the race.
Okay, so now I'm facing a dilemma... I have to go to Jacksonville anyway, no matter what, so should I do it? Should I not? I mean, I'm already there... I argued with myself all week long and on Friday night, I decided to prepare for actually doing it, see how I felt when I got there, and give myself the permission to quit as soon as I felt anything absurdly painful (like at Celebration).
So, on Saturday, I drove up to Jacksonville. I was going alone (Hubby wasn't feeling up to going along), and I had a plan... I was going to park in the Sports Complex Parking Garage - we've parked there enough that I knew I'd be able to find my way back afterward, when suffering from Run Brain. Packet Pickup is at the Fairgrounds, and the After-Party is at the Fairgrounds, as well, so very easy for me to make my way back to the garage.
The walk from the Garage to the Fairgrounds would've been so easy!
Unfortunately, busy morning traffic wouldn't let me merge so I had to go to the next exit for the stadium, and I got all turned around. I wanted to turn right, but it was blocked off. I explained to the nice officer that I wanted to specifically park in the Sports Complex Parking Garage, and asked if there was any way to get there from here. He gave me directions that took me all around downtown Jax, but in the wrong direction! Somehow I ended on East Bay Street on the west side of the stadium, along the river! At this point, there was nowhere left to go, so I slid into Lot S and parked in the grass.
Took this, just in case I got so lost I had to ask for directions!
And to add insult to... well, injury... I still had to GO to Packet Pickup! I measured it out later: from the parking lot to the Expo was about 3/4 of a mile. I walked from parking to packet pick-up, back to parking, then over to the start line... This was just shy of three miles that I had to walk... before I even STARTED this race! I practically did a half-marathon today, lol.
They were doing construction, too, so I couldn't just walk in straight lines!
But... let's look on the bright side; I was well and thoroughly warmed up by the time I got to my corral! I was able to catch my breath, enjoy the vibes, find the entrance to my corral, and just soak in the morning.
Okay, it's official... let's do this
I think I'm in my corral?
I wish that I'd snuck in to the 3rd wave like I did last year, but I didn't even think about it until I was watching them go by and saw some pink bibs in there! Oh well... I'd just end up in the back anyway.
Start Line Photo (usually we're already moving and I can't have this photo)
We headed out on the road, and I was feeling... okay. Slight pain from the 5k I already walked, but nothing overly fucky. I told myself that there would be no running today, and hardly any fast walking, really. I'm here for miles, not speed.
Everyone is so optimistic on this bridge (then so miserable on the other one!)
The first bridge is always the easier of the two, and I got my Footsie.
High above the St. John's River
Made it to the other side of the river, where the water stops and music start, and then over to River Road where drunk neighbors throw Munchins at people... I got one this time!
First water stop, they're almost out of water already
I miss 1990s Dunkin', when they were still tasty
Through the neighborhoods (Miles 4-6), I was feeling like I might actually be able to do this... No creeping pain in my foot or leg.
I quit by this point last year, so I'm beating 2023 Me!
No back pain (well, no extra back pain). I was slowing down even more by Mile 7 though, mostly because it was just hot, and I was underprepared. I knew it was soon time for my Bridge Selfie, and then my time to face the Green Monster.
Soon....
I stopped at the base of the entrance ramp for a good calf stretch, then put my head down and slogged up that hill.
So very few people!
So, I don't think I'm gonna get this in under 3:00 huh?
When I got up near the top, a Sag Wagon passed me, and I couldn't help myself you guys... I hope the driver didn't see that.
I am winning. I am awesome. I will not sag!
Top o' the Mornin' to ya, from The Green Monster
I beat the Green Monster, you guys, and I've never been so happy to see a downhill. At this point, you know that the rest is easy. Downhill, to another downhill, to one more downhill, and a straight-away.
Oh, but wait a minute... Let's talk about that downhill. This entire walk, my foot and leg have felt okay... not pain-free, of course, but not the way they felt in January. But then I hit the downhill portion, and it was like ropes of fire in my shins and the tops of my feet! What the shit? That was definitely a new pain! And, if I remember correctly, this was the pain that started the first little niggle of you might have hurt yourself, darling. I powered through the last mile, simply because I came this far, motherfucker, I'm not quitting at the bottom of this fucking bridge!!! My last mile was super-slow (a full two minutes slower than the one before it, when I was climbing UP the damn bridge), and every step I landed on my left side was misery, but I wasn't gonna quit now!!!
