Two weeks had passed since my last race - but I was feeling anything but rested. Struggling to get into a pattern of working out and balancing my nutrition between races, I made the early morning drive to Port Orange, FL for the ninth race of my 2013-2014 season.
I didn't feel particularly excited about this run, probably because the drive felt like going to work. I seldom make the drive to the coast for pleasure.
Parking at the finish line I made the walk across the bridge to the start and met up with my running friends. My mood lightened as the energy of race morning started to life me up.
This was the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon - and as you might expect, at mile 6.5 we looped around the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. I realized that I was smiling as I remembered climbing its 203 steps with my daughter and her class during a second grade field trip... nine years earlier. I was not a runner yet then - my how my life has changed!
The weather was warm and the air was heavy. I decided to just settle in and enjoy the beautiful coast line as we ran back towards the finish line. This is why people love Florida, this is why I should make the drive to the coast more often.
The race medal was pretty, marking off another race on my quest to complete 52 half marathons in this running season. I sat in the parking lot eating eggs and drinking a beer - laughing with friends that we had finished next to a funeral home.
What this run lacked in pomp and circumstance it made up for in community. It was a nice run, a short drive home, and a reminder that running with friends is half of the run of running at all.
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