Destin 50
Tops'l Resort - Destin, FL
(Steve wrote the main body of the blog. Rachel's comments will be bold in italics.)
I believe it was in December when Rach told me that Sandi had entered and won an essay contest for the Destin 50. I was actually at Target when I got the call from RD Zane that me and Sandi had won, which I followed up with a call to Sandi to ask her what the heck he was talking about. The prize, an all expense paid trip for 4 people to the beautiful Top’l resort in Destin, FL. Including 4 plane tickets, Hertz rental car, and 2 free entries into the Destin 50! From what I understand, the winner of the essay contest had to encompass the essence of the race, which is running, and service to others. The primary beneficiary of the race is the Special Operations Warriors Foundation. The goal of the charity is to provide educational scholarships to children of soldiers killed while serving, a worthy cause.
Many of you do not know my view on the military or necessarily have to agree with what I am about to say. In fact, I’m not sure Rach and I see eye-to-eye on this subject. I think we agree on the main topic of war, just not on the soldiers. Which is fine. We are all different and we are all entitled to our opinions. I am someone who more of a lover not a fighter. I don’t agree with the number of men in women we have in the military and I certainly don’t believe in the number of troops we have occupying other countries. What I would like to see is for all wars to come to an end. I’d like to see all the big guns and bad weapons thrown into a giant pot and that pot to be heated to a high temperature and those destructive tools to be melted down into something more productive than violence and killing. I’d like to see the US military less involved in the affairs of foreign countries and I‘d like to see a good portion of the resources that the United States government spends annually on the massive US military allocated towards paying off the nearly $15 trillion in National debt. I am in no way saying that the military is the sole reason for the financial crisis this country is in today, what I am saying is that it is part of the problem. Honestly, I think we all can mostly agree to that. No one (for the most part) wants war. No one wants violence and death. The questions then are: how did we get there (involved in war) and why does it persist (and become a continual part of our history)?
From a moral standpoint I don’t believe in killing other people regardless of what they do. Agreed. So yes, that includes all the dictators, the tyrants, the murders, etc. I remember last year when President Obama declared Osama Bin Laden dead. I recall how there where hundreds of Facebook posts and Yahoo comments celebrating Bin Laden’s death and I remember getting a real sick feeling in my stomach and a real feeling of disappointment in the way many people responded to the news. Agreed. I remember having a very long conversation about this. I could understand others relief, but really, what were we breeding but more hate, and showing our children that it was okay to kill/act in a violent manner when some one does something bad. In what other ways will kids apply this? I guess what I wanted was for people to recognize that yes he was a flawed human being, but the he was still a creature of God and deserving of forgiveness. As I mentioned before, the main area me and Steve see a little bit differently, though I still play around with my beliefs in my head. I feel why I don't agree with what the soldiers are doing, they are still dying for us, and I "support" them, not neccessarily there actions. Going back to forgiveness, which I see Steve in now accepting this view, I can disagree and even hate a persions actions, but love their sole. Still, it is a tough balance. There is so much more to this debate, but some other questions I ask myself and debate with Steve are: What would have happened if we never fought back? Would a "Ghandi" method work?
However, as a fundraiser in higher education, I do value education and a charity that provides educational scholarships is something that I could wrap my head around and support so I signed up for the 50K, Rach signed up for the 50 miler (bad idea, very bad idea), and Sandi signed up for the 50K as well.
Leading up to the race, Rach left and returned from Tanzania. During that time I decided to take the month of January off from running to nurse a bad hamstring. When she returned, I had a business trip to Naples, FL which afforded me the opportunity to get one 8 mile run on the beach, which went surprisingly well. I was sick for my first few days back, and then ran three 8-11 milers in the snow the week of the race. In my head it was last minute training (really stupidity) and I was just excited to be back on trails. So fast forward a week and Rach and I loaded up Rocky our Land Rover, pick up her dad, and make our way to CLE and boarded our flight to Destin, FL. When we arrived in Destin, Sandi had already arrived from Colorado and picked up the rental car and was doing laps around the airport. After grabbing our luggage and heading out to the curb, I knew it was a Nypaver in the white Chevy Impala as she cautiously signaled to pick us up. I just have to say that Sandi is an excellent driver. She must have realized she has precious cargo, unlike when someone else drives... Normally I am bit of a control freak and like to drive, but for some reason I felt completely content having Sandi chauffer us around all week long. It was relaxing and made the vacation that much more enjoyable for me. Actually, he insisted she drove, rather than him.
