Gulf Coast Half Marathon Mandeville 2016 Recap!

Be sure to read all about packet pickup and the day before the race!

My alarm went off at 5:00 AM race morning. I slept the best I think I've ever slept the night before a race! Donna said she slept great too! I'm not sure if it was because there were only the 2 of us rooming together so we each had our own bed or what. We also talked about how we weren't stressed out about this race at all. So I'm sure that helped too!

Donna and I got ready in record time and made it to the lobby by 5:30. We were so excited because our hotel offered breakfast starting at 5:30! Usually the free breakfasts don't start until after we have left for the race. So I was so excited to eat a bowl of oatmeal and have a cup of coffee!!!

We left the hotel around 5:45 and were on our way to the state park where the race begins and ends. We made it in plenty of time and with minimal traffic. We had enough time to use the real bathrooms in the park and not the porta potties! Score!!!

The temperature was in the 60's and it was humid. Last year I remember it being cold and us sitting in the car for awhile before the race to stay warm. Not this year.

After using the restroom we headed to our meeting spot to take a group picture. There were about 15 Sole2Soul Sisters there! We were all wearing orange shirts with the words "Fight the Good Fight" from 1 Timothy 6:12. This shirt was in honor of our fellow Sole2Soul Sister Leah who is fighting cancer. We were all so happy and blessed to be running in Leah's honor!

Before long it was time to line up in the chute! Everyone crowded in and I couldn't get exactly where I wanted to be. But I did find Gina, Kristi, and Beth so I stayed with them!

Mike, the race director, warned us the cannon would go off but I still jumped when it did! It was loud lol! Then we were off! 

In my training I had been staying around an 8:45-9 minute mile. So that was pretty much my plan for the race. 

I had to do a lot of weaving in and out of people the first mile since I couldn't get further up in the chute like I had wanted. But once I got out of the crowd I was able to keep a pretty steady pace. 

I was feeling great from the start! My legs were great and my breathing was great! I got into a great steady pace! I did more of running the way I felt rather than paying attention to my pace. I realized that I was running faster than my training but it felt good so I just kept running that way. 

This route is so pretty! You start out in the park and then you exit out of it, run down a highway, and then you enter neighborhoods with tons of beautiful houses! 

I was surrounded by people most of the race. But it wasn't too crowded. 

I decided to do water stops the way I had been training. That meant stopping around mile 3.5 and mile 7-8. Thankfully this race has TONS of water stops! 

Every mile marker was clearly marked with signs which I love! 

Around mile 4.5 I turned onto my favorite part of the course...running along Lake Pontchartrain! The water was beautiful and all the houses were gorgeous! 

At mile 6 we made a right turn into a neighborhood. I just kept cruising along and enjoyed looking at all the houses! 

We weaved in and out of neighborhoods until around mile 9. Shortly after reaching mile 9 we turned onto the bike trail (Tammany Trace). This part of the race always seems to take forever. You are so close to being done but still have about 4 miles! 

While on the trail there was a guy in front of me. I was running in his left blind spot. I was keeping a steady pace but couldn't go any faster to pass him. I finally told him I was sorry I was running right on him and he said that it was ok because I was keeping him motivated! I told him we were running the same pace and it was helping me too. We talked a little but mostly just ran near each other. We were both pretty focused. 

After what seemed like forever we finally took a right hand turn off the trail and back into the park. This was around mile 11.5. Not much more to go. The guy stopped for a water stop but I kept going. Not long after reaching mile 12 he caught up to me. I said, "There you are!" He replied, "I'm back! Only one mile to go!" 

He ended up running a little faster than me that last mile but he was still in my sights. Y'all! That last mile was TOUGH! I was so ready to be done! But I didn't want to slow down. 

FINALLY I see this sign! And I LOVED it! That's exactly how I was feeling lol! 

Once I saw the finish line and the time clock I started sprinting! I knew at that point that I was really close to a PR! 

I ran across the line and stopped my Garmin! But I didn't even look at it right away. The guy I had been running with at the end had stopped at the end of the chute and told me great job and fist bumped me. I saw him later and we talked a bit. He was super nice! I told him thank you because he helped push me!

