Space Coast Half Marathon Review

I Did It!!!  I finished my first Half Marathon.

We started the weekend by driving from Clearwater and stopping at Downtown Disney for lunch at the Earl of Sandwich so we could have their Holiday Special.  We then made our way over to Cape Canaveral to check in at the Radisson at the Port.  Once we were checked in we drove over to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center to get my bib and shirt and to check out the Race Expo.


Now this expo is much smaller than what we have seen at the Disney Expos, but it is also easier to maneuver.  Even though there were not a lot of vendors, the ones there are very friendly and you can easily chat with them for longer.

We had already booked the Pasta Dinner at the Space Center so we had to wait a couple of hours for that so we walked around the Visitor Center and checked out the Rocket Garden.  We also took a few photos and then a guided tour of the Rocket Garden.

Finally it was time to catch our bus to dinner at the Apollo/Saturn V building.  We went tot the building and watched the opening video presentation and then we got to go into the Saturn V room.  HOLY COW!  This rocket was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.  Looking at the Saturn V rocket it is just amazing what humans can accomplish and build.  Our table was directly under Stage 1 of the rocket.  Our dinner was a buffet that included a tossed salad, orzo salad, cheese ravioli, meat lasagna and assorted dinner rolls.  The food was actually very good and a highlight of the evening was the keynote speaker, Bart Yasso of Runner's World.  Bart gave a a great presentation about his amazing life and it was quite inspirational.  Following the dinner we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep.

We got up at 3:30 on Sunday morning to catch the bus to the race.  It was quite chilly in the morning.  It was about 46 degrees out at 5AM while we were waiting for the race to start at 6:15.  I was able to get in a bathroom break and had a banana while waiting.  We then walked over to the start line and I started next to the 2:30 pace group, which was my goal for the race.  At the front of the pack the video screen showed a countdown of a Space Shuttle and then liftoff and the race started!

 It took about 5 minutes for me to cross the start line but I then got going at a reasonable pace since I had never ran 13 miles before!  I felt strong right off and started faster than I originally intended.  By mile 2 I decided to slow down a little and allow my body to tell me how hard to run over the next few miles.  Over the first few miles we came up to several water stops which I looked forward to because I had read that they  are themed really well.  The first on was Star Wars themed and had Darth Vader right at the front of the tables.  The other early water stop that sticks in my mind wasn't even an official water stop.  A family with two little girls and their mother were handing out water in Dixie cups.  I couldn't not take one of these!

By mile 5 I was feeling really good and decided to push harder so I increased my pace quite a bit and started passing people.  At the turn around for the out and back course was the Parrothead Club's water stop.  This was fun to hear Jimmy Buffet music which is a great pick me up at the middle of a race.  On the second half of the race I realized I felt really good so I kept up my faster pace.  I caught up to the 2:20 pace team and passed them.

Once I passed mile 11 everything was new to me because I had never run farther than that before!  The last two miles breezed by and I started seeing other runners walking back down the road with their towels so I knew I was really close to the finish.  I tried to kick it up a little faster again and I found myself making the final turn to the finish and everything around me seemed like a blur.  I crossed the finish line and got my medal and towel and then Jenny found me. I checked my time on my phone app and it showed 2:16:53!!!  I was elated with myself to finish my first Half in 13 minutes faster than my goal time.

After the race I headed to the beer table and got a Yengleng and then it was time for pancakes!  That was the best beer and pancake breakfast I ever had.  I got my finisher photo taken and then went back to the hotel to shower and head back home.

I would highly recommend this race because the organization and volunteers are fantastic and the mostly flat course makes for a fast run.  Its quite possible that this race will be my first marathon in a year!

mi	Pace (min/mi)	Elevation (ft)
1	11:04	-24
2	10:41	27
3	11:01	-9
4	10:35	7
5	10:20	-3
6	10:15	-13
7	10:17	-1
8	10:21	9
9	10:14	-3
10	10:02	7
11	10:00	14
12	10:03	-14
13	9:51	3
14	9:34	-12