I woke up around 4am to shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head out to the starting line of the race. For breakfast, I had some coffee, a Vitaflo HCU Express20 with water, 3/4 of a banana, and a coco banana golden bar. All my race gear was neatly laid out from the night before which made things easy. I attached my race bib to the front of my shirt, and a picture of all the HCU Heroes on the back.
The forecast was calling for heavy rain and thunderstorms, not an ideal weather prediction, but at least it wasn't cold. I grabbed a throwaway rain poncho - just in case. My Mom (yes, she still travels to my races from time to time) wished me luck before I headed out the door at 5:30am.
The starting line was conveniently just a few blocks from my hotel (YVE Hotel Miami). On my walk over, I noticed it wasn't raining as predicted and wondered when it would start. I got to the starting line in plenty of time. Although the race officially started at 6am, my corral didn't end up starting until almost 7am, something I wish I had known before setting my alarm to 4am, but at least I didn't have to worry about being late. About 15 minutes before my start, I consumed a GU energy gel.
Shortly after the race began, I decided to discard my rain poncho. It was a risky move, but it ended up being the right one. It was extremely humid, and the poncho was adding an extra layer of warmth that I didn't need. It remained overcast throughout the race, but fortunately, the predicted rain never showed up.
The first few miles of the race, we ran past all the cruise ships in the port of Miami. I took in all the sites and snapped a few photos along the way. I slowed down at every water station to make sure I stayed hydrated and consumed additional GU energy gels about every 4 miles.
Along the way, there were more than a few aches and pains, but each time I struggled with the race, I switched my focus to the reason behind my run - the amazing HCU Heroes. Visualizing all those faces and reflecting on their stories really helped me push through the hard parts of the course. When I got close to the finish line, a wave of emotion came over me and I put in one final sprint.
After crossing the finish line, I happily claimed a new shiny race medal to add to my collection and met up with my Mom who was spectating at the race.
We then headed back to the hotel so I could quickly refuel with another Vitaflo HCU Express20 and shower. After the hotel pit stop, we found an awesome German restaurant(Bavaria Haus) nearby that offered some healthy low-pro lunch options. This salad was amazing!
And equally amazing, but not pictured here, were the salty fries - a personal favorite post-race indulgence of mine!
Over lunch, I did what many runners do after a big race, I started planning the next one! After all, it's only January, and my year of running has just begun. Stay tuned for an announcement on my next race adventure!
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