Publix Florida Half Marathon Race Experience
This year is my 10th Runniversary and I am celebrating by running a half marathon each weekend in the month of February. Why February? Because February is when I ran my first half marathon back in 2013 and last weekend’s Miami Half Marathon was my 10th running of that event.
This past weekend I ran the Publix Florida Half Marathon in Melbourne, FL and I am calling this race “Rookie Mistake or Excited Runner?” Read on to find out why.
Note: there are links below that I am sharing in support of the businesses I personally interacted with; I do not receive any commission or perks from those businesses.
Accommodations
We spent the weekend at the Hilton Melbourne and accommodations were cozy. This was not a host hotel, but it was an 8-minute drive away from the race area. We were only there Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning so we didn’t get to explore the hotel or amenities much.
Expo
There was a small expo for this race with a few local vendors. Parking was free and abundant in the riverfront space. Bib and hat pickup were in adjacent tables.
Pre-Race
I left the hotel at 5:50am and parked along the main road that runs through the historic Melbourne shopping and business area. An easy 5-minute walk to the race area had me near the start line by 6:10am. Bathrooms for the entire race were located by the start area and I had enough time to wait in line twice for the bathroom (gotta empty out as much as possible!). It was raining race morning and the rain caused 15-20 minute delays to the start times for all distances. The half marathon was supposed to start at 6:35am and ended up starting at 6:50am. A cool note about the pre-race activities was a pep talk from Olympian Frank Shorter (1972 marathon gold medalist!) where he said that the best thing to say to a runner is “You look good!” and I couldn’t agree more!
Post-Race
You finish the race exactly where you start. There was plenty of water and fruit at the finish line, along with beer for all participants. I loved being able to hang around and see runners finish without being told to move out the way (common in bigger races).
On the Course
There were water stops at about every 1.5-2 miles and bathrooms at almost every water stop. I don’t remember seeing a stop with gels, but there was a stop with pickle juice for runners. There was on course entertainment with DJs and live music, although the rain did cause some of the performers to pause at times. This was a tough course with a bridge at mile 6 and another bridge at mile 12. I can’t even imagine the marathoners covering those bridges twice as they looped the course! Don’t get me wrong, the bridges offered up some of the most amazing water views, but they were steep climbs of about ¼ to 1/3 of a mile long and I wasn’t not prepared for that. Remember when I wrote about this race being called “Rookie Mistake or Excited Runner?” This is why. I hadn’t paid much attention to the course when I signed up for this race and didn’t realize how big the bridges were until we arrived in Melbourne and drove over the two bridges. Aside from the bridges, the course was well supported and marked off. The course ran along the road and in neighborhoods, making this another local race that gave me a good feel for the Melbourne area.
Race Experience
Like I said earlier, I didn’t realize there were bridges along this course. Once I saw the first bridge, all I could do was laugh and vow to do a better job at looking at elevation charts for all the races I participate in going forward. The plan for this race was to make it a workout: 6 miles easy, 2 miles fast, 1 mile easy, 2 miles fast, and 2.1 miles easy. That first set of 2 miles fast started right as I began climbing the first bridge, making this another laugh out loud moment and a further vow to pay more attention in the future. Bridges aside, the course is flat and my favorite part happened around mile 3 when I saw dolphins swimming in the river. There’s nothing like running alongside dolphins to remind you to stay playful. My second favorite part of this race was the downhill run into the finish line; sprinting across the finish line was easy-peasy.
Weather was a weird one on Sunday. I packed for the race on Friday night and, when I checked the weather, the forecast suggested rain and temps in the 40s. There was drizzly rain on race morning, but temps were mid-to-high 60s and humidity was at a fun 94%, making this not ideal conditions for me. I appreciated the overcast skies, but was definitely looking forward to cooler temps for this race.
Overall Impression
The Publix Florida Half Marathon was an unexpected challenge with those bridges, but it was a great reminder of how strong I am, physically and mentally, as a runner. The field size for the half was on the smaller side (600+ runners), but I never felt like I was alone out on the course. More and more, I am appreciating races of this size because I can focus on conserving energy (no weaving needed to get ahead) while working hard to achieve my race plan. I found this race to be a lovely event that brought me back to Melbourne, a city that I enjoy visiting and wished we could visit more often. Would I do this race again? Absolutely, but with more preparation so that I can tackle the bridges instead of feeling like I was trying to survive them.
Pros
Local race with a community feel.
Melbourne has a great running community and you can tell the running community is a strong one.
Start and finish are in the same place.
Plenty of course support.
Pacers for half marathon and marathon distances.
Free parking and lots of it!
Incredible views (dolphins!).
The medal has a spinning coconut!
Depending on your preference, race shirt was an additional fee. You do get a hat with your registration though and I prefer hats over shirts any day.
In-and-out expo experience.
Small field size for achieving race goals, but not so small you feel alone on the course.
Post-race drinks and snacks.
Free race photos from Fixed Focus Photography.
Cons
Weather wasn’t ideal and caused weather delays. Race directors can’t control this, so it was a great reminder of the importance of being flexible on race morning.
Depending on course preferences, bridges were no joke.
Depending on tracking preference, there was no on-the-course tracking for family and friends. (Tracking was only for start and finish)
Depending on course preferences, there were several segments that ran through residential neighborhoods to make up mileage.
For those of you who like the numbers, this is half #52 and my official time was 2:16:03. Next up for me is the Fort Lauderdale A1A Half Marathon on Sunday, February 20th.
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