I hear the finish line, I'm so close!
I was way near the back of the crowd, so when I got there, I had the entire finish line to myself practically. I was so happy to see that finish chute, and the few people still there to cheer us on! I threw my hands out wide (Are you not entertained?) then threw my hands in the air, so proud of myself for being able to finish this.
Bonus of the Slowness - look how I have the entire finish line area to myself!
Are you not entertained?
Yay for me! Woo hoo!
I believe at this point, the phrase Fuck Yeah entered my head
Absolutely horrible picture, but the sentiment is real!
I was finisher 11745, with only 60 people behind me. My time was 3:11:57, which... honestly? So much better than I was expecting! 6276th female (out of 6330). 658th out of 661 in my age group. The last finisher came in around 3:40, so I had a good 30 minutes on them...
After getting my medal, that's when things started to go downhill a bit... I had stopped moving "because I was in a race," and instead was just moseying my way around... I could tell that my leg and foot were gonna HURT later. I walked the mile back to my car - slowly - and peeled off my shoes and socks at the trunk. Oof, just bending over was a chore! I slowly folded myself in to the car like an 80-year old woman, then pulled out the Garmin to decide what I was going to do with my day. Definitely didn't have the energy to go out to Safe Harbor for lunch (the wait in line would kill me). Nor did I have the stamina for a trip around IKEA. I decided that I'd point the Garmin toward Orange Park and have a shopping day - I could pop into a store, do some shopping, but then have a break when I was back in the car travelling to the next place.
Well, that plan was quickly shot to hell, because when I got to a nearby RaceTrac (to change and get a soda), I literally could not put weight on my left foot. When I attempted to step out of the car, it felt like my leg would give out underneath me! But I had to go to the Ladies' Room - I had to pee! So I grit my teeth and put weight on my foot and all the nerves in my body were immediately on edge... there was a lot of pain, and I had to do that lurching, lean-to-the-right walk all the way from the front door to the bathroom... It felt like everyone was staring at me! And it felt like it took forever to change out of my sweaty race clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tee...
I got my soda and lurched back to my car to reassess the situation. Obviously, shopping was out. If I couldn't walk normally in a convenience store, how could I go grocery shopping or wander around Old Time Pottery? I threw in the towel, went to Culver's for lunch, and then drove home early.
Not even delicious Cheese Curds could cure my throbbing foot pain
At home, I kept my foot elevated pretty much the rest of the day. Any time I had to get up and walk around (like to go to the kitchen), it was torture... just like at the gas station, I couldn't put weight on it for a few seconds until I got warmed up so to speak. Then I could, but I was lurching across the floor.
I haven't really said anything to Hubby yet, but in the back of my mind, I'm pretty sure I hurt myself. Like, badly... Something is torn, or fractured, or sprained, or something. I think I'm going to go ahead and set up an appointment with my doctor and see what she has to say.
About 4 weeks ago, I walked - and DNF'd - Celebration 1/2 Marathon. I was waylaid by Plantar Fasciitis and just gnarly calf & foot pain all the way around. I was devastated, and I felt like such a quitter. Once I got past that little spiral of depression, I had to figure out what to do about Gasparilla, which was just a few short weeks away. I visited my massage lady, who did a lot of work on my legs. I stretched out my calves every day. I went balls-to-the-wall at the gym, using the Elliptical, so as to not have more trauma to my feet or calves. And during non-exercise time, I babied them at work, and stayed off of them when I didn't have to be standing. All in all, I think this helped, because I was able to finish both races this weekend!
On Friday, we packed up and got to our VRBO around 3 or so. The neighborhood looked a little sketchy, but the house is cute as hell! Huge points to the Property Owner who left me some Pepsi and hot chocolate (we'd chatted beforehand and I told her that we don't do coffee).
She even put a few of the cans in the fridge to chill beforehand
I left hubby there to settle in while I went over to the expo. The table where I picked up all of my shirts ran out of 3x shirts so I had to take 2x instead. Now, they fit, but they were a smidge tight. I could have kept them and hoped I'd fit in to them again at some point, but honestly, life doesn't seem to be working that way right now, so I moseyed over to the 'regular' shirt table (for people who were only doing one race) and sweet talked them into trading shirt for shirt, even tough they weren't supposed to (big thanks to the awesome supervisor guy who gave them the OK to do so!)
