Tampa Race!!

I am sitting here recovering from the Tampa Marathon which for me was a great race. There were a few first for me at this race: the first time I ran in the pouring rain (very cold and driving into my face for the last 6 miles), the first time I ran with a pace group (thanks pacer Jim), and the first time I broke 5 hours finishing in 4:45:07. I was very happy with this time as my training has been pretty spotty since the Disney in January. I now have some renewed hope that with some additional effort, I might be able to get below 4:30 and maybe someday get into the three's. (One can always hope!!)

I honestly do not care too much about my time except when I am running the race thinking 'If I could only run an 8 minute mile I would be finished an hour earlier' which equates to:

• one hour less pain and suffering
• one less hour to have to wait for a hot shower
• on less hour to wait for a cold drink without dirt and bugs in it
• on less hour to wait for something good to eat that is not a liquid gel

So I continue to work towards that goal. Is it attainable? I do not know, but it does keep me going.

As far as the Tampa Marathon goes overall, it was a good experience. My favorite destination event is still the Disney, this is a good local one. First the positives:

• Race morning organization was great. There was no confusion at the start, no stress, just line up and go. The race started at 6:00 am, we literally left our hotel at 5:30 and had plenty of time to walk to the race and get ready. They also had a pre race waiting area inside the convention center so if you wanted to stay inside until the last minute you were able to do so.
• Pre and post race food was great. In the early morning you could get water and coffee, as well as after the race. There was also a hot meal being offered by a local restaurant after the race as well as the standard fare of fruit, water etc.
• The spectators were few, but were great. Thank you to all of those lovely people of Tampa who generously braved the nasty weather and offered cheers, candy, homemade cookies, Gatorade, water etc. A big thanks to the children of the 'Let Us Play' group who stood out in the rain at mile 24 and cheered for us! It was quite a pick me up.
• The medals. The medals are very nice. They have a pirate theme and a cool neck band. I dare say that I like them better than Disney.
• The pacers. My first time running with a pace group was a great experience. Pacer Jim was great.
• The course was beautiful with water views and lovely houses.

Negatives

• Expo. I found the expo to be lacking and a bit flat. Not very many booths and a lot of repetition of booths.
• Pre race (excluding race morning) organization. I received an email one day prior to the race saying that because the response to the race was so large they ran out of shirts and as a late registrant I would not be guaranteed my shirt size. When I got to the expo after waiting in a fairly long line, I was told that I could order a tech shirt and wait 6-8 weeks or I could get the exact same shirt only in cotton now. I have enough tech shirts. So I opted for the cotton one and threw it in my bag. This morning when I checked it out, I noticed it was a half marathon shirt. It is frustrating to me when an event is over registered (with $100.00 registration fee, you would expect that all 1300 marathoners would get a shirt.)
• Crowded Course--as this course is shared with the half marathoners for the first 7 miles it was very crowded and a little dangerous (I had to dodge several cars and boats that were street parked in the pre dawn hours with very poor visibility). After the split with the halfers it did clear out.
• Course (out and back)--Out and back courses are not my favorite. I personally do not like a constant stream of runners going past me in the opposite direction ahead of me. This course consists of one loop around Davis Island (very nice) up to mile 7, then it is one shorter out and back followed by a longer 8 mile each way out and back. There were several sections where the headwinds were fierce, but directional changes also gave us a nice tailwind as well.
• The aid stations in the beginning (when we had both half and full marathoners) were under supported. Both times I stopped, I had to wait in a line for water to be poured into a cup. They were very crowded and a little disorganized. The stations after the 7 mile mark were great, staffed with more than enough supportive volunteers.

In all, I would run this race again. It would not be one that I would register a year in advance for, but if I was feeling like running a local race I would consider it!!!

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