I Sweat Pretty

An open letter to the organizers of women’s races

Thank you for organizing a fun event that allows women to get together and celebrate our strength. Thank you for hosting a race that unites us towards one common goal — that finish line. And thank you for creating such a beautiful space to support and encourage each other.

I would like to suggest that for a such an incredible women’s only event that you consider hiring a female announcer to be the voice of the race. Because how awesome would it be to hear our voice represented as we step over that start line? How empowering would it be to receive those final cheers from your fellow women before you finally cross that finish?

And if, for some odd reason, you can’t find a woman to fill the role, could I suggest that you coach your male announcer in the language he uses to address us? Encourage him to not just comment on our tutus, but how damn strong we look. And even more importantly, suggest that he uses words other than “ladies” and “girls” as he addresses us. Don’t get me wrong — I use the word “ladies” with my girlfriends but when we are feeling strong we call ourselves “women.” I understand there’s a lot of runners, so here are some other words that he can use along with “woman”: Goddess, warrior, female, badass.

Thanks again for all that you do for women.

Sincerely,
Hemarie
#isweatpretty

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Race Recap: 2015 Cocoa Beach Half Marathon

9 Nov

Around the time my MBA program was winding down, I started to notice how far my weight had crept up from all of that stress eating I did my last two semesters. I dusted off my old running shoes and went for a run with my crew and told them I was thinking of signing up for a full marathon this fall to get my butt back in shape. Thankfully they talked me into signing up for a half marathon instead and we chose the inaugural Ron Jon Cocoa Beach Half Marathon. I’m not sure how we chose this race, but I think timing-wise it worked for us and it happened to have a really cool Genie Bottle medal. I’m not a big medal person (I end up stashing them all in a big fish bowl), but appreciated that the race was near Orlando.

The Training

Just three weeks into our training, I found out I was pregnant and not long after that I had to take three weeks off from running due to the pregnancy. I rejoined my friends in training at the start of my second trimester and knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Sure, it was muggy so the runs were a struggle for all of us but I couldn’t seem to get enough air! And what the heck was up with my bladder? Why did I feel like I needed to pee all of the time?

I kept up with the girls for a few weeks until one long run I just couldn’t keep up. After a mile I split from the group and finished my six miler on my own. From then on, I was running all of my runs on my own. Thank God my husband is terrified I’ll fall and die, so he’s been riding his bike or running with me. I even got to fit in some training runs during our vacation in Portland, Maine and Boston.

Six miles made for a gorgeous fall run in Boston

Unfortunately, I approached the half marathon start with an 8-mile run being my longest training run. I like my longest run to be at least 10 miles, and knew I was going to pull 5 miles out of somewhere on race day.

The Expo

I knew the expo was being held behind the race’s main sponsor, Ron Jon, so I didn’t expect much out of the expo. My friends and I showed up around 2pm and got through the packet pick-up line pretty quickly. It took us about another three minutes to walk the “expo” and then snapped some shots as Jeannie before we headed off to find some lunch.

I just had one wish: let me finish!

The Race

The race started at 7:45am, but we had to board our shuttle to the start of the race no later than 5:45am. Afraid I would not fuel enough before the race, I ate everything I could get my hands on over the course of three hours:

Starbucks oatmeal (bought the day before)
Apple (courtesy of our hotel)
Pastry (courtesy of our hotel)
Nutri-Grain bar (courtesy of our hotel)
Banana (courtesy of our hotel)

The only thing I ate in the hotel was the oatmeal. The rest I ate as we walked the mile from our hotel to the shuttle busses and once we got to the start line. I can say that running out of fuel was never an issue with the race. I was fully fueled for the 13 miles.

It didn’t take us long to get to the race start on our shuttle, and found ourselves there with two hours to spare as we waited for the race start. We used the time to take pictures, watch the sunrise, snack on our hotel goodies, stretch, and use the porta potties.

Look, ma! Even genies have to use the porta potties!

My friends and I, ready to run!

Watching the sunrise as we wait for the race start

I started the race with my friends, but it wasn’t long before we split up since I’m now a slow, pregnant runner and they are not. For the first time in a long time, I popped in some ear buds and settled into my run while looking for the next set of porta potties. Basically, I have to stop every two miles to use the restroom. The first mile I feel okay, and then I spend the next mile looking for a restroom. It’s pretty much the story of my pregnant life.