I walked around the expo, got lots of swag and such, didn't need to pick up any goo or chews, no good sneaker deals in my size, and eventually headed back to VRBO, noting that my foot was hurting more than expected... Probably because I was walking in flip flops.
We went to a place called Trip's Diner for dinner, a local place that's been in business since 2012, and named after the owner's triplet children. Inside, the place looked so cool and vintage and fun, I knew immediately I was going to love it! And I was not disappointed, either. We would definitely come back here again (and we tried to, but it was so busy then!)
I ordered French Toast with scrambled eggs and bacon, and it was fabulous. I can't even put my finger on WHY it was so good, it just was... and it reminded me of the way that Buc-ee's smells when they're candying nuts.
Don't be deceived by the looks... this was one of the best French Toast meals ever!
Hubby got fried chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy. The chicken was amazing, but he had to deduct a star because the taters were skin-on. He also picked up a slice of Peanut Butter Pie to go, which he ate later as a bedtime snack.
Hand-breaded chicken and hand-mashed potatoes
Back at the house, I tried to have a bath, but their plumbing was wonky, and the hot water would only come out in a trickle, so the water never got really hot and steamy... I gave up after about 5-10 minutes. I set out my clothing for the morning, set the alarms, then futzed around in bed until it was time to sleep.
Saturday morning, I got dressed, KT taped my feet, put on my ankle braces and then my Zensah leg sleeves. I also had some juice and took two Aleve to get me through the morning.
As we walked to the start line, I was feeling positive that I'd be able to finish this - my foot felt like it was about 60% okay, but there was no nasty sharp pain like there was at Celebration. I did a little bit of running during the 15k, which actually felt kind of good, but I didn't want to push it, so I tried to keep myself at a walk. Nothing really memorable happened during this race (thank God), so there's not much to this recap!
Just me and thousands of my friends
Good morning, Sunshine
It's lonely back here
From the Halfway There! sign until about Mile 6, it was an absolute slog... it's very quiet here, with not a lot of people, probably fewer than two dozen at this point, and I'm just drained. My left foot felt heavy like a cement block; I took the two Advil that Hubby gave me before we left the house.
At Mile 6, I had a little more pep in my step because Mile 7 meant that I "officially/unofficially" finished the remaining mileage from Celebration, and I could finally wear my medal. I got here around 2:15.
Celebration 1/2 Marathon is unofficially officially completed
Mile 7 until the area that we rejoin the 5k course is an even worse slog... It's so quiet, people are giving you the pity "ooh, you're doing your best, sweetie" looks... I kept my eyes open to see the 5k runners, but it just took forever to get there.
Regular Bayshore Blvd exercisers just kind of stare at you as they pass by
However, once you finally join them, the atmosphere is so much more energizing, because of the people running, and everyone cheering. But it also makes me feel like an absolute slow blob... I get bumped by the fast people who are so in the zone they either don't see you or don't care, I get ignored by the folks cheering on the sides, and I get wet from the water stop volunteers.
When I got to Mile 9, there was a lady on the right who cheered me on. I have her the "thanks, whatever" wave, but she walked over to me and said that she was checking on 'her 15k people' to make sure that they were really okay. We chatted for a moment as I walked and I left her with my head a little higher, feeling a little bit better. So, thank you 15k Woman, I really was okay after talking to you.
I finished with a firm walk, with a perfectly acceptable time of 3:00:21 (there were only twelve finishers behind me!) I wasn't mad about that at all because I only wanted to finish and I DID! I met up with Hubby at the fence, then got my towel, water, snack, and medal, then took a few photos before limping my way back to the car. Now that I wasn't moving, my brick of a foot was just throbbing in my shoe. I began to wonder if I'd done some damage today.
