Shamrock Half Marathon 2026, Why Not?

November 11, 2025

Preface

Let’s get it started. Enough of me complaining about being fat and struggle ass runner. Ok, so I haven’t technically completed a race since last May, but I have decided to throw my hat in the ring to run Shamrock Half Marathon 2026 in my hometown of Va. Beach, Va. The hubby, dog and I (aka Team Kwablón) will make this a nice extended weekend. That way I’ll have an opportunity to run this half marathon and visit friends and family.

Jumping Back In

I ran this half marathon a 2-3 years ago and had a blast. The course is pretty flat and easy; there’s a decent amount of crowd support; and there is a pretty cool after party.

Unfortunately, I could not partake too much in the post-race festivities the last time I ran this half because my father’s car was towed and I had to help him recover his car. The only (very minor) complaint is that I wish the race incorporated more of Va Beach Oceanfront’s boardwalk.

Random Trivia: did you know that Va Beach holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s longest pleasure beach (35 miles)? I think a pleasure beach is a beach that has a combination of recreational activities and attractions.

Geez. First, hotels are pricey. Ok, so our hotel is not that much; however, I think it is a bit pricey for the area. Perhaps, I’m a biased because I’m from the area and have the POV of y’all are charging this much for THAT?! Second, hotels are pricey when you need one that is pet-friendly. That said, we booked a place that’s on the oceanfront, but not too far from the start and finish line. Although I wish we were a bit more central to all of the fun on the boardwalk, being in the central section of the boardwalk is NOT worth paying an extra $75+ per night. LOL. Below, I have a random rant about my experience trying to book a hotel.

Training Plan?

Before I get too excited, I really have to have a come to Jesus moment because this round of training will need to be completely different to my previous half marathon trainings. For instance, I will need to spend about a month to reacclimatize myself to running on a regular basis. Form now to December 30th-ish will be my re-introduction to running. Then, January onward will be my “real” training. Also, another important factor, I must do daily stretches and post-run stretches - no IFs, ANDs, or BUTs.

Believe it or not, I’m actually very excited to start my running journey again. However, I have to remember not to beat myself up too much when I do not achieve specific goals. When I started running back in 2010, I had an advantage of being in decent cardio shape (e.g., hitting the gym 3-4 times a week, riding my bicycle to work 3-5 times a week, and doing long-distance [30-100-mile] bike tours). Now, I’m starting this journey at 0. Actually, I take that back, I’m starting this journey at -10 because I am in horrible shape. LOL. It’s almost as if I have to get into shape just to start properly training.

Customer Service/Q&A Rant:

Before I begin my rant, I know that I can be a bit verbose/longwinded when it comes to this blog. ;) BUT, this medium more less is a representation of my random ass thoughts. Hey, admitting the problem is the first step. However, one thing that annoys the SHIT out of me is when I receive a long-winded, back and forth response in response to a SIMPLE question.

The organizers of the half marathon has a list of participating hotels with discounted rates. Since I’m traveling with a dog, I decided to call hotels before making my reservations to ensure they were dog-friendly. So for that, my simple question was: Is this hotel dog-friendly? In my opinion, this question should result in a simple yes/no response. Calling one hotel lead me down this annoying path of a Q&A session "forcing" me to hang up on the receptionist. Yes, it was rude, but the guy broke me with his 50 million questions in response to my ONE simple question. For my half-assed defense, I did hang up on him while I was on hold. ;)

Snippets of the dialogue

How did you find this hotel? Which dates are you thinking?
Are you military?
Are you open to staying in another hotel in the area? If we do not have a room available, perhaps, I can book your stay at another place?
Ok, it looks like we have ONE pet-friendly room available with a rate ____?
Oh you have a discount code? Can I ask where you found it?
Please hold while I confirm the booking discount code.

