Oodles of Running: Space Coast Marathon - 2014: Dolphins, Sunrise, & a River

Space Coast Marathon

Cocoa, FL

Nov 30, 2014

Split Times:

Location	Net Time	Pace
10k	50:47	8:11/mi
Half	1:47:50	8:14/mi
20mi	2:54:09	8:42/mi
Finish	4:06:28	9:25/mi

Total Time:	4:06:28 (9:25 pace)
My Rank in Age Division (M45-49):	45 out of 215
My Rank Overall:	436 out of 2729
Unique State:	13
Overall Marathon:	16
Under 4 Hours:	No
Weather:	48°F at the Start Line

Quick Facts:

This was my 13th unique state and my 16th overall marathon.
Sue's parents often stay in this area every winter but only January through March. It was a bummer that they weren't here a month early this year.
My most memorable moment was seeing the dolphin in the river to my right near mile marker 25!
Also enjoyed seeing Sue while she was nearing her finish line for the Half.

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This was a fantastic chance to spend Thanksgiving weekend with 2 of the best people I know: my wife & my son! It was especially nice to have Brian, my son, with us, since he doesn't get the opportunity as much.

Once we arrived in Orlando's airport, we were able to show Brian the general area where Sue's parents stay near Cape Canaveral. Grill's Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar in Port Canaveral is our favorite restaurant, so we ate there, watched Disney's cruise ship leave the port(!), observed lionfish at the nearby store, and saw the beach.

The Expo was a good way for us get into the mood to run the route. We picked up our bibs, saw the merchandise, and even got Bart Yasso, the Chief Running Officer of Runner's World, to sign a couple of books that we purchased. I've been able to listen to him speak a time or two at previous marathons, and I enjoyed his discussions of running in faraway lands, like his trip to Africa to survey a potential race route that was found to be too close to rhinos. Ha. He has some very good stories.

During the morning of the race, Sue & I arrived at the start line, and I hung around the Half starting line for quite awhile to keep her company. Just as her Half was about to start, I went over a block to go to the restrooms & get in my "waiting area" which waited for the Half to start before weaving over to the actual start line. I recall cutting it a little too close with the potty. We actually had a real restroom, but it had a long line by the time I worked my way over from Sue's starting line. As always, it worked out.

The full marathon route, as shown on Sue's post, did its first 13 miles or so by an out-and-back north of the start / finish line. Then it finished the last 13 miles or so by running the same out-and-back going south that the Half Marathoners were running. I enjoyed the route. The sunrise was spectacular that morning. I was keeping my eyes peeled to see Sue on that southern loop, but I still missed her until she practically ran into me to catch my attention. Hmmm. It was great to see her, though. I remember seeing quite a few Jeannies (from I Dream of Jeannie) handing out water or running.

The sunrise was beautiful earlier in the race, and running along the Indian River was wonderful for the entire race. The best part was spotting a dolphin close to the shoreline at about mile 25! As I finished up the marathon, I strolled around the finish line and consumed all that I could as I normally do, but then I had to catch the shuttle back to the hotel to get back with Sue & Brian. Then we drove off to the Orlando airport, so we could fly on to our final destination. Another good trip.

Be sure to also read Sue's post of the same experience doing the Space Coast Half Marathon!

One of my favorite sites along the drive between Fargo and Minneapolis ... near Mile Marker 117. I make this trip often; this picture is taken during my drive to Minneapolis to start off my journey to pick up my son to spend time with him before running in the Space Coast Marathon - 2014.