Around mile 6 I saw my husband who told me he would jump into the race with me to keep me some company as soon as I looped back out of the park we were running into. I took the opportunity to use the park restroom, then he joined up with me as I exited the park. I’ve never run a race with my husband before, mainly because he’s a fast runner, so it was nice to have his company.

Around mile 8, that familiar IT band pain started to creep up on me and I knew the minutes I had to bend my knees were numbered. Around that time the beach portion of the race began as well. Don’t get me wrong, beach runs are beautiful. But running three miles at the end of a half marathon is hard, especially when you aren’t used to running on the beach. I knew it was going to be a struggle and I was right.

Making my way down the beach

Struggling on the beach but smiling anyways

Somewhere during the beach part of the race, I started to notice that my run was pretty much as slow as my walk and decided to switch to walking permanently. My husband didn’t seem to mind. He said he was enjoying our beach walk. Ha!

I think I tried to shout out with glee when I saw the runners ahead of me heading off the beach, but what actually came out probably sounded more like a grunt. Around this time, my husband ran off towards a bar that was open to see if he could use their bathroom and I walked ahead knowing he could catch up. I should probably mention that there were plenty of bathrooms during the first half of the race, but the second half of the race was seriously lacking rest stops. Oddly enough, after my six mile restroom stop, I think my bladder became numb to the bouncing and squishing by my little one and I didn’t have to go. Thank goodness because I would’ve been out of luck.

Admittedly, I wondered aloud several times if it would be silly to quit with less than a couple of miles to go. It was nice having my husband there to remind me that I would have to walk back to the start regardless. When we hit the final mile stretch, I tried to run but my legs were shot. I decided to save my legs for the final 20 yards.

Finally we approached the park where the finish line was and I could see the finish line. I sucked it up and started to run and managed to finish the race in under three and a half hours. As soon as I finished, I sought out a medical tent to wrap my knees with ice. That ice was glorious.

We found my friends sitting nearby and we all congratulated each other on finishing a tough race. It turns out that I wasn’t the only one that struggled running during those three miles on the beach. But guess what? We all finished! And I finished my first race pregnant!

We all finished!

I finished, largely in part to this guy :)

He made sure I finished my first half marathon pregnant with our little one 🙂

Afterwards, we had to walk a mile back to our hotel, which was torture. We quickly rinsed off, tossed on our bathing suits, checked out of our room, grabbed breakfast at the Waffle House and then spent the afternoon laying on the beach.

Breakfast at the Waffle House

Overall, I would consider running this race again if I needed a local half marathon to run, but I wouldn’t put it on anyone’s “must-run” list or choose it for their first race. This time of the year in central Florida is still pretty hot (we were lucky enough to have cloud coverage but it was still in the 80’s) and running 13 miles is hard enough without tossing in three miles on sand. And if bathroom stops are important to you, be weary of the lack of bathrooms towards the back half of the race. The race, however, does get props for letting me watch the sun rise on the beach while waiting for the race start.

Race Stats:

Time: 3:25:23.0
Distance: 13.28 miles
Avg. Pace: 15:28

PROS:

Local race if you live in the Central Florida area
Watch the sunrise at the start of the race
Cool genie bottle metal
A lot of runners dressed up like Jeannie so that was fun

The medal

CONS:

It’s typically still hot in Central Florida in October
Running on the beach for three miles is brutal if you’re not used to it
Course lacked restrooms on the back half of the race
Most of the course shared the road with vehicles

Did you run the Cocoa Beach Half Marathon? What did you think?

Tags: central florida half marathon, cocoa beach half marathon, orlando races

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Categories Half Marathon, Races

Since I’ve Been Gone: Part Two

27 Oct

Like I said in Part One of this blog post, the last six months were a whirlwind of celebrations and new beginnings. But I left out one big thing: my husband and I are expecting a baby girl in March!

And even though we are incredibly excited to share this news, even at almost twenty weeks of pregnancy (this Friday) I’m still tentative to share here. Why? Because we experienced a miscarriage at around eight weeks last year. I alluded to it last year in this post, but I never really wrote about it. And even today, I haven’t found myself wanting to write about the experience, but I do talk about it openly with those around me because I feel it’s something that needs to be discussed more. Even within months of our own miscarriage, we had three different pairs of friends miscarry their little ones, ranging anywhere from 5 weeks to 20 weeks. I grieved for my friends, but I found solace in being able to share my grief with them. If you’ve experienced a loss yourself, I encourage you to talk about it with others. You never know who can help you with your grief, or who might be going through the same thing and need your help.

