Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon and Half – December 11, 2022

Disclaimer: I received entry to Palm Beaches Half Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Ambassador. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Ambassador, and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

I used to run this race every year, 2013-2017 I never missed a year but then life happened and I stopped running it every year, plus I believe a few years it was canceled. I have never attempted the marathon option of this race but 2 loops of the same thing does not interest me much. I will probably stick to the half marathon option in future years. When I signed up for this race a few months ago I had an ultra marathon schedule for 3 weeks before and was not sure how my legs would feel for this race. But when the ultra got canceled I kind of slacked off with training. I went into this race really not knowing how I was going to feel or do for time and just looking at having fun and possibly running with my Bibrave teammate, Sarah.

I drove up to West Palm Beach on Saturday afternoon after my daughter’s swim class to pick up my race packet, as well as Sarah’s race packet. The expo was at the Meyer Amphitheater, right along the waterfront in downtown West Palm, it was in a large white tent and the weather was not too hot with the ocean breeze that afternoon. There were no lines to pick up my race stuff and all of the staff was super helpful so the whole pickup process took around 5 minutes, first to pick up race bibs, then race shirts and then the huge goodie bag of Garden of Life vitamins! Definitely a stress-free packet pickup, which is usually madness for other races in the South Florida area! Also there was a 4Ocean.com booth with beaded bracelets made from plastic retrieved from the ocean/rivers and some stainless steel cups so of course my daughter grabbed a couple of bracelets and hasn’t taken them off since. Overall it was a good race expo experience.

After the expo we headed to Jaxson’s in Dania Beach to celebrate a friend’s birthday and carb load with some fries and a giant strawberry sundae. These are the kind of bad nutrition decisions I make the day before longer distance races, but it all ended up fine and I had no tummy troubles for the race the next day, haha. I also tried to get to sleep a little earlier but that did not happen exactly but sometimes it’s worth it to lose a little sleep the night before a race. I had less pre race anxiety than I usually have, maybe I wasn’t too worried about running a half marathon again or maybe it was just I was dreading that long lonely drive up at 4am lol. My last half marathon did not go well but that was due to a very stressful situation and I was looking to redeem myself a little with this race.

Race morning –

Woke up at 3:15am in order to get out of the house by 3:45am to start the drive up to WPB, that 1 hr and 15 minute drive to the start line. My pre race food was a vanilla Honey Stinger waffle and a Just Egg folded in an english muffin. Also I usually do not drink Nuun before races, usually after but it seemed to work very well for me this time so I will have to add that to my pre race routine. I messaged Sarah which parking garage I parked in and she parked right beside me. We gathered our stuff and headed to find a bathroom, the last time I did this race there was an actual bathroom open but this year all we had was porta potties so we had to use those. We headed to the start line with about 10 minutes till 6am and it wasn’t too crowded like other races, it started getting crowded around 2 minutes before 6am. The race did not start on time but was around 7-8 minutes late but the sun was still hidden so that was okay. I quickly tucked in behind the 3:55 marathon pacer because I always start too quickly and was testing myself to see how long I could hold onto to that sub 9 minute pace. The weather was still slightly cool, around 67 lol, that’s cool weather for us down here. The pacer was super entertaining with all the info about the surrounding landmarks and running stories so it was easy to be distracted from the actual running. I did not stop at water stations until around mile 3-4. Just before mile 5 I heard and then spotted one of my favorite running friends, Harolyn! She was cowbelling and yelling at everyone, I detoured quickly and gave her a huge hug before sprinting back to the pace group. She got a pic of the moment and it’s hilarious to see the looks of the other runners in the pic. She biked the course on her daughter’s bicycle and caught me a few times along the way, like a personal race photographer 🙂 Miles 6-10 were kind of uneventful except for a part where we went under a little bridge, that was different and very cool under there. Around mile 10 there was a sign for mile 23 for the marathoners and some guys in front of me turned around with panic in their faces and asked “Is this still the half marathon?” LOL I assured them it was just the half marathon unless they did another loop for the marathon and they ran on. I do admit I took a couple short walk breaks along those last few miles. As we ran through the 12 mile area, where there was a relay team exchange I gave a high five to another runner friend, Stephanie of The Cookie Runner blog. The last mile always seems like it will be the longest but always seems to go by so fast. Once I saw my friend, Harolyn cheering me on and urging me to go faster just before hitting the finishing chute I sped up and passed a couple of runners before crossing the finish line. I was impressed with my somewhat fast finish of 2:00:17, much better than March’s half marathon. I collected my medal, water and Baptist Health ice cold cooling towel and headed back to find Harolyn. Found her right away and we went to the food tent to collect some post race food, this race had pancakes, sausage, bacon freshly cooked by Harolyn’s neighbor lol. I did not partake in the not vegetarian options but did grab some pancakes and a banana and bagel before leaving the food tent. They also had mimosas if you want a little bubbly after your race! Since I parked so close to the start/finish line I made it to my car very quickly to head back home.

Now currently still recovering with some hamstring/calve soreness but already for my next races, this time in Miami, so closer to home and allowing more sleep time! Definitely recommend this race if you want good weather and a fun place to stay before/after the race, there is so many more places to eat and stuff to do in WPB than I realized before. Plus that giant holiday sandcastle is nice to see too!

QUESTION: Who else has ran this race and what is your opinion of this double loop for marathon distance course?

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Miami Marathon Weekend 2022

Disclaimer: I received an entry to the Tropical 5k to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Mid March 2020 everything shutdown due to the start of the covid 19 pandemic, I had just completed my 2020 Miami Marathon and all races went on hiatus till mid 2021. Miami Marathon 2021 had to be canceled due to the pandemic with options to defer and race your chosen race virtually. I took the option of deferral and the virtual option, Running a marathon a treadmill is not all the fun like running in person in a race atmosphere. Luckily I signed up with my deferral code as soon as the race opened in April 2021 and did not have to join the 5000 participants on the waiting list. They minimized the amount of runners to keep it from getting too crowded. It did help with crowding and overall enjoyment of the experience, especially with the pandemic still a problem.

My training over the summer/fall did not go always as planned, in August 2021 I got the covid-19 delta strain and was slow to come back to my running. My lungs were just not the same and I lost a lot of endurance during the weeks I was recovering. I knew I had a marathon to train for but I was not going to overextend myself to do it, I always remember my former coach saying “Its better to be undertrained than overtrained.” I got up to about 14 mile long runs in my fall training block but relied a bit on a 6 hr hilly ultra to help with some hill training in early January 2022.

