Recap

So, it’s been over a year since my last fitness post. The previous was around July 2023, regarding my quest to lose weight, which I needed as I had gained around 20 lbs and had fallen into some poor habits. I already knew then things would be more challenging as it’s been years since i’ve had to drop this much. What I didn’t realize was that the chaos I was in would make it impossible. I also didn’t know the journey I had already begun was about to be one of the worst of my wife and I’s lives. 

In the end, after years of fighting, things ended sadly, and we went from a party of three living together to an exhausted, grieving couple. My wife lost her best friend ever, and I lost my father-in-law. That was June 2024.

The Present

Now, we are back on the quest. We’ve left the shire, which isn’t quite as bright as it used to be, and we’re going to give it another try. We’re pretty much back where we started, and I have the same goals, but I’d be happy to lose ten pounds at this time, given the circumstances and the way the world feels. Honestly, focusing on anything mundane or average is better than what we’ve endured this year. 

3 Tier Plan

Throughout most of the last couple of years, we’ve kept up with our exercise as it’s therapeutic and generally enjoyable in some form or another(which is KEY to exercise for anyone). The goal is to keep that up with a focus on cardio at least four days a week and weights with high-intensity sweat-burning movements added in twice a week. 

As before, part two involves reducing alcohol and other bad eating habits to a bare minimum. Comfort food is a thing, and it has been for all three of us for a long time. Now that we have a short-term goal, these things need to be cut in exchange for dropping some pounds. 

Part three is reducing our food intake for a time to get back to our desired weight. This is sustainable indefinitely and doesn’t have to be. For years, we kept the same weight and routine, and I had no complaints, but life got out of hand and we couldn’t keep up. The way to lose weight is a simple formula: EAT LESS CALORIES THAN YOU BURN OFF. This requires some calculation so that you can keep track enough to use that formula to your advantage.

We plan to take it day by day and do what we need to keep going while keeping the end goal in mind. It’s still structured, but there’s wiggle room because, well, we need it. Being honest and realistic with yourself can only help you stick to the original plan, as you are more likely to return to it after each small cheat, earned or not. 

Howl-O-Sprint 5K

We signed up for a unique fitness opportunity to kick-start our recovery and weight loss quest. For the first time, as far as I know, Sea World held a 5k run through their adult-oriented Halloween event, Howl-O-Scream. I don’t think any big company, at least in central Florida, has done this type of event. We were both long-time fans of the original Halloween Horror Nights before it got ridiculously crowded and expensive. We also love October and the Spooky Season. Why not combine some fitness fun with some spooky fun? 

The run was on Friday, September 13th, at midnight through Sea World Orlando. Participants received an event shirt, basic snacks at the after-race party, and finishers received an event-themed medal. 

Race Details:

• Cost for annual pass holders: $66
• Cost for in-person runners: $85 
• Cost for the virtual run: $95
• Cost for spectators/after party attendees with free parking: $25
• Total Race capacity: 4,000
• Prizes 1st $100 2nd $75 3rd $50 gift cards to the Howl-O-Scream shop

We’ve done other runs, but this one would be new and exciting. Plus, it’s on our plan to burn calories and get back to exercising. We didn’t know what to expect, but we also didn’t find much time or space to think about it beforehand. The week leading up to the race, the weather went from Summer heat to overcast (Florida’s Fall?). 

We did packet pickup the day before the run on our lunch break, and it went smoothly. It was at a hotel nearby, as we live close to SeaWorld. The course map was laid out to give us something to get excited about, and we kind of did. 

Race Day

Then, on race day, we went full Fall and spent it getting into the spooky spirit, preparing our outfits, and staying active to be ready for the odd midnight start time. We usually run first thing in the morning, often fasted, and then go to work or walk to stay active after. We had some extra carbs early on and made sure to hit a night coffee, which was a fun exception for us both as daytime coffee lovers. We powered up about an hour before with pumpkin bars like Nutri-Grain but Trader Joe’s brand.

We left early for the race to have time to get our bearings and warm up on site. We even listened to some spooky music on the way! When we arrived, the parking lot was essentially full of Howl-O-Screamers finishing their night and Howl-O-Sprinters coming in. There was a big crowd for the run, with people already in their corrals based on their average mile time. 

