We Took the Scenic Route - Gasparilla 8k & 15k Weekend 2022

So, normally, I break up my Gasparilla Weekend reports into separate race reports, but I'm just too lazy to do that this time around, so buckle up, my dudes, this may be longer (but much more entertaining) than a typical run report. 

We left around 11:30am, picking up drinks at Circle K and lunch from McDonald's, then getting on I-75. For some reason (that I still don't know...), it was extremely busy, both North and Southbound. As we drove south toward Tampa, I made an extremely stupid, and uneducated decision... 

See, in my brain, Veteran's Expressway (SR-589) dead-ended on SR-529 in the Disney area. So let's get on the Turnpike, I said! It'll be a no-brainer, and we could avoid all of this mess on the interstate. 

So we took the Turnpike... and it just got stupider from there. Repeatedly, Garmin kept telling us to turn around, or take the next exit, and I - being so sure of myself - continued to ignore those directions. 

See, the Veteran's Expressway does NOT connect to the Turnpike. Like, nowhere close. It's much closer to the Gulf side of Florida, wheras the Turnpike runs diagonally through the center of Florida. So every mile I travelled on the Turnpike, we were driving further and further away from where we were supposed to be going! At one point, Garmin tried to get us to leave the Turnpike and get on State Road 50, through Groveland, but again, I thought I was smarter than Garmin, so we didn't. 

We went all the way to SR-429 before I realized I was a damn idiot, so then we had to get on Interstate 4. Oh, man, it was so much worse than I-75, too! Yes, we were on I-4, on a Friday afternoon! It was terrible!!!  (We wasted 35+ miles because of my bullishness). 

But hey, on the upside, we ticked off a few new Florida Counties that we've never been to/through, so I got that goin' for me, I suppose.   

Red line (how we should have gone)
Blue line (how my smarty-pants ass went)

Not only was the traffic, and the misdirection, raising my stress levels, but also the fact that the Expo closed at 6pm, and we were getting in to Tampa pretty late (without the screw up, we'd have been there by 2:30pm). My "mildly curious" anger turned into "grumpy" anger by 3pm - we'd been on the road for almost 4 hours at this point - and we still had to detour to the hotel first. Because of stupid Covid bullshit, Hubby couldn't come in to the Tampa Convention Center without proof of vaccination OR proof of a negative Covid test (yes, this meant that I had to go get a stupid Covid test just to Show My Papers to gain entrance to a building). 

Now trusting Garmin, we followed the detour to avoid the crazy traffic on 275, hopping on to the Selmon Expressway... only to be rerouted BACK ON to Interstate 275 just minutes later!! Luckily, the exit to Veteran's Expressway was just a few minutes away, and the hotel was just a few after that. We got checked in, in a room right  at the top of the stairs (the one area I specifically requested in which we didn't want to be put), then I turned around and left. 

Back in the car, I discovered that, while I was checking in, Hubby had set the Garmin up to take me to the Convention Center, so it was ready for me when I came back downstairs. Awww, how sweet! I set it to "Avoid Highways" so that I could drive on surface streets (to avoid the Interstate craziness again), and headed out...

I parked at the Fort Brooke Garage, because it's the one near the trolley line and I can remember how to get back to that (i.e. I won't get lost). I Showed My Papers to gain entrance to the building, then showed them again to be branded with a stupid fabric wristband that I was required to wear all weekend (it wasn't a star, and it wasn't yellow, but it sure did give me some similar vibes). Upstairs, I picked up my bib, bag, and swag (woo hoo, another hat!), walked through the very small Expo, then headed back over to the hotel. We picked up dinner from Wawa next door (penne was a huge fail, but the burger was delicious, then we finally unpacked, I set out my race stuff for tomorrow, and headed to bed.

 

Pro Tip: Take a photo of where you parked so you don't forget

I woke up Saturday morning in pain... what the hell is wrong with this bed? It's so firm!! I was somehow sweaty and cold at the same time! Oh, and a huge pet peeve... the fitted sheet was really just a badly tucked-in flat sheet, so half the bed came unmade throughout the night. And we have two more nights here... sigh. 