If you’re unfamiliar with the pain that a miscarriage can cause, I found two great blog posts that I really related to along the way:

The M-Word by Meals and Miles
Little Angel by Happily Eva After

I knew that the stresses of finishing up my MBA program and having a media sales job were likely adding to the delay in us getting pregnant again, but boy was I surprised to get pregnant just as school wrapped up and I started a new job. I guess my body was finally happy and relaxed enough to give it another go. And we couldn’t be more excited!

Interesting fact: I still haven’t shared the news on my own personal social channels and likely won’t. Of course, I’ve told all of my close friends, family, and colleagues. But when I miscarried last year, every Facebook pregnancy announcement was like a dagger to my heart and I decided to just let people find out organically. However, I wanted to bring it up here because it’s really hard to talk about my running journey without talking about why I have to stop and pee every two miles. Seriously… every two miles. I now plan my running routes around bathroom stops. 🙂

I recently ran my first half marathon as a pregnant woman, so I’ll definitely write a blog post about that soon. I really want to document some of the changes I have to make to my running as I go because I myself have so many questions I want to answer:

I’m getting too big for my running britches. Do I switch to larger sizes or do I just try maternity running clothes? Who even sells that?
How heavy is my belly going to get? Do I need one of these belly bands I’ve heard about but don’t have any friends that have actually used them?
How long will I be able to run for? Will I be able to run the half marathon I’m signed up for in early December?
Will I pee my pants? Because I’ve come pretty close to it lately. 🙂

If you’re reading my blog and you’ve run pregnant, pretty please share your running while pregnant tips in the comments. If you’ve miscarried, know that you’re not alone and please talk to someone about how you’re feeling. And if you’re not pregnant (nor plan on it any time soon), I hope I can at least amuse you with my pee stories.

I look forward to sharing the journey.

Tags: running pregnant

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Categories Running Pregnant

Since I’ve Been Gone: Part One

23 Oct

Holy crap. Where did the last six months of my life go? It all seems like a blur. But it’s been a beautiful blur. And after the year that I had last year, I’m feeling like this is the best year ever. Let me fill you in.

Earth Day Birthday

When my sister told me she was pregnant last year, it wasn’t long before I was trying to calculate if my nephew would show up in the middle of spring semester final exams. What can I say? I’m a planner. However, because my nephew is undoubtedly a true gentlemen, he waited to make his grand entrance into this world until Earth Day, exactly two days after my last final exam of the spring semester.

It’s been incredible watching my little sister and my brother-in-law blossom as parents to this little guy that has captured all of our hearts:

Those cheeks!

My gorgeous sister and my adorable nephew on his first Trader Joe’s trip

I’m now one of those proud aunts that shows photos of her nephew to anyone that will look. I can’t tell you how much I love having him in our world. And, he hasn’t peed on me yet so that wins him bonus points.

HeMBArie

Sometimes I still wake up in a panic, thinking that I have an assignment due or I forgot to study for an exam. But then I remember: I’m done! I survived the past two years of juggling a full-time job, my MBA program, and somehow squeezing in time for the people I love. Since my program only has one commencement a year, my class walked in May, and then, as part of a cruel joke, we returned to class days later to complete our summer semester. Alas, at the end of July I successfully completed my MBA program and reclaimed my life (especially those weekends). Feel free to call me “HeMBArie” from now on. Ha!

Me and my biggest cheerleader, my husband

Words cannot express how grateful I am to my friends and family for accepting my absences over the last two years. And I undoubtedly could not have done this without my husband. He cleaned up the messes he dubbed “Hurricane Hey” in every room of our house, made sure I ate, and encouraged me to take it one day at a time. I tried to gift him my MBA diploma, but he already has his own.

I managed to keep running (I even ran a marathon) until the last two semesters where I finally accepted that sleep had become more valuable to me than exercise. I quietly hung up my running shoes and replaced hitting the pavement with time spent in my bed. However, as that second to last semester came to a close and the hardest parts of my final semester were behind me, I slowly dusted off my running shoes and started meeting my friends for early morning runs and coffee. I even signed up for the Cocoa Beach Half Marathon to motivate me to get back in shape. The race is in two days, so keep an eye out for my race recap next week.

2 x 4

This is the nickname my MBA classmates gave me when they found out that I accepted a position with my dream company. That’s right… In just two years, I somehow managed to work for four different companies. In my defense, I don’t usually move around so much. But a couple of years ago I decided that life was too short to not love what I did every day and made some changes. With every move, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Was it really realistic to want to find a job that I wanted to go to every day? Did a place where I was inspired, motivated, and encouraged by all of the people I work with actually exist??