The Tops’l Resort is beautiful! For the 4 of us we got a 3-bedroom condo complete with a huge master suite, a spacious living room, a bird’s eye view of the pristine coastline, and only a five-minute walk to the beach and the start of the race.
I believe it was in December when Rach told me that Sandi had entered and won an essay contest for the Destin 50. I was actually at Target when I got the call from RD Zane that me and Sandi had won, which I followed up with a call to Sandi to ask her what the heck he was talking about. The prize, an all expense paid trip for 4 people to the beautiful Top’l resort in Destin, FL. Including 4 plane tickets, Hertz rental car, and 2 free entries into the Destin 50! From what I understand, the winner of the essay contest had to encompass the essence of the race, which is running, and service to others. The primary beneficiary of the race is the Special Operations Warriors Foundation. The goal of the charity is to provide educational scholarships to children of soldiers killed while serving, a worthy cause.
Many of you do not know my view on the military or necessarily have to agree with what I am about to say. In fact, I’m not sure Rach and I see eye-to-eye on this subject. I think we agree on the main topic of war, just not on the soldiers. Which is fine. We are all different and we are all entitled to our opinions. I am someone who more of a lover not a fighter. I don’t agree with the number of men in women we have in the military and I certainly don’t believe in the number of troops we have occupying other countries. What I would like to see is for all wars to come to an end. I’d like to see all the big guns and bad weapons thrown into a giant pot and that pot to be heated to a high temperature and those destructive tools to be melted down into something more productive than violence and killing. I’d like to see the US military less involved in the affairs of foreign countries and I‘d like to see a good portion of the resources that the United States government spends annually on the massive US military allocated towards paying off the nearly $15 trillion in National debt. I am in no way saying that the military is the sole reason for the financial crisis this country is in today, what I am saying is that it is part of the problem. Honestly, I think we all can mostly agree to that. No one (for the most part) wants war. No one wants violence and death. The questions then are: how did we get there (involved in war) and why does it persist (and become a continual part of our history)?
From a moral standpoint I don’t believe in killing other people regardless of what they do. Agreed. So yes, that includes all the dictators, the tyrants, the murders, etc. I remember last year when President Obama declared Osama Bin Laden dead. I recall how there where hundreds of Facebook posts and Yahoo comments celebrating Bin Laden’s death and I remember getting a real sick feeling in my stomach and a real feeling of disappointment in the way many people responded to the news. Agreed. I remember having a very long conversation about this. I could understand others relief, but really, what were we breeding but more hate, and showing our children that it was okay to kill/act in a violent manner when some one does something bad. In what other ways will kids apply this? I guess what I wanted was for people to recognize that yes he was a flawed human being, but the he was still a creature of God and deserving of forgiveness. As I mentioned before, the main area me and Steve see a little bit differently, though I still play around with my beliefs in my head. I feel why I don't agree with what the soldiers are doing, they are still dying for us, and I "support" them, not neccessarily there actions. Going back to forgiveness, which I see Steve in now accepting this view, I can disagree and even hate a persions actions, but love their sole. Still, it is a tough balance. There is so much more to this debate, but some other questions I ask myself and debate with Steve are: What would have happened if we never fought back? Would a "Ghandi" method work?
However, as a fundraiser in higher education, I do value education and a charity that provides educational scholarships is something that I could wrap my head around and support so I signed up for the 50K, Rach signed up for the 50 miler (bad idea, very bad idea), and Sandi signed up for the 50K as well.
Leading up to the race, Rach left and returned from Tanzania. During that time I decided to take the month of January off from running to nurse a bad hamstring. When she returned, I had a business trip to Naples, FL which afforded me the opportunity to get one 8 mile run on the beach, which went surprisingly well. I was sick for my first few days back, and then ran three 8-11 milers in the snow the week of the race. In my head it was last minute training (really stupidity) and I was just excited to be back on trails. So fast forward a week and Rach and I loaded up Rocky our Land Rover, pick up her dad, and make our way to CLE and boarded our flight to Destin, FL. When we arrived in Destin, Sandi had already arrived from Colorado and picked up the rental car and was doing laps around the airport. After grabbing our luggage and heading out to the curb, I knew it was a Nypaver in the white Chevy Impala as she cautiously signaled to pick us up. I just have to say that Sandi is an excellent driver. She must have realized she has precious cargo, unlike when someone else drives... Normally I am bit of a control freak and like to drive, but for some reason I felt completely content having Sandi chauffer us around all week long. It was relaxing and made the vacation that much more enjoyable for me. Actually, he insisted she drove, rather than him.
