Photo of the Day

Today's photo comes from Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. The Meerkat exhibit is the coolest. Meerkats are so entertaining!

[caption id="attachment_486" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption=""My brothers are sooooo stupid!!"][/caption]

Photo of the Day

I forgot to get out my DVD archives, so I am going with another photo from Jacksonville Zoo.

[caption id="attachment_481" align="aligncenter" width="398" caption="Regal Eagle"][/caption]

Photo of the Day

We were watching the incredible new series on Discovery called "Life". Each episode features unbelievable and never before seen video of animals and their behavior from all over the world. Inspired, I think I will dig through my archives for animal photos I have done.

Today's photo comes from a trip to Jacksonville Zoo in 2007.

[caption id="attachment_475" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="What you looking at?"][/caption]

Beach to Bayou 5K Race Report

I hadn't planned on running a race today, but I was sitting at work Tuesday and I got an itch to race this weekend. After looking through the listings, I saw that the Beach to Bayou at Howard Park in Tarpon Springs was today. Perfect!! A good race and a day out with the family.

We arrived at the beach area of Howard park just before sunrise and was treated to a gorgeous sunrise shortly after. The weather was fantastic for being this late in March with nice temperature and the breeze wasn't too strong coming from the east which provided a little tail wind for the last mile.

I finished with a time of 18:47 which was good for 3rd overall and received award for 2nd overall because the guy in front of me won the master's division. Today's time, was my 2nd fastest 5K.

I actually ran a race as planned again! I held myself back from starting too quick and actually ran negative splits. I clocked my fasted last mile ever running just under a 6 minute mile.

The race was well very well run. The course was beautiful and fast. Awards were different. They gave out t-shirts instead of medals or trophies.

Funny moment of the day was the Chic-Fil-A cow who for some reason lined up in front of me to go off running we started. Thankfully, Jenny has no evidence of me pushing the cow out of the way. At least I didn't make him face-plant!!

[caption id="attachment_456" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="What a beautiful sight to start the morning off!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_457" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Everyone posing with the Chic-Fil-A cow."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_459" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="The cow busting moves in front of a hungry crowd crying for steak!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_458" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="I swear I won't knock the cow out of the way...too hard!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_460" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Good stong finish in 18:47. Even a smile on the face!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="A shirt for awards is different."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_464" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Love seagulls at the beach!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_465" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Tower, clear for flight...over!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_467" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="We got crabs!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_468" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Grilled a "man" burger for lunch!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_455" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Jenny finally got her coffee perculated over hot coals."][/caption]

Stewart Middle Intermediate Band Scores Straight Superiors!!

For the second day in a row, the Stewart Middle School Band scored straight superiors at band competition. Today, it was Tommy and the intermediate band's turn to shine.

Congratulations to all the kids on their hard work!!

New Photo A Day Feature

Check back each day to see what I have put up. Please leave comments, I like comments. Let me know if you like or dislike.

[caption id="attachment_441" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Clouds wafting over mountains after sunset on the Blueridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina."][/caption]

Congrats Stewart Middle Advanced Band!!

Congratulations go out to the Stewart Middle School Advanced Band for receiving straight superiors at band competition today. Not that superiors are exactly a surprise because these kids are so good.

Tomorrow is the Intermediate band's turn to impress the judges...No pressure!!

Law Enforcement Torch Run BBQ Special Olympics Benefit

Contrary to popular belief, working in a prison isn't all bad. If you don't know, I am a computer sytems analyst so I don't deal with the dirty work.

Case in point is the BBQ lunch enjoyed today to benefit the Special Olympics. Thanks to Russel G. and everyone who helped prepare the meal consisting of BBQ chicken, bean, cole slaw, roll, and cake. Not a bad spread for five bucks!

Through out the year, DOC does many things that helps raise money for Special Olympics and culminates with the Law Enforcement Torch Run that like the Olympics, runs the torch all around Florida at events in all counties. The Pasco County Torch Run is scheduled for May 3rd and I look forward to participating again.