It turns out, the answer is yes. I’m four months into my new position and I still can’t believe how incredibly lucky I feel. Fun fact: this was actually the very first job I interviewed with a couple of years ago on my newfound pursuit of happiness and I wasn’t offered a position. Sometimes it just takes a little patience and a lot of perseverance.

But that’s not all that’s happened lately.

To be continued…

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This Sums Up The Last Two Years Very Nicely

18 Apr

Tags: MBA

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Race Recap: 2014 OUC Orlando Half Marathon

31 Dec

I knew that I needed to sign up for a half marathon to keep me somewhat running on the regular. My half marathon race requirements for the fall were simple: race has to be local and inexpensive (less than $75). Lucky for me the OUC Orlando Half Marathon is both. I registered early back in September and used a discount code that was in one of my race packets so the race was only $65. And on race morning, I rolled out of bed and had less than five miles to travel to the start of the race, with a slight detour to pick up my friend, Beth.

We got there early and parked alongside one of the downtown streets. I wished my husband good luck and he took off for a warmup, as serious runners do. Beth and I are not quite so serious and instead walked to the start. Along that walk I realized that I had forgotten my water bottle in the car, but my husband took off with the car keys. Instantly I panicked… I train with a water bottle in my hand and am used to sipping as I run. It was an unusually hot day for December and I knew it would be harder than usual to wait for each water stop. But I didn’t have much choice at that point so we carried on to the start line.

As always, the start was crowded, but not so crowded that there’s a need for runner corrals. That’s one of the reasons I like this race, it’s big but not too big.

All of the people.

We settled in to wait for the start. I passed the time by trying to lock in and keep a GPS location on my Garmin. We joked that we could always borrow Beth’s husband’s gold watch instead (like we had to do after a Garmin malfunction left us sans watch during the Chicago Marathon). Thankfully such measures were not needed.

Beth and I ready to run 13.1

Our training leading up to the half was rocky: both Beth and I had traveled for work more than usual during the past couple of months and had missed quite a few training runs. Consequently our longest training run had been ten miles. I knew it was going to be tough, and with the heat and no water bottle I knew this race would have an extra level of “fun” attached to it.

Around mile nine, I was started to feel the effects of the heat from the sun in the cloudless skies. Temps were well on their way to the 81 degree high of the day and I was getting angry. Then I saw this:

Did you say cold?? Okay, fine.

I’ve learned a valuable lesson in life: If someone offers you a free, cold beer, take it. Even if you’re running a race. It might just be the coldest drink you get on the course. I learned this lesson running the Flying Pig Marathon and didn’t hesitate to grab a cup.

When someone offers you free beer, you take it.

The cold beer was like sweet nectar from the heavens. I was temporarily distracted from the hell that was the half marathon. Unfortunately, that only lasted for a short while. Around mile 10 Beth and I celebrated only having a 5k left. We also cursed that we still had a 5k left. We ran in silence and forced ourselves to keep fueling up with peanut M&Ms and pretzels (it works!). Thankfully I had accepted a water bottle from a complete stranger somewhere along the course, so I had plenty of water to keep me hydrated. Also, this is probably a good place for me to remind you that taking food or drink from strangers isn’t the smartest thing to do. However, I don’t know about you, but when I run anything over 10 miles, my brain usually goes to mush. This totally explains all the free pretzels I took during the Chicago Marathon.

We ran on and I remember the heat getting worse. I was legitimately concerned that I would puke or pass out or both. When Beth mentioned that she was scared she was going to puke, I didn’t say a word even though I felt exactly the same way. I was scared that just trying to say it would have me blowing chunks. Instead, I told myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. WE… WERE… ALMOST… DONE.

Finally, we rounded the corner from Rosalind Avenue to the final stretch on Robinson Street. Seeing the finish line always puts a pep in my step and I have to be careful not to push too hard too soon. It would be a shame to run out of steam right before actually crossing the finish line. 🙂

Alas, both Beth and I crossed the finish line. She captured this pic of me ~~trying to breathe again~~ with my medal.

13.1 done.

I looked down and saw our time: 2:41:08. I can’t complain.

Not my best, but not my worst!

We walked like zombies to gather important rewards: chocolate milk and beer. Kudos to Track Shack for making sure both were available!