Race Expo

This year the race expo was at the Miami Beach Convention Center again, it hadn’t been there since 2015! I felt like in the past years the expo was bigger but I heard through the grapevine that a lot of vendors dropped out last minute due to covid restrictions and such. Perhaps next year it will be bigger and better as we covid things get a little better. Anyways traffic into Miami beach was a bit more than typical beach traffic but once I got by the convention center, parking at the nearby parking garage was easy and quick. I got to the expo about 10 minutes after it opened, and it was packed! I guess everyone had the same idea as I did to get there early lol. Oh well, there were some long lines for specific bib numbers and the tropical 5k but overall the lines move pretty quickly for bib retrieval and there were no lines for shirt pick up. Thanks to Bibrave I got entry to the VIP Experience and compared to past years it was not quite the same, smaller area and not as much gym equipment as in the past and no massage boots :'(. That really was something I was looking forward to, but moving on, the swag for the VIPs was pretty good, We got a small messenger bag with Miami Marathon labeling and a soft bomber style jacket embroidered with Miami Marathon. I walked around the expo once and then returned to the VIP area where I ran into a friend of mine, one of the 20 year streakers, Tony Jones. I was interested in the new thing in the VIP lounge, last time there was nail art and this year it was fast braids. I chose the two french braids style and had a nice conversation with the stylist/salon owner about hair stuff and how she was not a runner but a yogi. After I got my fast braids I walked around the expo more and checked out the vendors. One that really stood out to me was the Sneaker Impact booth where I talked to the owner about his company and how they are saving our sneakers from landfills to send to other countries to provide shoes for adults and children to be able to attend work and school. I will be packing and shipping him some shoes this weekend! I tried some food samples from the eat street area of the expo and walked over to the Miami Marathon museum area where they had all the previous year medals on display and old flyers/articles of past years winners and original course. Also a wall to display the 20 year streakers, very cool, wish I would’ve been part of that but 20 years ago I was not a runner. The official merchandise area was bigger than in the past and it was very busy, I bought my daughter a Future Finisher shirt, as I have been doing since before she was born (It was actually the way I announced my pregnancy to my family, Miami Marathon onesie). Ran into a lot of runner friends who I had not seen in the 2 years or more since the pandemic began. I spent about 3 hours walking around and checking out the stuff before heading home to rest my legs a little before Saturday’s 5k.

Tropical 5k

This year I did not park at Jungle Island, which I had been doing for the past few years due to the closeness of the start line, I parked in Miami Beach. They had shuttles from 2 nearby parking garages to the start line so I got to the parking garage early and met up with my friend, Caroline. Fun fact: We have been IG friends for a few years I’d say but I hadn’t met her till race morning. We walked to the buses and chatted till the race started. Plenty of port a potties at the starting line and remarkably no long lines when I went. Ran into JetSetSarah (local runner/travel writer/fashionista) as we walked around and a couple of others before we headed towards the front of the corral. We got there 45 minutes before start time and it was a good decision because it started getting crowded early, I did see a lot of masks before we started which was a good sign that everyone was keeping safe. I had mine on when it started getting crowded and put it in my pocket when we started. I tried to hold back but my first mile was obviously too quick and I had to force myself to slow down the next 2 miles, why is it that 5ks feel so much harder than longer distances? Is it because we have to run that much faster? Probably. I had an ok finish line for running the day before a marathon and collected my medal and bottle of water. Can I just say I love that the bottled water was in a recyclable bottle this year BUT those bottles were impossible to open with sweaty post run hands! I had to ask a very quick runner who was just spectating to open my bottle before I continued on towards the beach. I took a couple pics of my medal on the beach when I walked to the Nikki Beach area where the finish line party usually is and found it deserted. Found Carolina again and we found the tiny area where they were giving some post race snacks at and I collected some cookies/pretzels and a banana before we walked back to our cars in the parking garage. Fun race but I had to rush on home to take my daughter to swim class, #momlife. Later I took her to a nearby carnival and she rode some rides with a friend while I carb loaded with an elephant ear and took way too many steps.

Miami Marathon

I woke up very early, 3:05am (haha) and gathered all my stuff that I laid out the night before. I had my waffle and water before I left. I know they say to never do anything new on race day but I will admit I wore some Oiselle pocket joggers that I had just got a few days before, so they were brand new, unwashed and unworn yet. I mean I have worn the style for a couple races now and knew they were going to work out well for me for this race as they do not ride up, the best! The only chaffing I got was from the line logo tag on the bottom of the shorts. I did use KT tape Chafe Safe on my body before I left the house also and that stuff really works! Got to the FTX arena (formerly AAA/Home of Miami Heat) by 4:15am and parked for $5. I am so glad that they give this as a parking option as all the other parking options around that area are $10-$20 on race morning, the only thing is that you have be parked before 5am since the starting corrals are right in front. Relaxed in the car for 15 minutes and then started over to the charity village/team tent area. Hit the port a potties and met up with my BibravePro teammate, Sarah, who is also part of 1k run club. We headed over to the 1k tent by the water, later when the sun was up, it was a great view of the bay. I dropped off my bag of extra clothes and car keys at the team tent and chatted with a couple of runner friends. Then Sarah and I walked over to the FTX arena to use a real toilet before the race started, the first bathroom we walked into had a bit of a line so we went to the next one where we had the whole bathroom to ourselves, we hurried to our B corral (another perk of the VIP experience) and found Phil, our BibRave teammate.

The excited energy in the corral was palpable and everyone started hopping up and down to warm up, and we were off soon after 6:10 or so. An earlier start is a great, because once that sun comes out, it really gets you. Luckily I was already at mile 5 or so before the sun really started coming out. That first mile and running over the McArthur is quite an experience, especially after many years of running this race I know to expect the bagpipe playing at the top of the bridge. Couple of friends said hi as they passed on the first few miles of the race. There were a couple of runners who took some spills, one right at the start, about 15 feet after crossing the starting line and another one on those armadillo bumps on the Venetian. I hope they were okay, I kept well away from those armadillo bumps while I was running. I started taking in water around mile 6 of the race, and hit every other water stop till the halfway point of the race. Around mile 12 when all the spectators are screaming “almost there” Umm nope, there were a couple of runners sprawled out on the sidewalks, I’m guessing heat related since the humidity was at 90% at the start. I really tried not to get that into my head as I rounded the corner at the course split and headed for the big bridge on Brickell. There used to be spectators who would bring ice pops in a cooler around the Fortune building, where Brickell Run Club meets but I haven’t seen them in a couple of years, if you are reading this, please come back and give us ice pops at that corner again!! Thankfully two years ago the course was changed up a little bit so we are not running into direct sunlight at mile 23 and under the Rickenbacker bridge but instead running under it at mile 16. At mile 17 I knew one of my 1k teammates and overall running angel, Betty would be out there supporting the FDC team and runners so I stopped by for a quick hug and some kind of sugar, she gave me a cup of coca cola (I never drink soda!) and a mini bag of skittles. Seems like the cola helped me, must’ve been that caffeine!

