Tampa Bay Runners Inc.

My running buddy always seems to talk me in to weird, ridiculous or down right insane races. Knowing this you would think that I would think twice before EVER agreeing to do a race that he suggests. Actually, I thought three times before making a decision on doing the Florida Challenge Half Marathon in Alafia River State Park on Sunday, January 29, and still decided to do it.

What made my decision even more unlike me was that I had recently strained my calf muscle and a muscle in my thigh. My original thought was to give it a little break from any running for a few days, but the competitive curiosity overruled my common sense. I have never done a trail run…well, not one this long. I’ve run in the park near my neighborhood and I did one 5k trail run in Brookville, but that was the extent of my trail experience. The only memories I have from doing trail runs is tripping on branches, being swatted by low hanging tree limbs and trying not to sprain my ankles. So all good logic says I should have never said yes to this mad plan.

I said yes.

So early Sunday morning we start our 1 hour drive out to Lithia, FL. It is nice and dark as we leave Tampa at 5:45am in the morning and a wee bit chilly. Most of the drive is uneventful but as we get closer to the area our trusty GPS directions go haywire. First it tells us to drive down this single lane country road for several miles which leads us to nowhere. As we recalculate the machine, it tells us to go back where we came from a few miles. Finally, we stop at this gate (which obviously was not going to be opened anytime soon) and scratch our heads trying to figure out what went wrong. We weren’t alone in this act as three other cars stopped behind us also. Fortunately, there was a paper with a number on it to call (I guess someone had the foresight to realize there would be more than one lost soul stopping at this gate). We realized that there were two entrances to the park and the GPS took us to the first one it could register. After a few minutes, we managed to drive to the open gate to the park and get ready for the race.

The check in for the race was very well organized and all the volunteers were very alert and happy. I think I found what may be the reason for this peppiness as one of the vendors at the race was giving away five hour energy drinks. My only thought was is this an omen as to how long this race might take us?

All half marathoners lined up on the main road and after a quick countdown we were off. Initially we started running on the park road for about a half mile but then we were introduced to the real star of this show, the park trail. It started out fairly tame as we snaked our way on a mostly level path. Everyone ran in an orderly manner one behind the other with no real passing at the time. There was even a bit of friendly joking going on about how nice the day was and how nice the trail was.

Nice changed quickly.

As we got into miles 2 and 3 things got a bit more challenging. More tree roots to avoid, numerous low branches to duck, and the persistent roar of someone’s iPod. Yes, even on this run through nature, SOMEONE just had to have their music and worse of all we ALL could hear it. I mean you could hear this music about a half mile away. There is no way she could have even HEARD the noise because it was loud in our ears. One of the reasons this race ask you not to run with music is because you may not hear or be aware when someone tries to pass you. Of course, that did happen and she did not notice. So please future runners of this race, leave the music at home.

Getting back to the challenging course, you knew that it was becoming more challenging because the number of falls begins to pick up. A fellow in front of me had three falls in a 7 minute time period. I eventually got ahead of him as I didn’t have the heart to keep asking him if he was ok. I had, myself, 5 near falls. After the fourth near fall I told some that I should just fall and get it over with to which they responded “If you haven’t fallen after three tries, you are good for the rest of the race”. I guess they were right because I didn’t fall. The early miles switched back and forth quite often as you could see many of the runners ahead of you running parallel to you on the path ahead. At 3.6 miles we arrived at the first water stop. One word of advice, take advantage of the early water stops because there are not many in the first 7 miles. After taking a welcome drink of water or Gatorade, you immediately descend a steep hill to continue the run. The trail has signs showing you where the race route is and signs letting you know what the description of that part of the course is. For example, one sign read “river course” and sure enough, a little stream of water flowed beside it. I think the most deceptive sign read “easy course” because there were NO easy courses (except for the open road). As you ran past mile 5 and 6 you had to maneuver a lot of loops, hills and turns which made for a slower run than many would have liked. However, the real fun came after the water stop at mile 7.

During the next 3 miles, we encountered more uphill running and downhill drops than I have ever done in my life. At one point you had to navigate, count them, 5 uphill climbs and 5 downhill drops in a row. Just when you thought it was over, another one showed up. My strategy finally was to take a break at the top of each hill so that my legs wouldn’t give out trying to do them non-stop. There was quite a bit of running on the side of hills running past ponds and across well placed wooden bridge paths. To run this length of the race meant that you were a better athlete than I so I took LOTS of rest breaks on the way. Most of the racers were more cautious during this part of the race as a misstep could give you quite a rough tumble. This portion of the park was very scenic and quiet and it was nice to be able to run with nature.