The Tops’l Resort is beautiful! For the 4 of us we got a 3-bedroom condo complete with a huge master suite, a spacious living room, a bird’s eye view of the pristine coastline, and only a five-minute walk to the beach and the start of the race.
Pre-race meal at Graffit's Restaurant
Saturday morning we woke up and the three of us went for a short run along the beach. When we returned, we had just enough time to make it to the 10 AM runner meeting. From There we went back, showered and went to the Olive Garden for lunch. After lunch we went across the street to the outlets and did a little shopping. The pre-race dinner was at this cool little place in Baytown Wharf called Graffiti’s. The food was very good. Just cold inside. We stuffed ourselves full of carbs, headed back to the condo and called it a night.
50 Mile finished surrounded by family
The next morning Rach got up first as the 50 milers start at 5AM, a full hour before the 50K runners take off. I got up about 30 minutes later, made some oatmeal (yes, I cooked it myself) and watched a little TV. About 15 minutes later Sandi and her dad were ready to go and the 4 of us made our way down to the start.
When we arrived at the start/finish line it was dark, cold, and windy. This statement may be creating an inacurate picture in your head. I was only wearing a light long sleeve shirt becaue I am a baby in the cold, and at this time, it was just a bit breezy. The real wind would come later. We wished Rach good luck and away she went, down the beach into the darkness. Me, Sandi, and her dad went back to condo to get ready for the 50K start. I was pretty excited and teased Sandi about our ice cream bet. About two weeks prior to the race I challenge Sandi to an ice cream bet. A winner take all, double scoop with sprinkles kind of bet. Sandi was sooooo confident that she was going to win she had already identified the place I would be treating her on Monday. A place called 32° Frozen Yogurt. A little cocky aren’t we Sandi I said….Sandi just smiled. Rach had been working on me the two weeks leading up to race to make it a loser buys everyone on the trip ice cream. Apparently, Rach was feeling pretty good about Sandi’s chances too…I wonder why? I don't even need to say anything here.
So at the start, I walk up to Sandi and offer some pretty obvious advice like, “have fun” or “go out conservative” or “keep your feet dry” and the gun goes off…bang! The 50K starts in the opposite direction of the 50 milers for a quarter mile and then we turn around and head in the same direction as Rach and the other runners. Within the first 10 seconds I knew I had my hands full as Sandi appeared to be on a mission only a few paces behind some silly guys who had gone out extremely fast. A quarter in and Sandi was a hundred meters ahead of me. I remember thinking they must have lots of sand in Salida, CO. So I humming along and put in my iPod shuffle which has only two songs on it, both by Lee Coulter. One is named “I Would Love” and the other is “Photograph”. You can check him out here (http://leecoulter.bandcamp.com/album/lee-coulter). Lee has a very cool laid-back feel and I thought he would be perfect for a beach run. Within an hour the sun was rising and we were running towards it…absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Then my iPod went on the fritz L….no big deal. I have a green shuffle sitting at home waiting to be used so I’m fine with it. I took it as a sign that I should spend more time listening to the waves and my surroundings and less time listening to Lee so that’s what I did. Around 12.5 I see Rach coming back the other way and she tells me that Sandi is doing well and that the second place female in the 50K is right behind me. It was more like, Sandi is kicking ass and the next women is behind you (more than 20 minutes back). I say “tanks” and keep running. I really wasn’t worried about where I was as I was out there just to have fun and cover the distance. What I was interested in was seeing how Sandi was doing among the 50K competition. So around 14.5 I see Sandi hauling ass. When I saw Sandi earlier (I could see her from pretty far away, we always no eachother's stide) I just started laughing, and when she got close enough I just asked "where is everyone else!?" She inspired me to run faster for about 20 seconds, before the wind again tried to force me to a walk (Im to stubborn to give in). I mean flying across the sand. Meanwhile, many of the 50-mile runners who had started earlier