I get the guy was doing his job, BUT I needed only one piece of information. However, I’m sure he was trying to pull a bait and switch. For instance, during that call, I was on the hotel’s website and there were at least 10 available rooms. Also, the rates he posted were way higher than those on the website. Oh, crap, that reminds me to double check if the hotel that I booked is pet-friendly even though the website said it was pet-friendly.

NYC Marathon: I'm inspired, damnit

November 6, 2025

This past weekend marked the 54th annual NYC Marathon. First up, a shoutout to all of the runners (~55K), volunteers, organizers, and spectator that keep this marathon running (pun intended).

The winners of this year's NYC Marathon were:

Men's Division: Benson Kipurto (Kenya), 2:08:09

Women's Division: Hellen Obiri (Kenya), 2:19:51 (course record)
Men's Wheelchair Division: Marcel Hug (Switzerland), 1:30:16 (7th victory)
Women's Wheelchair Division: Susannah Scaroni (US), 1:42:10 (3rd victory)

Although I no longer live in NYC, I always try to make it a point to watch the NYC Marathon every year. You know what grinds my grits? We have 80 million streaming platform (ok so it's 6 or 7) subscriptions, but I could not find a way to watch this without adding an additional tier to a couple of these apps. Fortunately, it was Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), the Spanish public broadcaster, to the rescue with its live coverage.

Bonus points because RTVE gave me an opportunity to work on my Spanish comprehension since the commentary was in Spanish...although I wasn't paying attention too closely.

Aside from that minor hiccup, I absolutely enjoyed watching the elite runners and wheelchair athletes do their thing. Check out this amazing finish from the men.

Not to take away from the women's finish, but it was pretty evident around the last 800 meters that that Hellen was going to take it.

NYC Marathon Memories

There is something that so inspirational about the NYC Marathon. Perhaps, it's become this marathon has been an integral part of my NYC life - having living there for 20 years and running 7 or 8 NYC Marathons.

t's kind of funny because from 2002 until running my first one in 2012, I somewhat despised the NYC Marathon. Why? It had a way of screwing up my day because of all of the street closures. Starting in 2010, I worked on the Upper East Side, about 10 blocks from where the marathoners enter Manhattan for the 1st time. When I had to work on NYC Marathon Sunday, this meant that I had to walk an extra 20 blocks to get to work. I guess that I eventually developed a mindset of if you cannot beat them, join them.

Another aspect of the NYC Marathon that I miss. During my last four years as a NYCer, the marathon went through my Harlem neighborhood. As a runner, there's nothing like seeing the support of the neighbors that you see on a daily basis. I will say it was a bittersweet feeling running through my neighborhood.

Yay! I can see my apt building, and I'm getting a lot of love from my neighbors.

BOO! I still have 4 miles to run. Why cant this marathon end in my neighborhood? ;)

In my experience, the last 5-6 miles were always horrible because you know that you are going to finish (unless something major happens), but you STILL gotta run/jog/walk/crawl those last 5-6 miles. He only plays with larger dogs.

The Inspiration

While watching the marathon with my morning cups of coffee spiked with whiskey and a cigarette, I had this internal dialogue with myself.

Me at 10ish: That's it, Kwame! You are going to get your life together and run a major marathon (NYC, Chicago, London, or Berlin) next year come hell or high water.

Me at 10:45ish: BITCH! You are already booked for a fall marathon. Remember, you deferred your Richmond Marathon 2025 registration for the 2026 one.

To be honest, I'm cool with running Richmond Marathon instead of one of the Majors.

First, I haven't been too lucky with the lotteries for the World Majors marathons.
Second, there are a lot of logistical concerns that comes with running these marathons.

Ok, so I do not know about the logistical considerations for London, Chicago and Berlin since I have not ran these. However, one of the bits of the NYC that annoyed me was how much time AND effort it takes to get to the start. For NYC Marathons, I would have to wake up around 3/4 am to arrive to the start village for a 10-10:45 am start. At that point, you have been awake for 6-7 hours BEFORE even starting to run 26.2 miles for 5-6 hours. Dirty Old Sneakers sells a T-shirt that perfectly describes this situation.