Exiting the roller coaster ride that was the previous three miles, you pass the starting point of the race to huge applause. This gives you a burst of energy and excitement until you remember the race is not over yet. As we ran along, someone yelled out that we had less than 3 miles to go. Hearing this was encouraging and I felt surely the next few miles would zip by fairly quickly. We maneuvered out to an open area with sandy ground. The last time I ran in sand was on the beach 2 years ago so it took me a minute or two to get used to running in it with my shoes on. After a quarter mile of this, we re-entered the “forest”.

Someone had told me when I signed up for the race that the last 3 miles were no problem. I have to disagree. Although not as bad as the previous ones, there were more hills, loops and turns here than anywhere else in the race. It seemed that we ran an extra 2 miles through this winding trail. I saw many of my fellow runners walking as if they were on a nature hike. Like me, I am sure many were exhausted by this time after 12 1/2 miles of challenging trail running.

The light at the end of the tunnel came as we exited to the main road and saw the finish line approaching. I’ve never been so happy to see a clock in my life. As I sat just outside the finishing shoot, I watched as others made their way to the end of the run. Looks of total exhilaration or total relief shined on their faces; the end of a job well done. I have to say this was the toughest race I have ever done but it was the most satisfying one also. There were no medal, there was no PR, but there was a good feeling that I had pushed myself to the limits and made it to the end.

One runner stated that there should have been medals given out to all finishers for surviving the race. That may be true, but crossing that finish line was the only real reward I will ever need.

You may have watched the Tour de France, but did you know that Florida has its own “tour” especially for runners? This challenging event takes place in three different locations in Jacksonville during the brutal, unrelenting heat of early August.

The “Tour de Pain”, as it is appropriately called, involves a 4 mile beach run at 7pm on a Friday evening, a 5k at 7am the very next morning and the “piece de resistance” – a one mile race later that day at 4:30pm in downtown Jacksonville, aptly named the “mile sizzler”.

I made a decision to participate in this mid-summer torture without much thought. It will be fun I reasoned, if not a bit masochistic. And I was right. The tour is challenging, highly attended, extremely competitive and really fun. Runners came from all over to endure its wrath; good runners, in fact, outstanding runners. That was part of the fun – competing with the best of them.

The beach run Friday night was like any other beach run – hot, windy and sandy. There was some cloud cover which was somewhat helpful and a cool breeze was in our face for the way down. This was going to be fun….but…

At the start, a man behind me bumped my arm and disengaged my GPS which then began dangling off my wrist. I realized I needed to put it back together and could not do this while running, so I removed it, stuffed it into my shirt and continued on my way. The run was crowded even for the wide beach area with over 1000 runners participating. Part way down to the half-way point, I realized I had lost my headband. I seemed to be having equipment failure. I reached the turnaround and was glad to be half way home until I hit the wall of hot air that would accompany me for the duration of the race. The wind at my back might make the race faster, but it was definitely hotter without the breeze in my face.

Then my eyes began to sting – too much sunscreen I reasoned. I shut the worst burning eye and continued on. The finish line finally approached and I sprinted in. One race was done! The usual fare of bananas and Gatorade awaited us, as well as some tasty “healthy” cookies. The announcer told us to be back at 7am the next morning at a different location and to be sure and hydrate. People did not stay for the usual chatting and commiserating post race. There was more work to be done and some good rest was needed.

At 6am the next morning it was déjà-vu all over again. Another big crowd gathered near First Place Sports, one of the sponsors of the race. The gun went off and I was on my way again. It was a pretty typical 5k. The course was designed as a big square and had quite a bit of well-appreciated shade. Once again, there was not a big party at the end. Runners grabbed bananas and Gatorade and sprinted off, or maybe walked to recover a bit before the final event – the one mile at 4:30 in the afternoon.

The mile sizzler is a two loop mile course near Jacksonville Landing. It is divided by three or four heats with masters’ men going out first, followed by open men and then women. This makes it great for spectators and participants as well. It felt like the Olympics with all the cheering crowds and different heats. The overall winner, a 23 year old man from Jacksonville wowed the crowd with a 4:31 mile; not bad for high heat and humidity in the middle of a typical Florida summer.