I drank some OJ, tried to poop, and tried to will away the sinus headache I got from the down pillows. I woke Hubby up at 5:30 and we headed out about 20 minutes later. I was in my corral by 6:30 (cutting it way too close for my preference), and off I went! I met him at the overpass, and we walked together to Publix, where he likes to wait for me to finish. I put my earbuds in, put my game face on... and walked, lol. I ate a Honey Stinger at Mile 1 to make up for not doing it beforehand, then had to poop at Mile 2 (eww, potties). I walked again until Mile 3, then ran all of Mile 4. I pulled out my chews when I diverted to Gandy (about Mile 4.5), and noshed on those while I enjoyed the shade that Gandy provided. I rain again until Mile 6 (so I could put some distance between me and the few folks behind me... I was way back of the pack this year). 

As usual... in the back

At one point, I realized that the Tail Cop Car was in FRONT of me!? Then I realized that the gaggle of We're Here to Look Cute and Walk, too! Teal Tee ladies were in front of me too! But I passed them miles ago and they were dead last at one point... How the fuck are they way up here now? Trying to think positive here... maybe they were dead last and ordered to turn around (I've seen that happen before), and now they're in front of us... but still (!) the Tail Cop Car should be behind the actual last people, not hanging out with middle-age Wine Moms... So I made it my mission to get in front of the gaggle and the cop car, and I did! 

This may be one of my most favorite race photos ever!

But I paid for it... it's just so fucking hot out here today! Looking at my data later (at the hotel), my heart rate went up to 150bpm, which isn't the best (it's about 88% of my MaxHR). Between the heat and my heart, I was just over it... I walked the final few miles. As I crossed the finish line, my name was announced! First time in doing this race, I had my name announced. Hubs had a huge smile on his face, like, yeah, that's my sweaty overweight running wife, right there!! You all heard her name!! For some reason, my results never showed up online, but my watch shows that I finished just under three hours, with a time of 2:45:11. While obviously not my best time for this course (that was 2:37 back in 2015), it wasn't my worst either, so yay for me! 

This year's and last year's medals 

I picked up my water, my ice-cold sweat rag, and my medal. I took a quick picture with my 2021 and 2022 medals, then headed back to the car. Since we were only on the 2nd floor, and after asking if I was okay with it, we took the stairs. My HR was back through the roof, and I was a little dizzy. When we got to the second floor, he realized that he took me to the wrong garage!!! So I had to go back downstairs, cross the street, then back UP more stairs, to our car, in the correct garage, lol. 

Back at the hotel I crawled into a hot bath - and I'm pretty sure I fell asleep in it, only to be woken up when the water got cold!  I relaxed in bed after, with a soda, a Milky Way, and a White Cherry Gatorade (eww, it tastes like hot feet). After a while, we perused Google for some lunch ideas and settled on a restaurant nearby called "Mom's Place," which may be one of the best kept secrets of the Tampa area... I got pancakes with bacon and a single scrambled egg. Hubs got a Ham & Cheese burger (yes, a burger with shaved ham and cheese on top!). Everything was delicious, although the bacon was just a hair too crispy for me (yes, I know I'm a Bacon Snob). The pancakes were spectacular. They were yeasty, malty, something-y... I can't put my finger on what made them so damn good, but I inhaled them. Both meals, with tax, were $25!

Pancakes w/a side of bling

One scrambled egg & three bacon strips

Full of carbs back in the car, Bad Influence Hubby turned to me and said, "Hey, wanna get some ice cream and watch some airplanes land?"

Uh, yeah!

First, Garmin took us to DeConna, but that looked to be some sort of warehouse, so we looked for a different place and found something called "The Revolution." They're a small local ice cream store, with just 3 or 4 locations in the Tampa/St. Pete area.  It was started by Bill Workman, making ice cream in his home kitchen for his friends and family, breaking the mold with ingredients like habaneros and candied bacon. The company loves to give back to their community, events are organized through churches and clubs, and even their shops serve as galleries for local artists! 

Inside was empty (thanks, Covid) with just a few employees, but the employee who helped us out was awesome. We had no idea what to expect, and she walked us through a lot of choices, allowing us to sample anything we wanted. 

So... non-binary people should choose one of two... binary... options? 