I finally looked down at my Garmin! Woohoo!!! I had done it! I had PRed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My official time was 1:52:23!!!! That was an 8 second PR! Hey...it's only 8 seconds but I'll take it!!! 

I stayed at the finish line and watched Beth, Kristi, and Gina finish. Then I went and found them. 

The official race results were posted and I found out that I was 5th in my age group! Pretty sweet! 

After looking at the results we went to our cars to put up the glass they had given us at the finish line. I didn't want it to get broken. I also wanted to change into my flip flops lol! 

On the way back from the car I ran into Jennifer! She had a cold so it wasn't a great race for her but she did it! 

She told me that the race director, Mike, had just called my name over the speaker to come see him. He had told me earlier to not leave because he had something for me. So I found him and he blessed me so much y'all! He and his family had gone to Hawaii this summer. He told me he had had this since then and had meant to mail it but never got around to it. 3 weeks ago he was going to mail it and his wife told him to just give it to me at this race. Y'all! He bought me the Starbucks mug from Waikiki!!! I was soooooooo excited!!!! 

The after party was amazing like always! There was lots of yummy food! I had a bowl of jambalaya and a peanut butter smoothie sample! Yum! There was also a live band like always and they were amazing! 

Once everyone finished we talked for awhile with everyone and then we headed to the car. 

Donna and I got back to the hotel. We had a late check out so we were able to get showers! Yay! We dressed in our race shirts and then met Sherry, Mindy S., and Rachel at Zea's for lunch. By this time I was starving y'all! 

I was so hungry that I FORGOT to take a picture of my food!!! But I had an amazing cheeseburger, grits, and french fries! So good! 

After lunch we headed next door to Starbucks for some coffee for the drive home! I had earned that Venti Coffee Frappuccino Light! 

It was such a fun race weekend! I was so shocked and amazed at my PR! I seriously never thought I would beat my previous time! Hard work really pays off y'all! I am also going to say that I think the strength training helped this PR happen as well as my training! 

Thanks for reading!!! 

QOTD: What is your favorite indulgence after a race? 

Gulf Coast Half Marathon Mandeville 2015 Recap!

Be sure to read all about packet pickup and the day before the race!

My alarm went off at 4:45AM on race morning! I had slept pretty well but woke up several times so excited! So when the alarm went off I was ready to get up!

We all got dressed pretty fast. I was super happy that there was a microwave in the hotel room so I could eat my oatmeal. Then we headed out to a nearby hotel to meet the rest of our Sole2Soul Sisters.

Since this race is in a state park and there is only one entrance and exit you need to be there extra early to not get caught in traffic. We made it in plenty of time and found a pretty close parking spot. Another bonus...we were parked near a building that had a bathroom! A brick and mortar bathroom before a race??? That's luxury!!! I so enjoyed not waiting in line for a porta potty lol!

We had a few minutes to spare so we all hopped back into the car for warmth. The temperature was 51° and it was windy! That's perfect for running but not so great for standing around waiting on a race to start....BRRRR! Paige thought we were hilarious all bundled up in the backseat of the car lol!

Before long it was 6:40AM...which meant it was time to meet everyone at the start line for pictures and prayer. And...I had to find Jenny!

Luckily this race isn't huge and she found me super quick! We lined up for pictures but I'm disappointed in how they turned out. The lighting just wasn't good since it was barely daylight.

We said a prayer and then we had about 10 minutes before the start. Jenny had to use the restroom so I joined her in the porta potty line. Luckily it didn't take long.

I was so ready to run!

We headed to line up at the start line and who did I see? Karen!!!! I had to rub her cute little baby bump!!! And then we had to have a picture of course!

We got to the start line corral and it was packed! This race doesn't have actual corrals but you can line up by pace times. We wanted to be in between the 8:00 and 9:00 pace signs. I did NOT want to be stuck in the back like I was last year so we made a train and I squeezed us up to where we needed to be. No one seemed too aggravated by us. But even if they were I didn't care lol! It's better than having to weave in and out of people when running.

A quick start line corral picture!!!

My goals for this race were to finish under 2 hours. Jenny wanted to beat her previous PR of 1:59:57. I knew we could do that. But I wasn't sure we would beat my PR of 1:54:43. But Jenny had faith that we would.

