Key West Half Marathon and 5K Giveaway

Do I have an amazing giveaway to share with you! My friends at Key West Half Marathon and 5K have given me an entry to BOTH their Half Marathon and 5K to giveaway to two readers. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to run one of Runners World Magazine top 10 Destination Races.

Click here to enter the contest through Instagram!

I will be running this event with my best friend Keri and former roomate Tara. It will be an epic girls weekend for sure and I look forward to sharing details about our event planning soon. In the meantime, here is some updated information on the event!

The 20th Anniversary 2018 Key West Half Marathon Medal Revealed
I love this medal! When I first signed up for the event, I thought we would get wine bottle medals like the past, however, this one is so much better than I expected. Plus the lighthouse lights up every two seconds. How awesome is that?! Mile ) and the Southern Most Point are also highlighted - and it wouldn't be very Key West without a rooster.

The 5K medal is a smaller version of what you see below - it doesn't light up but is an amazing 5K medal to add to your collection!

Cheap quick flights from FL
As of the date I wrote this post, you can get tickets from Orlando and Tampa to Key West for less than $200 a person. Come party with us! If you aren't one of the lucky readers to win an entry, you can still save 15% on by using Key West Half Marathon Coupon Code: LOVEWINE. Click here to register.

Here's a bit of what to expect from the race weekend:

Key West Half Marathon - 2017 Promo from Vantage Point Aerials on Vimeo.

Race Shirts

All runners who sign up for the 5K and Half Marathon will receive these amazing gender specific dry fit shirts. I have more race shirts than I know what to do with but this is one I will proudly wear! I love that the back has the city directional sign on it and you can vaguely see New Orleans, which is my favorite city in the US!

Guys Long Sleeve Dry Fit Shirt

Ladies Long Sleeve Dry Fit Shirt

Best Spectators EVER!
I have had a few friends run Key West Half Marathon before and have heard stories of spectators handing out beer, mimosas and shots along the course. There will be entertainment and the amazing  volunteers encouraging you along the way. Plus you have all the key west roosters cheering you on with their crowing.

Packet Pickup:
Key West Half Marathon and 5K Expo/Packet Pick-Up:
Outside the Half Shell Raw Bar, 231 Margaret Street
Friday, January 12, 2018 3pm – 6pm
Saturday, January 13, 2018 12pm – 6pm

Start Line:
Corner of Caroline Street & Grinnell Street – Less than a block from Packet Pick Up location
Half Marathon Start Time 7:00am
5K Start Time 7:30am

Finish Line:
Near Margaret Street & Caroline Street – also right near the Half Shell Raw Bar
Awards Party 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM with a concert by Howard Livingston & the Mile Marker 24 Band
Half Shell Raw Bar: $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas Race Day ONLY starting at 7 AM.

After Party:
Key West Half Marathon is known to have one of the best race after parties ever. I mean, it is Key West - so this should be expected, right? Free beer, food and raffles plus a concert with Howard Livingston and the 24 Mile marker Band! I can guarantee you we will be there partying after our 13.1 miles.

Key West Half Marathon Course Map

Key West 5K Course Map

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2017 runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Recap

So let's start this post off by saying 2 things: The Wine and Dine Half was my was my 22nd half marathon......and I haven't ran more than 3 miles since March, 2017.

I  am a seasoned idiot. OK now that I got that off my chest, I must say that I do not suggest my lack of training to anyone. I will be honest throughout this long recap in hopes that others don't make my ignorant mistake.

Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon is my absolute favorite runDisney event. It is a combination of all my favorite things (Disney, Wine, Food, Running) and it is the only race that runDisney puts on which gives runners access into a park for an after party. When runDisney cancelled the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January, my best friend Keri and I switched our registration to the 2017 Wine Dine Half since it is our favorite race to run together.....well Keri ended up getting into the NYC Marathon so I was tackling on Wine Dine Half alone.

I had full intentions properly training for this event. Well that didn't happen and I am not going to bore you with excuses. My work schedule conflicted with half marathon training and I will leave it at that. I had to take the red-eye in from Portland to get my bib on time. I was Jet lagged and beyond exhausted.

My Outfit:
ASICS Women's Gel-Nimbus 19 Running Shoe (on sale)
ASICS Women's Printed Capri (on sale)
Mary Poppin Bottles tank (similar)

At 3:15am, I was up and ready to go. I read the digital runner guide the night before and I read that the race started at Pocahontas Magic Kingdom Parking Lot. My big mistake for not questioning what I read. I missed an important part - where it said to park at Epcot and take a bus over. I had to turn around, drive back to Epcot, and be one of the final people to board the bus back to where I was just at. This was my mistake, but not having a printed out version of the runner guide really screwed me up and I beg runDisney to bring those back.

By the time my coral (D) started, I was in a foul mood. Nothing was going right, I was tired, I was untrained and everything I love about runDisney was annoying me. Next thing I know, it was time to start. I crossed the start line with the 2:30 minute run walk coral and made the decision to stay with them. Being untrained and used to this run walk ratio, I knew this was something that I could accomplish. Within a few steps, I was in a bad way. The humidity was impacting my breathing. I missed the last 8 weeks of Orange Theory due to work travel and I was starting to mentally doubt myself on all levels.

We passed a "parade bus" at mile 3.1 and I seriously thought about quitting. Then I thought to myself, Keri will have 23.1 miles to go when she reaches this point. Carry on.