I sampled Mint Want Cookies (Mint-based ice cream w/Andes candies, chocolate chip cookies, and cookie dough) and felt it was too much... If it was JUST mint with the Andes, it would have been delicious, but the fully baked chocolate chip cookies threw it off. 

Flavor List from The Revolution's website

I ended up with Porky's Delight (vanilla ice cream loaded with bacon and bacon brittle) and hubby got What's Up Nutter Fudger? (chocolate ice cream, crunchy peanut butter, and peanut butter wafers, suckas!). I loved mine, but actually wished there was NO bacon in the ice cream, only more bacon brittle. The brittle was something that was added as a topping, not mixed in, and the bites with brittle were delicious; the cold bacon was weird. When I asked the employee if the ice cream base had been "bacon infused" or "brittle infused," she refused to answer. But there was something besides vanilla in that base, and it was delicious... I could eat a vat of it! Two cups of ice cream cost about $10, which isn't bad for local, handcrafted ice cream of this quality. The flavors were a little too... out there, maybe?... for my liking though, and I probably wouldn't go back. 

We took our ice cream back to the parking lot of Pinsetters Bowling Alley and just watched airplanes take off and land for an hour... very interesting, honestly! I've never really seen it before, and it was very educational (especially for him, since he's still leery of flying). Back at the hotel, I was still somewhat sore from that morning's event, and I'm fending off a "too hot and dehydrated" headache, but otherwise, feeling pretty okay. We ended up just relaxing in bed until I zonked out at 8pm!

Sunday morning, the more relaxed morning, had me waking up in pain again from the crappy bed. We were up and out the door by 8am, got there by 9am (for a 9:15 start, again too close for comfort). As I started, I felt better than expected, so I ran more than I expected to. To try to ward off the heat, I started using my "Chilly Towel" before I even got to Mile 1 (that may have helped more than expected, now that I think about it). I ate the rest of the chews I opened yesterday, when I got to Mile 1. Also, it's breezier than it was yesterday, helping to keep the course cooler than yesterday. At Mile 3 I realized that I could possibly come in under 90 minutes, but my official time was 1:31:02 (missed it by 1:02). Still felt really good, though! One of my better times for this race. 

Me and thousands of my closest pals

Wait... could I do this in 90 minutes? 

I got photos with all of my medals (including last year's medals), picked up water and Cheez-Its, then hobbled over to the car (in the correct garage this time, lol). We picked up sodas and sandwiches from Wawa, then got back to our room for a hot bath and a snooze.  

The medals I earned this weekend

The medals from this year and last year

We tried out Ford's Garage for lunch, and I was impressed. Hubby got the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and it was so freakin' good, while I got the Ford's Signature Burger (my server was confused and forgot to make sure my burger had bacon on it, but it was till okay). Both meals were very good, and we'd definitely go again. Slightly overpriced - $42 with tip, but $6 of that was soda, that we don't normally get, so...).

Crispy Chicken (with Honey Mustard sauce)

Ford's Signature (with Tillamook cheddar, bacon, and BBQ sauce)

We spent another hour or so at the Tampa Airport, because I wanted to see if our duffel bag would qualify (size-wise) as a Carry On or Personal Item. Plus, I just wanted to see the inside. See, neither hubby or I have flown as adults, and he's very phobic about flying. But we also want to fly somewhere on vacation, so we're trying to deal with his phobia. And we figured just taking the mystery out of an airport (and watching planes land, as we did yesterday) was a smart idea. So we wandered around, just observing. Unfortunately, it seemed like TPA was having some air-conditioning issues, so we cut our people-watching short, headed back to the parking garage and watched more airplanes. We could see how they taxi, and get to the gate and stuff. Watching the logistics of 'driving' and 'parking' airplanes was really cool to see. 

Just low-key scoping out the airport

Back in the hotel, we relaxed for a while, munching on some snacks. I took stock of my aches and pains; surprisingly, no headache, no major muscle aches, no sunburn, no chafed lady bits! The only issue was minor muscle aches (to be expected) and blisters on my right foot. Eventually, after some very... energetic cuddling, ahem... we refueled with those sammiches we bought, then conked out for the night. 

