Last year I entered the Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon for the first time. It was a lot of fun, a Boston qualifying time, and a personal record for me. I decided to do the race again this year and signed up a year ago, right after last year's race.
I have learned that I can perform much better in a race if I can dedicate some time the week prior to long distance riding for a few days prior to the race. Last year I spent a few days working out on the Withlacoochie Trail in Brooksville, FL, prior to the A1A Marathon. Before we drove home last year, we took a day trip to Key West from our hotel near Miami.
Along most of the highway through the Keys, there exists a bike path. I reasoned that a ride from Key West to Key Largo, roughly 100 miles, spread over several days, would be just the right pre-race tune-up. Or at least that was the plan.
I did a bit more research, made some hotel reservations, and began the planning to 'ride the Keys' over a year ago.
Fast forward to last October at the Marine Corps Marathon. Always my favorite event. After my best MCM in 2016, last year was a lackluster performance on my part. I blamed it on the brutal heat during the training season last summer.
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| 2017 Marine Corps Marathon -Kathryn Palmer photo |
The next day, I think the real reason was beginning to manifest itself. I was coming down with a nasty UTI. This bug took me several weeks to shake. It gave me a good scare. There were times last November when I was feeling veerrrry mortal.
Heading to Boston
It was during this period of recuperation that I received an email from the Boston Athletic Association announcing that I was entered into the 2018 Boston Marathon. After several years of being turned down, I didn't believe it was true. I double checked the sender's email address. I thought it had to be a hoax. For several weeks I watched my email, expecting to find some sort of retraction. It didn't come. This was real.
Working out was difficult. My illness had left me weak. But after a few weak attempts, things started falling into place. Then the cold weather set in. And it stayed. The few times I dared a workout, I came home with my hands completely numb. When we got a break in the weather, I would get in a few promising workouts and feel more optimistic.
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| Not a good day for a workout :( -Sally Kelly photo |
But through the month of January bad weather and bad circumstances kept me indoors more than I felt comfortable when I considered me upcoming A1A Marathon and the planned ride of the Florida Keys. More than once I considered canceling the trip to focus on training for Boston closer to home. In the end, I needed a race. And I needed a big workout surge to get my Boston training into high gear.
By way of the Keys
I checked weather before we went south. It looked like it would be mid-60s at night and mid-70s during the day with winds from the south. So we drove the old van with the broken AC. Bad idea!
It turned out south FL was on the verge of a heatwave and a drought for this time of year. Our first night in Key West we road our bikes around the island. I hoped this would allow for a little sightseeing and a good workout to warm up for the long rides through the Keys.
The wind was blasting 15 mph from the east. For that night’s outbound leg, we had a good ride. For the 4 miles back to our hotel, the wind and the heat (yes I said night) kicked my butt. I knew that was bad news for my planned daytime rides.
The second day was planned for sightseeing. During breakfast we made a decision to get me started on riding riding through the Keys from west to east. It looked like 50 miles in one day, against a 15 mph headwind, was not going to be feasible.
With the late change of plans it was almost noon before we got the handbike ready and I started on the trail heading east. Right away I started overheating and I had to apply water to myself. The headwind was brutal but it and the water from my Camelbak were the only things keeping me from overheating.
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| Florida's Overseas Heritage Trail -Sally Kelly photo |
As it got hotter in the afternoon I had to stop about every mile where I could find a patch of shade and cool down. I plugged along all afternoon. Sally picked me up at Cudjoe Key after only about 17 miles.
After that experience with the killer headwind and the stinging sunshine, I decided to scrap the idea of riding the entire length of the Keys. There were other factors that shaped the decision. For about one-third of the length of the Keys the trail I hoped to ride was not available. Mostly through the middle Keys where the Irma damage was almost total in places. Many places the trail had never been built yet, requiring riding on the roadway. Other places bridge repairs made even that option impossible. The excessively high volume of traffic, particularly heavy (read “wide”) construction vehicles made it unnerving at times.
So my third day, which I had planned to be my first long ride, I decided to ride the lower Keys again and to see how far I could ride by leaving earlier during the day. Riding east to west with a tailwind was not an option because I needed the wind for cooling. It felt a lot better in the AM but the headwind was still brutal.