Stewart Middle School Band Spring Concert

Last night was the spring concert that included the advanced, intermediate and jazz bands of Stewart Middle School. All the kids have progressed really well this year and are playing some pretty challenging music. The concert was a nice prep for competition later this week in which both the advanced and intermediate bands are participating. The bands will be judged on two songs and another using sightreading where the band gets 5 minutes to figure out how to play a piece of music they have never seen before. Advanced band will be playing grade 3 and 4 pieces while they are only required to play a 1 and 2. Intermediate also challenged themselves by choosing grade 1 and 2 pieces.

Below is video of songs by each band...enjoy!!!

RBSMS Advanced Band Performs at Spring Concert from Neil Clements on Vimeo.

RBSMS Intermediate Band Performs at Spring Concert from Neil Clements on Vimeo.

RBSMS Jazz Band Performs at Spring Concert from Neil Clements on Vimeo.

Inaugural Florida Beach Halfathon-Race Report

Sunday morning was the Inaugural Florida Beach Halfathon at Fort Desoto Park. This race was part of a series of halves made up of the Halloween, Holiday, Clearwater, and Beach Halfathons. These races are well run and tons of fun with great finisher medals and pasta at the end. Woke up from my warm air mattress inside our tent to go out and run 13.1 miles on a beautiful flat course in windy conditions.

The results...A new half-marathon PR of 1:31:53 (official time)with average mile pace of 7:01!! Placed 35th out of 643 overall and 4th in age group (more to come on this later, keep reading).

I knew when waking up that I was going to have to run with a strategy of taking what the wind gave me as I have issues running in the wind. I would rather run hills, at least there is a downside to a hill! I knew from the wind direction and course knowledge that the wind would be in my face most of the way out and some on the way back with wind pushing me the last 2-3 miles. For once, my strategy to back off a little against the wind and going faster during times of no wind or wind at my back worked perfectly as I did not waste too much energy fighting the wind. My mile splits show exactly where the wind was and was not.

Split	Time	Avg Speed
1	0:06:58	6:58
2	0:06:47	6:47
3	0:06:44	6:44
4	0:07:13	7:13
5	0:07:20	7:20
6	0:07:08	7:08
7	0:07:08	7:08
8	0:07:05	7:05
9	0:07:12	7:12
10	0:07:03	7:03
11	0:07:01	7:01
12	0:06:45	6:45
13	0:06:27	6:27
14	0:01:01	5:49
Summary	1:31:58	6:58

I feel especially good about my time because my legs really have felt like crap. With only being three weeks out from the Gasparilla Marathon, I wasn't sure what to expect. The legs felt pretty dead the first half of the race until I got my first gel down at mile six and the wind wasn't in my face as bad. The race started into the wind for the first mile then turned back and went into a tree lined loop back through the starting area. It was then five miles out to the lookout point and then turn around for the last five miles. I got a huge lift looking at the most awesome sunrise I have ever seen with a huge sun coming up over the Skyway Bridge. I wish I would have had a camera with me. I had a few guys pass me as I was running into the wind around miles 4 and 5, but I picked off all but a couple as I surged the last miles of the race.

The only bummer of the day was my 4th place finish in my age group which contains a valuable lesson never to be repeated again. I lost 3rd place by four seconds due to my own stupidity. The guy that beat me had passed me earlier in the race and I got him back around mile 11. I thought I had pretty much lost him as I poured it on mile 13. But, he hung onto me and I could hear him coming as we approached the end of mile 13. We turned into the parking lot right into the stiffest wind of the day (did I mention it was raining too?) which I really leaned into to hold my momentum. I don't know if it was a combination of me tiring or him surging, but he made a move to get by me on the turn into the finish that I failed to go with. Once he got away, it was too late to fight him. Seeing that the clock was still under 1:32, I poured it on myself to ensure I got under which I was thrilled about until I saw the results sheet and the guy I didn't go with was the one who took 3rd in my age group. So, lesson learned...No matter what, I will fight off anybody going to the finish line (people be warned)!!

Next up is the Hare Racing Experience 5K April 3rd at USF. Only five more weeks until the Kentucky Derby Marathon! Hopefully, I can get two solid weeks of training before tapering.