Monday morning, I was able to sleep in until about 9, before having to get up and pack. We looked around on the internet to find something fun to do, but both of us were wiped out from a long weekend and the bad sleep, so we decided to just grab some lunch then head home. We went to Jason's Deli, which we know is a great place for a filling sandwich. I got ham, bacon, and swiss on French bread and it was just... meh. Also, the potato soup was mediocre too... I should really stop getting the soup! Hubby ordered a ham sandwich on a croissant, but got some sort of ham/turkey with cheddar and honey mustard on a croissant, and it was amazingly good! I can't find this thing on their menu anywhere, so I have no idea how to recreate this order. 

Should we head home now? Nah, let's go get some Krispy Kreme! So, we got a few donuts. As we ate our donuts, I asked again, should we go home now? Nah!... let's go to Buc-ees! (Essentially, by going to Daytona Beach, we added 2.5 hours of driving time to our trip! But who cares?! Adventure!!)

Yes, y'all, we trekked all the way across the damn state to go to Buc-ees. We took State Road 50 across Florida, a long drive behind slow people, over to the Turnpike, to 408 to Interstate 95. We jokingly had a "Who could buy more snacks?" competition (which I won, of course) and then we picked up dinner at Chick-fil-A and McDonald's. The drive home from Daytona Beach got us stuck behind a semi, but we were in bed by 9pm, in the best damn bed I've ever been in (God, I love my bed, I love my pillows, I love my down comforter, I just love my bed!) Too bad I have to go back to work in the morning though!

Anniversary Adventure 2021 - An Infuriating Postscript

Now that we're home from our amazing Anniversary Adventure Road Trip (seriously, go see all the cool stuff we did), it's time to review all of our spending to see how well (ha!) we stuck to the budget and make sure all the credit cards are where they should be. Everything was going great until I looked at my Visa, which I'd used to reserve the car a few months prior.

There's a $450 charge to this card from Avis?? It was paid in full in August, there shouldn't be anything additional, except some tolls. 

So I pulled up Avis' website and contacted Customer Service.

Whenever I have to contact Customer Service, I always make sure my emails are polite and thorough, and this one was no different. 

After a day or so, I got a reply back. And I was pissed. I was told that the vehicle was returned in such poor condition that they had to charge me a $450 Cleaning Fee, and send the vehicle to another location to be deep-cleaned (to remind everyone... It was given to me IN THIS CONDITION!)

This email included the Vehicle Inspection Report stating "Heavy" Smoke Smell, as well as photos to "prove" that we'd smoked in the car. (For those of you who are new here, I quit smoking in 2007, my spouse doesn't smoke, and neither of us smoke weed). 

The Driver's Door Instrument Panel (probably Chick-fil-A crumbs!)

Dust & Dander on the Steering Column

More dust and dander on the Instrument Panel

What I think is salt and glaze chips on the floor of the car

They are inferring that two weeks worth of regular car dirtiness is somehow proof that we smoked weed in this car. To a normal person, this is dust, dander, salt, and probably some donut glaze flakes! Or maybe some of that terrible white powder from Little Debbie powdered donuts?  It absolutely is not cigarette or pot ash!

Let's continue...

I replied back, with more information about my rental and that the stank wasn't mine but I took the vehicle anyway, because I wanted to be a "good customer." (I guess I was, good for an extra $450!)

Again, my email is stern, but reasonable, I think anyway. 

Okay, this is not okay.  So, I respond back that, no, these are not valid charges, because it wasn't my damn fault the car stank in the first place! 

And then came the pity email...

Here, Karen, we'll give you $100 if you just shut the fuck up, okay? No, I'm not gonna shut up, because this is on you guys!

No, this is not acceptable! Like, yeah, thanks for the $100, but I'm still being penalized $350 for someone else's bullshit here!! 

And then the final email response from them said, basically, fuck off. 

After fuming for a while, I did what any rational person would do... I disputed the charges with Visa themselves, via my bank. I sent an email to them, detailing everything from above. 

(I won't give you the entire rundown again)

And again, I was cockblocked by Avis. Their response to Visa said that I violated the strict rental policy regarding smoking in the vehicle as well as sanitation... WTF??? How is 37 grains of salt and a dusty dashboard a violation of sanitation policies?!? 