What's next?

Since I have some time to get ready for a fall marathon in 2026. I wanna break this down into two parts...considering my last long distance race (a half marathon) was in April (wait, I think it was May). Spend the next 6-8 months getting into some sort of shape to actually train for a marathon; then spend 3-4 months actually training for the marathon.

Like my dad (oh crap, I was supposed to return his call yesterday) say: Ain't shit else to do.

An LOL Moment (or a WTF Moment)

A marathoner ran his 26.2 miles through NYC while wearing Timberland boots. If this isn't NYC AF (at least urban NYC AF), I don't know what is. I can feel the blisters that he probably has to tend to.

Get to know Limón the Dog

July 5, 2025

Limón’s thoughts when we went to the beach without him.

Ok! So I know that I haven’t made a running post in quite some time. Also, this post will clearly be off topic since it will not be about running. BUT, Team Kwablo (my husband and I) recently adopted a dog from a local (actually, maybe it's a national) rescue. Since nothing else exciting is going on in my life, I figure why not make a getting to know Limón blog post

Birthday:

We really don't know. When we picked him up early this month, the rescue aged him at 7-10 months and gave him a birthday of November 01, 2024. I guess we'll go with that.

Breed:

We really don't know either. The rescue had him listed as a shepherd/terrier mix, with no specifics on which types of shepherd or terrier. Interestingly, my iPhone's photo app says he is a Blackmouth Cur.

Limón after an hour at the dog park. Apple's iPhoto thinks he is a Blackmouth Cur — What “Siri” thinks Limón is.

I can really see a lot of similarities between Limón and these images of Blackmouth Curs. Of course, the iPhone's phone app makes these suggestions based on the angle of the shot, so he could be a mix of other dogs.

What inspired us to adopt a dog?

Not really sure. I always wanted another dog since the passing of my last one (Bacchus, a beagle) back in 2015. Since we live in Maryland, which has a slower pace of life compared to NYC, we thought why not? Or as my dad sometimes says: Ain't sh*t else to do.

Why did we choose the name Limón?

Originally, the dog's name was Calvin. However, we think the rescue just gave him that name because he never really responded to Calvin during the first few days having him. Limón's name was chosen by the husband because he read a novel that was set in the Limón Providence of Costa Rica, and he always wanted to visit that providence. I was fine with the name because I've visited that region of Costa Rica twice, and I really enjoyed the calm and easy beach vibes. It's an interesting area because that is where many Afro-Costa Ricans live. Or rather, they HAD to live there until the 70s or 80s because they were not allowed to live in other parts of the country. Since many of Afro-Costa Ricans have Jamaican roots, there was a vibrant mix of Latin and Afro Caribbean cultures...which is reflected in the yummy food.

Limón the dog at his first vet appointment. — Limón at the vet

Where did we adopt him from (shelter, rescue, foster)?

We adopted him from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (LDAR). Overall, I thought the process was pretty much what I expected. However, I have to be honest and say that I did't completely agree with all of their procedures for adoption - especially after hearing an adoption story from someone that also visit our local doggie park.

What was Limon’s story before adoption?

F*ck if I know. ;) According to LDAR, he was moved from their affiliate shelter in South Carolina. However, I recently learned that sometimes the rescue transfers dogs from Puerto Rico to South Carolina and to the DC area. So, Limón might be "Puerto Rican". During one of our walks, a person on the street asked me if he was "one of those Puerto Rican street dogs". I thought she was a loon, but it turns out that Puerto Rican street dogs, also known as Satos, are a thing.

However, I'm not sure if he is a Sato because I don't think he understands any Spanish commands. Speaking of which, the hubby (who is from Spain) has yet to teach him a single command in Spanish.

What was our first impression when we met him?

