I ran a half marathon on Sunday! For me, it was more of a “fun run” than a race. I’ve (crazily?) registered for a 50 mile race at the end of April, and because of my recent hamstring issues, I’m behind on my long runs. My plan was to run a few miles before the start and then treat this race as continuation of a long run.
The day started when my alarm went off at 3 am (AUUUUGH!!!) I got my gear together and then picked up Darlene! Honestly, I wouldn’t have signed up for this race if it weren’t for Darlene. I’ve been focusing on longer trail races lately, and felt like I had no business running a road race. But, Darlene was doing it and I knew it would be fun to do together.
We got to the parking area at 4:30- PLENTY of time to spare, since the start time was 5:50. But we had to wait in a long line to take a shuttle to the start. I did think about just running to the start, but it was dark (obviously), I didn’t really know where I was going, and I decided spending some extra time with Darlene was more important.
We finally got to the start at 5:30. I had forgotten how exciting the start of a race is! At this point, I was actually wishing I were doing the full marathon (we’ll come back to that thought later.) I only had time to run about 1.75 miles before the race- I was still doing my “bonus” miles when the race started, and I crossed the starting line at the very back of all the runners.
I actually highly recommend this, if you’re not racing for a specific time! I didn’t have to stand around waiting. And, it was fun to work my way up from the back and pass a lot of people- it made me feel like I was running fast (WHICH I WASN’T!) Luckily we were running on wide streets at this point, so it wasn’t too congested.
We ran over a bridge (the only “hill” of the race) and onto A1A- in time to see the sunrise (photo at the top of this post!)
I definitely treated this as a long run. I didn’t do any planned walking intervals, but I did walk if there was a good reason. Good reasons included taking a drink, getting out a gel, or taking a photo. I had NO time goal whatsoever.
We ran up A1A and into Birch State Park. When my husband and I first moved to Florida, we lived in Ft. Lauderdale for a couple years, and I did many runs in this park. And here’s a fun fact- we got married in this park! I actually took a little detour to get a photo of our wedding spot.
You may be thinking- why did you get married THERE? It doesn’t look that special! Well, here’s what it looked like 25 years ago:
Let’s talk about the weather. It was hot. The forecast for the day showed a high of 86, and it was around 72 when we started. While we were in the park I started to feel the heat, and at every water station I drank a cup and poured a cup over my head.
I was worried about Darlene- not because I question her abilities as a runner, but because she had no time to get acclimated to the heat. She told me where she lives (upstate New York) 20 degrees is a warm day. Yikes.
Anyway, we ran out of the park and continued on A1A. There were a lot of turnarounds in this race, with opportunities to see runners ahead and behind you. I kept looking for Darlene, but I figured I missed her- which wouldn’t be surprising, because this was a big race.
Finally we turned and headed back to the finish line. Those last several miles would have been the most brutal heat-wise, but there was a stiff headwind. It was so strong, I felt like I was running in slow motion, but I welcomed it because it saved us all from having a heatstroke. And then guess who I saw just ahead of me… Darlene!!!
She’ll be doing her own race recap, but I’m here to tell you she did GREAT. She really toughed it out in difficult conditions- this was not an easy race! We chatted briefly, and then I ran on ahead.
Right before the finish, the half marathoners were herded forward while the marathoners made a u-turn… and I thought “I’m SO GLAD I’m not doing the marathon!!!” (Think Veruca Salt when she says “Daddy, I do NOT want a boat like this!” That’s how I felt.)
Anyway… I finished! I thought I would run some more, since I didn’t get to run much before the race. But the situation really wasn’t conducive. Even after I got out of the finish area, it was very crowded. I also now had this huge medal:
Obviously I took it off, but even carrying it was annoying- those little charms made clinking noises and it was heavy! Also, my hip flexors were killing me (the pain in my hamstring moved to my glutes and then, weirdly, to my hip flexors.) I ran a little to end at an even 15 miles, and called it a day.