[caption id="attachment_371" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="New Half-Marathon PR of 1:31:55...AWESOME!!"][/caption]

After the race, we broke down camp and went to the lookout point to see the Skyway Bridge and then did some shelling at the beach.

[caption id="attachment_372" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Skyway Bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_373" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Kite Surfers in front of the Skyway."][/caption]

Camping at Fort Desoto Park

Next up for the weekend was camping at Fort Desoto Park and the Florida Beach Halfathon.

We arrived to Fort Desoto Saturday afternoon to beautiful clear skies and comfortable temperatures. We quickly got camp setup and heated up the beanie weenies Jenny prepared ahead of time for lunch. We then proceeded to spend the afternoon doing much of nothing with spurts of playing with a frisbee we found and exploring the mangroves looking for critters at the canoe openings. Since I was running in the morning, we had spaghetti with grilled garlic bread for dinner. After dinner, we headed out to explore Fort Desoto and the beach. Fort Desoto is a cool place the kids enjoyed walking around looking at all the canons and rooms. We then walked across the parking lot to the beach for one of the most awesome sunsets ever before returning to camp for a fire and hot chocolate. Sleeping was interesting as the wind went from zero to practically tropical storm force instantly. We ended up putting the rain fly on the tent at 2AM as there was some rain approaching. Then there was the raccoons! Fort Desoto is crawling with raccoons that scavenge for scraps day and night. We had 3-4 raccoons around our site looking for food. But, being the smart campers we are, they didn't get anything except for some dish water that one raccoon sipped. These raccoons could care less about humans. We had our flash lights looking at them out the tent where they would come right up to until we banged on the tent to try to scare them off.

[caption id="attachment_356" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Raccoons everywhere!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_357" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Artillery at Fort Desoto"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_358" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Cruise ship sailing off into the great abyss...Not sure what happened to that ship!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_359" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="The Sun Goddess..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_360" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Big sun over big pier."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_361" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Pretty view from under the pier."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="No idea who the kid is. He stepped in from of me, I snapped anyway because I thought it looked cool."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_363" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Classic Florida. Blue Herron basking in the last moments of sun."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_364" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Going..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Going..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Gone...Pelican providing a sunset airshow!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_367" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Our campsite...at niiiigghhhhhttt!"][/caption]

Honor Society Concert at the State Theatre St. Pete

Friday night, Jenny, Tommy, and I went to see Honor Society play at the State Theatre in St. Pete with opening acts Ashlyne Huff and Just Kait. Honor Society is Jenny's newest favorite band which she discovered at the Jonas Brothers concert. That's right, more "boy band" hell!!

Now, going to one of Jenny's concerts is like a box of chocolates, "you never know what you're gonna get". Some are good (Backstreet Boys actually good) and some are really bad (like New Kids on the Block and Lady Gag-a).

Honor Society goes under the "good" label! Even the opening acts were really good. I don't think Jenny has made me go to a concert yet where the whole show was entertaining or not left me feeling sick to my stomach at some point.

The State Theatre is a pretty cool little place located on Central Ave. in St. Pete. If you drove down Central, you probably would drive right by it without noticing. Did I mention the place is small? The theatre is all general admission with a sticky and sloped floor to watch the show. The place maybe holds 1000 people. So, you get a great view of the stage from everywhere and the sound is good. The lighting is really dim, so photos kinda suck if you aren't close to the stage and able to pop your camera flash. Jenny did the best she could with the pictures below. You get the idea, at least.

Ashlyne Huff did a great job starting the night off. Her music has a good rock edge to it and she has a great voice. She is getting ready to release her first album April 27th if I remember correctly (she did a good job engaging the crowd so all remembered the date).

[caption id="attachment_347" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Ashlyne Huff (singing on left)"][/caption]

Next up was Just Kait. Kait is a 17 year old singer, songwriter, and multi-instrument musician. Kait is excellent on the guitar! She and her band have a powerful sound and hopefully, they will catch on and do well.

