Sunday, I ran the Publix Fort Lauderdale, Florida A1A Half Marathon.    Since I was fortunate enough be able to spend a week in Florida, with my spouse Ed, I decided to use the Fort Lauderdale Half Marathon as one of my training runs for the Boston Marathon.

Friday afternoon, Ed and I drove to the expo.  The expo was very nice.   It was held at the Broward Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. The expo is never crowded, so it’s always a pleasure to walk around sampling free snacks, exploring all of the gadgets and collecting all the freebie running items from various venders.  I got my number, free shirt, swag bag and then we headed back home.

Saturday, I spent the day lounging around the house enjoying the quiet.

That night, I went to bed early, because I had to wake up at 3:30am the next morning.

Race Day:

I got dress, ate my breakfast and I was in the race parking area by 4:00am.  Driving to the race was very easy, no traffic.

The race started at 6am in Fort Lauderdale near the Science Museum.  There was about 5000 runners participating in the Half Marathon.  The race was self-seeded and had various pacing groups to help us succeed. I lined up with the 2: 45 minute pacers.

The National Anthem was played and then we were sent on our way to complete 13.1 miles.    It is one of the prettiest courses I ran.   The most memorable view for me was watching the sun rise along the ocean.  The course was also very flat, except for the draw bridge leading to the ocean.

The first mile was on Las Olas Blvd, a street with lots of cute boutique shops, restaurants, and art galleries.  It was a very touristy neighborhood.

The second mile crosses the intercostal waterway, over a small draw bridge and then heads east towards the ocean.

The rest of the run is mostly an out and back course on Ocean Drive with gorgeous scenery.   There are no cars allowed on the course, so I had awesome views of the ocean. Palm trees surrounded the course and runners can see the waves crashing on the beach.

At mile 8, there is an amazing loop through Birth State Park which offers some shade. Inside the park, there are many bike and walking trails, forest trees, and more gorgeous views of the inner coastal waterway.

After running through the park, runners reach the turnaround point (Mile 9) on Ocean Drive and we all head back to the finish line.

At mile 12.5 I sprinted down the beach towards the finish line.

Overall, I had a good race.    I had plenty of fluids and fuel to survive the heat. The temperature during the race was mid 70’s.

I love my medal.   It is one of the prettiest medals I received; also, it weighs a ton!

.After the race, Ed (spouse) and I went for a celebration lunch by the pool.