By the time I reached Coconut Grove I was incorporating my ultra race technique (run/walk) and stopping at all the water stops. At mile 22-23 one of the police officers must’ve been pretty bored by the time we passed through because he was joking that if we walked he would give us a ticket and said “I’m watching you [bib number]”. That kept me moving a little but I walked right after we got passed him, Ha! Once we got out of the neighborhoods and closer to the finish line, the buildings started blocking out the sun and it got cooler and shady. Just before my final mile I heard my name and looked over to see my friend Carolina waving at me. I waved and determinedly kept running through the looooooong finish chute. Saw Phil waving from the VIP stands before I finished too. It really is an experience at the end of the race when you are running around that final curve and all those strangers are cheering you on, you really get a little feeling of how it feels to be a rockstar at that moment. So much fun! Got my medal and continued walking to get a water from a friendly volunteer who kindly opened it for me when I mentioned how the bottled were hard to open. Afterwards I collected my vegetarian DeliverLean meal and headed to the 1k tent to celebrate. Dropped my Nuun tablet in the water bottle and kept walking around. Took some pics with my new medal and then walked over to the VIP tent area to check if I could get a leg massage. The line was long for the massages and talked to some others in the line who came up with a good suggestion, there should be a line for half marathoners and full marathoners. Definitely both groups need a good massage after, but marathoners more so because of that extra distance. Picked up a vegan meal from the tent and started walking to the FTX arena to my car, about 2 hrs after I finished the race. There were lots of people dancing along to the entertainers on the stage and the beer tent was looking full when I left around noon.

I’m already signed up for the 2023 Miami Marathon! Hurry and sign up soon before the 2500 early access spots are taken! The race is going to be capped at 18,000 and you definitely want to be Miami Famous!

It’s Not Miami Without YOU! Who’s in for Miami Marathon 2023? Drop me a comment below or just tell me I’m crazy for running 26.2 miles in this heat. LOL.

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Grandma’s Marathon Virtual 26.2 : Why I am running

Disclaimer: I received an entry to Grandma’s Marathon virtual marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

GMA6

This year I started the year hopeful and thinking maybe I could run a marathon a month, whether the race distance or during a race and I started at the beginning of January by running a 6 hr ultra marathon, completing the marathon distance and then almost hitting 30 miles as well. Things changed soon afterwards, my grandmother took a turn for the worst, she had been in the hospital since right before Thanksgiving. There would be good days and then bad days with her recovery/health and on January 10th, she lost the battle and passed away. Most may not know but this was the closest grandparent I had and my last living one. Sure we would argue sometimes but we did get along as well. I remember during my first marathon back in 2014 she called me when I was around mile 16 to tell me that she saw on the news that it would start raining soon. I said “Uh grandma, I’m still running, but I don’t have too much more to go, 10 miles” and got off the phone with her. I did put my phone away in my plastic baggie and just in time too, the rain started pouring down for the next 6 miles or so of that race. She only attended one of my races but that was due to her own transportation issues, it was a good race too, an inaugural race and I ended up winning 1st in my age group. She would always like to see the different medals I earned after races. She is the reason I am doing this race.

I ran a 5k the week after the ultra (not a great idea) I had dead legs. A few weeks later I ran Tropical 5k and Miami Marathon without any issues. February was uneventful till mid/late month and that’s when my daughter got Influenza B (the flu!) and a few days later I got it as well. Not a lot of running happened that month, 10 days later I ran the 305 half marathon and did fairly well for still recovering. Mid March brought my city into lock down due to Covid-19 and my only outing was restricted to grocery shopping. When the gyms closed the sidewalks became crowded and running outside became somewhat of an obstacle course. More treadmill running happened for me also because my daughter’s preschool closed and I started teaching her from home while also working a full time job. Running takes away a little of the stress I am experiencing now with extra work and more jobs than usual.

Training for this race has been mainly done on the treadmill and even though I haven’t ran any distances over 14 miles so far in this training block I am fairly certain I will survive the race. I used to train for marathons with multiple 20 milers but in the last few years I haven’t had as much time for such long distances and I have done okay during my marathons. I am planning on running this virtual marathon on the treadmill so that will be a new challenge for me. I have only ever ran a 22 miler on the treadmill once back in 2013 when I was training for my first marathon!

Should be fun to earn this medal not only because of who I am running this race for but also because this is a very well known race in the running community. I personally have never been to Minnesota but I plan on making a trip there one day when it is safe to travel again and hope to run this race in real life. Some friends of mine have ran this race before and have given me tips on the course and how to adjust the treadmill incline for more accurate running conditions.

gma5

I plan on filling a couple of reusable water bottles with water and Nuun and putting my Honey Stinger chews within reach in case I need a boost of sugar during the race. I am not sure if I am going to watch movies/tv shows or read a book while running this race as that is how I have recently been training while running on the treadmill. With lots of miles with no scenery change I am going to need some sort of brain distraction, also I heard there is an app that will allow you to see the course as you run it, I might try that one too!

Do you have any tips on long long runs while on the treadmill? Please send them my way in the comments below.

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Earth Day Running with Knockaround

Disclaimer: I received a pair of Knockaround sunglasses to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

I have been a fan of Knockarounds for awhile, they are one of my favorite running/active sunglasses. Living in a tropical place means that I need lots of sunglasses, when I first started running I would run early in the morning before the sun came up but in the past few years, Phoebe has grown and early morning runs usually mean treadmill runs. Sunglasses are a necessity for my afternoon/early evening runs in South Florida. Even on the off chance I get in an early outdoor run on the weekend when the sun is still rising it can get pretty bright out. These are fantastic for not slipping down.

Ever heard of the term, plogging? It is a Swedish term for jogging while picking up litter coined back in 2016. It’s a great idea to help clean up the environment and get in some exercise, it should really be taking off at this time since there is a ton of trash out there at this time and lots of people walking/biking/jogging on the sidewalks/streets now.

Adventures in plogging recently has changed a bit due to the covid-19 virus, I used to be running and see a couple bottles or large piece of trash and a trash can nearby and would not hesitate to pick it up and trash it. But now with the virus being able to live on plastic and cardboard for sometimes days, plogging requires more preparations, like gloves. Also with social distancing you cannot run with others who are not living in your household so things can be a little slow in the clean up of neighborhoods. I decided to keep my plogging nearby my house in order to be able to have my gloves and garbage bag ready so I often ended my run with some plogging around the street next to my house. Living off a very busy avenue means lots of trash to pick up and now lots of discarded gloves and masks too. Instead of throwing out their masks/gloves at home or in a bag after their grocery shopping trips people have started throwing them out of their cars and damaging the trying to heal earth. I haven’t been able to take any pics of said plogging in action as I have to wear gloves and do not want to touch my phone to snap a pic before I am decontaminated. But I was able to get in some pics of the bags of trash that I found in less than half a mile from my house recently. Lots of people in cars gave puzzled looks because it’s odd to see people who are not forced to clean up the streets who are not in a community service program. I did get a few cheers.

