Space Coast Half Marathon 2014 Recap

     I signed up for the 2014 Space Coast Half Marathon back in February.  The race was announced to me through Moon Joggers, a running community I found online and joined a couple of months earlier.  On January 1, 2014 I began a new mission with them- a voyage to Venus.  I signed up with a personal goal to run 500 miles this year and contribute my miles to the grand total of miles with the group to get to Venus.  I decided that the Space Coast race would be a great way to end the year and my miles with.  As soon as registration opened online I signed up.  Thank goodness I didn't wait because within 24 hours the half marathon was full and closed.

     The race weekend began on the Friday after Thanksgiving day.  It was located in Cocoa, Florida so a month earlier I booked a flight from Shreveport that would depart on Friday and return on Monday.  I had already planned ahead and booked the hotel as soon as I signed up for the race.  Since the race sold out so quickly I knew that if I waited too long I may not be able to get a room at one of the host hotels that offered shuttle service to and from the race.

     On Friday, I departed Shreveport around 5:00 p.m.  Since my husband had to work that weekend he stayed home with the kids and I traveled by myself for this one.  I flew to Orlando, rented a car, and checked in my hotel.  I was starving by the time I got to the hotel, and the only place I found close by to eat at and that was open that late was a Denny's restaurant.  At this point I really didn't care.  I just wanted food!  I finished eating and went back to the hotel.  It was about midnight when I finally fell into bed, exhausted.  Thank goodness the race was not until Sunday because 5 hours later I almost had a heart attack from the alarm clock that went off unexpectedly.  Since I couldn't go back to sleep I decided to get up, pack and leave early for Cocoa Beach which was an hour away.

     As soon as I got to Cocoa Beach, I headed to the expo to pick up my race packet.  When I arrived the first thing I had to do was find my bib number located on a wall with a list of names in alphabetical order.  I found my number and proceeded to the packet counter.  Once I picked up my packet I headed over to the shirt table and the crowd that was already forming.  I had heard that many of the racers were unable to get their shirts because they had ran out of the ladies size small.  Luckily, I was able to get my size that I had pre-ordered when I signed up. 

     The expo was held at the Radisson Resort, one of the host hotels.  There was a fairly large crowd when I arrived, and I slowly made my way around the room to look at all the vendors and merchandise.  This was a space-themed race so I had to wear my Moon Jogger shirt and take advantage of the photo ops while I was there. 

    

     Since I couldn't check in my hotel until 3 p.m. I decided that my next stop was to visit the Kennedy Space Center.  I could not come to Cocoa Beach and run Space Coast without visiting the space center before I left.  I must have picked the perfect weekend to visit and race because there was hardly any traffic on the road and no crowds.  I ate lunch, walked around the museums, and was pretty excited to see the Gemini spacecraft and the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis displayed.  What an awesome experience.  I will definitely be planning a vacation here and bringing the whole family.

 

 

 

     Once I finished exploring the space center it was time to leave and go find my hotel.  I had about an hour to rest before getting ready for the pre-race pasta dinner that evening.  This was an exciting evening.  I got to meet some of the Moon Joggers in my running group for the first time, meet the race organizers, and listen to our guest speaker for the evening, Bart Yasso. 

     After the dinner I made plans to meet with my running group the next morning for a group picture, went back to my hotel, laid out my race outfit for the next day, and went to bed.  I did actually get a good night's sleep compared to the night before so when my alarm went off at 3 a.m. I was fully rested.  I got dressed, drank my coffee, and had a post run breakfast which consisted of a bagel with peanut butter and honey.  The bus shuttle was to leave at 4:15 a.m.  so a little before 4:00 I went down to the lobby to wait for it.  It came a little early and we left 10 minutes earlier.  I felt bad for those who missed it because they had to wait around until after 5:00 for the next one.  We arrived at the race site about 30 minutes later and then had to wait in line for the bathroom for another 30 minutes.  Of course there was no line on the men's side.  At 5:30 I met up with my running group and was able to meet more Moon Joggers. :)  At 5:45 it was time to start lining up. 

 

    

     I made my way back to the 3 hour pace sign since that's how long it took me to run my first half last year and found my spot.  It was very crowded when the race begin and it took a few minutes for everyone to start spreading out and for me to find a good starting pace.  The race began at 6 a.m. so it was it was still dark out when we began. 

