Bank of America Gasparilla Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Started with the pack, at the back...doing a 4:1 run-walk. Primary objective: get Sue across the line in 2:30. So, like the well-oiled machine we were, we divided up the tasks:

So...we put Q, Betsy, and Lyle in charge of running fast, which they handled admirably. Congrats on your great races!!! Shaun was in charge of the timing, pacing, and singing. Jess coordinated all burping and farting and finger pulling (give me 20?)!!. I didn't have to stretch too much to live up to my clowning responsibilities. Wendi drew 'whoop whoop' dugy and assisted Shaun with the trashy lyrics, and Jess' ex was the straight man. All Sue had to do was run, and ignore eveyrone else. Just run.

So that's pretty much what happened. We ran a steady 4:1 for the first 8, everyone looked strong, even Shaun and Jess after logging a couple faster miles while trying to catch up after stopping to lay some cable. The wind whipped up around mile 6 or 7; I don't remember exactly, but I noticed it first coming off Davis Island on the bridge. From that point on, it was 20+ mph, gusting to 30 or more. So much for staying warm.

Went through 8 in 1:34 or so, right on plan. At that point, Sue & Wendi just needed to average 12's to get in under 2:30, so doing some quick math, I figure they've got it in the bag. Good times, good run, right on plan.

So with that, I stuck to my plan, and took off. Missed Christine completely at mile 8.5 - dammit - I wanted some diet coke, but I was heads-down rolling toward the finish...downwind on the way OUT bayshore, into the wind on the way back to the forum/finish. Knocked down the last 5.1 in 39 minutes, not bad for an old dude.

Nuttin, honey.

Got the medal, clipped the chip, refused the mylar blanket because I was convinced that I was going to be too hot. Walked out to the finish area to wait for the rest of the folks to finish. After 1 minute out there, I'm freezing ASS, so I hunker down behind some cardboard boxes to get out of the wind. Dumbass, where's that mylar blanket?

So my ego lasts about 4 more minutes before I fish a mylar blanket out of the trash. For the next 25 minutes, I wrestled with that friggin sheet of tinfoil in the wind. I swear it was alive and wanted to strangle me. But I kicked it's ass in the end. Heh. Humans can get one over on inanimate objects every once in a while.

Anyway, everyone else finished, smiles all around as Sue & Wendi PR'ed, did the foodwalk over the bridge, then back to the BT meeting spot.

Met up with Shane, Jess, and a couple others, and Shane was awesome - he volunteered his coat (he was wearing 2), and also his car which was parked nearby. Shades of Aaron from last year, no?! Very, very similar. Anyway, we all decided it was really friggin cold - the wind had to be blowing at 30+mph, strong enough that it blew over a line of portapotties.

So, quick congratulations all around, back to the hotel to shower, change, warm up, and check out. Great weekend, good times, good friends. :)


Nuttin, honey.


Friggin wind.