[caption id="attachment_348" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Just Kait"][/caption]

After two on-time and enjoyable opening acts, it was time for Honor Society to take the stage. Stage transition went smooth and quick. This being Honor Society's first show of the new tour, they were full of energy only slowing down for a two song acoustic set. They played all their best music during an almost hour and a half set including their hits "See You in the Dark" and "Here Comes Trouble". For being only four guys, they also have a powerful sound. It was nice to see a four man band consisting of just guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums that they all know how to play. No stupid choreographed prancing around the stage, crotch grabbing and other miscellaneous crap. They just got on stage and rocked the place!

[caption id="attachment_350" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Honor Society"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_351" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Honor Society lead singer-Sorry, I don't know any of their names off hand."][/caption]



Honor Society-See You in the Dark from Neil Clements on Vimeo.

Kristina & Martin's Album Design is Finished!!

Whew, just finished Kristina and Martin's wedding album design. I think it came out awesome and am sure they will love it. Enjoy!!!!

You can view the album by clicking HERE.

Zephyrhills 100th Founder's Day Celebration-Race Report

Today is Zephyrhills' 100th anniversary which started out with a 5K fun run put on by the local YMCA. Since the marathon two weeks ago, my training has kind of stunk so I had no idea what would happen this morning (plus, I am planning a half-marathon next week). My original plan was to start slow with a 6:05-10 first mile, but my friend Robbie was there so it "accidentally" turned into a race at the start. Now Robbie is a bit faster than I am (sub-18 minute 5Ks), so I should have just let him go and stick to my plan. What's the fun in that!! We ran together for the first 3/4 mile before he started to pull away a bit and I tucked in behind to try to hang on. Robbie gained more ground in the 2nd mile as my ITs started to bother me a bit. We both faded some in the third mile with Robbie finishing in 18:06 (I think), and me finishing 18:38. Next up is the Gulf Beaches Halfathon at Fort Desoto Park. I will see how the legs feel before I commit to the half or just run the 5K instead.

[caption id="attachment_330" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Robbie and I waiting for the race to start."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_331" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="And they're off, all whopping 75 of them!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_332" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Darn it all!! I mean, good run Robbie!!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_333" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Here comes the Bride's Maid!"][/caption]

After the run, it was time to take Tommy to the middle school for him to get ready for the big Founder's Day Parade which lasted for over two hours! Stewart placed 2nd in the band competition. Pine View Middle School deservedly took first.

[caption id="attachment_334" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Stewart Middle School Band. Look, there's Tommy's girlfriend holding the flag on the right."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_335" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="There's our sax playing band kid! "][/caption]

Kristina and Martin Wedding and Photo Preview

Congratulations Kristina and Martin!! Jenny and I had a wonderful time celebrating with you last night at Laurel wood Gardens. Everything looked wonderful, the food was good and the people were fun to be around. Plus the flowers looked yellow just like I said they would! ;)

We had our own adventures during this one. We usually have backups for everything, but we are down to one camera and Jenny was using something entirely different. For some reason, the battery in my camera was the only one with us and it started to die after the formals (I thought it was fully charged and batteries usually last the whole time). Jenny ended up running home to grab another battery and charger. Thankfully, the battery made it to dinner. Jenny made it back before things started back up and I was swapping batteries every 15 minutes or so using one and charging the other. In the end, we didn't miss anything. Light at the end of the day made it interesting for the formals. Ended up trucking everyone up on the hill moving them further as shadows came across. The shadows on faces are harsher than I like, but better than being dark or with a house in the background! Note to self, build a giant reflector that will blast light into the faces of a large wedding party.

Hope you enjoy this little preview slideshow. I will have the full album up by the end of the week. So, keep checking back in case I get the album up sooner...Enjoy!!

Kristina and Martin Wedding Today

Jenny and I will be heading out in a bit to photograph Kristina and Martin's wedding at Laurel Wood Gardens. It is a beautiful day out so for once, we don't have to worry about the weather.

If all goes well, I should have a short preview of photos up Sunday and the album ready sometime this week.