He was super calm and immediately rolled on his back to let me rub his belly. Then, he laid on my foot and rubbed himself on my leg like a cat. To be honest, we were more interested in adopting a 2+ year dog, but I think Limón picked us. There was something about his chill vibe that was intriguing. However, I think he might have been chill because he was overheated. For some of the LDAR adoption events, they have the dogs sitting outside in a hot a** PetCo or PetSmart parking lot. Come to think of it, all the dogs at that particular adoption event were really "calm".

How did Limón react on his first day at home?

First day home was interesting. While cautious, he did not really seem scared by anything. I was 100% shocked that he was so good with being placed in a crate. Then, I was shocked again because we did not hear a single peep out of him while we slept in our room and he in the crate in the living room. I was expecting a bunch of whining, crying, pissing, and pooping. I wonder if the crate didn't bother him because he probably spent most of his time in a cage while at the shelter.

What are some of his quirks or funny habits?

He stretches A LOT, which I think means that he trusts us.
He will plop right next to you with no concerns for your personal space.
He only plays with larger dogs.

What are his favorite toys or games?

LOL. He likes this rag (picture 1), which he had while in the shelter and a standard plastic bone (picture 2). We learned very quickly that he is a toy, tennis ball, and bed (picture 3) destroyer. Any stuffed toy will last 20 minutes to 24 hours in his hands...errr paws and mouth. For instance, I bought this cow/dog toy (picture 4) from PetSmart the other day, and there were already holes after our 20-minute drive home. There probably would have been more damage to the cow but he dropped the toy on the floor of the backseat and probably couldn't get to it.

How does he behave around other dogs or people?

For the most part, he's fine around other dogs. However, he does bark loudly if he cannot greet a dog face to face (well maybe nose to nose). At the dog park, he prefers to play (sometimes a bit rough) with other large dogs. I wonder if he prefers large dogs bc he has a sense that he might be a big dog.

Limón playing with another big dog at the dog park.

With people, I'm going to have to observe interactions more astutely. In general, he is great with people. However, we were at the bar the other day, and he constantly barked at two different men that were speaking to us. The barking wasn't aggressive because I think it was more of a "Hey, look at me" type of bark.

Regarding the 1st man who spoke to us, I think Limón picked up that the hubby and I were annoyed and bothered by the man. Why? The man was a shirtless, drunk and/or high nutjob that was pestering us to buy him a beer and they he tried to sit with us uninvited.

On the other hand, the second guy was a really nice gay man, who posed no threat or issue to us. Oh, I only mentioned the gay piece because the guy kind of reminded me of myself (e.g., mannerisms, drinks preference, and even his brand of cigarettes). I hope in the case of the second guy, Limón was simply on alert because of the 1st individual (the nut). However, he didn't have a single problem when women chatted with us.

Limón “protecting” us at the Limerick Pub.

What commands or skills is he learning right now?

Unfortunately for us, Limón is somewhat stubborn and not really food-motivated so training can be a bit rough. So far, he seems to know: 1. his name, 2. sit, 3. lay (with some slight verbal pressure), 4. to sit when in the elevator and before I open a door. We're trying to work on: 1. leave it, 2. down, 3. car (because he's somewhat afraid to jump/step into the car), paw (because I need to lift his leg to put on his harness). He does know “GIT YO TAN & WHITE ASS OUT OF THE KITCHEN” very well. ;)

What has surprised us the most about him?

He doesn't really seem to have any issues with separation anxiety, and I hope this remains the case. Ok, so he may whine a little bit when the hubby leaves...even if I'm still home. But, he only does that for 3-5 minutes. LOL. I am somewhat "annoyed" that he misses the husband more than me. However, I think this makes sense because 1. I'm home with him for longer periods of time since I work from home on MWF. 2. He probably associates me with "bad things" like making him follow commands, giving him baths, giving him his meds (the 1st week we had to give him eye drops for mild eye infection), clipping his nails, etc. When the husband comes home, I joke and say something like: You know he has been fine ALL DAY. As soon as you arrive home, he loses his goddamn mind.

What’s his favorite snack or treat?