     

 

     The half marathon is 13.1 miles and this course was an out and back one meaning you run half way out, turn around, and then come back to the finish.  I found my pace and decided on the run/walk pace of run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute.  I started off great and was able to enjoy the sunrise as we ran past the Indian River and Atlantic Ocean on one side and fancy houses on the other.  The road was lined with palm trees so it provided some shade as well as we were running.  By the time I got to the halfway point it was daylight.  About the time I reached the turn around point I heard the sound of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" blaring from someone's yard.  What perfect timing as he sang, "Whoa, we're half way there. Whoa, livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, and we'll make it- I swear. Whoa, livin' on a prayer!"

    
     All was going well until around mile 9.  That's when I started noticing a familiar nagging pain on the left side of my knee.  The same thing happened at the Route 66 Half.  I slowed my pace down and decided to stop and stretch out my legs for a second.  While I was stretching here comes the 2:45 pace group.  I decided to run with them and realized they were doing the 1 min. run/1 min. walk pace so I stayed with them and ran a little bit ahead of that group.  I even stopped to take a picture of the house with the scary mannequin looking out at us and the dolphins swimming next to us.

    
     This pace seemed to help and a few more miles in I was able to pick it back up and finish strong.  I didn't get my 2:45 time, but I did get a PR (personal record) and finished 13 minutes faster than my last half marathon race. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I received my finisher's medal and a beach towel instead of the usual foil blanket they give at the end. 
    

 

 

  
     Once the race was over I walked around stopping to stretch, eat, and take some more pictures.  About an hour later I found my shuttle bus and left to go back to the hotel.

     After resting up I decided to head over to the beach and then do a little shopping since I wasn't leaving until the next day.  After about 45 minutes of searching for a day spa I finally found one and got my manicure and pedicure.  Best post race recovery decision ever!  That was the best foot and leg massage ever and well deserved tip. 

    
     The Space Coast Half Marathon was one of the best races I have ever experienced.  I enjoyed every minute of this weekend.  Here are the top 10 highlights of my race weekend.

10.   Arriving at destination 2 days early and staying an extra day
  9.   Visiting the Kennedy Space Center
  8.   Browsing at the expo
  7.   Pre-race dinner w/ speaker Bart Yasso
  6.   Meeting some Moon Joggers
  5.   Staying at a hotel w/ shuttle service to and from the race
  4.   Hearing Bon Jovi playing when I was half way there
  3.   Running past the house with the spooky mannequin
  2.   Post race Manicure/Pedicure/foot/leg massage
  1.   The awesome bling I received at the finish line

 

Nicholas

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Every now and then I think about this poem that I ran across a few years after my son Nicholas was born.  Nicholas is my special gift from God.  He is 19 years old now, and I could not be a more prouder mom.

I remember when he was first born and the doctor telling me soon afterwards that he had Down Syndrome.  I was a little shocked at first since I had not had any tests done during my pregnancy to prepare me, but I remember telling the doctor that it's ok.  And you know what, it is.  I do wish he was able to communicate and that his self help skills were more developed, but I learned to accept who he is a long time ago.  He is such a happy, loving person and shows his love through his smile and eyes.

Although Nick may not be able to do some things most other teens are doing such as driving a car or going off to college, I am proud that he has been able to do many other things.  I am glad that Nick has been able to attend one of our area high schools right along with his regular ed. peers.  He is always happy to go to school and loves his teachers and friends.  He still has a couple of more years left but time is flying by.  Soon he will be graduating right along with his friends. That is just mind-boggling to even think about.

One activity Nick especially enjoys is participating in his Challenger League baseball team.  He has been playing for 8 years with the same teams, and it has been a delight to watch them all grow up together.  They are always so proud of each other.  Whether it's cheering for a home run or helping to cheer someone up who is sad it just comes naturally for them to encourage and lift each other up. 

This weekend Nick went to his first prom. The Joy Prom is a full-scale prom for those with special needs who are 16 or older.  Nick had so much fun with his date and many of his friends who were also there.  Words can not describe how proud I was for him.

The poem suggests not spending your time mourning what you don't have but instead be grateful for what you do have.  I am grateful for Nicholas and for the special young man he has turned out to be.  I love you Nicholas!

2013 Memories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A bittersweet year.

That was my first thought as I opened my 2013 memory jar and spread the contents before me.  My memory jar brought up feelings of happiness and great sadness.  As I take a moment to reflect on the last twelve months, I would like to share some events that were the most important to me.


January 2013 found me joining my first running club, The Red River Road Runners.  A friend introduced me to this running club and gave me one of their flyers.  I became a member of the RRRR running club, and a few days later I ran one of their 5K Winter Series races. 

January 19- Caleb turned 13, and I now have 2 teenagers in the house. 

January ended with my husband and I refinancing our mortgage from 7% to 2.75%.  Yes, you read that right, and I will probably never see that again in my lifetime.

