I could use some help from Horatio, Calleigh, Delko, and Natalia. I need them to find what little speed I have for these destination races disappears to. For the third time in a row I have had my slowest times for a half marathon.

While I’m a little concerned about that slower time I’m not too disappointing in the result and I try not get too upset because so many things can go wrong when you travel. There are delayed flights, traffic, sleepless nights, not so great hotel neighbors, time differences, etc. You name it. Any of these things can throw a wrinkle into all that great training and destroy you on race day.

Mine started off with a delayed flight out of LaGuardia, traffic in Miami, hunger, and not being able to pick up my bib on Friday afternoon. This meant a little more running around on Saturday than I would have liked and then a slightly sleepless night on Saturday. Then let’s throw in some weather conditions, like the 82 percent humidity at the start of the race and you’re guaranteed to have a fun time!

You have to love a race that allows you to put your nickname on the bib. It was great to hear total strangers yelling out "scooooooops."

I am happy because I was able to get a negative split for the middle section of the race and I have an idea on what I have to work on for the last third of the race. Parts of the course were a bit crowded due to some construction, narrow roads, and people who walked in groups. I may have wasted some energy by weaving around a bunch of them during the second half of the race. I did have to push myself the last couple of miles and I’m not sure if that was more mental or physical.

Overall the course was amazing. For good portions of the course we were surrounded by either the Atlantic Ocean or Biscayne Bay. We got to run through South Beach and great little neighborhoods along the Venetian Causeway. All the people along the course were awesome as were all the volunteers.

My reward was an upside down palm tree.

While I may not have finished in the time range I wanted I really loved this race. I loved being in warm weather and being on the ocean. It reminded me that my five year absence from Miami was too long. I don’t want to wait that long to see the city again so I signed up for the race in 2013.

My goal for 2013 will be to run better (shouldn’t that always be a goal?) and perhaps earn a medal with a right side up palm tree. Although my upside down own has grown on my and is the perfect example of how I live my life which goes against the norm at all times.