Florida
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Beating a Genie to the Finish Line
Greetings Friends! Even though Halloween is just around the corner, we are going to take a break from all things scary to share Stephen’s race report from this last weekend’s Cocoa Beach Half Marathon. So let’s unpack our bags and talk about beating a Genie to the finish line. I Got No Plans Following my pacing gig at the Chicago Marathon two weeks ago, I didn’t really have any plans to run any more races this year. With my heart related health issues, my training has been sporadic at best. But then…I got a text from my friend, Phil on Wednesday. He wanted to know if I’d be interested in running…
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Beachy Vibes and Fast Race Times in Jacksonville
Stephen says, 2023 is the “Year of the Marathon”. His crazy race calendar kicked off with the Dopey Challenge in Orlando and it’s looking like it might end with Honolulu in December. Last week, he shared the race report for the DONNA half. This week, I’d love to share with you the rest of the beachy vibes and fast race time in Jacksonville Beach. The Arrival Unlike our typical trip, our flight didn’t leave until 8pm. This led to a rather leisurely trip to the airport and a little extra time in the Delta Lounge. I took advantage of the unstructured time to have a glass of house Rose’ while…
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The DONNA Race Recap
What a great weekend in Jacksonville Beach with Destination Marathons (DM) for the DONNA Half Marathon. I think Jill is going to write about the trip as a whole next week so today you are stuck with my race recap. Pre-Race Dinner and Auction After our pre-race pasta dinner on Saturday evening at the Four Points Sheraton with DM, filled with laughter and great conversation, Jill and I snuck out with a perfectly executed Irish Exit. With our hotel, The Element by Marriott, being only a one minute drive away, I was able to achieve my first race goal of being in bed by 8 pm and asleep by 9…
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Diplomatic Immunity
I’m so excited to be traveling down to Jacksonville Beach this weekend to take part in the DONNA Race Weekend as an Ambassador for Destination Marathons. Although diplomatic immunity isn’t one of the perks, it’s exciting to be a part of something that combines two of my favorite things to do, travel and run. The Mission Destination Marathons provides a VIP experience for runners and spectators. They manage all the logistics so guests can focus on the race, build friendships, and create memories. And I will get to witness this in action for the first time! As one who generally does all the planning that goes into a “racecation”, it’s…
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The Dopey Challenge
Since 2023 is slated to be my last big year of marathon running, I wanted to challenge myself as much as possible. In late November I was able to snag a charity bib for the Dopey Challenge down at Disney in Orlando. This challenge consists of four races over four days: I figured this “Dopey Challenge” was a great way to kick off this crazy year of running and racing. Having never done this race before, I was fortunate to have many experienced, crazy friends who could show me the ropes. Before We Were Dopey Race week kicked off on Wednesday with a quick trip to “ESPN Wide World of…
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Checking out the Wizarding and Surreal Worlds
Having accomplished eating ALL the food at Thanksgiving dinner and running the Space Coast Half Marathon, we were ready for a change of pace. We didn’t have much set in stone for our second week in Florida. Stephen would be running a trail Ragnar with some friends. I planned to work all week but schedule was relatively open on Friday. Seizing the opportunity, I took Momma for another adventure. We landed on checking out the Wizarding and Surreal Worlds in Florida! (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Surreal World of Salvador Dali, that is.) Inauspicious Beginnings Monday through Wednesday were sort of “business as usual” for our crew.…
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The Fantastic Florida Holiday Escape
It all began in the fall of 2021. I had a dream that I could get myself to run 13.1 miles again. At the time I had this dream, I couldn’t really run at all. The most I could do was 4 minutes running before needing to catch my breath. What this dream ended up being was far more than I could have imagined! Our quick trip for a race stretched into Thanksgiving with our friends, watching a rocket launch on the beach, riding the Hogwarts Express and seeing masterpieces by Salvador Dali. Stay with us as we unpack part 1 of our Fantastic Florida holiday escape. The Escape As…