We are currently in a very lax lockdown in Miami right now and people are venturing outside to exercise since all the gyms are closed and only some fitness classes are online right now. So I am seeing a lot more disposable water bottles strewn in the grass by the sidewalks and less litter free lawns now than a few months ago. I love running outside and now the rules are you have to stay at least 6 ft but preferably 10-12 ft away from others when running as our heavier breathing causes virus particles to fly farther than those who are walking. I do not wear a mask while running but at any grocery stores or drive thru restaurants I do. I live in the suburbs so there is not a ton of people on the streets at any given time like if I were to live in downtown or Brickell area where there are many condos and lots of people living in a small area.

Also there is currently a contest going on currently through social media about hugging a tree for Earth day and tagging knockaround and bibrave with the hashtag #earthdayknocksbr in order to win a pair of Knockarounds, hurry, it ends tonight! Here’s my pic :

Right now to celebrate earth day Knockaround sunglasses gave us the code: BibRaveKnocks4 to get 20% off your entire order! I have the Special Release No Signal Fort Knocks ones, which come with the coolest tv guide printed sunglasses pouch and the box they came in has a printed old school tv remote. Reminds me back when I was a teenager and at midnight the tv would go fuzzy and then have these colorful lines until the channel started broadcasting again. Very fun and nostalgic!

Did you do anything special to celebrate Earth day? Do you think every day is Earth Day? Have you ever been plogging?

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305 Half Marathon – March 1, 2020 – Race Review

I’m promoting 305 Half as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

Going into this race I was probably really under trained, well I guess as under trained as one can be 3 weeks after running a marathon. But really I hadn’t been running much in the past few weeks – first was recovering from the marathon week and then taking care of Phoebe with the flu and then getting it myself – so in the time between races I only ran minimally for 2 weeks but not regularly. I ran my longest run since the marathon on the Friday before this race: 7 miles. Maybe there is something to running less and running better or maybe it was just my new shoes and the newness inspiring me. There are so many factors that could have been at play in how I actually did at the race. I really went into this race just trying to survive and if anything get under 2:10 since I was not feeling confident about my pace/endurance.

Packet pick up for this race was the best I have experienced in awhile and one of the locations was close to my house and job, no more racing to Dadeland station to pick up my race stuff a few days before the race. I like that lately more races are having multiple locations for packet pickup to help runners in different parts of Miami.

Race morning was chilly enough to wear my earband for at least half of the race and this year I got to wear my arm sleeves, that hardly ever happens for South Florida races, the last time I got to wear arm sleeves for a race was Miami Marathon 2017. The temps were around the low to mid 50s before the race began, I headed to the port o potties before the race, this year they were in the dark, unlike last year. Got to the start line an hour before the race began, talked to a couple of friends before getting into the corral, talked to my Bibrave teammate, Mike before the race also. I did have a giggle at some participants who were wearing puffy jackets in the corral, WOW! I started out fast, as usual and got in front of the 2 hr pacer early on. Then started the bridges, Julia Tuttle, usually I feel really terrible by the time I get to the top of the first bridge but this year for some reason I felt okay and not like I was going to die. By the time I was getting out of the Julia Tuttle bridge I was still feeling pretty decent and it was starting to heat up, I tucked my earband into the back of my shorts and felt the coolness refreshing my sweaty ears.

I didn’t grab too much water and did not even use my Honey Stinger energy chews at all (crazy!) during this race but around mile 6 I got my first sip of water on the course. A few miles later the 2 hr pacer was gaining on me and getting to the water stop was a pain with a rude man cutting in front of me, nearly tripping me to get a water cup. After that water station drama and I got another sip of water I got the hell up that McArthur and away from the pace group and rude man. I didn’t see them again the rest of the race, luckily! But I was getting to the part of the race that I usually start fading but my Bibrave teammate, Mike passed me and that gave me the extra motivation to keep pushing. Mike was making it look easy as he ran ahead of me, wearing his aftershokz and not slowing his even pace, he did speed off a few miles later. At that point I was not going to slow down, I was a mile and a half to the finish line and on the final bridge was one of my favorite runners in South Florida and the mayor of Miami running, Harolyn, cheering us on and if you know her, you love her!

Probably the toughest part of this race for me was the final mile, when you are running on the beach serpentine (our boardwalk) and the sun is way up by then and it starts getting really toasty. I passed the time by watching a team of runners celebrating someone named Lisa’s 50th half? or 50th birthday? And being a Lisa, I took notice of the shirts and eventually I ran into the Lisa who’s own shirt stated : My 50th and congratulated her saying she must be the famous Lisa that I had been reading about along the course. She was happy to be recognized by her friend’s shirts and then I took off, feeding off the happy energy of the moment. In the past few years I have been less focused on my times and more on having fun while on the course, even if that means slowing down to help motivate my friends or cheering on the first place runners (in point to point races). Looking at my watch when I was about .30 from the finish line, a forever endless mile, that last one I was happy to see I would be finishing in less than 2 hrs! The year before I was a few minutes over 2 hrs and the first year of this 3 year series I was a minute under 2:00. I was happily surprise with my 1:58:25 finish time! I made sure to congratulate the girl closest to me after we crossed the line and she congratulated me too and mentioned how she was focusing on my bird shorts to motivate her to the finish line, lol. Love the randomness of that, finding something or someone to focus on to get you through the tough parts of a race. I walked around after and saw Mike after the finish line, unknowing that he had just had a huge PR! Congrats Mike on your first sub 2 half marathon finish!! I took some pics, collected my Florida Storm Series 4 medal and then headed back to the finish line to cheer on friends and strangers before I left. Plus I got to witness the bandits being pulled from the course just before the finish chute and people wearing their bibs on their back (cmon people, so much for those free race pics lol) getting offended when they were questioned about their bibs. I wish less runners had headphones on SO that they would actually hear us cheering them on!!

Overall another great experience at 305 Half and cannot wait till next year to start the 3 year series over again! If you are not signed up already, what are you waiting for? The prices are the lowest they will ever be but only until 3/10! Sign up for the only race that gives out cafecitos race morning! I signed up today on 305 day!

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Writers Block not Runners Block

The past few months have been a whirlwind of things happening in my life.