I failed to study the local fauna before my ride. I kept seeing a lot of hungry-looking iguanas about the size of my arm scurrying about as I rode. Sitting so low to the ground made me feel more than a little vulnerable. When I would stop in the shade to cool down, I kept looking around in the swamps for ‘gators. A friend reminded my that alligators don't live in salt water environments. Always the skeptic, I looked it up. She was right. The threat wasn't alligators. It was CROCODILES!!! The American Crocodile to be exact. That fact got my heart rate up in the VOmax range!
The third day I made it 26 miles and as far as Big Pine Key. Sally picked me up that evening hot, tired, sunburned, sore, and wore slam out. We discovered the cushion on my backrest had migrated over to one side, exposing the sharp edge of the seat back shell. My shoulder had rubbed that edge for two days and it made a nasty raw wound on my shoulder blade. My SPF 30 sunscreen was totally inadequate. Facing east all day left me sunburned on my right side.
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| After a few days of healing my chaffed shoulder blade was looking better |
The one thing that did go right for me was Sally. Even though she was still recovering from a nasty bronchitis, she was right there making things happen for me. She picked out a fun restaurant, the Sunset Grill, where we enjoyed a nice Valentine's dinner.
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| Our view from the Sunset Grill lived up to its name -Sally Kelly photo |
The A1A
The original plan was to ride upper Keys, from Marathon to Key Largo of the fourth day. I hate to admit defeat but it was time to rest, heal, and get ready for the A1A Marathon the following weekend. We slept in late and set back toward Fort Lauderdale on the fourth day.
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| It was a big race this year. LOTS of half-marathoners -Sally Kelly photo |
The A1A Marathon was a lot of fun. Two of the four hand crank division were from Carteret County, Bruce Newman and myself. A year ago this race was a PR for me. I knew with my training challenges that would not be the case again. I was just hoping to finish in 3 hours. I was concerned with my week’s struggles with the heat and the heat that I might not finish in 4 hours.
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| Two of the four hand crank participants were from Carteret County! From left, Sally and Paul Kelly, Bruce and Lish Newman |
The bars in Fort Lauderdale stay open until 4AM. When you are making your way to the starting line downtown, you're faced with an added challenge: trying not to get run over by the drunks leaving the bars.
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| Four hand crank participants survived Fort Lauderdale's 4AM bar-emptying and made it to the starting line intact -Sally Kelly photo |
So when we started, I felt much better than I had in the previous days’ heat. Still, after only about a mile, I was beginning to feel quite hot. I began feeling a little dampness on my face and realized it was starting to rain a light, misty rain. The mist felt good and started cooling me down. I met Sally about mile 13 and refueled with a Snickers and a Red Bull. She put a wet wrap around my neck which did the trick to keep me from overheating. Dark clouds came over and for nearly the entire race we had a nice shade from the threatening-looking skies.
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| A1A Marathon mile 13.1 timing point -Sally Kelly photo |
I picked up a motorcycle escort just after mile 13. On the return leg of the race the lead runner started catching me and my escort left when I fell behind the lead runners motorcycle. Sally splashed some water on me as I passed by on the return leg. I picked up my pace and the motorcycle had to drop back to cover for the lead runner. With no one taking point for me, I slowed again as I began getting bogged in the back of the half-marathon field.
The lead runner caught me and passed me at about mile 23. Since he had a motorcycle escort, all the sudden I could pick up my pace. I no longer had to work my way around the slower runners. Pretty quickly I passed the lead runner but I was back among the slower half marathoners.
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| Mile 26. Making it back through the field of half marathoners -Sally Kelly photo |
At about mile 24 a pair of bicyclists dropped in front of me and began helping me work through the runners. My “wingmen” took me all the way to the finish where I finished in just under 3 hours. It was not my best effort, but I was very happy nonetheless. Enjoy my video on fb (the video comes up muted. Turn up the volume and watch full screen!):
The race offered awards to the top three in each bracket. Since one of the wheelers was a woman, I managed to bring home a third place trophy!
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| Carteret County winners! Second & Third place Male hand crank wheelchair. |
Roll with me to Boston
It was a great weekend and a lot of fun but mostly a much needed boost to my Boston Marathon training. One thing I've learned over a decade of handcycling is that training needs to have quality. To motivate myself during difficult training times I dedicate my efforts to something bigger. Please help out by support our cause, Hope For The Warriors. Use our secure online donation page to contribute to this great cause. 2008 Miles of Hope.
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| Run for Hope -Sally Kelly photo |
And follow me as we roll on to Boston.
-Lets Roll!