Nothing too exciting happened in February so let's fast forward to March.

March 21- Nicholas turned 18 years old!  Wow, time sure flies by!  My sweet little boy has grown up to become a sweet young man.

They say "a picture is worth a thousand words," and I most certainly agree!  As equally exciting as refinancing the mortgage was in January, two months later I would reap the benefit of being debt free especially from that dreaded student loan I picked up when I decided to go back to school a few years ago and get my Master's degree.  Whoo-Hoo!

April 22- I celebrated Earth Day by planting my first vegetable garden.  Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers, and a few herbs is what went into my little garden.  It was nothing fancy, but I was one proud gardener. 
















My sweet grandmother passed away this year on May 17th.  She was 100 years old.

I was lucky enough to spend time with her as I was growing up.  Some of the best memories I have were made at her house.  One of those was eating dinner.  She loved to cook and made the best homemade biscuits ever. 

When I was a child I remember having sleepovers at her house when my cousins came to visit.  We would make pallets to sleep on all over the living room and stay up for hours. 

She loved to play scrabble and Yahtzee.  She also loved to sew, and when I would come to visit I would often see her working on another quilt for someone.  And, when you walked through her door she would have coffee waiting or ready to make.

While my grandmother had a sweet side she did not put up with foolishness and was not afraid to discipline anyone who needed it.  One time I was playing in her yard and decided to climb the fence.  I guess she was peeking out the windows because the next thing I knew she came out and told me to go pick out my own switch.  Although I tried to find the smallest one possible, it still hurt!  I never did climb anymore fences though. 

When I was in high school I struggled with algebra, and one day I found out she had loved math.  I'll never forget her sitting down with me and patiently explaining a problem I was struggling with.  She was good!

I would often sit in her kitchen and listen to her tell me family stories.  I could listen to her for hours.

I love my grandmother and will miss her dearly.  I'm so thankful for the time I had to spend with her and all the fond memories.  She will forever be in my heart.



                                                    Dottie Elliott
                                                              

May 23-  I ran the Mudbug Madness 5K race.  Not only was it hot and humid, the race began in the evening.  Can you say hot, yucky, and tired?!  A teacher friend of mine was also running and I met up with her before the race began.  This was our before picture.  I'm sure we were already sweating before we even started running.

May 30-   Chris and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary.

June 14-  I turned 45.  Happy Birthday to me!

June 29-  Southern Ladyrunner was created.  This is a community Facebook page I created, in addition to my personal page, where I can share my running experiences, motivation, and tips to those who are interested or loves running as much as I do while not boring everyone else.  In less than a month my page had 100 likes and as of today it has 265 likes.  This is unbelievably exciting and tells me I must be doing something right if that many people are interested and continue to stay with me.

What was the most exciting thing about July?  I bought a new car!  This is my new 2013 Honda Accord that I love!!!

August 10-   I embarked on a new journey.  Last year I had made up my mind and registered to run a half marathon in 2013.  As the time drew closer to begin training, I joined USA Fit.  I trained with them for 3 1/2 months every Saturday morning at 6:30 a.m. with the exception of a couple of race days in between, and it all paid off!

August 31-  I ran the Saints Back to Football 5K.  So fun!!!  This race began in front of the Superdome in New Orleans, La and ended on the fifty yard line.  This was one of the most exciting 5K races I have ever done!

Then on September 7, I ran the Run or Dye 5K in Shreveport.

And, the Autumn Breeze on Oct. 19th.  This was my very first 10K race. 

November 24-  A day I will never forget.  I ran my first half marathon.  This was a story to be told all by itself.  You can find that story on my previous blog entitled 13.1.

 


On a cold winter Monday morning, I received a call from my mother that stopped my world for a moment.  My dad had been rushed to the emergency room early that morning from difficulties with breathing. 

A few years ago dad had been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphoma Leukemia and had recently begun his first chemo treatment.  He had been in and out of the hospital for a couple of months.

He began radiation treatment for skin cancer his doctor found behind his ear and soon after started chemo for his CLL.  After dad received his first chemo treatment, he came down with a fever.  His immune system was very weak and he often had difficulty breathing.  On Thanksgiving he was sent home, and my family was able to spend time with him.  We thought he was doing better.

After receiving the call from my mother that dad was in the ER, I spent the rest of the day at the hospital.  My family and I was with him until he took his last breath.  On December 2, my dad passed away.  This was the saddest day of my life.  I don't think I have ever cried as much as I did that week. I miss him so much.  That next day I ran the hardest I have ever ran.  I ran for my dad, I ran for the sadness, I ran for the heartache.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about him.  He was such a wonderful dad and I loved him very much.