Let’s start with end of March, I managed to fall on a sidewalk in a park, tearing off a big chunk of skin from my elbow and causing some hip pains for the next week.

MARCH

Then in April I managed to kill two treadmills in a week, well one was on its last leg after the thousand miles I had spent on it for the past 6 years or so. It was not such a shock but the replacement treadmill bought months before used also had major problems. From the first run on it till the whole belt folded and almost threw me off the thing! Trashed that one as well. I rely heavily on the treadmill certain times of year and during major training due to childcare things, I get in my early morning runs on the treadmill or late night runs while watching my kid sleep in her bed by baby monitor. I had to get a new treadmill ASAP so I got one from amazon, a Proform which is not the best as its had some rust issues after only a short time and not being exposed to the elements but it works and I can get my miles in! Then mid April my grandmother had a heart attack and almost died from it, major stress for the entire family. She ended up pulling through and is back to herself again.

May ended up being my 2nd highest mileage month for the year, which was surprising since I had to work early for half of the month. Also I turned the big 3-8! Ran the ALS 10k in Coconut Grove, it had been a few years since I had ran the race and ended up happy with my slower than usual time. Felt strong but steady in the race despite the high humidity and heat.

June and July were slow running months for me, probably in part due to the heat of the summer months and then planning Phoebe’s 4th birthday party and traveling to Seattle and Alaska. I hit 1000 miles for the year in June. I enjoyed running in Seattle, where the morning temps were 58 but I was not really feeling those huge hills! We stayed in the downtown area and I walked up more than one of the hills in the middle of the run. Luckily I was able to borrow a bob stroller so we could take Phoebe out for some runs as well while we were there, thanks to one of my Oiselle Volee teammates! It was a little more difficult to square away an hour while cruising through Alaska on a boat but I managed to run 4 of the 7 days we were onboard. July was my lowest mileage month for the year – just got in a little less than 100 miles.

August brought on a new challenge of getting back into a schedule again after being on vacation for 10 days! The first part of the month started off slowly as I tried to get back out of the running rut, then Phoebe got a cold and more things piled in front of miles. Also this was the month that I started my Space Coast Marathon training, slowly. Phoebe started VPK and I went to see Bush in concert, it had been awhile since I went to a concert and many years since I had seen them live.

September was the month that I started getting serious about my mileage goals again. I started extending my long runs past that 13 mile mark and hit 50 miles for 2 weeks in a row at the end of the month. Still trying to get back into being a morning runner but my evening road runs are getting faster and feeling easier and the weather hasn’t yet started to cool down yet. I look forward to cooler temps, but I don’t expect to see that happening for another few months. I took a hands only CPR class and learned some new things, feeling confident I can help someone out in an emergency situation.

October has just started but going to work hard this month with waking up early again to run. I don’t yet know what I can promise myself for accomplishing this goal but no doubt I can figure something out. Now I am in the middle of marathon training for Space Coast Marathon and at the beginning of training for Miami Marathon. Not so smart but what are you gonna do when you want to do both marathons and they just happen to be only 8 weeks apart? Simultaneously marathon training, fun times!

SEPT6

At the beginning of the year I made a goal to read at least 12 books this year, I figured it would be extremely hard because ever since Phoebe was born I feel like there’s no time to read. I am happy to announce that I am currently only book #35 for the year so maybe I will adjust my reading goal to 52 instead?

Haven’t signed up for Miami Marathon yet and want a discount on your registration? Use this code for $5 off – BIBRAVEMIAMI

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Road ID – wrist ID pin-tuck style

Disclaimer: I received an Road ID wrist ID to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

I have been wearing a Road ID since 2013, less than a year after I started running I made sure to purchase one. At the time I did not see too many runners wearing them but I wanted to be safe since I was running a lot on my own at dark o clock before work. I remember the first event I wore my Road ID ironically enough I did not even run it, I walked a Mercedes Benz Corporate Run 5k.

Since purchasing my first Road Id back in 2013, I purchased another one in 2014 to update the emergency call numbers and get an updated color. My original band was the silicone stretch band and I got it in black, when I updated I got it in a teal color and continued wearing that one (nonstop) till I received this new style. Another way to add a little flare to your wrist ID is to add a badge, they have a bunch of kinds and metal colors. You can see my previous band had a saturn badge, that is not currently available but maybe in the future they will bring it back and in a rose gold. Crossing my fingers, for that one 🙂

I wanted to branch out with my new Road ID and try out a different style so I selected a 13mm rose gold pin tuck wrist ID band. Usually I am not a gold wearing lady but I have lately been intrigued by the rose gold color so I went with it instead of my usual silver colored metals (or slate according to road ID). Right out of the box I could tell this band was more grown up and professional than the regular silicone band I had been previously using. It looks classy and is functional, I like my running gear to have both of those qualities! I was also looking at the leather buckle band but for ethical reasons (vegetarian/vegan) I passed but it did look nice, if there would be a faux leather band I may have selected that one.

I’m sure most users of Road ID just put it on when they are going for a run/ride but I wear mine all the time. I don’t want to forget to put it on plus something could happen anywhere, not just while I am running and I want the emergency personnel to know my info in case there is no one around that knows my name or info. I can imagine going to a grocery store and something bizarre happening and passing out and at least the workers/emts can contact someone from the two numbers listed while I am in an ambulance.

This is one piece of running gear that is a necessity in my opinion, especially while running on the road in crazy distracted driver territory, which is all of Miami! I know that some people may carry there license while running but I do not find it necessary as long as I am wearing my road ID. I haven’t ever had any issues of weakening silicone or turning of colors on the information plate of these either so they are super durable. I wear mine in pools and showers and is still looks new. After all this time of wearing it nonstop it has only came off once while I was sleeping since it is a pin tuck latch.

ROAD ID

Also while checking out at RoadID.com you have the option of making a donation to the 4 Paws for Ability charity which provides service dogs to children in need. How awesome is that? Donating to a great cause while getting a wrist ID to keep yourself safe while out.

Comment below with other ways you stay safe on the run and I will randomly select a comment and provide a $10 off code for one lucky reader to get their own Road ID!

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Ultimately my favorite headphones : Aftershokz Trekz Air

“Disclaimer: I received some Aftershokz Trekz Airs to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

This is not my first pair of trekz air and definitely will be purchasing some for friends and family this week as there is a major sale going on at Aftershokz this week to celebrate dads (Father’s day is on Sunday!) and grads (all the college/highschoolers who graduated this month). Head over to aftershokz.com to take advantage of some great deals after reading this review.

