Jon's Jibber-jabber

The Clermont Clay 5k and 15k take place on the Clermont Clay Loop, a roughly 10-plus mile series of clay roads through some central Florida groves and fields.  This is likely the last time that the race will include the full 15k of clay since some of it is slated to be paved for development.  I wasn't feeling up to the 15k so I decided to sign up for the 5k. It is a long way to Clermont from Tampa.  A small group of us carpooled up for almost hour and a half drive.  There was race day packet pickup so we wanted to leave enough time for that, parking, and warming up.  It was in the upper 50s with very low humidity.  Overall a chilly day for central Florida.  I was able to do a quick warm up and went out to run my own race. The race went pretty well.  It was a small field but the weather was perfect.  The route is just out and back along the clay road.  There are several rolling hills.  I found myself in the top 10 all race, finishing 7th overall.   I was one of the top one or tw

Over the past few months, I've done a some spur-of-the-moment running races.  I enjoy running short races.  First off, they do not break the bank.  I can't really afford the veritable "marathon" of marathons since many have entry fees at the top end of my budget.  Second, local races are great for racing with friends.  You can decide to just go do it and visit with friends.  It is how we used to run when we first started out.  So over the last few months, I did some local racing.  Here is a little recap. Fort Hamer Bridge 5K/10K (Parrish, FL) This event is in the 2nd year and literally runs across a bridge and back (for the 5K).  There is a 10K option but I opted for the 5K.  The race originally started at 7:30a but due to some parking issues it was delayed to 8a.  The bridge is not a high bridge but it does have elevation (for Florida).  The Ft Hamer park is a rowing center so it has space and organizers had a fair amount of local vendors there in the "

I decided to do the race since I was going to be there anyway.  My wife was doing the Olympic distance race and it was her goal race for the season.  The sprint was a day before the Olympic/Half courses so I participated that day so I could be Sherpa on race day for her. Race Week This was a two-fold trip.  On one hand, we were heading up to do the race.  On the other, we visited family in Maryland.  Family visits are pretty full so it was a pretty busy time checking all of the visit boxes while in the area.  Also, driving from Florida is much worse as I get older.  Even broken up, it is still such a drain on your body and mind.  We met two friends there and stayed at the historic Powhatan Resort.  This is a very nice place with town-home style rentals available.  It reminded me of a colonial DVC, complete with salespeople trying to sell us vacation shares.  It was nice to have a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a full living room in our suite.  We were able to go to the local Harr

This season my approach has been a renewed focus on short distances, in triathlon and road running.  I'm still doing a 70.3 near the end of the year, but I've selected several key short course races leading up.  This month is the Dunedin Rotary Sprint Triathlon.  This is my second time doing the event on Honeymoon Island.  Two years ago it was not a USA Triathlon sanctioned race, which lead to a lot of disappointment when I realized it would not count in the USAT rankings.  Last year, new race management took over and it was a sanctioned event.  I skipped last year but returned when they moved the race a month earlier, from June to May. My wife called this "Dunedin Sprint, or I didn't get bit by a rattlesnake".  This is due to the large sign as you enter that says "Caution, rattlesnakes common on the island".  Great.   I am glad we missed the purple flag on the beach when we entered, indicating dangerous marine life present.   I assume it was for sting

Celsius, Inc. is a Boca Raton, Florida-based maker of the energy drink, Celsius.  My wife got a case of them from somewhere and I was interested in trying it out.  It is labeled as a no sugar, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO energy drink that claims also no high fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no preservatives, and no artificial colors or flavors.  The marketing seems to be to a body-building and fitness market, which is probably why I never heard of it before.  The company was founded by a GNC executive so it follows the path of GNC nutritional products. Celsius comes in a few different flavors and varieties.  Celsius Originals flavors are Orange, Grape Rush, Watermelon, Wild Berry, Cola, Peach Mango Green Tea (non-carbonated), and Rasberry Acai (non-carbonated).   So far, I sampled Peach Mango Green Tea, Cola, and Grape.  Celsius also has a Naturals line, that is naturally sweetened and caffeinated.  The company just introduced a higher caffeine version called Celsius Heat, as well

This year we decided to do a destination race to the "Big Easy" of New Orleans.  It is only a little less than 10 hours to drive or about an hour flight up to NOLA.  Best Damn Race is a (mainly) Florida road race series and this is the 2nd annual event in New Orleans.  There are other events in areas such as Orlando, Jacksonville, and Safety Harbor (10 minutes from my house). This race comes just a few weeks after Rock N Roll New Orleans but is much less expensive and without the corporate splash that comes with RNR races.  We gathered a group of friends and planned our destination race experience.  In the season plan, this was a B race backup to Gasparilla in case of a blown race there. Since Gasparilla was a sufferfest of heat, this now would be elevated.  No fun run for me.  Race Week Well, race week did not go as planned.  I was recovering from a head cold during the prior week. Wednesday, I started having major issues at work in what I thought was either a car

This year marks my third participation in the Gasparilla Distance Classic.  This festival is one of the best and fastest races on the circuit.  This year it is part of a professional series and drew some big names.  The $30,000 prize purse also doesn't hurt.  The 15k on Saturday is also a major race for that distance, being one of the few odd distance races that offers a prize purse.  There are four total races (15k and 5k on Saturday; Half marathon and 8k on Sunday).  My employer is a sponsor of the race and employees can submit for a free entry.  I got one this year so an added bonus was it's a free race! Race Week  Race week goal was to hydrate and detox by eating smart.  I tried to stay away from junkier foods and upped the fluid intake.  I also capped caffeine at 200mg/day max.  That's what I usually shoot for in a day but I am typically more lax when it isn't race week.  I was keeping an eye on the weather all week as the forecast became less and less pleasant

This year was the 25th Anniversary edition of the Walt Disney World Marathon.  Tracing its roots back to 1994, this race has grown from the announced 5,400 runners to over 25,000.  This edition featured 25 waves that took over an hour for all to start.  Needless to say, this is a big race. I made my decision to "retire" from the marathon distance earlier this year.  I'd try my best to get as low a PR as possible and then no more marathons.  This is not to say that I will never, ever run another marathon but for the foreseeable future, I do not plan on running any more marathons.  I have discovered I like speed.  So to the track I will go.  This was my fourth running of this race.  The only race with more appearances by yours truly is Space Coast with six.  I know this course and the area very well.  So this would be a fun run.  The goal here was to stop for every picture and run with some friends.  Race Week Hello, Florida winter.  Race week came with the longest