The Space Coast Marathon is the oldest marathon in Florida. Over the past few years, it has been running a series of space-related races. The races in the series include the following themes: Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle. Participants who run the full series get special recognition. Today's race is the Apollo race.
Last year, several of my co-workers ran the half marathon. Although I enjoy running 5K races, I held the position that they were all crazy running a half marathon; saying “Why would anyone pay money to torture themselves for 13.1 miles?” One co-worker implied I was soft and offered to push me in a stroller, like a baby. I told him he could pull me in a wagon and I would sip cold ones from a cooler and enjoy the ride. Another co-worker showed me her medal and described the race series to me. I had the feeling that she was thinking that, as a runner, I should challenge myself more. So I let the thought of running the half marathon become a possibility. It was true; I did need a new challenge. My previous race – the Melbourne Turkey Trot - was intended to help get me in shape for my ski vacation in Bend, Oregon. With that behind me, I didn’t really have anything else big planned. And, I wanted to prove to her (and myself) that I could accept and accomplish big things. The next day, I signed up.
Then COVID-19 hit. Several races were either cancelled or virtualized. I bought a Garmin runner’s watch to help motivate my training. The months went by and I continued to train, with the goal of completing the Red Carpet Run 10K race. in October. That race came and went and I had 6 weeks left to increase my distance from 6.2 miles to 13.1 miles.
To help with my motivation, I asked my co-worker how her training was coming along. She told me that she hadn’t been running. Through our talk, I think I ended up motivating her as much as she motivated me. We decided to let each other know when we were running so that we could build off of each other’s training momentum.
Then, two weeks before the half marathon, I ran 10 miles. The following day, I could barely bend at the waist. I gave up running for a week to avoid hurting myself further. Memories of the Melbourne Turkey Trot and the calf muscle injury began to haunt me. I thought, “Will I be able to run the half marathon?” With one week to go, the pain was nearly gone, so I decided to do a little test; I ran a short loop around the neighborhood. All seemed fine, so I was feeling good about the upcoming race.
Which leads me to today. I got up at 4:00 am, got dressed, tried to eat, gathered my gear, and headed to Cocoa Village. Susan and I walked around as I tried to squash the nerves that were building in my stomach. And then the early morning dawn turned into an amazing sunrise and I knew it was going to be a good day.
| Shaking off the pre-race nerves in the glow of the gorgeous dawn |
At 6:30, I put on my mask and entered my corral. We all started moving towards the starting line. The race actually started at 6:00, but the runners were grouped based on which route they were taking and their expected pace. I was in the last of the groups. Susan and I sang the Star Spangled Banner to ourselves, then went our separate ways. The race was on.
At first, I was surprised by the number of walkers. I thought for sure that I’d come in last place, but instead I had to work hard to weave my way past a lot of walkers before finding open space and removing my mask.
The run along Rockledge Drive was gorgeous. Even though it was still early, there were a lot of spectators out cheering us on. The rising sun was glinting off the Indian River. It was a nice start to a long morning run.
About mile 6, I saw my co-worker standing along the route. She was not running because she decided to do the virtual race and avoid the crowds. She came over to me and started running along side me. She asked me how I was feeling, then teased me about all the people ahead of me. I laughed it off; I was just thankful to have made it that far and not have any pain. She dropped off and I continued to the turnaround point. So far, so good.
After crossing the 10 mile point, things started to get really hard. My calves had my full attention and my hips began to hurt. Strangely, it hurt less to run than to walk, but I was too tired to run. I was two hours into the race and knew that I could meet my 3 hour goal, but it would be close.
At 11 miles, I could see the 520 bridge, with the finish line at its base. The thought of quitting really wasn’t an option, since I had to get back to the finish line to find my ride home. Even so, steps were becoming more challenging.
At 12.5 miles, I entered Cocoa Village and the crowds started to get larger. The slower marathon runners were just entering their second 13.1 miles and I was wondering how in the world they could keep going. The spectators were great. Some were passing out beer shots. Others were offering motivational support. I saw a sign that said, “Why do all the cute ones run away?” I laughed, then heard a woman say, “See, I knew they would think that was funny.”
As I approached mile 13, I really wanted to finish strong, but I just didn’t have anything left. I rounded the last turn. With about 100 feet remaining, I ran to the finish line. I didn’t want them to take a picture of me walking across.
And then it was done. I made it – challenge complete. I picked up my finisher’s beach towel, put on my mask, and slowly walked back to the park.
Official South Half Marathon Results (not counting virtual runners):
- Overall: 985
- Men 50-54: 73
- Time: 2:47:12
- Pace: 12:46
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