He really loves when we prepare salmon for him. In terms of treats, he really likes doggie beef jerky and pupperoni. However, we have not found a treat that makes him go crazy. Correctly, he really LOVES cooked chicken breasts.

Does he have a favorite place to nap or relax?

He relaxes under the coffee table while we are home. On many occasions, he'll put himself in his crate. Recently, he has started taking his toys out of the crate and treats and putting under the dining room table. Not sure what's that's about.

How is he adjusting to his new environment?

Word on the street is that we should observe the 3x3x3 rule - 3 days/3 weeks/3 months. I guess now we are in the 3 week part of 3x3x3.

3-3-3 rule for dog acclimation to a new home from UK USCA. — Image courtesy of UKUSCA Doggie

What have we learned from him already?

I've learned to be more patient and how to be efficient in getting ready in the morning. Attempting to sing a high note, makes him come to me really fast.

Kwame “attempts” high G to get Limón’s attention.

How do we handle challenges like training or anxiety?

I do not think we have had any major challenges...yet. You might have to ask the hubby if he has major challenges. ;) The biggest thing for me is leaving him alone when he doesn't pick up a skill, or even try to pick up a skill, and to know that it's fine if he doesn't "get it". Actually, I take that back a little bit. We had major struggles walking him with a collar because he constantly pulled. He did get a little better with me, but I would have to hold the leash very tightly with little slack. I wonder if that actually stressed him out more, which led to more pulling. However, the vet informed me that our harness had another place in front of his chest to connect the leash. Since learning this, our walks have been 100% better. However, it is not foolproof because all bets are off when he sees a bird, butterfly, another dog, or a deer. All that said, he is getting better with the leave it and ignore commands...kinda.

What are our goals for him over the next few months?

Learning more commands and solidifying the ones he knows - especially around distractions.
Getting him to let us know when he has to go potty. Fortunately, we have not had an accident in the house. However, I think this is because we take him out frequently (about 5-8 times a day). But, I would like for him to indicate when he needs to go outside.
Trusting him outside of the crate while I'm at work. I think this might have to wait until he is 2-4 years old. I'll say when I’m working from home he usually just chills in the living room while I'm in my office, BUT on a couple occasions, I've caught him en route to the kitchen...which is a big NO NO for us.

Race Report: PNC Alexandria Half Marathon

May 3, 2025

DATE: April 27, 2025

DISTANCE: 13.1 Miles

PLACE: alexandria, Va

WEATHER: 55F

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: 2:32ISH

FINISHERS: ????

SWAG: Finisher's medal, tech T, ROV ENERGY DRINK, COUPONS FOR FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

Quick Thoughts

Pretty nice and easy half marathon that's super flat with old town vibes.

General thoughts

Although I did not really train for this half marathon, it felt great to get another half marathon under my belt (well, under my shoes).

Expo

Unfortunately, there was not really much of an expo for this half marathon. Bib pick up pretty much was traveling to Pacers Running Store in Alexandria; grabbing a bib, drop bag, T-shirt and; bouncing. Bib pickup probably was low-key because this was the inaugural half marathon, so the organizers probably did not think it would be worth it to have a real expo.

While I’m not super into HUGE race expos (because I'm a grab and go kind of guy), I was a little bit disappointed by the "low-keyness" of bib pick up. Why? It’s about a 1.25 hr, $7.5 subway ride (each way) from my part of the world to Alexandria, VA. This trip used up all of my little money on my SmarTrip card. ;)

Yes, I could have driven to Alexandria, BUT that traffic is NO joke. Now that the organizers know how many folks paid for the 5K and half marathon, perhaps, they can either have an actual expo or have an off-site bib pick (e.g., somewhere in DC).

While there was not too much to write home about regarding the official bib pick up, I did have an absolute blast at Hard Times Cafe. Primarily, I stopped by this spot to get a bite to eat before 1.5-2 hr subway trip home.

