46 mi, 10:34:39, 13:48 avg, elev gain 552 feet, HR 135 bpm
Quick summary.
Joe and I
Plan was to go out easy, do run/walk with Joe at 4/1 and settle into splits around 11:30 pace with the walk breaks. Rode down with Joe to his brother's house and then got dropped off at the start line area. Race starts at 6:30. It was a pretty good sized crowd considering the uncertainty from Hurrican Dorian, although by this time it was moving very slowly and would not likely direct hit Tampa, but still nothing was really certain. Additionally, they had to reroute the course which normally runs the entire length of the Pinellas Trail from downtown St. Pete to John Chestnut Park in Palm Harbor. However, John Chestnut Park was going to be used for sandbag distribution. So, the plan was to turn around at the Tarpon Tavern in Tarpon Springs, and run back to Weaver Park in Dunedin, still a length of 46 miles.
So, the first couple of miles were slower than 12:00 pace, it already felt hot and humid with still air. After about 5 miles we started running with a guy who somehow realized that I was the guy who's race reports I had read. He knew all about how Joe dropped out after 26 miles the first year, went and had lunch and then later met me along the way for support and at the finish line. He said he and his wife had even nicknamed Joe "fish and chips"
Joe, Tom, and I
Sometime after we crossed the long pedestrian bridge going over Long Bayou, and then passing the St Pete/Madeira Beach with those log cabin looking cottages we started running with a guy named Tom. I told him we were doing 4/1 and he was good with that. Nice to have another person along. I forgot to mention (and almost needless to say), it was pretty hot out already. The first few miles were warm and humid with very still air. There was a short time when it was just warm and the air was less still, but soon the temps climbed some more.
We got to an aid station where I loaded up my bandana with ice (that Joe's sister-in-law had loaned me). I instantly felt good again (it lasted until a little after the ice melted). I would reload the bandana several times throughout the race. This is a free race, but there are a good number of aid stations, all with helpful and enthusiastic volunteers.
We continued on. I remember texting Jessica when I was at mile 16, she was going to try and meet me around mile 26.
Around mile 22, in Clearwater, was the aid station with our drop bags. I had a muscle milk and a Reign energy drink. They also had ice pops there which always help. I went out of the aid station first, needed to keep moving. Joe and Tom soon caught up with me.
We made it to Dunedin at "the Boxcar". Joe's wife DeeDee was there and Joe stopped to change his shoes and take a break.
A little bit farther north was Weaver Park, where the race would finish after doing the 10 mile north to Tarpon Tavern and then back. Andy Matthews and his wife had a table set up with some refreshments. Between the bigger aid stations were several of these smaller ones, always nice surprises.
Jessica was outside Weaver Park also (same place she saw me in 2014), she had a bag with some snacks and drinks including a V-8 Energy.
Cassidy, The Marine, Tom, and I
After Weaver Park it was just Tom and I. But, we kept on catching up to and passing a guy and a 20 something woman running together. The guy looked like a Marine and that he spent a lot of time in the gym. The guy's name was Gabriel (a former marine) and the woman was Cassidy. She had a bluetooth speaker clipped to her belt. She invited Tom and I to join them. They were running 2/2, which I didn't mind switching to. It was a nice break and overall we were actually averaging about the same. It was also nice that she was the one calling out the walk breaks so that was also a nice break. It wasn't that far past Weaver Park that we saw the first place guy. He looked a bit bedraggled so we thought he was dropping out, but no, he was actually finishing, running a 7:57 pace for 46 miles on a hot Florida day.
Thune, Tom, and I
There's a good sized aid station in downtown Palm Harbor. Gabriel needed to sit down (he'd only ever run 3 miles at a time except for one marathon while in the marines a long time ago). I loaded up my camelback, my ice bandana, my drink bottle. Had several slices of watermelon with the last slice dipped in salt. Left the aid station without Gabriel and Cassidy but soon met up with Thune. He said he had been running with Rob Fulton until he had to call it a day and now was alone. Invited him to run with us doing 2/2. He had been random running until needing a break, then walking. Said it was good to now do it on a schedule. We stayed together for a few miles but lost him when he met up with his wife.
We also ran into a woman on a bike who asked if we needed anything. Tom asked if she had sunscreen which she did not but said she lived nearby and would ride home and get it.
Tom and I
With Thune gone, it was Tom and I again. The woman on the bike caught up to us again with sunscreen. Tom was running shirtless and was getting a bit crisp. I reapplied to keep from getting burnt. Still had about 5 miles or so to Tarpon Tavern. It was a long slow and steady run/walk but little by little we got there.
I love the Tarpon Tavern and it was even better this time because it was the turnaround. Loaded up on more liquids and some random food. Had two cups of coconut water and one cup of coke.
Got going again, feeling a little bit better but still a long way to go. Pace average was now 14:01 for me which seemed so slow considering the 100 mile pace in January was 14:59 and that included all the middle of the night walking.
But, not too far south from the turnaround we finally got some rain. Came down pretty heavy and there was a little bit of lightning. It didn't last long but it also did drop the temperatures.
Now, we were running a bit faster, bringing the average slowly into the 13:nn's finally. As the day seemed to keep getting slower my original goal of breaking 9 hours turned to breaking 10 and then breaking 11. So, as the miles counted down breaking 11 was safe and started even eyeing 10 and a half hours.
On the way back, the Palm Harbor aid station was a bit raucous with the volunteers enjoying much merriment. I'm grateful to see volunteers having such a good time, they are having fun so keep coming back to support us, I'm glad to give them a reason to come out and have fun.
Crossed the pedestrian bridge over Alt 19, then after making it through the light at Curlew, felt really close. I was itching to run it in, Tom was sticking to the 2/2. He said it didn't matter much with no one close in front of us or behind us, so he was right, but I did go ahead finally within the last mile.
Jessica was at the finish line to greet me and get some pictures. Finished 10:34:39, my slowest PTC so far but it was also another good comeback. 2016 was the fastest and easiest, we had a lot more rain throughout the day that year and I was probably in better shape as I was putting in miles for Oil Creek 100 and running a series of local 5k's.
Waited around as one by one the cast of characters finished, Tom, Joe, Thune, Cassidy and Gabriel, the guy that read my blog and of course the woman that ran the race dressed like a squirrel.
I had not preordered a shirt this year but they had a few extras available for sale for $15. No free shirt but also no entry fee so that's still a really good deal!
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