I enjoyed watching the runners compete until my turn came and I began my final leg of the tour. This segment of the race was a blast but definitely the most challenging. At the finish all participants that competed in all three races received a very nice medal. A party followed in Jacksonville Landing with pizza, beer and a great band. I can’t wait for the next one!

If you were to paint a picture of the perfect race setting, it would probably be a smooth, flat course, wide-open scenery, cool temperatures, numerous participants, large crowds cheering you on and plenty of swag in the goodie bag. Based on that description, this would NOT have been your perfect race. However, it WAS a great race in so many other ways. I decided to once again take part in this race on Saturday, August 6, 2011.

To begin with, Moss Park is actually a beautiful state park located in Orlando, Florida. Getting to it is somewhat like going on a scavenger hunt. You initially take the familiar roads of I-4 and veer onto exit 72 which becomes a toll road leading you in the direction of Cape Canaveral. From there it gets interesting. Eventually you get onto a two lane road which runs directly into the park. Just to let you know, it is pitch BLACK at night and early morning in this area so make sure you know where you are going. Actually, as long as you can see the Moss Park road, you can’t help but make it to the park since the road runs right into it. Once at the park, drive straight in as the admission is already included in your race fees.

Getting back to the race itself, the temperature is usually hot and humid, the course is a mixture of roads and trails (watch out for some of the rough roads), the course takes you through the tree covered park, there are normally only a few 100 participants, very few people cheering on the path (hey this IS running in a park, the deer are there for you) and the goodie bag is bare essentials (t-shirt, sponsor sheet). There are two days scheduled for running which are Friday night and Saturday morning. They make sure to have the start times for the races the same (Friday night: 7:20pm-10k, 8pm-5k, and Saturday morning: 7:20am – 10k, 8am-5k). What is unique about these races is you have many options to run until your heart is content. You can run just the 10k or 5k, you can run both the 10k and 5k, you can run BOTH races on BOTH days if you choose (there were some who took the challenge). Speaking to several of the participants, they chose to run multiple runs to get their miles for the weekend when 6 miles wasn’t enough.

Things start off when you enter the park at check in around 6:30am. It is pretty dark there due to the numerous trees surrounding the area so flashlights do come in handy. Checking in and picking up your race package is quick and efficient. The race uses the new bib chip timer so you can avoid the annoyance of having to lace a chip to your shoe. There is a brief meeting ten minutes before the race to let you know about the course and other details. Next, everyone is off running across the open field until you arrive at a graveled road which leads further into the park. You will not have a problem of jockeying for position as there is plenty of space on either side. During the run, don’t be surprised if you see a curious deer peering at you and wondering why the heck you are running in his park. The 10k is accomplished by repeating a large loop through the park so you have a few opportunities to pass by any friends or family who made the journey with you. During the run you are totally enveloped by nature and can enjoy running without all of the modern distractions (ok…lets not include music in that list). For those who start out at a blazing pace, be warned that the conditions will wear you out quickly. Unless you have been training in hot weather, you will run a little bit slower at this race. Most important of all, HYDRATE! I found myself running well until I heard the swishing of my untied shoelace at mile 2. For some reason, it took me all of 30 seconds to actually get it tied correctly (you will see why this was significant later). I managed to get back on track and continue my labored run for the remainder of the race. There was adequate water stops along the course to ensure you got hydration (even one 20 feet from the finish line). As I approached the finish line, I had a good feeling that I might have placed in the top 3 for my age division. This is not saying much since there usually are not many elite runners in this race and there sometimes are not that many people in certain age groups in the race. By default, you could place even if you didn’t run the fastest of races. My time would have placed last year but this year I was denied. There WAS an elite runner in my age group who finished almost 17 minutes ahead of me (38:17 in the 10k) and the person who finished third did it ELEVEN SECONDS before me (Remember what I told you earlier about the shoe tying escapades?). So I guess it was not meant to be.

The one thing I heard everyone say about this race was that it was a good test to see where they stood for the upcoming fall races. Running in hot and humid conditions do have a way to test you like nothing else can. Despite that, everyone there seemed to really enjoy themselves and could not stop talking about coming back next year to do it all over again. There was plenty of fruit, bread, water and Gatorade at the finish line. Volunteers did an excellent job of keeping things moving and making sure everyone stayed pumped up for the race. So if you are interested in doing a fun run in the closest thing we have to an enchanted forest, Moss Park might be just the race to put on your calendar. Yes, it is hot and humid, but you will have more fun than you ever thought possible. Now if I can only remember to tie my shoe better next time…