were walking because of the stiff headwinds they were now facing after hitting the turnaround at mile 16ish. I see Sandi, give her a low five, and she says, “this wind sucks” and keeps on trucking. Sandi had to be more than a mile ahead at this point. About two minutes later I see the first place guy and he looks beat, in fact, he keeps looking at his watch, looking up ahead (at Sandi) and then sways back and forth like he had one too many margaritas. I wanted to tell him to forget about catching her and just try to hold onto his place, but I just said “good job”. I hit the turnaround at 2:30 on the nose…too fast for me as I was thinking 6 hours would be great given the shape I was in. When I made the turn and started running into the wind, I knew it was going to be a LONG day. At mile 18 I hit the wall, no doubt due to my lack of training and my slightly aggressive pace. I know, it's hard to believe he went out too fast. Then at 23 I quit trying to avoid the tide as it crashed upon the beach and started running right through the water, which lead to about 3 pounds of sand in my Brooks Trance shoes. A half mile later I was carrying my shoes and running barefoot. Along the way I caught up to a 50-miler runner named Brandon who was stationed in FL w/ the Air Force and was doing his first 50 miler. He dropped around the 35-mile mark. I caught another 50 miler named Jerry from Boston who was an IP attorney and he and I hiked that last 6-7 miles together. This was his first 50 miler and I was more than happy to keep him company even though I could have run a little ahead of him, I knew I wasn’t going to break any records that day. Jerry and I talked about family, work, politics, education, and running. Jerry is doing Marathon Des Sables in April and decided to do Destin 50 as a tune up for that race. Jerry’s plan when I caught up to him was to hike until mile 40, hit the turnaround and then use the wind at his back and run/walk as much as he could to come in under the 14 hour cut-off for the 50 milers. I said that was a good plan and that I would see him just before 7 PM at the finish.
With the 50K finish line insight I saw Sandi walking towards us and I turned to Jerry and told him I better say goodbye now because when she got up to us she was going to make me run to the finish, he just laughed and kind of gave me the “really?” look. On cue, Sandi walked up and said can you run to the finish? Good job Sandi. And I said sure…so we ran it in. I crossed the line right around 7 hours. My second slowest 50K ever, but having lots of fun and enjoying every step of the way! All that matters is enjoying the journey :), and, that's still pretty good for not running for a month! When I crossed the line I immediately asked Sandi how she did and she told me she won! 40 minutes ahead of the 1st place man! She crushed it! I am so proud of her! I still cant get over this, it is just way too cool. I love bragging about my sister! I asked if she heard from her dad how Rach was doing and she told me that she was running strong in second through the 30-mile mark. We headed back to the condo where I took a quick shower, changed and then headed back to the finish line to wait for Rach to finish.
Meanwhile, I was still running. It was taking forever just to cover a mile. There was a constant wind slowing me down until the 40 mile turnaround. I tried to do the whole "chi" thing and clear my mind and not think about anything, which lasted at its max for 20 seconds. My thoughts mainly went back to "I am so proud of Sandi (I knew she had killed it in the 50k, I just didnt know it was by 40 minutes!) but Im gonna kill her." I was so bored! Yes, the beach and ocean was beautiful and all, but it was boring! There were no hills, no trees, and no one to talk to. The first place women was out now out of sight, but probably no more than 10 minutes ahead. I thought I'd have a chance to catch her after the turn around, but she kept a good pace. Still, the turnaround came with much relief. I dont think I really gained a second wind, but I now had the wind at my back. I don't know the splits, much the 10 miles back felt much faster then the way out. I kept playing an interval game with the building, boardwalks, garbage cans, etc. with the option of walking for a minute at eachone, but I was able to keep going without stopping. Finally, I saw the white tent at the finish line. I was getting close! However, it turned out the a person can see that white tent for 3 miles down the beach...