 December 10-  I ran again.  I had entered my town's 5K Christmas run the month before and after dad passed I almost didn't run.  After thinking about it, I decided to go ahead and run.  My dad would have wanted me to, so I ran for him.  That race gave me a PR (personal record), and I ran the fastest 3 miles I have ever run, a 33:35 time.  Thanks, Dad!

December 25-  My husband gave me the sweetest Christmas present ever.  On Christmas Eve my husband kept asking me what my favorite Christmas gift I ever received was.  After thinking about it, I told him it would have to be the gift he gave me when we first started dating. He gave me a small Christmas bear figurine that I sit out every Christmas.  On the back he wrote simply, To Karen, Love Chris.  Then he said, "I bet I can top that." 

My husband and Aunt Charlene made and printed my half marathon story into a 20 page photo book.  It was a surprise gift I received from my husband on Christmas Day and a gift I will always cherish.

Yes, it has been a bittersweet year.  But, I made it through and will continue to move forward with the help of God, my family, and the comfort of knowing I'll see my father and grandmother again one day.

So, I am ending this year honoring my father and grandmother.  I dedicate to them all of my 2013 memories and end the year with this poem.

On Eagle's Wings

 

And He will raise you up

on eagle's wings,

bear you on

the breath of dawn,

Make you to shine-

like the sun,

and hold you in the palm of His hand.



My First 13.1

It began a year ago.  I came upon a friend's Facebook post that she had just finished the 2012 William's Route 66 Half Marathon.  When she announced that she signed up for next year's Half, it was only $40, and who wanted to run it with her, I thought about it for a second and immediately signed up too.  From that moment on my journey began. 

I began running 2 years ago and up until now had never ran more than 4 miles.  I was a little hesitant but remembered hearing from another friend that if I could run a 5K distance I could train to run a Half.  She had also told me about a local running group that met in the summer to train for the Louisiana marathon in January.  I contacted them, was assured that I could train with them and be ready for my Half in November, and signed up.  Training began in August so I had about 4 months to get ready.

On November 22, 2013 my husband, two boys, and I packed our bags and drove the 6 hours from Bossier City, LA to Tulsa, OK for the 2013 William's Route 66 Marathon.  This was my first race that the entire family would get to experience, and I was excited that everyone wanted to be apart of my experience.

It was a cold, rainy evening when we finally left town.  We arrived in Tulsa around 2 a.m., and it was freezing cold!  Good thing I packed everything from shorts to tights and jackets.  No need to wonder what I was going to wear anymore because it was 32 degrees and not expected to get any warmer that weekend.

                                                          

I woke up Saturday morning to the most amazing view from the 9th floor of our hotel.  The first thing I noticed was a running trail next to the hotel. I wanted to run that trail so bad, but since we got in late I had slept late, and now it was time to get ready to meet up with my friend who I hadn't seen in 10 years.  The rain had stopped and the forecast called for cold, cloudy, and windy for the next 2 days.

We spent that day picking up our race packets, walking around the expo exhibit, and then driving the course so I would know what to expect.  She told me that the course had changed and there were lots of hills.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear.  With plans for her to come by and pick me up at 6:30 a.m., I arrived back at the hotel that evening, laid out all of my racing gear, set my alarm for 4:30 a.m., and we all went to bed early.

At 4:15 a.m. my 13 year old son, who always sleeps late, wakes me up.  I look at my clock and tell him I still have 15 more minutes and why is he up?   After hitting my alarm clock a couple of times and my son telling me to get up, I decide it's finally time to get up around 4:45.  Normally I have this time to myself as I get ready, but I was actually glad he was awake.  We talked as I got dressed and ate my half sandwich with peanut butter, half of a banana, drank my coffee, and water. I think he really helped to calm my nerves.

My husband began waking up around 6:00.  I spent a few minutes going over some details of where they would be standing and how to get around street closures.  At 6:30 my friend arrived at the hotel and we were off.

The race began and ended in downtown Tulsa.  Her timing was perfect as we were able to get downtown before all of the street closures.  We found a parking spot in between the start and finish line.  Since we arrived in plenty of time before the race started we did a quick warm up jog to the Fleet Feet Sports store that was nearby.  It was 22 degrees with a 12 degree windchill.  We joined the hundreds of other runners trying to keep warm before the race.  No one had expected it to be this cold, and I kept hearing how this was unusual.  I assured my friend that I did not bring the cold weather with me.  The store took a group photo of all of us then we headed out into the cold.  We headed to a nearby hotel to find a restroom, checked our bags in, and headed to the start line.