I replied back, thanking my agent for her assistance (because it's important to be nice to Customer Service agents!)

So, yeah, lesson learned. Lesson learned. Yes, yes, I know... I can hear you screaming from the beginning of this post that I should NOT have driven the car off the lot. My naïvety is showing quite clearly; I thought that the smell would dissipate, I thought that reporting it to the clerk when I returned would cover me. I'm the Mary Sue of my own life, and that "sunshine and rainbows" attitude cost me $350 in the end. 

I used to think that I just needed to be wary about the outside of the vehicle, doing walk-arounds, stuff like that. But I tell you what... from now on, I will be utilizing my cell phone camera to record myself the moment I start the rental pick-up process until such time as I am happy and drive off the lot. I will do a walk around on the outside. I will open the door and describe the smell. I will sit in all seats to do visual checks for any dirt or damage. Only once I do that will I drive away. And if anything is out of whack, I will go right back to the damn counter and be that Karen until shit gets fixed. I don't care if it takes me 3 hours and I go through five cars. If this is the alternative? I'll be a bitch all day long. 

And I'll record that, too. 

Frozen Chocolate! - Miles for Meridian 5k 2022

This was my second time doing this race... well, third, if you count the virtual race in 2021 (I don't, especially because we didn't get a real medal, but just some cheap chocolate in a medal-wrapper). 

It was only a week after Celebration, so I was still a bit tired from that, so I just planned on doing 1/1 intervals and taking it slow. 

The run happed at Tioga Town Center, a large upscale shopping & residential area on the outskirts of town. I ended up parking in some random back parking lot, with plenty of time to get my bib and swag, and bring it back to my car. At home, I checked out what I got: 

Reusable Tote Bag

Bag scrunches into its own carry pouch

Lots of chocolate at this chocolate-themed race!

Candy and a stick-on cell phone pocket

Hand sanitizer, lip balm, dental picks, pens, and a great measuring tape (with level and post-it note pad)

But back at the start line, where it was dreary and overcast, we lined up, and I played avoid the people I know from work, while I waited for the race to start. 

Sometimes casual & informal races are what you need!

Not as cold as Celebration, but still cold to me!

Once the race started, I really just enjoyed being out there and moving my body again after last week. Nothing eventful happened until Mile 2.5 or so, when the woman walking with two teenagers caught my eye. She looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on who it was. Later, I checked the results and saw it was a co-worker from a job I worked at in the 2000s, and the two teenagers were her kids (one of whom had just been born when I left that position). Damn, did I feel old!

Anyway, I finished with a perfectly fine 55:11 time (17:45 pace). I was 184 out of 233 total finishers, and 114 out of 142 women. 

Medal shaped like a candy bar

I walked around the post-race area, picking up some of the goodies I showed you above then made my way to a local restaurant for a delicious muffin before heading home. I hopped into a hot shower to warm up then spent the rest of the day on the couch with a book. 

HOW Cold??? - Celebration Half-Marathon Race Report 2022

Last year, Celebration was cancelled, due to the ongoing bullshit (I refuse to even say it anymore, because it wasn't one). 

But because of lots of requests, they did choose to have a virtual option. 

All you got was a tech tee (in bright orange, for some reason), and your $25 went toward supporting local charities. I signed up for it, but I just realized that I never even completed this virtual race (whoops!). Virtuals suck anyway, they aren't real races. 

But I was happy to hear that 2022 was going to be "a return to normalcy," so I registered immediately. 

Fast forward to this weekend, where I got stuck working the Reception Desk on both Thursday and Friday afternoons - which is typically when I do planning and packing - so I had to do all of it last minute on Friday night and Saturday morning before we left. 

I was up around 8, hopped in the shower, then chilled out with Twitter and OJ. I packed a little bit, wasted time on Facebook for while, then finished packing. We left around 11, stopping for lunch at Arby's. The drive was busy, but uneventful. 

Packet pickup this year was outside, near the lake, instead of at the Town Hall (for Covid safety reasons, I would assume). This also meant there was no expo, which I was okay with because I never really get anything at the expo anyway. Having it here meant there was plenty of room for parking, and plenty of room to have an Expo in the future, if they wanted to, along the streets. 

