Do you ever feel like running a marathon is just outside your doorstep? I’m guessing “no.” But for me, the St Pete Beach Half Marathon is one of those times. This annual St Pete Beach tradition is located directly outside my doorstep so there are no real excuses of why I shouldn’t do it this year. It’s super convenient to head outside to the Starting Line 10 minutes before the race gun goes off! Unfortunately(for training purposes), in reality, I was in Asia for 5 weeks prior to race… consuming buckets of rice, chicken tikka masala, and more naan than one should ever eat. I didn’t have much time to train which I do not recommend.
Before the Asia trip, I was running up to 10 miles comfortably. Five weeks completely off and then two and a half weeks to train for a 13.1 mile run. I did the best I could by battling through several painful training runs before the race day.
Here’s my race review!
The evening before, I walked over to the Expo at the Sirata Resort. It was underwhelming, but I did buy some new headbands.
Race Day!
The weather was ideal. Cool(60’s), sunny, and light wind! Perfection.
The St. Pete Beach course is absolutely stunning with views of the Gulf and Inter-coastal. The sunrise was absolutely amazing! So many colors–don’t you love the orange colors?!
Due to its size, the race itself does not have a lot of energy. Most of the race is lacking spectators, but they did have water/gatorade stops throughout the course. Honorable Mention Award goes to one resident who had a mimosa stand outside their house! How wonderful!
HOME STRETCH!
The post-race shindig met expectations. The food was not that great–bananas, bagels and cream cheese(no peanut butter, #fail), rice and beans–interesting choice. The drinks made up for it though! Heineken Light beers and full sized Gatorade and water bottles. Everyone was very nice and supportive to the runners.
We walked out to the beach to enjoy the nice warm Florida sun in January! Sorry friends and family. #Sorrynotsorry.
I’m so happy I completed this race even though I had doubts–mind over matter! I’m excited to keep training and improve my long distance running results!
Hurtbox Happenings: Later in the afternoon, my joints started to hurt a bit–well a lot. I took it easy at home, stretched out a lot, massaged the muscles, rehydrated, and went to bed early. The next day, I was totally fine! Whew! I dodged a bullet there. I thought I would be locked up in the hurtbox for a few days.
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