It was sad news yesterday when Events by Life Time announced it's ending the First Watch Sarasota Half & Relay event in Sarasota. They sent an email to past participants. (Websites aren't updated yet.)

The Life Time First Watch Sarasota Half & Relay was one of my favorite half marathons. They celebrated their 10 year Sarasota anniversary in March, 2015.  In 2019, the race moved from it's perfect March date to October due to road construction issues.

That was a rough change because October in Florida is still super hot and humid. Severe storms the day before the event forced race management to reduce the half marathon to a 10K. I enjoyed the 10K, and the after party was as good as ever, but there were a lot of disappointed runners. I'm sorry the race series ended on a bad note.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that a new race comes to Sarasota soon. We're gonna miss this race!

It's getting closer. Just two weeks until my first half of the season! Last weekend, I used a 15K race as my long run. This weekend, I was on my own.

First, I made a plan:

• Run Slow
• Run More Hills Than Loops Around the Lake 
• Gatorade Endurance Gels at the Start, Mile 4, and 7 (Blackberry and Apple Pear)
• Carry Gatorade Endurance Thirst Quencher (Watermelon)

And then I started running. I listened to several podcasts, which helped the time and miles go faster.

​Last Saturday, I ran the One Step Closer to the Cure 10K race as a training run. It's was my unofficial kick off of racing season.

As I've mentioned, I like how races keep me motivated during a training cycle. A race helps me check my pace and endurance progress. Plus, it's always easier to get a run done if you have company.

Saturday's race around downtown St. Pete was a good challenge for me. I'm happy with my effort. I used Gatorade Endurance gel for race fuel. I took one before the race and ran steady for all 6 miles. I carried a second gel as backup, but didn't use it.

I had Gatorade Endurance lemon/lime thirst quencher in my water bottle. There was water only at the aid stations, so I was happy to have the electrolytes. (It's still very hot.)

I needed more than 6 miles for my weekend long run so I laced up my running shoes on Sunday to add 4 more. 

I think bright colors and fun flavors improve my runs. So, ​I wore my bright orange Bib Rave tank and fueled with mango Gatorade Endurance gels for my additional miles. I felt good and both runs went well. Hooray running!