Of course Sandi and I were early and it was nice because we really enjoy spending time chatting together (he tells ME he misses Sandi!). A lot of the time we spend talking about running and racing. Sometimes we talk about traveling, sometimes work, other times family. But most of the time I am trying to gain a better understanding of her twin. The woman I am completely in love with and the girl she has known since her first breath. A twin can provide an interesting prospective and I have been told that I am an intent listener. In this particular conversation I asked Sandi about the use of the word “silly”. Yes, silly. You see, I am called silly maybe once or twice a week. And I sort of take it as a back handed comment. Almost like “duh, you don’t get it do you?” or “you idiot” type of comment. I shared this with Sandi and she reassured me that silly was an endearing comment and that if Rach actually meant idiot she would call me an idiot. This made me feel better and we continued to wait for Rach. Thank you Sandi :) (...but adimittedly, it may be a bit of both lol)
Right around 10 hours, we saw the first place female cross the line, a few minutes later Rach finished behind her. The stupid quarter mile trips to the stupid bathrooms probably took 7-8 minutes off my time. However, I did probably spend a bit too much time staring at food at the aid stations. 9th overall, 2nd female. Just like Burning River :/ Outstanding considering she spent the entire month in Tanzania running about 3-5 miles a day and her longest runs were a few 10 mile runs the week prior to the Destin 50. Apparently climbing a mountain doesn't help either. I am so proud of my baby to be able to crank out a 50-mile race in that freaking sand and to place so well. You are so tough! Why thank you :)
When we arrived at the start/finish line it was dark, cold, and windy. This statement may be creating an inacurate picture in your head. I was only wearing a light long sleeve shirt becaue I am a baby in the cold, and at this time, it was just a bit breezy. The real wind would come later. We wished Rach good luck and away she went, down the beach into the darkness. Me, Sandi, and her dad went back to condo to get ready for the 50K start. I was pretty excited and teased Sandi about our ice cream bet. About two weeks prior to the race I challenge Sandi to an ice cream bet. A winner take all, double scoop with sprinkles kind of bet. Sandi was sooooo confident that she was going to win she had already identified the place I would be treating her on Monday. A place called 32° Frozen Yogurt. A little cocky aren’t we Sandi I said….Sandi just smiled. Rach had been working on me the two weeks leading up to race to make it a loser buys everyone on the trip ice cream. Apparently, Rach was feeling pretty good about Sandi’s chances too…I wonder why? I don't even need to say anything here.
So at the start, I walk up to Sandi and offer some pretty obvious advice like, “have fun” or “go out conservative” or “keep your feet dry” and the gun goes off…bang! The 50K starts in the opposite direction of the 50 milers for a quarter mile and then we turn around and head in the same direction as Rach and the other runners. Within the first 10 seconds I knew I had my hands full as Sandi appeared to be on a mission only a few paces behind some silly guys who had gone out extremely fast. A quarter in and Sandi was a hundred meters ahead of me. I remember thinking they must have lots of sand in Salida, CO. So I humming along and put in my iPod shuffle which has only two songs on it, both by Lee Coulter. One is named “I Would Love” and the other is “Photograph”. You can check him out here (http://leecoulter.bandcamp.com/album/lee-coulter). Lee has a very cool laid-back feel and I thought he would be perfect for a beach run. Within an hour the sun was rising and we were running towards it…absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Then my iPod went on the fritz L….no big deal. I have a green shuffle sitting at home waiting to be used so I’m fine with it. I took it as a sign that I should spend more time listening to the waves and my surroundings and less time listening to Lee so that’s what I did. Around 12.5 I see Rach coming back the other way and she tells me that Sandi is doing well and that the second place female in the 50K is right behind me. It was more like, Sandi is kicking ass and the next women is behind you (more than 20 minutes back). I say “tanks” and keep running. I really wasn’t worried about where I was as I was out there just to have fun and cover the distance. What I was interested in was seeing how Sandi was doing among the 50K competition. So around 14.5 I see Sandi hauling ass. When I saw Sandi earlier (I could see her from pretty far away, we always no eachother's stide) I just