In the past few months my road running has minimized as it’s harder to find time to get out there between work and kid duties and now I have the added obstacle of weather since its summer and super rainy season here in Florida. Also I got a treadmill and it’s not a squeaky old thing that makes a lot of noise so hearing my music and streaming movies/shows has gotten more enjoyable as well. I have ran through marathons of tv shows in the past few months thanks to the awesomeness of my trekz airs.

These things are awesome and don’t go in your ear so they won’t irritate your ears, that was a major issue I had with wireless headphones in the past. They are bone conducting meaning they sit in front of your ear but do not transmit the sound through your ear but rather through your cheekbones to your inner ear. Never blocking your ears from hearing danger around you or other things you might need to listen out for, like toddlers in baby monitors crying. It really helps me when I am doing a treadmill run and watching a tv show on my tablet and my toddler wakes and starts crying for me. I can then get to her to calm her before she has a total meltdown. Another parental advantage to these headphones is on those relaxing but tiring nights when you just want to zone out in your favorite tv show but cuddle with your little one you can easily. My daughter gets to cuddle up with me while watching her show on the large tv screen and I can watch my netflix/hulu not kid friendly language shows without disturbing her or teaching her some new words 😉 . That feature alone has come in really helpful since that time I let her watch G.L.O.W with me and she asked me what was a douchebag? LOL.

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I don’t spend as much time road running with music anymore but on the off chance I can when running with the stroller I need to keep my ears open for any erratic drivers. Now I can hear some music to fuel my pace as well as listen out for when my toddler needs me to stop so she can get some more snacks/water.

While traveling I have used these on a plane and had no issues hearing the shows/movies I was watching, even without using the provided earplugs for use in safe situations where you need to block outside noise out. My boyfriend even watched Birdbox using them on the flight back and had no issues hearing the movie fully. I haven’t let my toddler borrow them yet but I might when we fly to Seattle next month and have a long flight to get there. They might be slightly big for her tiny head but will probably work, will have to test out that soon!

I have answered a phone call while running using these connected to my tablet and it gave me no issues in hearing the caller or picking up the call. All very simple and easy to use wireless headphone. Another thing that is super helpful about these things is that they are sweat resistant which is necessary in Miami. I produce what seems like gallons of sweat while running on the treadmill even and my trekz airs have never had any issues after being soaked from all the sweat on them. I just dry the sweat off of them with a paper towel and put them back in the zippered case they came with. I’m guessing I will be spending more time on a treadmill while on a cruise next month so I will not forget these and not forget to download some good shows before setting sail. Looking forward to the new season of Orange is the New Black and other good finds while traveling.

Do you have any aftershokz bone conducting headphones? How much do you love them? If you have not yet tried them hurry over to their website and get them on sale. Sale running from 6/9-6/16!

Have any recommendations for good netflix/hulu/amazon prime video shows/movies to watch? Let me know below in the comments.

Summer running plans: Road running or treadmill running?

305 Half Marathon 2019

I’m promoting 305 Half as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to find and write race reviews!

Let me start by saying I have ran this race/course for the past 7 years and every year it still feels as challenging. Some years I have sub two hour finishes, some years I’m a few minutes behind, some years I just want to finish alive. This was my first half marathon back in 2013 and even though those bridges are challenging, I continue to sign up year after year.

Last year the race was more Miami than usual with a pots and pans PR station because everyone in Miami goes out in the streets with their pots and pans for the home team victories. This year was much like last years with the 305 feel with cafecito by the starting line and lots of great food vendors afterwards. There was a major hiccup that happened a few days before the race, the race medals were on a train for California and not Florida so the race management hustled and put together a temp medal till we can get the official 0 medal to complete our 3 year challenge. Also due to the UPS mistake they gave out $5 Starbucks gift cards as well as a code for free UPS my choice premium membership for a year. I look forward to getting my 0 medal in the mail in the next couple weeks.

Now back to the changes and things that were really helpful. Usually the port a potties are lined up at the end of the starting corral but this time they were actually put into the hard packed sand across from where the finish line was and there were huge lights to illuminate them. That is perfect, well almost lol, some sand got into my sock which was kind of annoying BUT I did like the fact that it was out of the starting corral area which really clogs up the area for runners.

The iRun pacers were great as usual, I tucked in behind the 2:00 finish time pacers and managed to stick with them for 8 miles, the pace was a little faster than I expected. But after the brief rain shower at mile 7 the humidity was getting very thick. The sun burning the rain off the pavement was just a bit much for me when I had to trek up one of the final bridges back to Miami Beach, the MacArthur and so I decided to take a little walk break up it or risk fainting from the humidity. After that the flat running was working well for me and I stopped slacking a little. I got to see my favorite running buddy, Harolyn at the mile 10.5 water stop, she ran over to cheer on her friends and ended up helping out at the water stop.

I got caught by a few photographers this year which doesn’t always happen when I am running with a pace group. One caught me when I was ascending the 2nd bridge of the course, caught the grit on my face haha. I really do not like hills/bridges because I am used to training in my very flat Miami neighborhood and don’t get to make it out to Key Biscayne for tackling the large bridge anymore with a toddler. Training is a lot different now than it used to be.

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I hope that next year I will be getting a course PR during this race, that is the plan at least! Possibly a new half PR that is if I can get in some bridge training this year.

Onward to the finish line, where cold water, cold towels and temporary medals were handed out. After that you head into the post race party zone after getting some fruit/protein bars from the athlete food tent. At the back of the food tent was a chicken and rice food area, but I did not stop and try out that. I actually did not want to smell any food after finishing the rest. In that tent I prepared my Nuun so that I could hydrate back to human. Tucked a banana securely into the pocket of my Oiselle pocket jogger shorts and my water bottle in the other pocket. That is where we picked up our Starbucks card and letter from UPS about the medal mishap. I went immediately to the Florida Storm Series tent and picked up my category 4 medal, that didn’t take long at all and then walked around to see the different vendors. I ran into my Oiselle teammate Daniela’s parents who ran the 5k/half marathon at the Air Relax booth. I walked around and got some shaved ice from the Kona Ice truck and then went to the Yasso truck and had a greek froyo bar in my favorite Yasso bar flavor, chocolate chip cookie dough. After saying hi to a few more friends in the finisher area I walked back to my car and headed up. Everywhere in Miami seems to be under construction lately and Miami Beach was no different but luckily the traffic was not too terrible when I left at 9am.

I will be signing up for the 2020 race to complete my 3 year challenge, but I know that I will continue signing up for this race as long as I am able to run it. Claimed my results on athlinks right after the race and then by that evening the FREE race photos were available on the app! Sign up now for the best rates for next year’s 305 Half Marathon!