I was very excited to run through Pandora, the new Avatar land in Animal Kingdom. I have only been to Pandora once during a media sneak peek. Upon entering Pandora, I left the 2:30 pace group so I could get some photos. This is where my downward spiral became a landslide.

Upon exiting Animal Kingdom, I wanted to quit again....and again...and again. At this point, I had not taken any character photos, so I stopped at the first one I saw which happened to be chef Pluto. I waited in line for a few minutes and when it was time to start running again, I felt positive for the first time all day - OK I can do this.

That is when I decided to stop at all the photo stops along the course. The next one - of course - was the one group of Disney Characters I hate....the Country Bear Jamboree. This is somewhat of an inside joke between my mother and I so I stopped, just for her. Awkward photo much?

Next up was the penguins from Mary Poppins. Given my shirt said "Mary Poppin Bottles", I was really hoping for a photo on the course with her, but penguins I will take.

I believe at this point, we were nearing mile 8-9. I honestly had a mental battle going on at this point. I was pissed off at myself for the lack of training. My ego got a hold of me, knowing how many half's I have completed. I thought no big deal, been there done that - and no ma'am, that is not what happened. Just smile for the cameras....

When I entered Hollywood Studios, I saw Oswald the Rabbit - and was stoked. I have always wanted a photo with him! On to the next character, which was tourist Genie, I skipped him as this photo already belongs in my runDisney collection.

Once leaving Hollywood Studios (which is beautifully decorated for Christmas, already), I found myself with the 3:00 run walk pace group. By the way, I was walking pretty much at this point. Hating life. This group was doing 30:30 which is what saved me during the Inaugural Dopey Challenge. I decided to stay with them through the end - that was until I saw Remy & Emile from Ratatouille which is my runDisney bucket list photo. I was grateful for that pace group as I would've ended up walking the last 2 miles if it weren't for them.

After my photo with Remy & Emile, I ran pretty much the rest of the course. My Mom was at the finish line - and believe it or not, this was her first opportunity to be able to watch me cross the finish line since my first 5K at Princess weekend in 2012.

I found my Mom, she graciously stood in line to get me a corndog (at 8:45am) from the Fantasy Fare Food Truck while I stood in line to get us 2 glasses of Moet Champagne. Cordogs and Champagne yall!

Then we took a couple of photos together. It was a treat having my Mom there at the finish line. Especially considering the mental and physical condition I was in.

This race was not fast. I don't even know (or want to know) my finish time. My accomplishment was only the fact that I finished 13.1 miles totally untrained (although it is an ignorant accomplishment). I learned a huge lesson in terms of training.

Our next race is the Key West Half Marathon in January and you can guarantee I will be training over the next few months!

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Visiting Cozumel Occidental Grand Beach Resort, Carnival Conquest

Never in a million years did I think I'd be back in Cozumel this year. When we went in January, I was very sick (and it wasn't from drinking). I had a fever, flu symptoms and didn't want to look at Mexican food or margaritas, which is how you know I'm truly sick. Although I made the best of the day, truth be told I was pretty miserable.

Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria put me on a path to visit Cozumel twice in a year. On our recent cruise on board the Carnival Conquest, we were supposed to stop at Turks and Caicos for our last port - instead we were Mexico bound (in the meantime, Turks is close to reopening their port)! I personally love Cozumel and was excited that Gabe would get to visit it for the first time.

Since this was Gabe's first visit to Mexico, we decided to book an all inclusive. I did quite a bit of research and found the Occidental Grand Beach Resort. Since we had a last minute port change, the only way we were able to book excursions through Carnival was on the ship - so we ended up booking through Shore Excursioneer.

I am usually a little hesitant about all inclusive resorts. They water down the drinks, the food is not great, they're over crowded. NOT the case at Occidental Grand Beach Resort. There were multiple pools to lounge at if the beach wasn't your thing (including an adults only pool).

The food was good!!! There was a wide variety of options including Mexican food, pizza, salad bar, hot dogs, fresh fish and grilled burgers. I was very impressed. We consumed more margaritas than we probably should have. They were delicious and made with premium tequila. Although we both took a 3 hour nap and missed dinner, neither of us woke up with a headache.

We nearly had the beaches to ourselves. We went swimming and could have gone snorkeling - but preferred more margaritas. Overall, Occidental Grand Beach Resort WAS GORGEOUS. The staff was beyond polite and we had a really great time and we would consider coming back and staying for an extended period of time. The only negative, which became a positive, was no wifi. We would have had to pay for a package. This annoyance turned into a blessing as we were able to 100% shut off, something I haven't done in a very long time.

The taxi ride was $20 each way and this isn't a common place for cruisers to visit. We paid $60 a person for the excursion. Considering the amount of margaritas we consumed, we more than got our money back. I strongly suggest Occidental Grand Beach Resort as an all inclusive option while visiting Cozumel!

Once we got back to the Puerta Maya, before we headed back to the boat we made a quick stop to  stopped at Pancho's Backyard for a margarita. I am quite partial to the margarita's at Pancho's, made with fresh lime, cointreau and premium tequila. Their food is pretty decent too. On my first visit here, we were hesitant it was a tourist trap with the proximity of the pier, but it isn't. I suggest a stop in here if you are at the port.

Special thanks goes out to Carnival for hosting me and my husband on this cruise. I was not compensated to write this post and all opinions are my own.

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