I went back to meet Darlene at the finish! They had lots of food- none of which sounded appealing to us. We marveled at all the people eating hot dogs and tacos and drinking beer at 8:30 am. We each had a popsicle and those REALLY hit the spot.
This race was fun- I’m very happy Darlene convinced me to do it! My only complaint would be, the shirts are hideous. This went right into my Goodwill donation bag:
33 Responses
yay! congrats on a great race
Thank you Sarah!
Well done! That is a humungous medal!
Thank you Liz! This race is known for their “special” medals- they’re always huge.
Ah, so we both tackled windy half marathons on Sunday—well done, Jenny and Darlene!
How amazing that you ran through your wedding venue—what a fun and unexpected twist!
It’s always a bit disappointing when race T-shirts turn out to be ugly. It would be great if races offered them as an optional add-on—keeping costs down and reducing waste. Where are you going to hang your medal?
Somehow I suspect that your half included climbing up a mountain or something, Catrina! And, yes- it would be nice if the shirts were optional, for an extra fee. Right now my medal is on the bookshelf in my living room! It’ll stay there for a while and then I’ll throw it in the bag in my closet with the rest of my medals.
How fun to see a photo from your wedding (I wasn’t expecting that in your half-marathon recap).
I’m glad you were able to really enjoy the race and take it at your own pace.
Seriously. How is it 2025 and how do we see the mess in the world and still think it’s a good idea to create a whole bunch of textile trash that no one is going to wear? Why not invest that in handing out consumables that people can eat/use or, better yet, why not reduce the fees and make the medal, T-shirt, and any other swag optional and not hand out anything?!!!
Yes, for sure. The longer races I’ve done only offer shirts for an extra fee- I think all races should start doing that. And yes, I guess the wedding photo was a surprise in this post!
Yes, when you get up at 3 AM for a good time, you know you’re a runner. I am awestruck that Darlene went from NY temps to FL temps – let’s just say that both are temperatures that I prefer not to run outside in.
I runfess that I love beer right after a race, no matter what the time.
How fun that the course went past your wedding venue!
I forgot to mention that they also had beer DURING the race- right around mile 11 there was an aid station with beer. Again, I like beer- but not in the middle of a race!
Yay, Jenny and Darlene! I’m glad you had good race days. So cool to see your wedding spot, Jenny, and how it’s changed.
My race t-shirt dream is that they show you the design when you sign up and you only get one if you’d like and wear it and then they can do a right sized batch order. Or do a medal or a shirt option!
Yes, I like that method- I’ve been at races where they do that. Seems much less wasteful!
Great job. I’m laughing that people eat hot dogs and beer that early in the morning. I’ve never run that far, but my guess is that I’d eat anything after a long run – especially in that kind of heat. That weather sounds perfect for my little morning run (the 70s), but dang – I’d not make it if I had to run a half marathon or even a half of a half of a marathon if it got into the 80s. I love the wedding photo. So pretty. Your hair comment is unfortunately VERY relatable.
Thanks Ernie! I don’t know.. the heat was part of the reason we didn’t feel like eating much! A popsicle was about all we could stomach.
Congrats! I’m glad it went well for both you and Darlene. But oh why do they make some race tees in such terrible colours?? Last year I signed up for a 19k trail race (I planned to walk) but dropped out (for other reasons than the foot injury I got in time for the race) but my husband picked up my race t-shirt, and I thought white was bad enough! For that race you could choose at the time of signing up whether you wanted a t-shirt or not. My husband picked a beer glass instead!
That looks like a lovely wedding spot! Today as well as 25 years ago.
What? I want a beer glass instead of a t shirt! That’s something I would definitely use.
OMG who are these people drinking and eating hotdogs at 8:30 am!! Sheesh!