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Miami Marathon 2019 Weekend

Disclaimer: I received free entry to Tropical 5k race & am promoting Miami Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

Let’s start with Friday, Miami Marathon expo opens at Mana convention center in Wynwood, a district known for art galleries and hipster bars. I really like this area for the expo, even though parking can be a hassle it is generally cheaper than when the expo was held at the Miami Beach convention center in the past. As part of the VIP experience we had complimentary valet parking but I chose to get to the area early and scored a very close spot, on the street beside the Mana parking lot. Also as part of VIP we were able to enter the expo one hour before the general public. I got there around 11:30am so I had a nice walk around the displays for 30 minutes before it got pretty crowded. I checked into the VIP lounge and headed to the packet pickup area in the back of the convention center to pick up my race bibs for my two races. VIP participants get to walk a red carpet to pick up their bib, and it will probably be my only opportunity to walk a red carpet so that was a fun perk. Pickup was easy breezy and I received my VIP bracelet & swag bag to wear all weekend to take part in all the VIP events. Some things I knew that I could not attend like the cocktail party on Friday night since I was running the Tropical 5k early the next morning, plus I really don’t partake in alcohol so close to race days.

After I got my race bibs for Miami Marathon and Tropical 5k I took a walk down the AthlEat street to try out some new things and had a taste of my favorites like MaraNatha almond butter and Harmless Harvest coconut water. I walked back to check out the VIP lounge to rest my legs whilst charging my phone with the sofa! I sat down and checked out my swag bag containing a very nice full zip jacket with the Miami Marathon logo on the back, a stainless steel Miami Marathon branded tumbler, and a lotion/chapstick combo pack in a nice sized reuseable tote. After hanging out there for awhile I walked around to visit some friends who were working at the expo and ran into a couple more friends while walking around and checking out some of the booths. I got to try out the normatec boots, which I have always been curious about but never had the opportunity to try them out, I got a chance at the expo for 10 minutes while meeting another Bibrave pro. I returned to the lounge one last time, that’s when I discovered that I could’ve used the Normatec boots without a wait in the lounge. Facepalm. Okay, so now I know for the future if I sign up for the VIP experience again next year. Also they had massages available as well as treadmills to use to loosen up the legs while in the lounge. I picked up a vegan salad to eat while there as well as a Ten water for electrolytes. I am always terrible at hydrating the Friday before my race weekend so it was much appreciated. I stopped by the official merchandise booth and got Phoebe a Future Finisher tee (the same one I managed to lose last year at the expo) and tucked it securely in my Oiselle spike bag. The expo was getting pretty crowded when I left just before 2pm to head back home to get as much rest as possible with a toddler.

Saturday morning I woke up to torrential rains and cold weather. I put on my new Miami Marathon jacket over my Bibrave singlet and headed out, making sure to put my running shoes in a bag to carry to the car to keep my feet as dry as possible for as long as possible. Parking was easy at Watson Island, right beside the Children’s museum and waited around an hour till it was 7am and I had to get out of the warm and dry car to use the bathroom before the race. By that time the rain had pretty much stopped so I took of my poncho as soon as I finished in the port a potty and after crossing the starting line I threw it to the side to one of the spectators. Just before the 7:30am start it started sprinkling, which later turned into a more steady rain once I was around mile 1. It reminded me of the 2017 Miami Marathon weather, where it was 55 and raining the whole 26.2 miles. Ran into a couple friends along the course but hurried through the miles, reminding a young runner to watch running along the slippery white painted street lines. Pretty much ran across the finish line, grabbed my water and a medal and headed to the finisher photo opp quickly, got a pic and went to Nikki Beach for a bagel and banana and ran to the buses back to Watson Island. Usually I like to stay longer and take some pics on Miami Beach with my medal but with the weather being so horrible I thought it was best to head back as soon as possible to dry off and prevent any possible colds the 22 hrs before Miami Marathon began. Funnily enough the bus driver got a bit lost on the way back to Watson Island and hopped a curb but eventually we made it back to our cars safely. Then it was mom mode the rest of the day, went home, showered and took toddler to swimming class before heading home and trying to slightly carb load and stay dry the rest of the day. It rained all of Saturday and the rain continued through the night, everyone I knew running the race was preparing for another 2017 sort of weather conditions.

Packed my race bag the night before and had my throwaway jacket ready as well as my rain poncho, I figured I would use it at least for a few of the first miles. Alas race morning came and it was another soggy morning with a steady rain as I left my house for the AAA, where I would park. A week before we had received an email that being part of the VIP experience we would be able to park free on race morning but when I got to the ticket taker she said I should’ve had a neon yellow parking pass. I was not given one at the expo so I paid $5 like the past years. That was kind of annoying but at least I was prepared for it. I gathered all my stuff and headed to the 1000 Miles Run Club tent in the charity village to gear check my stuff and meet up with running friends for a group pic. We had a VIP gear check also but I just wanted to check my stuff with my running club tent instead since I would be heading back there post race to change into dry/warm clothes. Getting to the tent in full rain gear and a warm hoodie I began to notice that it was wayyy too warm to be wearing the hoodie was the rain was beginning to stop and the humidity was starting to creep back in. After dropping my post race bag at the tent I went in search of my Every Mother Counts teammates and said hi to them before heading back to the AAA again to use the bathroom.