Chocolate milk never tasted so good.

Don’t let the cup fool you. This was Mich Ultra.

Afterwards we found my husband, who had run into some friends. They captured this awesome picture of him on the final stretch.

My husband finishing strong

Yep, his bionic foot held up just fine. But he agreed that the sun had been brutal. Hence, his topless running. 🙂

This was my third time running the OUC Orlando Half Marathon (you can read about the first two times here and here) and I always like running it. It’s a local, hometown race that won’t burn a hole in your wallet like some of our more famous Disney races do. Plus, it’s easy for friends and family to come out and cheer you on. If I’m not busy next year, I’ll definitely keep this race in mind.

Race Stats:

Time: 2:41:08
Distance: 13.1 mi.
Avg. Pace: 12:10/mi.

PROS:

Local Orlando race
Easy for your friends and family to come cheer you on
Easy, flat course
Nice, long-sleeved tech shirts
Track Shack always puts on a good race

CONS:

There are stretches of shared roads with vehicles (seemed like more than usual this year)
The middle of the course is not the most scenic of routes
Bumpy, brick roads for much of the course (watch your feet people!)

What’s your favorite hometown race?

Tags: orlando half marathon, orlando races, ouc half marathon, race recap

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Categories Half Marathon, Races

Race Recap: 2014 Seniors First Turkey Trot 5k

30 Dec

My “oh crap the year is almost over” goal is to finish my race recaps for 2014 before 2015 comes along. With only a day and a half left to go, I figured now was a good time to get started.

In 2007, my husband (who at the time was my boyfriend of just a couple of months) talked me into signing up for my first 5k ever. It was a tradition for him and his dad to run the Seniors First Turkey Trot and he wanted me to join them. He had (and still does have) a charming smile that gets me to say yes to things that I don’t necessarily want to do, so I of course hesitantly joined them. Seven years later, I set off to run my eighth consecutive Turkey Trot.

I’ve said this before, but running a race on Thanksgiving morning is an awesome way to start the day. The energy at the race is contagious and continues with you throughout the day. Also, it helps relieve some of that pumpkin pie guilt. 🙂

This year was especially exciting because my husband has been injured and unable to run the last couple of years. He finally came back with what we like to call a bionic foot (he had surgery and has been rehabbing it) and it was great to have him there.

Headed to the Turkey Trot with my husband and father-in-law

I haven’t exactly been working on my speed this year, but managed to maintain an average 10:20 pace. When I crossed that finish line, I was spent. That’s how I know I gave it my best shot.

By the way, I pushed myself by playing a little fun game during the race: Pick an indian or pilgrim or turkey (someone is bound to be dressed like them) and chase them down during the 5k. Once you catch them, pick a new “turkey” to catch. It totally kept me pushing myself.

My 5k time

On a side note, I saw a lot of runners trip on the brick roads and fall. Due to the beautiful (yet bumpy) brick roads downtown Orlando is known for, I see this happen often during any downtown Orlando races. If you’re not used to running on roads like this, it helps to watch the ground about 5 to 10 feet in front of you while running (if you look directly down you’ll likely still fall).

After the race, we headed over to one of my favorite Orlando coffee shops, Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar, for some hot coffee and breakfast sandwiches. My favorite (and quite indulgent) coffee drink is their Mojo Jojo. Let’s just say it includes coffee, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and cinnamon and makes a delicious post-race treat! The three of us enjoyed some relaxed time together before a fun day spent with the rest of my family.

Post-race breakfast at Drunken Monkey

I will, of course, run this race again next year.

Race Stats:

Distance: 5k
Time: 32:41
Avg. Pace: 10:20/mi.

PROS:

You can bring the whole family (Many people walk the 5k)
Great scenic course around downtown Orlando and Lake Eola
Great way to start your Thanksgiving Day holiday
Untimed race means you can enjoy yourself and not worry about getting a PR

CONS:

“Walkers” don’t always start at the back of the race like suggested so you can end up weaving around them a lot
Crowded – not the sort of race you try to PR at
Untimed race so there’s no proof if you do PR
Bumpy brick roads

Do you have a favorite race that you run every year?

Tags: race recap, Turkey Trot, turkey trot 5k

Comments 5 Comments
Categories 5k, Races

The Rest of 2014 Races

22 Oct

After overcommitting myself to training for the Chicago Marathon last year and working on my MBA, I decided to take it easy this year. It was that or clone myself. That said, after running this past weekend’s U Can Finish ~~5-miler~~ 4.5 miler I only have two confirmed races for the rest of the year. That, and I have to somehow make it through this semester.