started laughing, and when she got close enough I just asked "where is everyone else!?" She inspired me to run faster for about 20 seconds, before the wind again tried to force me to a walk (Im to stubborn to give in). I mean flying across the sand. Meanwhile, many of the 50-mile runners who had started earlier were walking because of the stiff headwinds they were now facing after hitting the turnaround at mile 16ish. I see Sandi, give her a low five, and she says, “this wind sucks” and keeps on trucking. Sandi had to be more than a mile ahead at this point. About two minutes later I see the first place guy and he looks beat, in fact, he keeps looking at his watch, looking up ahead (at Sandi) and then sways back and forth like he had one too many margaritas. I wanted to tell him to forget about catching her and just try to hold onto his place, but I just said “good job”. I hit the turnaround at 2:30 on the nose…too fast for me as I was thinking 6 hours would be great given the shape I was in. When I made the turn and started running into the wind, I knew it was going to be a LONG day. At mile 18 I hit the wall, no doubt due to my lack of training and my slightly aggressive pace. I know, it's hard to believe he went out too fast. Then at 23 I quit trying to avoid the tide as it crashed upon the beach and started running right through the water, which lead to about 3 pounds of sand in my Brooks Trance shoes. A half mile later I was carrying my shoes and running barefoot. Along the way I caught up to a 50-miler runner named Brandon who was stationed in FL w/ the Air Force and was doing his first 50 miler. He dropped around the 35-mile mark. I caught another 50 miler named Jerry from Boston who was an IP attorney and he and I hiked that last 6-7 miles together. This was his first 50 miler and I was more than happy to keep him company even though I could have run a little ahead of him, I knew I wasn’t going to break any records that day. Jerry and I talked about family, work, politics, education, and running. Jerry is doing Marathon Des Sables in April and decided to do Destin 50 as a tune up for that race. Jerry’s plan when I caught up to him was to hike until mile 40, hit the turnaround and then use the wind at his back and run/walk as much as he could to come in under the 14 hour cut-off for the 50 milers. I said that was a good plan and that I would see him just before 7 PM at the finish.
With the 50K finish line insight I saw Sandi walking towards us and I turned to Jerry and told him I better say goodbye now because when she got up to us she was going to make me run to the finish, he just laughed and kind of gave me the “really?” look. On cue, Sandi walked up and said can you run to the finish? Good job Sandi. And I said sure…so we ran it in. I crossed the line right around 7 hours. My second slowest 50K ever, but having lots of fun and enjoying every step of the way! All that matters is enjoying the journey :), and, that's still pretty good for not running for a month! When I crossed the line I immediately asked Sandi how she did and she told me she won! 40 minutes ahead of the 1st place man! She crushed it! I am so proud of her! I still cant get over this, it is just way too cool. I love bragging about my sister! I asked if she heard from her dad how Rach was doing and she told me that she was running strong in second through the 30-mile mark. We headed back to the condo where I took a quick shower, changed and then headed back to the finish line to wait for Rach to finish.
Meanwhile, I was still running. It was taking forever just to cover a mile. There was a constant wind slowing me down until the 40 mile turnaround. I tried to do the whole "chi" thing and clear my mind and not think about anything, which lasted at its max for 20 seconds. My thoughts mainly went back to "I am so proud of Sandi (I knew she had killed it in the 50k, I just didnt know it was by 40 minutes!) but Im gonna kill her." I was so bored! Yes, the beach and ocean was beautiful and all, but it was boring! There were no hills, no trees, and no one to talk to. The first place women was out now out of sight, but probably no more than 10 minutes ahead. I thought I'd have a chance to catch her after the turn around, but she kept a good pace. Still, the turnaround came with much relief. I dont think I really gained a second wind, but I now had the wind at my back. I don't know the splits, much the 10 miles back felt much faster then the way out. I kept playing an interval game with the building, boardwalks, garbage cans, etc. with the option of walking for a minute at eachone, but I was able to keep going without stopping. Finally, I saw the white tent at the finish line. I was getting close! However, it turned out the a person can see that white tent for 3 miles down the beach...