I ended up staying at the restaurant/bar for a couple of hours chatting with a couple of locals. The folks in this town (or at least at the Hard Time Cafe) were so friendly because I willingly was roped into several conversations. It also helped that the food and adult beverages were somewhat on the cheap side. A huge chili burger and fries, a margarita, two tall beers, and two whiskeys on the rocks was like $50. Actually, I think the bartender might have forgotten to charge me for one of the whiskeys.

Half-Marathon logistics

I think this was the first time in a long time, that everything went right the morning of the race. Preparing EVERYTHING the night before really helped matters...Duh, Kwame. Also, only having to poop twice instead of 3-5 times really increased efficiency during my pre-leaving the apartment for a race routine. I have to say that I am very happy that the organizers worked out an arrangement for FREE garage parking for this event.

Race time

With the exception for running through Old Town, I thought the course was somewhat plain Jane because it was out and in course. I find these courses a bit boring because you pretty much see the same things twice (granted from a different POV). You know, kind of a what have you done for me lately sentiment. ;) Well, one cool thing about these types of races, you can see the super fast people on there way back to the finish.

*Leader of the half marathon (at Mile 8 or 9). I'm not sure if he actually won or not.*

On one hand, this is very inspirational. On the other hand, you realize how “slow” you are or how much ground you still have left to cover before reaching the finish line. I think the turnaround point was located around Mile 7.5.

*Turn around. Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely, and you're never coming around. Turn around.*

Actually, I’m gonna turn this negative into a positive. I want to use this experience as a starting point to get back into decent running shape over the remainder of this year. Note there might be a lot of complaining for this because kicking this off right before summer in the hot- and humid-ass mid-Atlantic region is no fun.

My plan for running this half was pretty simple in that I cycled between these two running plans from Mile 2 to the finish line:

Cycle A: Run 0.75 miles and walk for 0.25 miles.
Cycle B: Run 1.75 miles and walk for 0.25 miles.

Since the weather was perfect for me (about 55F with some cool breezes), I received several bursts of energy that "allowed" me to do fartleks for the last third of the half. Maybe the bursts of energy happen because I wanted to warm up by running a bit faster.

Finish

The organizers gave us a decent post-race party. Like most races, I did not stick around too long after finishing. I pretty much drank my complimentary beer, changed into my regular clothes, and bounced.

Kwame with his medal AND beer (an IPA of sorts)

Since I was a bit early for my post-race brunch plans with the hubby and a college friend, my medal "suggested" that we hit up the Spanish bar, Barca (boat; not to be confused with Barça - abbreviation for Barcelona), for a few pre-brunch cocktails.

Alexandria Half-medal with cocktail.jpeg

Would I run this half marathon again?

I think that I would run this half marathon again for a few reasons.

-Pretty cheap at 90 bucks (early registration) relative to other biggish races in the area.

-Relatively close to where I live (about a 30-45 minute drive). Although bib pick up is a bit of a pain because there never seems to be a good time to drive to Alexandria during the work week. Hopefully, in the future, the organizers will have off-site pick up somewhere in DC. Since the race was a decent size, I doubt the organizers will have race-day pickup. Or, they might be like some races where race-day pickup will cost you another 30 bucks.

-Held during a decent time of year when it’s not too cold or too hot. The race date (April 27, 2025) is pretty close to The Perfect Date day (April 25th according to Miss Congeniality). ;)

My "performance"

Since I was taking it very easy, it gave me a chance to really "enjoy" this half marathon. I went into this half marathon just to finish, so I was not too disappointed with my performance. Actually, I take this back a little bit. Since I kind of pushed myself during last third of the half, I was sure that I was going to get a sub 2:30 time. Unfortunately, I missed this mark by two minutes. This was totally my fault because I kind of BS'ed during the first mile.

Where do I go from here?

Not really sure. However, I have been receiving a lot of notifications on Facebook about Richmond's Marathon. Do I want to work my way back to Richmond over the next seven months?

Social Media Plug: @smokinscientist (Twitter); Kwame S (Strava)