15k Medal and Celebration Medal
At home I attempted a bath again; it was better but still sucky... took 30 minutes to fill the tub and it never got lobster-pot hot (the way I like it). So I gave up. No baths for me this weekend. I curled up in bed for awhile then we headed out to lunch. Thought about going to Nebraska Mini-Mart, but it was crazy busy. We went over to Three Coins Diner instead. Despite great reviews on Yelp, it was just okay for us. It didn't feel like a diner, but a regular local fast-food place (I think the building must've been something else before, like a Burger King or something, it just looked that way, you know?) Tables were old and wobbly. Waitress was a million years old with blue eyeshadow. It was both claustrophobic and too open at the same time. I really can't put my finger on why I didn't like the atmosphere, lol, no matter how I type this up. Anyway, we both ordered basic cheeseburgers and fries, and they were definitely basic. The burger was too rare for my taste, the cheese looked like Kraft Singles, and the bun seemed room-temp, right from the bag. The fries were nice and hot, at least. I'd give it 2/5 stars. Trip's was definitely better.
Basic Cheeseburger w/Ketchup and Mustard, and fries
After, we headed to Bo's Ice Cream where we each got a mini Thick & Chunky treat (similar to a Blizzard). Holy crap, the mini was still at least 12 ounces! I could only eat a quarter of it before I had to throw in the towel. We took them back to the house and stuffed them in the freezer for later. Full of ice cream, we crawled back in bed to relax and play on our tablets in peace. We gave up and decided on a nap, thinking it would be an hour or so, but at 9:30, I woke up to darkness! I crawled out of bed to set up my clothes and gear for the morning, ate my ice cream leftovers for dinner, then fell back asleep for the night.
Old School Cool Bucs Flag
Sunday morning, I juiced, taped, braced, and dressed, then we headed back to the race area. He went over to Publix while I made my way to the start line. I did some light calf stretching, and then we were off. I did nothing but walking again, to take it easy on my foot. It was hotter than yesterday (but we also start later too). Again, a very chill, uneventful race. There wasn't any new foot pain; still just the soreness and numbness around the outer edge (outstep?) of my foot. No sharp pain at my heels, and not as "cinderblock" numb as it was yesterday.
Cheez-It, please stop trying to be cool
My feet feel huge with so many layers!
You heard Bon Jovi, too?
Near the finish, a woman on the other side of the chute cheered me on for doing the 15k/8k challenge, said I was awesome, stuff like that. The chute was being dismantled as I walked through it... I kinda wanted to ask the volunteers if I could carry one of the flags through the finish line, but thought that was a bit too much, so I kept going. I walked right up the middle of the road with no one in front of me and I could see Hubby standing in the middle of the road right behind the finish line like he owned the place (see, perks of being {almost} last!)
As I came toward the finish, Fitz announced me as she came over to me, and we danced across the finish line holding hands. I gave her hand a squeeze and let go, but she called me back and gave me the biggest hug and damn, it felt so good! She's a tiny lady, but bless her heart, she knew I needed that hug!
Shamelessly copied from FinisherPix website
I finished with a time of 1:38:35, with 37 people behind me. I'm in THIS video, coming in at 5:30 or so.
(Hubby's the guy with the blue bag)
Fitz handed me off to Hubby, and we went to get my towel, water, medals, and snacks (so many Cheez-Its!) I felt okay-ish as we walked to the car. I wasn't worried about my foot, but I was aware of my foot.
Look what I did!
Back at the house, I tried to nap, but after 10 minutes, my body wanted food instead. I decided we should head over to La Segunda to get my first taste of a real Tampa Cuban sandwich. On the way, I hit up a nearby Dollar Tree for some new reading glasses (left mine at home, whoops), as well as some Band-aids and stretchy gauze for the massive blisters on my heels.
The camera doesn't do it justice - it's probably 2-3 inches long!
Protected with cheap adhesive bandages
Wrapped with Curad Self-Stick Gauze (like what you get at the Bloodmobile)
We got lost and turned around a few times when we got in Ybor City, but we made it to La Segunda, and wow, it was so busy! The inside lobby - which was much smaller than I was expecting - was pack jammed full of people, about 20 folks waiting for their orders, and about 10 more waiting to order. We waited in line for about 5 minutes without the line moving before deciding that it might be a better idea to come back later, when my feet didn't hurt so much. We headed over to Nebraska Mini-Mart again, but holy cow, it was busier than yesterday! There was probably 25 people in line, or milling around waiting to order. So... let's go back to Trips? Nope! It was probably three times as busy as NMM, with people parking blocks and blocks away on residential side streets. We apparently didn't take into account Sunday Church Crowd + Gasparilla Tourists! We cut our losses and pulled up Garmin to find a "basic bitch" chain place (like an Olive Garden or TGIFridays) since I was getting hangry at this point. We headed over toward Dale Mabry (home of Titties & Bitches™) and just drove for a while, thinking that we'd hit the busy part of the area, where lots of restaurants were. Unfortunately, we were driving away from Titties & Bitches™, all the way over toward Lutz. We finally settled on that Runner-Up Old People place, Bob Evans. And it turned out to be a pretty good choice, because at 2pm on a Sunday, outside the city center, there was practically no one there - seriously, I think there were only two or three occupied tables. Hubby and I both got chicken fingers with fries and mashed potatoes.