The view from our parking space at Celebration

I left hubby in the car and went to Packet Pickup alone, and it was very easy. Got my bib, got my bag, shirt, and blanket, and then I was done! Probably in and out in 20 minutes. 

No Lines, No Waiting

Blanket swag (Photo from Celebration Marathon Facebook page)

Once back in the car, we headed over to the hotel. This year, I decided to splurge on Fairfield Inn, right across US-192, near the Publix. It would allow hubby to walk back to the hotel and be comfortable for the majority of the race. And because we always stay an extra day, on the day of the race, it's nice to have a fancy hotel, instead of a trashy Motel 6. 

King Room

Check in was easy since we were there before official check-in time, and we scored a room on the 1st floor! Usually it wouldn't be a big deal, but not having to wait for an elevator when I get back with my medal means less time on my aching feet and legs. 

We unpacked and I laid out all my stuff for tomorrow, then just relaxed for a while. It was only 3:30, so plenty of time to enjoy each other and relax. 

Around dinner time, we walked across the street to pick up some OJ, chocolate milk and some cupcakes, brought them back to our room, then went next door for dinner at Golden Corral. Yeah, you read that right... Golden Corral. Judge me, I don't care! It was super busy and super loud... and super expensive! Seriously, it was thirty-five bucks for the two of us! Luckily, no fights broke out over steak, so we were able to eat our substandard, institutional food in peace, then headed back to our hotel to turn in for the night. 

Sunday morning dawned cold as hell. No, seriously. The Feels Like temp was 27º. No thank you, I live in Florida! If there's any silver lining, it's that the humidity is low, no rain is expected, and there won't be any clouds to block the sunshine. 

Feels Like 27º at Start and 42º at Finish!

As usual, I dealt with a tumultuous stomach and unhappy colon. Because of that, we didn't get out of the room until about 6:15am. I was hoping I could score a bottle of water from the breakfast buffet, but they didn't have any. I drove over to CVS, and they were closed (when did drugstores stop being 24/7?) Because we were running so late, I was stressing about parking, and we eventually found an on-road spot near Celebration School. I made it to the Start Line with only a few minutes to spare (so stressful!). For this race, I used Garmin LiveTrack, to allow hubby to follow my progress (so he knew about what time to leave the hotel and come to the finish line) - this is a great app! Everyone should use it if you have someone spectating or waiting for you. 

I had no camera for this race since my little Canon was still missing (RIP, little man, I miss you!), and I didn't want to deal with using my cell phone a lot, plus I was buried in layers which would make using it really difficult. Today, I was wearing a sports bra, a long sleeve base layer, a long sleeve running tee, a quarter-zip, a throwaway sweatshirt, undies, tights, Zensahs, and a Sparkle Skirt. Plus gloves, two buffs (one as a balaclava, one around my neck), a beanie, and a pair of earmuffs. With all of these layers, I was warm enough. I hated breathing through the buff, though... so moist. 

Tell Cersei... I want her to know it was me

I didn't run very much at all. Yes, I know if I run more, I finish quicker, which means less time outside in the cold. But I am highly out of shape and undertrained for this. 

I caught up with Hubs at the corner (around Mile 2) and gave him my quarter-zip and the unopened Hot Hands packages that I had. I kept all of the other layers. We walked together until we got to the intersection for Publix, where he would go back to the hotel. 

I made my way through Celebration for the next few miles. I drank Gatorade at every stop. I took a Honey Stinger Gel at Mile 6 (I truly suck at fueling at races!) after running the track, as well as taking a hit from my inhaler. The first marathoner passed me after I left the high school grounds. I know that I'm really close to the back of the pack at this point, but I give no shits. I want to quit. I'm so damn cold and so much in pain... I can't feel my quads because they're so damn cold. My feet are bricks of frozen pain. 

This is around Mile 4... we're all still so bundled up!

Don't run a half-marathon without actually training for it, kids... it's stupid. 