Before we knew it it was go time!!! We started exactly where we needed to in the corral. We didn't have to do a whole lot of weaving around people and that was so nice! Jenny's husband Eric ran with us at the beginning. He's been nursing a calf strain injury and was unsure how this race was gonna be for him. So it was Eric, Jenny, and me all together for about the first 4 miles. I was feeling pretty good. The weather was perfect! Eric went ahead while Jenny and I stopped for our first water stop. We drank quickly and before long we had made it to mile 5 and one of my favorite parts of the course...running along Lake Pontchartrain! I love running by the water and seeing all the beautiful houses!

Jenny and I were keeping about an 8:30 pace. We both felt good although Jenny's leg (where her injury was) was tight but not hurting.

Mile 6 we turned into a neighborhood. I remembered that we would turn into the neighborhood, turn onto the main road and then turn around and reenter the neighborhood. I was hoping to spot some Sole2Soul Sisters here. I saw Laura but she was the only one I saw.

During this neighborhood we saw the funniest water stop too! All these guys were dressed in nothing but red speedos handing out water! I was laughing so hard! Jenny was covering her eyes as we ran by lol!

Sometime during this neighborhood I also noticed that my right calf had a really tired feeling. It wasn't pain. It just seemed tired. I prayed it wasn't anything serious and kept running. I did remember that I forgot to roll my legs with my stick before leaving the hotel. I had a feeling that was why it was doing this.

Around mile 8.5 we reached Varsity Sports where we picked up our race packet. In the years past they have always done a super fun water stop. But not this year. It was quiet as can be when we ran by. I was a little disappointed.

Finally around mile 9.5 we reached the bike path that would lead us back into the state park and to the finish! This part of the race is always tough for me. There isn't a lot to see but trees on each side of you. And you know you are so close but it seems so far away.

We were both so quiet at this point in the race. I will admit that I was struggling big time. I was so ready to be done. My legs were so tired. But I wouldn't let myself stop. I wouldn't let myself quit. It was on this bike path that I told Jenny I needed some music.

I turned on the song that I first heard at the Unique Conference the weekend before. It's called "No Longer Slaves." I told Jenny it was going to be on repeat and she said that was fine with her. The lyrics really helped me focus on something other than the run.

"I'm no longer a slave to fear 

I am a child of God 

You split the sea, so I could walk right through it 

All my fears were drowned in perfect love 

You rescued me, so I could stand and sing 

I am a child of God"

Finally we turned right off the bike path and into the state park. It was around mile 11.5. We were so close! At this point I looked at my Garmin and was a little in awe. I told Jenny, "We are going to do this girl. We are going to beat not just her PR but MY PR!" We were going to blow Jenny's PR out of the water! We just had to keep going and keep maintaining that pace. 

We reached the mile 12 sign. I kept thinking..."less than 9 minutes and you will be done." That last mile was HARD! But finally we made that left curve and I could see the finish line! 

Thanks to Jenny's husband Eric (who ran the half in 1:46 and with minimal pain...yay!!!) for this picture of us perfectly in step with each other about to cross the finish line!!!

I heard the race director Mike call out my name..."Mindy...Road Runner Girl!" And then we crossed the line!!! We finished in 1:52:31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is over a 2 minute PR for me and a 7 minute PR for Jenny!!! Happy tears!!!!

The race director Mike also took a moment right after we crossed the line to announce that I had just reached day 500 of my run streak! So awesome!!! Thanks so much for that Mike!!! 

Thanks to my Sole2Soul Sister Heather for these finish line pics!!!

We grabbed our medals and hugged and cried! We had done it!!!! It was almost unbelievable to me!!!

Jenny's husband Eric met us at the end of the finisher's chute. And then we saw our friends Gina (who PRed with a 1:47 AND placed 1st in her age group!!!), Kristy, and Beth. We took some finisher pictures!

Then we headed to the after party for some food and celebration! They had red beans and rice, sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and the most amazing hamburgers! Yum! There was a live band playing too! SO fun!

Can you see the excitement on my face???!!!

1:52:31!!!!!

One of my favorite things about races is seeing my blogger friends....and meeting new ones! I saw Karen at the start line. And then I saw Jen at the after party!!! She had a great race as well! And it was so good to see her again!!!