Tenders, Mashed & Gravy, Fries, Ranch, and Wildfire BBQ (eww)
The tenders sucked (why were they so rubbery?) but the mashed potatoes and gravy were sinful, and those biscuits were positively heavenly. All of it hit that yummy, yummy, comfort food spot that needed to be filled, and we took home the extra biscuit and roll to eat at home.
Yeah, they probably come from a box, but they're good!
With full bellies, we returned home for naps and snuggles. My foot still hurt pretty bad, especially when I stood up and put weight on it after sitting for a few hours.
We slept in on Monday until around 9, then cuddled and talked about what we were going to do for the day. My foot was feeling a bit better this morning, even without pain meds (I had slept in the ankle braces), but I didn't want to go walk around somewhere and hurt it more. So we thought the best idea would be to go back to La Segunda to pick up pastries and a Cuban sandwich to bring home with me for dinner, then get on the road. We cleaned up the house and packed up our stuff in the car. As a thank you to the cleaner (who had originally rearranged her schedule to allow us late checkout at 1pm, lord I feel bad now), I made a small basket of snacks for her with some of our uneaten snacks (Cheez-Its, Chili Cheese Fritos, granola bars) and a note of appreciation (the property owner said later that the gesture made the cleaner smile and they loved it).
We got to La Segunda around 11 and the difference between yesterday and today was dramatic! There were only two or three people there. There was plenty of room for us to walk around and look at the pastry cases. While we were deciding what treats we wanted, I overheard the cashier tell another customer that they were out of ham! Ham is a very important ingredient in a Cuban, so this is terrible news! Okay, no worries, there's other locations! From this location, we picked up a few treats to try, as well as two cupcakes to eat for breakfast. They were tasty, the frosting was a little lardy and oversweet, but the cake was good. We also got cinnamon buns, an oatmeal raisin cookie, a pound cake, a five-layer chocolate cake slice, and a quesito (which never did make it into the bag... sad face). We did a quick video of the cupcakes in the car, and the rest when we got home. You can watch this video below, or over on YouTube.
The second La Segunda was a much bigger location, with indoor seating, so we decided to eat lunch there. I also peer-pressured myself - after seeing basically everyone leaving La Segunda with a long, thin package of what I assumed to be Cuban bread, I knew I had to get one too! For about $4, I got a three-foot long loaf of bread. I ordered a half-size Cuban sandwich (minus pickle) and Hubby got the 1915 Club sandwich.
I wasn't sure what to expect because Genoa Salami doesn't sound like it would make sense, but one bite told me that it made absolute sense!
It added a greasy/salty element that a Publix Cuban was missing. This pork was slow-cooked until it fell apart, shredded not sliced. The press was a little underwhelming (but that's personal preference, as I like my bread pressed to be crunchier), but overall, this sandwich was a revelation of what a good Cuban could taste like. Hubby was fully in love with his sandwich as well - it was on regular bread, and pressed. Both of us could only finish half of our sandwiches, so we grabbed to-go boxes. (I'm happy to report that both sandwiches travelled well, and were just as good the next day!)
Anyway, after Hubby rolled me out of there, we piled in the car for the long ride home. We took the long way home, through Brooksville and Ocala. We stopped by Grandpa Joe's for more sodas to try.
I hit up the nearby RaceTrac for a potty break and a soda, then we finally made it home a little before dinner time. We unpacked and all that jazz, then I pressed the other half of my Cuban and ate it in bed. I was probably asleep by 9! Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow.
So... I'm sure you're wondering... How is my foot? Well, it hurts. It's not as bad as it was in January. But it's not pain-free. Am I going to do Gate River Run? I don't know yet. I'm going to email them tomorrow and see what options they have for virtual, or deferrals, etc. I guess you'll have to come back and check the GRR post next week!