Getting into the B corral was not as big of a problem as getting into other corrals in the past, that was another perk of having VIP, having an early corral so therefore an earlier start. Was able to wait and dispel my nervous energy with way too much chatter with my bibravepro teammate, Mike, sorry dude! I ditched my hoodie and rain poncho on the fence of the corral as soon as I got in there, it was getting toasty already and not raining at that point. I thought that it was both good and bad in the sense that we got to start earlier so the sun would be less brutal than say 10-15 minutes later start but then you had to think about all the super speedy runners in the same corral who would be passing you and the C corral. That was a big crazy, I didn’t get run over or anything but it did cause my brain to think that I was not running fast enough even though I was holding back a few of the first miles till I was hitting my marathon goal pace. The first couple of miles flew by as I ran up the McArthur and heard the sounds of the bagpipers at the very top, through South Beach, around the golf course and through the Venetian Islands. When reaching Downtown again right after the Venetian toll booth I was met with lots of cheers and lots of familiar faces. One of my Ragnar teammates, Shirlei handed me a cold mini bottle of water, I carried that water for a couple more miles, it was very appreciated. I also saw the young daughter of our Every Mother Counts local leader cheering me on with great force, those miles were faster miles as well, miles 11-12. For me mile 12 is kind of annoying to hear all the spectators screaming “ALMOST THERE!” when you still have another race to go. The cheer squads from Nike and Lululemon were out in full force for that mile so that kept the hype up. Right after the split between half and full marathon the streets become quiet without the spectators and you are fully able to open your arms. It is kind of a surreal and peaceful feeling, which is good because you still have 13.1 more miles to go before you are done. Then you see that bridge, and thinking hmm, was this a good idea? Don’t worry you will be seeing that bridge again, later on, prepare your mind for it. I also was hoping to see another Ragnar teammate, Esther at mile 14 as she had told me online she would be there with water and fuel if needed. And right under the mile 14 sign was my cheerful and vibrant friend, ready with a mini bottle of water and a piece of a banana. I gratefully took both and kept heading down Brickell, passing this extreme wind tunnel in front of the Fortune building (where Brickell Run Club meets every Tuesday night). I particularly enjoy the popsicles on the corner just past that every year and I continued on to till I got to Rickenbacker. At that point my energy was running a bit low even though I had been taking in my honey stinger chews every few miles like I had trained. Then as if a musical miracle Queen with Bowie playing Under Pressure started on a nearby speaker and anyone who knows me knows just how much I love Queen! I was jamming to that song the rest of that mile, as I ran farther from it but continued singing along with it as I went, the photographer caught me doing a bird like motion as I was hearing it. One of the great moments where music can help push you through what seems like impossible, with 10 miles to go things were looking brighter again. I don’t run with music very often anymore but at that moment I missed it. Onward through the grove, along Bayshore drive memories flooded in of running along that path for many, nearly all training runs in 2014-2015. One of the reasons I love Miami Marathon so much is because of all the great memories it brings back as I run along the course, from pre runner Lisa to runner Lisa times. Going through the downtown Grove area is always fun and scenic but the smells of breakfast foods was making me a bit nauseous. Guessing because my stomach was not in eating mode, but rather in running mode so I was not hungry and did not want to smell or think of food at that time. I took some walking breaks through those miles as my mind was getting tired, more than my legs. Through the Grove neighborhoods with families out in their front yards with water and snacks for us was fun, I didn’t see any beer stands this year, not that I would’ve been able to stomach that either. At mile 24 I finally found the pineapple chunks I had been looking for at mile 12, I must’ve missed them back there but I got these. Something else I remembered to do this year that sometimes I have forgotten to do in the past was thank the volunteers at all the stops. They are volunteering their time and for long hours they are on their feet so that you can have that hydration or fuel so always try to thank your race volunteers. Volunteering at a race a couple months ago changed my whole idea of volunteers and how important they are. It was at that point I made the decision that no more walking was allowed, no matter how much my mind was telling me I needed to walk instead of run. I breezed through the next couple of water stops and trust me I hit most of the water stops on my second half of the race that day. Just before mile 25 was the GoRun Miami crew with the owner Doug out there cheering me on, then not far after the iRun crew was out in full effect with one of their owners, Hector cheering me on! Also Alicia got some moving pics of me when I ran through there, love those peeps, maybe one day I will be able to make it to run clubs again and run with those speedsters. With less than a mile to go I came back to that bridge where I tried to help another 1000 miles member up it without stopping but she was having major leg cramps. I figured that I would walk up it but with the adrenaline pumping, knowing I was so close to the finish line, I climbed that bridge as fast as possible and got through it. A few more turns through the downtown buildings and I was in the finishing chute, I never try to encourage the crowd to get more cheery but this year I did, raising my arms to get more cheers from them and it was amazing!! As soon as I finished my friend, Oscar was there to help runners through the finisher chute, not to catch bandits like I originally thought. He congratulated me and even presented me with my 26.2 medal and walked me over to the food tent where he grabbed a vegetarian post race meal for me. Such an awesome race day and I didn’t even notice the humid windy weather as much, apparently I was so focused that I did not even see an Oiselle Volee teammate along the course who screamed to me. I tried to keep moving after but was stuck in a finisher photo line for a little bit but got to meet another VIP experience lady who I was able to direct to the post race tent.

I headed to the 1000 miles tent and got to talk to a few of my favorites before changing in their mini changing room. It was then that I noticed my left foot was covered in blood, apparently along the race I got a blister, it popped and that was where all the blood came from. I had no pain so just changed socks and shoes also and headed over to the VIP tent to see what they had. I don’t know how many others have this issue but for a couple hours after running a marathon I am not hungry at all. I walked around and looked at all the yummy food that I had no plans on consuming, they even had Belgian waffles and lots of other hot dishes. I chose a strawberry and a bagel, can you believe it, I picked a bagel from all the yummy food, a race staple from every race, small or large, haha. I brought the bagel home with me since I could not think about eating it yet, I did eat the strawberry while in the tent. I walked over to the massage/normatec boot tent area to see if I could get in some recovery treatment but the line was long and I did not feel like waiting around awhile so I walked back to the AAA. In the past my IT band has been sore after the marathon and I am usually walking pretty slowly back to my car but not this year. I don’t know exactly why I was feeling less creaky after the race but I think possibly it had something to do with not sitting on the side as soon as I finished like I saw a ton of marathon participants doing, I kept walking around for over an hour. Even after arriving home from the race, I did not feel like I was going to fall down when I got out of the car like happens a lot after long distance races. Drank my Ripple protein shake and got my shower so that I could take my daughter to visit her great grandma for a couple hours. I did get in a mini nap while there, 45 minutes and was eventually able to eat some pizza afterwards.

Something I did different for the race that you are really not supposed to do is wear new gear for race day that you haven’t trained in. Well I got some new Oiselle summer rogas in a douglas fir color and decided a few days before the race to wear them. I have ran in rogas for many years and love them dearly so I knew they would probably be fine and they were fine and worked well in the humid weather. Usually it’s not advised but these had a lot of pocket space so I knew they would be perfect for marathon distance, I highly recommend them. Now on the other hand my Every Mother Counts singlet did not treat my skin so well, and I train in it pretty often, chafe disaster under my arm. The singlet is a little big on me so it scraped me pretty well in the humidity but it will heal quickly, just momentarily painful.

I had to adjust my goal time since the weather was not a cool 55 like was originally expecting, nor was it raining, which could have helped also. My A goal was 4:00:00 finish time but my B goal was under 4:30:00 and would you believe it, I got my B goal by seconds! And I do mean seconds, 2 seconds to be exact lol.

I am already signed up for Miami Marathon 2020 and I urge you to sign up right now too since the prices are as low! Apparently they were lower if you signed up while at the expo but I didn’t even think about it, but next year I will sign up while at the expo. Also I really enjoyed the VIP experience and think that if you can afford it, it is filled with awesome perks that will make your race experience even more fun.

That’s a wrap, Miami Marathon 2019!

Want to read my previous race reviews for Miami Marathon:

Miami Marathon 2018

Miami Marathon 2017

Miami Marathon 2016

Apparently I didn’t review the 2015 race?

Miami Marathon 2014

Tropical 5k 2013

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