Marathon Cramping-A Personal Story

Marathon cramping, those who have experienced it know how bad they will ruin your day and your marathon. My first two marathons were marred by leg cramps. In my first marathon at Disney, cramps came before mile 20. In Green Bay, around mile 22. This past Sunday at Gasparilla, no cramping! Why? The short answer, I don't know. The most logical reason is better conditioning and maybe some small changes in hydration and nutrition strategy.

Did I do thigs differently as far as hydration and nutrition in each marathon, yes I did!

At Disney, all I had during the race was the Powerade that the race supplied. That's all I drank and took at least one cup at every aid station. I also did not take any gels. I did scarf down some chocolate they handed out late in the race as I would have tried anything to stop cramping.

In Green Bay, I carried Carbboom vanilla/orange gels and ate one every 3-4 miles chasing each one down with a cup of water. I also had water at most aid stations and maybe had some Gatorade towards the end.

At Gasparilla, I carried five strawberry/banana GUs and had one at 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 miles. Chased each one with a cup of water (maybe 4oz. if lucky). Drank to thirst the rest of the race. At 3-4 aid stations, I grabbed a cup of Gatorade and a cup of water. I just rinsed my mouth with the Gatorade and spit it out while drinking the cup of water. I read a study that said you get the benefits without drinking. All I know was the stuff was really sweet and I didn't want to drink it anyway. This came only around or after 13 miles when I just felt like a little flavor. Another thing I did was eat 3-4 bananas a day in the three days leading up to the race to make sure I had enough potassium which aids in muscle function. On the run, when my legs started to feel like there was a possibility for cramping, I used my thumb and index finger to pinch my upper lip. I carried (for emergency purposes) but did not use Saltstick caplets. 

For you to better understand all things about hydration, fatigue, etc., I highly recommend you go to The Science of Sport site at www.sportsscientists.com . The site has the best articles to help you understand how our bodies react to exercise and physical stress. The short story on hydration is to drink only water to thirst as you will not lose enough electrolytes in sweat to do anything but can throw sodium concentration high drinking a ton of Gatorade. When you sweat, blood sodium concentration actually rises because you are losing more water than sodium, so the last thing you want to do is add more sodium. The reverse happens when you drink too much and dilute the blood of sodium. The body is a pretty smart mechanism, so listen to it!

So, what is the answer why I didn't cramp up at Gasparilla?

I was definately in better physical shape. But, my planned pace was 10-15 seconds per mile faster than my previous two marathons thus I put out more effort. My running stride is way more efficient because I am running with shorter/faster strides and not putting near as much pressure on my calves. So, fitness is a definate possibility.

What about weather. Nope. Weather was near identical for Green Bay and Gasparilla.

Hydration? Maybe. I drank only to thirst at Gasparilla. I probably drank less at Gasparilla than the other two marathons. Is possible I drank too much at Disney and Green Bay throwing sodium concentration a little out of whack.

Nutrition? Probably not. The only difference between Gasparilla and Green Bay is that I started taking gels later and a bit further apart at Gasparilla. The Strawberry/Banana GUs I had at Gasparilla also didn't have any caffeine.

What about all those bananas? Could be. I read somewhere about a guy who was a major cramper. He potassium loaded the days leading up to racing and didn't have any troubles with cramping anymore. I figure it can't hurt and I love bananas, so it's all good!

Lip pinching? Where'd I pull that one from?? Again, this was another thing I read somewhere. I don't know if pinching my lip actually helped, but I didn't cramp, so doesn't hurt. I did this when my legs were tired and felt like the possibilty of a cramp was coming.

You are probably as much or more confused than when you started reading this and there is not any single thing that may have kept the cramping away for me.

I have done months of research finding out what works for different people and reading what actual science says about the issue. Since I didn't cramp at Gasparilla, I hope I have found what works for me and will never have another marathon destroyed by muscle cramps.

It all seems to come down to listening to your body. If thirsty drink. If you have a craving for something salty, grab a sports drink or something salty. Everybody is an individual with individual needs that the generalized, drink and eat so many ounces every few minutes advice of endless articles just can't address.