Once we got to the start line we had to separate.  She was in corral A and I was in C.  I knew we wouldn't be running together and was ok with that.  We wished each other good luck, and I told her I would see her at the finish line.  I heard the national anthem being sung as I headed to my corral.  I quickly walked up to my wave group as it ended and found a spot in the middle of the group.  As I waited for my wave to begin running I chatted with a woman next to me while trying to keep my feet moving.  It was so cold I could not feel my toes.  Our wave was finally given the go. We quickly moved up, the horn went off, and away we went as I pressed my start button on my Garmin watch.  There was plenty of entertainment to be seen amongst us runners.  You never know what you will see in a race.

 We headed down Main Street, turned the corner, and immediately had to run downhill.  Thank goodness I was prepared since my friend and I had drove the course the day before.  She warned me to not go out too fast because this is just the first mile and there will be more hills.  Yes, I listened!  I got down to the bottom of the hill and was greeted with the first band.  I was all smiles.  Just as soon as I came down that hill it was time to head up the next one.  Yes, this is still mile 1!  I turned the corner at mile 1 and the first thing I saw were clothes everywhere.  People were shedding shirts, pants, gloves, and even trash bags.  Not me! I was not shedding anything, and I still couldn't feel my toes!

As we ran past mile 2 the course led us through Cascia Hall Preparatory School.  I could have stopped right here and gazed at this building for awhile.  The architecture was absolutely beautiful.  This is one of the great things about running.  You get to see things you never knew existed.

Around mile 3 I could finally start to feel my toes again. We ran past mile 4 and 5, which had more hills, then I pulled out my first GU energy gel.  At the 10K point, I began looking for my family.  I was surprised at how many spectators had came out to support us all along the course, especially in such freezing temperatures.  I don't know if they realize how much their cheers and support means to the runners, but it was amazing!  Every time I passed a spectator cheering us on I would thank them.  At the half way point I spotted my family.  They were holding their signs for me and saying your half way there.  I laughed as I passed Caleb and his sign, "Just Keep Swimming!"

I ran through mile 7 and as I reached mile 8 I heard my son calling my name.  I looked over and saw my husband driving and following me along Peoria Ave.  I smiled and waved back at my family as they drove on ahead.  They drove as far down as they could until we had to turn after mile 8.  I looked over one more time and saw my son waving his "Just Keep Swimming" sign.  I laughed, gave him a thumbs up, and kept on going.

We turned on to Riverside Dr. and at mile 9 I pulled out another GU.  Thankfully, this was a flat stretch of three miles along the Arkansas River.  At mile 10 I heard someone shout, "That was a 10 mile warm-up, now just a 5K left!"  At this point I was starting to slow down.  I started to feel a little annoying pain on the outside of my left knee.  I had been doing my run 3 min/ walk 2 min pace, but now began to do a little longer walk break than 2 min.  I made my way through mile 11 and then turned onto Southwest Blvd to mile 12 and passed under a bridge with a Route 66 sign.

At mile 12, I was ready to get to the finish line.  With only a 1/2 mile or so to go I was barely shuffling along.  I looked up and saw the one thing I did not want to see, another hill.  Ugh! This one I had to walk up as my knee was hurting again.  About that time I saw my friend, who had already finished, run up next to me encouraging me on. We made it up the hill and I took off running again.  A little ways down I thought my right calf was going to cramp up on me so I slowed down.  It didn't.  I turned the last corner and spotted the finish line.  I ran through the finish line, with hands in the air, and a big smile on  my face.  I had just finished my first half marathon!  I finished in 3 hours, 20 seconds.

I walked through the row of volunteers handing out race blankets and medals.  Once I got my medal, I spotted the photographers taking pictures.  I put down my things and posed for my finishing picture.  At this point I could feel every muscle in my legs.  It hurt to even bend down to pick up my water.  I walked through a tent where more volunteers were serving small cups of spaghetti with a roll and handing out water and Gatorade.  As I walked on through the tent grabbing my food and drinks, I  saw my friend.  We made our way to the bag check area congratulating each other.  If it wasn't so cold I would have loved to walk around some.  I pulled out my cell phone and called my husband.  He said they were back at the hotel so I asked my friend if she could drop me back off at the hotel.  Wearing our medals, we began our walk to the car.  After running 13.1 miles, walking to the car was not fun.  She told me that walking was what I needed to do and that it would help me.

After making plans to meet back up for dinner, I went back to the hotel to clean up and pack for the trip back home.  We met back up one last time to visit, take pictures, and eat.  We even made plans to do another one again someday together.

 A big THANK YOU goes out to my long time best friend, Amy, for making this journey a reality and an experience I will never forget.