There were a few costumes, but many runners just added a Halloween-themed shirt or hat. There was plenty of Friday the 13th merchandise, which was appropriate. We went with a comfortable mix of night run(lights), Halloween(skeleMickey shirts), and Friday the 13th(Camp Crystal Lake hats). Without spending much, we fit right and felt festive. 

Pre-race entertainment included a DJ and host speaking a lot to the crowd, but he was mostly inaudible from the distance we were standing. The race got pushed back a bit before starting a few minutes after midnight. 

Run For Your Life

The race began with scare actors(vampires)) gyrating above the start line as corrals were let go one by one. It’s important to note that serious runners who took off like rockets were involved in the first corral. Many people were there for the spectacle, but others just to check off another run. While the staggering of corrals was helpful for spacing, it was a bit chaotic. Then my time came, and the sprint was on. 

It was thrilling to run under the Howl-O-Scream entryway, knowing ghouls would be popping out left and right within. They didn’t disappoint, and there were many ghouls on both sides of the race at intervals along the course. Many of them were heckling more than jumping out, which is probably for the best as runners don’t react great to being scared. There were defintely still many jukes, jumps, and screams around us as we ran. 

We got to run through or past many fun sets along the course from Howl-O-Scream scare zones. Even the daytime Halloween Spooktacular for kids sets were scary in passing in the middle of the night. As the race was fun, there were many photo opportunities if you didn’t mind stopping. Even some of the scare actors graciously accepted selfies with runners. Otherwise, you could just run by at your own pace and take it all in, which is plenty memorable on its own. 

The highlight for me was around halfway through the 3.1 miles when we were running underneath the Kraken rollercoaster. Suddenly, the Jaws theme was playing in the theme park where Jaws 3-D was filmed. The movie nerd and Jaws fan in me was in disbelief, and the run was immediately worth it, no matter what else happened. We’d already been on a self-guided tour in 2023 to all the locations in the park from the movie. Running to the ominous theme was just icing on the cake.

Finish 

We crossed the finish line at a slow but steady pace set from stopping ot take pics and not really pushing too hard. They don’t record your run time, but we tracked it ourselves. They also don’t take run photos available for purchase, but I imagine they will do so the next time around.

 After crossing, we received our snacks(banana, water, protein bar) and medals. The medal is actually really cool. It’s a skull, but the eyes and teeth are popped out so the light shines through, which would be really cool on display with a colored light behind it.

Race Party

There were alcoholic blood bags and syringes for sale almost immediately upon entering the party area. Around the after-party were more Howl-O-Scream photo ops to pose with, holding our newly earned medals, and the Howl-O-Scream merch shop was open for runners. The bar was also open with themed drinks, but the lines were pretty long. A lone pizza stand also smelled amazing, but the prices were Howl-O-Scream high, so we declined.

We got a few pics before heading out. Leaving was pretty quick and easy. We were wide awake and kind of wanted to reward ourselves for completing the race, so we grabbed some snacks on the way home. We ended the night with old episodes of The Addams Family to try to help us calm down and fall asleep, which happened around 3 a.m.

Survivor?

Overall, I really enjoyed the race. It’s a great way to get a Fall run in(in the much cooler midnight air) and enjoy the Howl-O-Scream experience. The price as an annual pass holder was incredibly worth it. The price for others, I think, was still decent, as there were many scare actors along the course. You got to experience Howl-O-Scream speedrun style, and you got a shirt, medal, and snacks. 

I hope they do it again, but I’m sure there were some tough lessons learned from having a run at night and having scare actors involved. The run was fun so it was possible to walk it if you don’t enjoy running. I did see some frightened children on the course, so I wouldn’t say it’s completely family-friendly. This is the second of three races for SeaWorld this year, and I am guessing the third will be around the holidays in December. We’ve done the first two. The first was the Seven Seas 5k in May 2024, but things were hectic then. Hopefully we’ll be able to do the third. 

The Future

Even if we don’t, there will be another longer run for us in December, so stay tuned. There may or may not be an update to The Quest before then. Until then, remember, we only get one shot at this, and you can do it!