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shelee
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 Posted: 01/02/03 - 19:53 Post subject: Choosing my first marathon....
And this is more fun than shopping!
Last night DH and I were surfing for marathon race info in Florida. We both have family there, so I decided it would be nice in about a year to choose one of the marathons around where family is: Lake Placid, Sanford, and Pensacola.
These are the final ones and are all in 2004 (Can't believe I'm already planning for 2004), except the Space Coast Marathon:
Disney World Marathon in Jan.: this race last year had over 7900 participants. Juliet would have fun while I was racing.
Florida Gulf Beach in Feb.: this race had about 868 participants from the last posted results. The course is flat, but supposedly scenic. Many complaints about not enough portapotties on the route and not enough massage tables at the end of the race.
Ocala Marathon in Feb. Runners raved about this one, but did warn about the 2nd half of the course being quite hilly. The size of this one was pretty small with only 66 women participating and 237 men. One review was hilarious: weren't many spectators unless you count the horses.
Space Coast (12/1/2003). The only race results were from 2000 and there were only 97 participants. Kind of surprising. The route was through Indian River Drive in Cocoa.
This will be my first marathon, so, of course, I have some real newbie questions: will hills be pretty intimidating for my first race, because I really like the sound of the Ocala race. Should I stick to a flat course, though? Also, the humidity...is it going to be pretty awful? How important are the massages after and will sitting in a car for 2 hours after teh race be unbareable?
Shelly
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Cappy
Excelent
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Posted: 01/02/03 - 20:11 Post subject:
Didn't get a massage after my marathon, could have used one though. Didn't drive home, brother did.
As for flat verus hilly course, that all depends on where you will do your training. I trained on a lot of hills and ran a mostly flat course. Seemed to work for me.
You have a great selection of marathons in your area that is great.
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brethelm
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Location: Somewhere - Lost in Rod Blagojevich's Hairpiece
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 12:58 Post subject:
My first one will be close to home. Chicago in October. Supposed to be a fast course, too....
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shelee
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 15:11 Post subject:
| brethelm wrote: | | My first one will be close to home. Chicago in October. Supposed to be a fast course, too.... |
Chicago is on our list too because it's only a few hours away and a great city, but October may really be pushing it for me. My first half will be in May, and I hope to be doing around 47 miles a week by then. I don't know how long it would take to get into marathon shape from 1/2 marathon training, though, and if 5 months would be enough training after the 1/2 marathon before entering a full marathon. That was a convoluted, hard to follow way of saying: I'm not sure I'd be ready to run a marathon in October! 
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jrjo
Gone Fishin
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 17:31 Post subject:
Shelly, Sounds too familiar. I ran Gulf Beaches in Jan'02 and the humidity really left me suffering something fierce. We stayed at a little gulf resort and the vacation days there were spectacular, but the race wasn't pretty. I was sweating from the first stride. The temp stayed about a constant 70, but the humidity was thick. I did a gob of treadmill training last winter thinking I'd adapt to the temp, but the humidity was the bummer. Course-wise, it is a pancake flat one. Sparce on crowds and I could see the porta-pottie complaint (rarely a prob for 'us guys'). My biggest complaint was all the post race foods were done up in a bandshell, up on the stage! Imagine logging 26.2 miles and then having to walk up and down a half dozen steps...agony.
Anyway, I chose Gulf Beaches over Disney largely from the comments about Disney being a real 'godzilla' race and except for the short jaunts through each of the theme parks, the race was largely on the expressways between them (boring and cambered), so I went with GB. We did get over to Disney afterwards, so I got my dose of mickey.
If I had to do it again, about the only thing I'd recommend is to time the race for the end of your vacation so you have some time to get used to the humidity. I literally stepped off the plane and was on the starting line in less than twelve hours. It also made for a painful couple of days following, trying to be a tourist and having quads and calves that felt like bricks.
....there's 
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jrjo
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 17:36 Post subject:
Another one to throw in the mix might be Jacksonville in the middle of December. Floridaboiler had a race report that gave it a pretty positive spin. It looks big enough (750) to not be running alone, but small enough to have plenty of elbow room.
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shelflifers
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 18:45 Post subject:
Anyone ever run (or know anyone who did) the Honolulu Marathon? That'd be sweet butta...
For me, my first marathon will probably be in Madison, or the Fox Cities here in Appleton...
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shelee
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 19:37 Post subject:
| jrjo wrote: | Imagine logging 26.2 miles and then having to walk up and down a half dozen steps...agony.