Of course Sandi and I were early and it was nice because we really enjoy spending time chatting together (he tells ME he misses Sandi!). A lot of the time we spend talking about running and racing. Sometimes we talk about traveling, sometimes work, other times family. But most of the time I am trying to gain a better understanding of her twin. The woman I am completely in love with and the girl she has known since her first breath. A twin can provide an interesting prospective and I have been told that I am an intent listener. In this particular conversation I asked Sandi about the use of the word “silly”. Yes, silly. You see, I am called silly maybe once or twice a week. And I sort of take it as a back handed comment. Almost like “duh, you don’t get it do you?” or “you idiot” type of comment. I shared this with Sandi and she reassured me that silly was an endearing comment and that if Rach actually meant idiot she would call me an idiot. This made me feel better and we continued to wait for Rach. Thank you Sandi :) (...but adimittedly, it may be a bit of both lol)
Right around 10 hours, we saw the first place female cross the line, a few minutes later Rach finished behind her. The stupid quarter mile trips to the stupid bathrooms probably took 7-8 minutes off my time. However, I did probably spend a bit too much time staring at food at the aid stations. 9th overall, 2nd female. Just like Burning River :/ Outstanding considering she spent the entire month in Tanzania running about 3-5 miles a day and her longest runs were a few 10 mile runs the week prior to the Destin 50. Apparently climbing a mountain doesn't help either. I am so proud of my baby to be able to crank out a 50-mile race in that freaking sand and to place so well. You are so tough! Why thank you :)
Fake Fountain Of Youth
On Monday we went back to the Outlets for a little shopping/browsing and then to the runners social at a place call the Red Bar where I took this picture of JC. Another cool place and have to thank the Destin 50 RD for suggesting it! Always ask locals where to go when on vacation, thats how you find the really good and unique eats!
After lunch we went back to the Baytowne Wharf where we walked around a little more and visited the fake Fountain of Youth. The real one is in St. Augustine, FL. I have been to that one too J
After lunch we went back to the Baytowne Wharf where we walked around a little more and visited the fake Fountain of Youth. The real one is in St. Augustine, FL. I have been to that one too J
Lots of dead Presidents
For Dinner the four of us went to a really cool Irish Pub call McGuire’s. This place was really neat and had a double decker bus in the front and dollar bills hanging from the ceiling inside. I know that dollar thing is for luck, but I still think it'd be luckier to donate those dollars to charity (good karma comes back!). There were thousands!
Sisters, Best Friends, Twins
After dinner we made our way to 32° Frozen Yogurt so that I could make good on my bet with Sandi, but it was closed so now it looks like I have to fly to CO to settle my bet, which I am fine with. What about my ice cream? With extra fudge, extra sprinkles, extra whip cream, and a cherry on top? You can not make this up with a Shamrock Shake, I'm going to get one of those too.
Tuesday we departed Destin early in the morning and the four of us flew from Destin to Dallas, TX together. When we got to Dallas we made our way to gate A21. It just worked out that both flights where flying out of the same gate one after the other. Rach and Sandi seemed fine as we were about to board our flight and that’s when it happened. Because I had been thinking about how the girls would say their goodbyes since arriving at the Dallas airport. In fact, we stopped at Subway first to grab a quick bit to eat and I deliberately hung back with their dad to give them some space to talk in private. I got a chance to really see how much these two girls care for one another. Because Rach and Sandi are more than sisters, they are more than best friends, they are twins.
This trip was never about the race. Just an "extra" part of the fun. Really, it was about spending time with loved ones. Me and Steve are so appreciative of Sandi and Zane for giving us this opportunity. It was a "thank you" to Steve for the travels he took me on the past year, especially for getting me to Western States to pace Sandi. It was a relaxing vacation for my Dad, that he was in need of and a "thank you" for all your help (especially with college). It was a chance to see Sandi. It was wonderful. Thank you Zane. Thank you Sandi.
Tuesday we departed Destin early in the morning and the four of us flew from Destin to Dallas, TX together. When we got to Dallas we made our way to gate A21. It just worked out that both flights where flying out of the same gate one after the other. Rach and Sandi seemed fine as we were about to board our flight and that’s when it happened. Because I had been thinking about how the girls would say their goodbyes since arriving at the Dallas airport. In fact, we stopped at Subway first to grab a quick bit to eat and I deliberately hung back with their dad to give them some space to talk in private. I got a chance to really see how much these two girls care for one another. Because Rach and Sandi are more than sisters, they are more than best friends, they are twins.
This trip was never about the race. Just an "extra" part of the fun. Really, it was about spending time with loved ones. Me and Steve are so appreciative of Sandi and Zane for giving us this opportunity. It was a "thank you" to Steve for the travels he took me on the past year, especially for getting me to Western States to pace Sandi. It was a relaxing vacation for my Dad, that he was in need of and a "thank you" for all your help (especially with college). It was a chance to see Sandi. It was wonderful. Thank you Zane. Thank you Sandi.