How Going Potty Can Ruin A Boston Qualifying Time

Who would think that stopping for 20 little seconds at a porta-potty could make such a huge difference when trying to run a Boston Marathon qualifying time? Well, going potty did just that during my qualifying attempt at the Gasparilla Marathon Sunday. While running mile 22, I decided I would stop at a potty for some minor relief. I didn't have to go particulary bad or anything but also figured it would be good to see if I was getting dehydrated. In the back of my mind, I thought about possible consequences of letting the legs stop running as sometimes they don't come back to life after a break.

As you can clearly see from the race splits below, I was running great up to my break at mile 22 causing my worst mile time of the race. But, also took a while to get my pace back completely blowing the qualifying time. At least a positive is that every mile after the potty break was faster than the mile that preceded it.

So, the moral of the story is this...unless you are going to crap all over yourself just let it fly in your shorts. The shorts are already wet with sweat, so who cares! Grab some water at the next aid station and wash your legs off if you feel the need. Odds are, nobody will ever know you did anything!

Split	Time	Avg Speed
1	0:07:15	7:15
2	0:07:15	7:15
3	0:07:10	7:10
4	0:07:15	7:15
5	0:07:20	7:20
6	0:07:14	7:14
7	0:07:16	7:16
8	0:07:15	7:15
9	0:07:12	7:12
10	0:07:14	7:14
11	0:07:10	7:10
12	0:07:14	7:14
13	0:07:20	7:21
14	0:07:29	7:29
15	0:07:20	7:20
16	0:07:23	7:23
17	0:07:24	7:24
18	0:07:24	7:24
19	0:07:23	7:23
20	0:07:24	7:24
21	0:07:37	7:37
22	0:08:28	8:28
23	0:08:07	8:07
24	0:08:06	8:06
25	0:07:55	7:55
26	0:07:27	7:27
27	0:02:16	7:06
Summary	3:16:08	7:27

Are "Certified" Courses Accurate?

Are running race courses really the length they are supposed to be? Courses are certified by the USATF to ensure paticipants that the course is the length it should be. Seems that every so-called "certified" course usually shows as .1 mile longer on my Garmin 305 watch that uses GPS. I have also mapped out many courses at www.mapmyrun.com to verify. I know Map My Run is accurate because you can map a high school track and it comes out to exactly .25 miles (everybody knows that 4 laps of the track equals one mile).

Usually this is not a big deal since everybody runs the same distance. But, it was a big deal as far as the Gasparilla Marathon is concerned where I missed the Boston Marathon qualifying time by just 9 measly seconds.

Here's the rub, a marathon is 26 miles 385 yards or 26.2 miles. My Garmin measured the Gasparilla course at 26.31 miles. I verified this on Map My Run which measured 26.35. At the end of the race, .1 miles is about 35 seconds for me.

So, my Gasparilla finishing time was 3:16:08 based on a "Certified" course of 26.2 miles. Two sources tell me the course was really about 26.3. That means that if my Garmin and Map My Run are correct, I actually did run a Boston Qualifying time. According to my Garmin, my time at 26.24 miles was 3:15:35!!

Note: I emailed and received a quick reply from Susan Harmeling who is the Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Director. She stated that the course is measured using the shortest possible path to complete the distance and that it is possible I could have run farther due to not taking that shortest path.

Entirely possible even though I try to cut as much of each corner as possible. It is hard to tell since you don't know what the measured line is unlike in the largest marathons that have the course marked with a line on the road. Hard to believe could add up to running 200 yards extra, but anything is possible!

Thank-you to Susan to replying to my email so quickly!!

2010 Gasparilla Marathon Race Report

Here is the good, the bad, there wasn't really any ugly of the 10th and last Gasparilla Marathon.