Congrats on a successful race! I love that you got to see the spot where you were married! Look at that flashback photo! It is so green and lush. The area where we got married is along a beautiful area of the river in Minneapolis so there are a lot of races that go by that area. I’ll always associate it with our wedding but it’s also where I lived for the years leading up to when I moved in with Phil so I have lots of memories from that part of the city. It’s also often shown during Vikings games since it’s such a pretty area!
Aw- you get to see your wedding spot frequently then! It’s rare that I get to see ours, which is why i took the time to make a little detour and get a photo.
Great recap. I felt like I was there. lol.
And if you didn’t say you would run it, I would DNSed.
I enjoyed the course and the weather wasn’t as bad as last time.
But my feet!!!
Anyway they felt fine the next day as did my body.
Thanks for indulging my insanity.
Ha, that’s funny, we were both like “I’m only doing it because she’s doing it!” Well… it worked out, and now you never have to run this particular race again. Oh, and we broke the curse of the Ft. Lauderdale A1A (well- except that my husband broke his toe and couldn’t run it- SOMEONE had to get injured!)
Why are race shirts so often highlighter questions? This is a legitimate question. Are the shirts cheaper? Who is going to wear them?
Here’s what I learned from this post: A1A is a road. I thought it was just Vanilla Ice mumbling incoherently. I need to get out of the house more.
Haha… yes, I probably should have specified what “A1A” is, although you figured it out. And I wonder the same thing- is it cheaper to make the shirts neon green? Or did someone actually think it was a good idea???
AWWW! I almost wish I did it, except not because I would have been SO MAD about how hot it was that day!!!! My daughter wears my A1A shirt from last year regularly – it’s purple. (it’s also funny bc she has no desire to run, ever.)
GREAT JOB and maybe if I ever run that race again I’ll see you there!!!!
I told my husband if he wants to run it next year, I’ll do it with him. So I might be there! I also love how the day after the race, it cooled down. And we’re even having mornings in the 50s this week. SIGH.
Congrats on the race in not-so-ideal weather conditions! I would definitely not want to eat a full meal like that so early, people are wild!
I always start ultras at the very back. I like to start out at a sustainable pace, and I know I’ll be passed by everyone who goes out too fast, and it’s more fun for me to (eventually) catch up to people later on in the race. Usually I end up playing leapfrog with a few other back of the pack people — I’m stronger on the uphills and usually get passed on the downhills when I’m just trying not to fall on my face haha! And sometimes I pass people only to find out at the end of the race that they dropped and I’m DFL anyways!
Ha, well neither Darlene or I were in any danger of being DFL in this race- there were TONS of people behind us. Darlene said “Did you see all those people walking” and I was like “Yes, I passed every single one of them!”
Congrats on a great race! I like the wedding picture and the race picture in the same post :)!
And the sunrise over the beach photo looks so vacation-y–dreamy!
So eager for summer and warmth, right now…
(I feel sad you’re still having hip pain.)
Thank you Maya! It really was great weather…. for lying on the beach under an umbrella. And, the hip seems better now… I’ll know better when I run long again.
it’s so great to run a race without time goal, I haven’t done that for a while.
Congrats on finishing it despite the heat and the crowd. and having a friend to run with you is an extra bonus.
Yes, I don’t usually run races with NO goal whatsoever, and I rarely run races with other people. This was a fun day.
Congrats! I paused and lingered too long looking at that opening photo of the beach. Sigh…. so pretty. It’s SO COLD here.
Sounds like a fun time overall and I am happy on your behalf that you didn’t do the full marathon! haha. It does sound hot! I hope your hamstring thing gets sorted out before the 50 miler!! Still a couple months away so that’s good.
It’s good that’s a couple months away, but I have some LONG long runs to do… my hamstring better behave.
I think someone will buy the t-shirt so they can pretend that they run! HA! Congratulations on a great run, and so great that you got to run with your friend. I love your wedding venue. We were married in my in-laws’ back yard, but our reception was at a military base venue which is no longer there.