Winter Park Road Race / Simply Stu Relay :: Race Report

I knew it would be an early day today, so last night I wanted to get to bed early. I had a hard time falling asleep, which is unusal for me. I can sleep virtually anywhere, anytime. I laid down around 10:30, which was later than I wanted to, and while the 10:00 news was still on, I did fall asleep.

My alarm was set for 4:45 AM and then I hit the snooze and at 4:50 AM I got up and got ready to go. I mildly concerned that my throat was a little sore, but it wasn't that big of a deal. By 5:30 AM, I was out the door and on my way to Winter Park.

With little traffic, I was in the parking garage on the corner of Canton and Park in less than 45 minutes. I was meeting up with Marathon Chris at 6:45 AM.

I never made it to Orlando this past week so I planned to pick up my race packet this morning. I had plenty of time get my packet, get my number pinned on, take my stuff back to my car and meet Chris on time.

The start line was in a different spot this year. Last year it was on a side street and this year it was right on Park Avenue. It caused a great deal of congestion for the first quarter of a mile or so and it was hard to get around people who weren't moving as fast as I wanted to go.

The course winds through a high-end residental area and it is really, really pretty. There were several people in their driveways watching, waiting for friends, or maybe just amazed by the 2,000 people tearing by.

The first two miles were right around a 9:15 pace. I created a new playlist last night and the music was helping me keep a decent pace. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would have a chance at a PR.

Mile three was a little slower, about 9:30. I started doing the PR math in my head. Would I be able to do it?

By mile five I thought a PR would still be possible, but it might be close.

I was starting to feel a little struggle from within, but I tried my best to push past it. As we made our way back to Park Avenue, I pushed myself hard. At the same time I tried not to look at my watch.

I crossed the mats but it wasn't enough.

My chip time was 58:17. Ten seconds slower than my PR... Ten seconds.


I grabbed two bottles of water and headed to the other side of the finish line to cheer for Chris. I didn't wait long because she was right behind me with a brand new PR!

Chris and I went in search of the post-race food and I grabbed an orange slice and half a bagel. As we walked we ran into David. We chatted for a bit and then we parted ways.

Then we saw Jim, who, like Chris, got a brand-spanking-new 10K PR.

Overall, I'm pleased with my race today. Sure, I would have loved to have gotten a PR today, but I made the decision that anything under an hour would make me happy.

Next year, I'll be faster.