Overall, I am pretty happy with how I ran yesterday. I finished with a time of 3:16:08, placed 84th out of 2090 finishers, and 13th in the 35-39 age group. A major goal of mine was to complete the race without cramping and run the whole race. Goal accomplished!! I even beat Superman and didn't get passed by any of the pace teams! The bummer of that time is that I missed qualifying for the Boston Marathon by nine seconds. Weather was perfect with a starting temp of 44 degrees and 55 at the finish. The wind did kick up on the way back up Bayshore from mile 22 on which didn't help.  The race started staring at an awesome full moon centered directly in front of us over the road. The first six miles went through Davis Islands. I was impressed that there was actually some people that setup chairs in their driveways to cheer runners considering it was still dark. Miles 6-11 wound through downtown. The half-marathoners split at mile 7 and we joined back up with them at mile 11. This is where my major complaint to the race organizers is. Joining up with the half-marathoners for a second time meant that I was running into the thousands of mid-pack slower runners. I ended up having to weave in and out of all these people which wastes energy. For three or four miles, it was almost impossible to get to water stations. At one station, the volunteers were overwhelmed and I tried to get a cup of water off the table but the cup was empty. The half-marathoners finally turned around to their finish about mile 14 while I continued out and back Bayshore Blvd. I kept the pace pretty good until mile 22 where the wind started to pickup and my legs were fatiguing. After some mental math to figure out the pace I needed to run to stay under 3:16, I picked up the pace but didn't quite execute right. My last desperate push came at mile 25 where I ran a 7:26 mile and picked up to almost 7 minute pace to finish, but it wasn't good enough.

Jenny and Tommy had their own adventures trying to keep up with me. It was great seeing them early in the race at miles 6 and 11. Unfortunately, our plan for them to hop on the buses that shuttle people down to two spots on Bayshore ended up a disaster and we never saw each other again until almost an hour after I finished. I really could have used some shouts to get my butt moving in the latter miles.

Another beef we have is with Metro PCS who provided race updates via text and email services. The only update anybody received via text was my finishing time. Metro PCS sucks!!

All in all, it was a good experience and I learned a lot about myself and some things to do and not do at future marathons. I will be posting some more observations of the race and post training techniques and other tips that have worked for me and hopefully may work for you.

I will be doing nothing but short recovery runs this week as my ham strings are a bit tight. Overall, I have very little soreness and  came out feeling good. Then I will be picking up training for the Kentucky Derby Marathon April 24th. Next race on the schedule is the Zephyrhills Founders Day 5K next Saturday.

Here's some pictures all taken by Jenny.

[caption id="attachment_283" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Tampa Convention Center over the Garrison Channel."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_284" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Start of the Gasparila full and half-marathon."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_285" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Nice shot of runners crossing over the bridge from Davis Island"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_288" align="aligncenter" width="333" caption="Running easy and on pace at mile 6."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_290" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="Relaxing after the race using The Stick to massage my tired muscles."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_291" align="aligncenter" width="332" caption="A great looking and well earned marathon medal."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_292" align="aligncenter" width="333" caption="A happy marathon finisher!"][/caption]

Hey all you people with headphones in your ears, turn down the volume!!

Was amazing how many people were running the Gasparilla half and full marathons wired up with MP3 players and other gizmos attached to themselves with music blaring in their ears.

Early in the race, I was passing one woman who had the volume cranked to the same song repeating over and over. I forget the name of the song (maybe "Crank up the Volume"?). It's one of the songs that is popular at most sporting events. I thought I had gotten rid of her, but she must have gotten an energy spurt because I started hearing her behind me again. What she didn't realize was all the people around her laughing.

Later, after the marathoners rejoined the half marathoners, I came upon another woman blaring the music. I could hear her from 10-20 feet away. I can't imagine what was happening to her ear drums!

People with the tunes blaring at races are a hazard to others and themselves much like dingys who text and talk on their phones in a car.

Thanks to the multiple voices in my head, I do not even train using a mp3 player. Not matter where I go, I have my little friends chattering away at me, no batteries required!

If you must listen to music while running, PLEASE be courteous to others and at least turn the volume down so those around you don't have to suffer.

My Newton Running Distance Racers performed at Gasparilla Marathon

Thanks to my Newton Running Distance Racers (www.newtonrunning.com) one thing I did not have to worry about was my feet hurting. My Newtons performed great the whole race. My feet looked and felt the same once the race was over as before the start. Even when I got my feet wet spilling fluids, my feet didn't have any issues. I highly recommend Newton Running shoes to anyone who wants to have the most comfortable pair of shoes and learn a more efficient running stride.