Gasparilla 15K - 2016

The Gasparilla 15K was my first race since my half marathon in NC and part of my training for the Delaware Coastal Marathon which I signed up for on a whim over Christmas break. I was very happy with my race and thought I had achieved a new PR until I looked at my 2014 results and realized I was 40 seconds slower this year. In 2014, I finished the 15K in 1:20:09 at an 8:35 mile per minute and this year it was 1:20:46 at an 8:39 pace. But this year, I ran to the start from my house to increase my mileage in keeping with my somewhat informal marathon training plan, so considering my three mile warm up, I was still very happy with my results.

I kept the first three miles around a 10 minute mile so I wouldn't tire out my legs too much. Once I got to the start with about 15 minutes to spare, I really had to use the bathroom but when I saw how long the lines were, decided I would hold it and go during the race if necessary. I didn't see anyone I knew and ducked into the corral where one of the gates was cracked open. Conveniently, I ended up pretty close to the 8:30 pacer and decided I would do my best to stick with her. Because of the huge crowd, I ended up a bit behind her once we started and spent my first mile trying to catch up.

Running along Bayshore towards the finish line!

I stayed right behind the 8:30 group for the next 4 miles but started to slow down as we raced back down Bayshore after the turn around point. It was warm in the sun and I had to get water at a couple of stops (I'm not sure the pacer stopped to rehydrate at all!) to drink and pour on my head. The last mile felt pretty horrendous and I really wanted to walk but I kept pushing myself as best as I could, knowing the finish line wasn't too far off. 

The best part of the race was seeing lots of familiar faces once I crossed the finish line! I truly love the running community in Tampa and was happy to see friends who were out to spectate and provide support, and lots of friends who raced. I walked around for a bit, chatting with people, and then made my way to the finishing area where there was live music and beer. The restaurant Ulele had a tent set up and offered an amazing honey craft beer for free to race finishers (I can't remember the name of the beer but I would definitely buy it at the restaurant once I figured it out). After getting some food and socializing, I went home and napped. And no I didn't run back home; I hitched a ride with a friend!

With Charity and Emily in front of the Gasparilla pirate ship post race!

As usual, I didn't love any of the professional race photos but I included the two I thought were the best.

A Return to Jewelry Making

Well, my other new hobbies didn't take off quite as well as I had hoped; it seems I tend to stick to what I know best - running and making jewelry. I recently finished a six week long basic wire jewelry class at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center to jump start my creativity again and I'm soooo glad I did! We met Thursday evenings from 6 to 9pm and made some amazing pieces using techniques I hadn't tried before (to my surprise).

During the first two weeks we made a gorgeous copper bangle out of twisted wire. To start the project, she taught us how to use a drill to twist two 16 gauge pieces of wire together. Next, we coiled the twisted wire and slid it onto a 12 gauge of wire to anchor it. We used copper wire, because it's inexpensive, to learn the technique and while I love the fun look it creates, I prefer to work in silver once I have mastered a skill.






The next two weeks were spent making a second copper bangle using coiled beads we created, and making more clasps and ear wires. Here's a photo of my bangle before it was dipped in liver sulfur to darken it.





















My instructor, Stacy Perry, was wonderful, and I ended up signing up for a Soldering Basics workshop with her at Something About Beads in Palm Harbor. We made the disc earrings and silver ring in the photo below and I may have purchased a torch from her to continue practicing at home (since I couldn't ship mine from Hawaii!)

I would without a doubt recommend classes at the DFAC and they have an impressive offering in just
about every medium. I'm hoping to take the second session of her wire class in the fall but while I'm marathon training, I couldn't keep driving to Dunedin in rush hour this spring. I made the rings below in our last class.