OUC Orlando Half Marathon

I needed a half marathon to at least get me out of bed in the mornings. I wrestled back and forth between running this half because D is running it. This will be his first half marathon since he injured his foot a couple of years ago and had to get surgery so I wanted to be able to cheer him on. But… I also LOVE this local race. Finally I decided to run the race and instead recruit family and friends to come cheer him on. I’ve run this race twice before (read about the races here and here) and look forward to running it again this year. You can register for the race here.

Seniors First Turkey Trot 5k

This year will mark my seventh year in a row running this Thanksgiving morning race. It’s always a great way to start the day and I look forward to running this with friends and family. You can register for this race here.

What races do you have on deck for the rest of 2014?

Tags: orlando half marathon, orlando races, Turkey Trot

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Categories Races

Race Recap: U Can Finish 5 Miler

20 Oct

Or can you?

No. You can’t. Which is ironic given the name of the race.

In case you’re wondering why you can’t finish, it’s mainly because the course wasn’t actually five miles in distance. It was closer to four and half miles. Seriously. Check out my Garmin at the end of the race:

Not quite 5 miles.

But I digress. Let me start at the beginning.

My husband is running the Track Shack Running Series and this is one of the races in the series. Last week he asked me if I wanted to run this race again (we also ran it back on 10/10/10). After looking over my half marathon training schedule to see if the race would be a good fit and then checking with my trusty training partner Beth, I signed up for the race. And because I am alumni, I saved a couple of bucks on my registration. Score! All three of us are UCF alumni, so it’s always fun to take a jaunt back on campus.

Sunday morning, D, Beth and I set off for the main campus. There were jokes to be made about trying to find an actual current student that was awake since it was eerily quiet near the dorms.

A household united.

Beth and I did, however, run into running friends and took the opportunity to catch up. Also, the sunrise was a gorgeous backdrop to the start of the race.

I’m a sucker for sunrises.

And did I mention the weather was perfect? Because it was. It was in the 60’s and cool, perfect for a run around our old campus. The race started on time (or at least I didn’t notice it starting late) and Beth and I set off running mile intervals (run one mile, walk one minute, repeat). We were busy reminiscing about our college years as we ran the first couple of miles. However, when we passed the three-mile marker, I noticed that my Garmin didn’t match up. And then when we passed the four-mile marker, Beth pointed out that the last mile seemed to go by too fast. Sure enough, when I checked my Garmin, I had a shorter distance.

We also started to notice that the course was getting confusing. There were cones lining a route, but runners going in a different direction. We noted that having volunteers there would probably help with the confusion. In fact, volunteers on the course seemed to be scarce. We later heard from our friends that they ran the wrong direction and had to turn around. Even with that error, they still didn’t hit five miles.

Also, I also couldn’t help but feel like the race course wasn’t quite taking advantage of the sprawling UCF campus. There were a couple times that we ran down one street just to double back. I’m not a big fan of doubling back unless I’ve lost something.

As we neared the finish line, I knew something was wrong. We weren’t supposed to finish yet! And sure enough, when we passed the finish line my Garmin showed our distance completed to be 4.54 miles. Enter all of the “you can’t finish” jokes you can think of. Oh, the irony!

Race Stats:

Distance: ~~5.00~~ 4.54 mi.
Time: 50:46.92
Avg Pace: 11:10/mi.

PROS:

Get to run around campus without being chased by campus police
You’ll PR for sure since there aren’t many 5-mile races … or 4.5-mile races
Nostalgic race for UCF alumni
You get to see all of the new buildings that weren’t there when you were a student

CONS:

The 5-mile race wasn’t actually 5 mile in distance
Course was confusing at times
Volunteers were scarce
Only those that completed the double distance received medals (I saw way too many racers walk up to get a medal only to be turned away… AWKWARD)
Not a lot of spectators

FINAL VERDICT: I’m a big fan of Track Shack events, but this one seemed to lack the organization that their other races typically have. Also, I like people to cheer me on and this race didn’t have a lot of that going on. And, like a friend on Facebook said, I paid for five miles and only got four and a half miles. Overall, I probably won’t run this race next year. However, I will consider streaking on campus. 🙂

Did you run the U Can Finish 5-miler this year? What did you think?

Tags: 5-mile race, 5-miler, U Can Finish, UCF race