I literally stepped off the plane and was on the starting line in less than twelve hours. It also made for a painful couple of days following, trying to be a tourist and having quads and calves that felt like bricks.
....there's |
Great advice, John. May I say, for the record, a marathon 12 hours after getting off a plane...you're a nut. A fast nut, but a nut none-the-less.
Jacksonville would be nice and I've given it some thought, especially after FloridaBoiler's great report, but it's about 5 hours from family.
Shelly
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shelee
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Posted: 01/03/03 - 19:41 Post subject:
| jrjo wrote: | | Another one to throw in the mix might be Jacksonville in the middle of December. Floridaboiler had a race report that gave it a pretty positive spin. It looks big enough (750) to not be running alone, but small enough to have plenty of elbow room. |
So, you're thinking October would be too soon for a marathon for me too? Pretty soon I'm going to be whining for marathon training schedules May through......
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genie
Master of Prissface
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Posted: 01/04/03 - 13:35 Post subject:
Two words:
TWIN CITIES!!!!
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runaroundsue
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Posted: 01/05/03 - 14:15 Post subject:
| genie wrote: | Two words:
TWIN CITIES!!!! |
two more words: register early
3 word explanation: fills up fast!
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flarunner
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Posted: 01/06/03 - 23:00 Post subject:
If you can go to Disney, then go to Tampa instead.
HOPS MARATHON BY TAMPA BAY
January 25, 2004. Put on by the same folks that put on the Gasparilla Distance Classic. Excellent race promotion, management, cool expo, wonderful, wonderful volunteers. (Thinking about being a volunteer myself next year!)
EXCELLENT RACE! How do I know? I just did it yesterday.
Race starts at 6:00 am, in the dark, so you get to see the sun rise over the water. The course is really flat, you only go over a few little bridges (over the Hillsborough River) and very scenic, most of the course is along the bay.
The only drawback for me was the number of spectators. There were pockets of them at major intersections, like where the local radio station had a "radio personality" on a mike yelling for the runners (which was cool). But there were a few miles where there were not many folks. But, we really don't run the race for the spectators, right?
Water and Gatorade every mile starting at 1.5 miles. Cliff Shots (in 4 different flavors) started at mile 14 and were available every mile or two. Port-a-potties everywhere! I didn't see any lines to any toilet before the race, either the little blue houses outside, or the restrooms inside the Convention Center.
The weather will always be a concern down here in Florida. The management moved the race to January to take advantage of our "winter month" and it's corresponding temps. The temp yesterday at the start was 40o, and the highs got up to the mid-50's.
This was the 3rd running of the marathon, and because they combined the marathon with the GDC, the numbers were down from last year. There were 1005 finishers yesterday. Dick Beardsley ran yesterday and got 5th. Me? I was 412th.
I recommend this race to everyone! First timer or not!
I've got race info, course map, website for you if you want it.
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jrjo
Gone Fishin
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Posted: 01/06/03 - 23:51 Post subject:
Good going Mindy!! 3 marathons in one year.. what a woman!
At Twin Cities, I shook Dick Beardsley's hand and told him he was my hero...what a guy!
| St Petersburg Times wrote: | Beardsley finished fifth overall in 2:46:53, a time he called "a (personal record) for my post-fast guy career." He originally planned to team with a friend in the half-marathon relay. But she was injured, and Wednesday he figured he needed a long run anyway and signed up for the 26.2 miles.
"I felt awesome until a mile to go, then I just totally hit the wall," he said. "But I was tickled, very pleased with the effort." |
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shelee
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Posted: 01/07/03 - 12:01 Post subject:
| flarunner wrote: |
This was the 3rd running of the marathon, and because they combined the marathon with the GDC, the numbers were down from last year. There were 1005 finishers yesterday. Dick Beardsley ran yesterday and got 5th. Me? I was 412th.
I recommend this race to everyone! First timer or not!
I've got race info, course map, website for you if you want it. |
Yes, post the website! This race sounds like fun.
Will you post a race report? Sounds as if you did a fantastic job! Congrats! 
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flarunner
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Posted: 01/07/03 - 23:57 Post subject:
<whispery voice>Come to Tampa, come to Tampa</wv>
Here's the link to the marathon and the Gasparilla Distance Classic. I couldn't get the map to show up, so I emailed them and they sent one to me. I have a hard copy if you'd like it.
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