I love this family

Anyway, the boardwalk seemed to freakin' go on forever, but I made my way through it. I survived The Motherfucker Mile™. At the entrance to the first of the final boardwalk areas, I saw a marathoner just go down like a ton of bricks; apparently he had a cramp and his leg just gave out from under him. The poor teenage volunteers there had no idea what to do... one just kind of asked "hey, man, do you need some water?" I never saw him pass me, so I hope he was able to finish by walking (I'd be so pissed if I made it to Mile 24 and not be able to finish!). 

I made it to the final boardwalks and lakeside trail. I teared up - as I always do - and "ran" around the final turn to the finish line. 

I'm so thankful for the sun! It could have rained... 

I finished with a time of 4:15:48, which is absolutely horrendous, and the worst time I've recorded for this race. But I didn't care! I was expecting 4:45 at the least. I got my medal, granola bars, and a Diet Coke and went to a nearby table. I stripped off my shirts and put on a sweatshirt. I wanted to put on a pair of sweatpants, but I couldn't get them over my stupid sneakers, so that was a fail. I didn't stick around for a Finish Line Photo, and didn't even get any food - all I wanted was chowdah and OJ, but I couldn't find the tent for either one. I just wanted to be WARM! We just went back to the car and drove back to the hotel. 

My medal is the blue one (Photo courtesy of Celebration Marathon Facebook page)

Hubby helped undress me, which was lovely. Not in a sexy way, but in an "I'll take care of you, my love" way. I took a pathetic shower (because there was no bathtub, boooo), and climbed back in bed for an hour. I eventually ate a cupcake and drank some chocolate milk while I tweeted and chilled out. 

We had lunch at Cracker Barrel, which sadly was meh... I shouldn't stuck with pancakes instead of going for fried chicken breasts. We picked up "for later" snacks at Wawa and headed back to the hotel. Hubby had an online event, so I took some pain meds (again... don't do it, kids) and took a nap. 

I woke up around dinner time and we decided to adventure over to the new White Castle that has recently opened. It took about 45 minutes to get there, and it was busy! There was only one guy working a register, and tons of staff prepping orders. It took an hour to get our food! I ordered Chicken Sliders with fries and cheese for dipping. I wasn't impressed... the chicken was overcooked and the bun was too hard. Fries with cheese are good pretty much everywhere. While these types of restaurants are my favorite, if I have to go to one, I'll stick with Krystal (at least they have corndogs!)

Back at the hotel, I pulled out a cupcake to eat once dinner settled a little bit, but I was so tired, I ended up falling asleep instead. 

I woke up Monday after sleeping badly again. I don't know what kind of mattress they have, but it was very firm, so I woke up in the middle of the night repeatedly with a sore shoulder and hip, no matter which side I slept on. I was awake for good by 8, but relaxed in bed until 9. I still hurt, but not as bad as yesterday (though the crappy bed might have something to do with that...). Now I'm at "hey, I just ran a half-marathon" level of pain, and I took two Excedrin to knock out the last little bit of headache. We packed up and left, hitting up Celebration 7-ELEVEn and the McDonald's next door for sausage biscuits. Neither one of us could think of anything we wanted to do in town; we don't wanna do Disney World until we can do Disney again so we chose to just head home. 

Halfway home, we realized something we can do - Russel Stover!!! Hell yeah! They had leftover Christmas and Halloween candy. Between the two of us, we spent $150 on candy! (When we got home, I weighed my bag, and wow... it was 15.4 pounds of candy!!) 

Top Row: Candy Corn Taffy, Vanilla Caramels, Vanilla Creams, Peppermint Creams, Caramels
Center Row: Mint Dreams, Peppermint Bark Santas, Peppermints
Bottom Row: Caramel & Crispies, Maple Cream Santas, Caramels 

While we were shopping, we decided to detour through Ocala and have a grease-laden lunch at Long John Silvers. I love LJS, especially this one, because it's a stand-alone version (not a half-and-half like I've seen other places). We stuffed ourselves silly then took the backroads home. We were unpacked and chillin' by 3:30. Both of us retreated to our personal spaces and lost track of time in our own worlds. I ended up skipping dinner, choosing to eat a bag of chips and a cupcake in bed. (I run half-marathons, I'm so healthy!)