I also got to meet Debra!!! It was so great to meet her!!! And she ran a PR as well!!!

Then we headed to find the race director Mike. He is seriously the best race director ever! I had to tell him thank you for the shout out at the finish line. And also share my PR!!!

Pretty soon we found more of our Sole2Soul Sisters. Including my Paigey! She's done this race with me every year!

And here are the best roomies ever!!! Susanne, Donna, me, and Paige!!! I always have so much fun with these precious ladies!!!

We talked for a little while longer and then it was time to head back to the car. We were all ready for a shower! And for some food!!!

Luckily our hotel gave us a late checkout of 1:00 so we were all able to take showers for the ride home. But first we stopped and ate at Zea's Rotisserie Grill. We eat here every year after this race and it never disappoints!

After lunch we stopped by Starbucks for a coffee for the road. I discovered when I was ordering that the barista's name was Mindy too!!! I don't meet too many Mindy's so I told her we HAD to take a selfie lol!

I was craving hot coffee so I got my new favorite...Toasted Graham Latte. I earned that Venti size!

The ride home was fun as always! The weekend definitely went by fast! But I was ready to see my prince and little men! I had missed them!!!

I am still in awe over my new PR!!! This was another great race in Mandeville! And I will definitely be back again next year!!!

Oh and just so you don't forget.....1:52:31!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

QOTD: Do you have a race that you run every year?

Road Trip to Mandeville!

So this past weekend I ran the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Mandeville, Louisiana! This was my 5th time running this race. It is one of my FAVORITE races! The course is gorgeous, the weather is always perfect, and the town is just the cutest!

My roomies and I headed to Mandeville on Saturday morning. Our tradition is to always stop for lunch at The Shed BBQ in Mississippi. The food did not disappoint! So yummy!

From there we headed straight to packet pickup. This race always does packet pickup at a local running store called Varsity Sports. They always have a good sale for all of us runners coming in from out of town! I bought a new blue skirt that is super cute! (I'm not going to show it to you though because I'm wearing it to my 5K race this weekend)

After shopping we headed out back to grab our race bib and race shirts. And guess who I ran into out there? Jenny!!!!

We talked for a little while and then she headed out to explore Mandeville with her hubby. We also ran into a few more of our Sole2Soul Sisters there! We talked to them for awhile and I also talked to one of the running store workers. I just happened to mention to her how this would be me and Paige's 5th time running this race and that somehow we missed running it the first year (this is the 6th year of the race). She said...hang on! And then she presented me and Paige with a medal!!!! I remember they gave these out to runners last year who had run the race every year since it started since it was the 5th anniversary. Paige and I were soooo excited to get this medal!!! How awesome!!!

After we were finished at packet pickup we headed out in search of those yummy Louisiana snowballs!

Wedding cake is my favorite flavor!

Then it was time to check into our hotel. We stayed at the same place as last year so it was really easy to find. Paige checked us in and then came out saying they only had rooms left with two twin beds. And that they were searching for two rollaways for us. Yeah. I KNEW she was tricking us but Donna and Susanne totally fell for it! They really believed her until we got into the room lol!

Once we got into the room we all started organizing our things for the race the next day. And of course I had to take my traditional Flat Road Runner Girl picture!

A lot of our Sole2Soul Sisters were running for breast cancer awareness since it is national breast cancer awareness month! The shoe on the front of our shirts is made using the breast cancer symbol. So cute!

For dinner, Jenny and her husband Eric came and picked me up. We headed to Mellow Mushroom for our traditional pre-race and pre-long run pizza!

We saw this car in the parking lot and of course Jenny and I had to have our picture made!!!

I ordered my favorite pizza...pepperoni with mushrooms! It seemed extra yummy!

We had so much fun eating our pizza and talking for hours! Before we knew it it was 8:00 and we knew we needed to get back to the hotel so we could get some rest.

I got back to the room and realized that with all the travel that day I hadn't gotten all my steps in for the day. I had only gotten in about 8000 steps and needed to reach 11000! So Donna joined me and we walked the hotel hallway until I reached my step goal!!! Thanks Donna!!!

Then it was lights out! After all....the next day was RACE DAY!!!!!!

Be sure to come back to read my race recap!!!

QOTD: What is your favorite part of race weekend?