Seaside School Half Marathon Recap!

Be sure to read all about packet pickup for this race!

I slept pretty well the night before this race! I was glad because sleep can be hit or miss with me the night before a race. We all got ready pretty quickly. And since we were staying at a condo that had a kitchen I was able to cook oatmeal and have that before the race. Normally I eat a protein bar and then a banana a few minutes before the race starts. I was happy to have a hot breakfast.

It was COLD outside! I didn't have a throw away jacket. I just had Susanne's jacket that I was borrowing for the weekend because I forgot mine at home. Luckily, we did have emergency blankets that Paige brought for us all (thank you so much Paige!). We drove to the Publix parking lot in Watercolor where we boarded a shuttle that would take us to Seaside.

We headed straight for the porta potties...and there was no line!!! Score! Then we hunted a warm place to wait until the race started. We couldn't find one so we huddled on the side of a building. We were so cold lol!

We took a few pictures...and yes my friend Paige is a nut lol! She didn't give us one serious pose lol!

I'm not sure how she found me but my bestie from high school and college roommate Brigette saw me sitting there. It was so good to see her!

While we were waiting, Paige's finance Billy asked me what time he should expect me to cross the finish line. He said, "Sub 2?" I told him that I didn't think that was going to happen since I had just run back to back races in Disney the weekend before. I really thought my legs were Disney tired!

Before long it was time to head to the start line and find all our other Sole2Soul Sisters! Somehow we missed several of them. We were supposed to meet at 6:45 AM but some of them didn't make it. Oh well!

And I tried to get my traditional before the race picture...but my lovely and special friend Susanne photo-bombed me lol! Love it!

The start line!!!

There were no corrals for this race. They had signs that gave predicted race finish times and you lined up according to those. I should have gotten in line closer to the start line but I opted to line up with my friends since I knew I wouldn't be running with them.

Start line selfie!

Before long it was time to start! I said goodbye to my friends and was off. I had to weave in and out of a few people at the beginning. But soon I found my pace.

This course was an out and back course. I knew I just needed to get to mile 6.5 and then I'd turn around and be heading back. There were also some rolling hills along the course. They weren't too bad though...nothing I couldn't handle thanks to me and Andria's favorite hilly route that we had been running during training.

The first few miles my feet were a little numb from being so cold. But soon they warmed up and I even started sweating. I was thankful for my tank top at that moment!

There isn't a whole lot to see on this course. The first few miles take you through Seaside, Watercolor, and then you hit a bridge where you have a nice view of the beach. But other than that there isn't a lot of scenery. You go by some houses but all in all it's kind of boring.

The worst part of the race was when we got to a bridge a mile or two before the turn around. It was under construction and so we had to run on this metal grate. It was super scary because it was uneven and slippery. Luckily I didn't fall but I did slow down a little to be safe. I was dreading going back over it once I turned around.

(Thanks to Susanne for the picture of this yucky bridge!)

Even though there wasn't a whole lot to see on the course the miles were ticking by. And before long we saw the first person headed back to the start line. I gave him a cheer as he ran by. It was fun watching all the super fast runners going by!

Before I knew it I had reached the turn around! I was halfway there!!!

I was feeling amazing! My pace was in the 8's which was a little shocking to me since I had run Disney the weekend before.

I started thinking that I may possibly run a sub 2! I didn't think I would PR...but it would be close. We got to the bridge with the beach view around mile 10 or 11. I was feeling good but was starting to get tired. I just kept telling myself to push through and before I knew it I'd be done. I had less than 30 minutes if I kept up my pace.

I started to realize that I had a chance to PR! I reached mile 12.5 and turned on my phone to call Billy and tell him I was going to be finishing sooner than I had expected. But then I couldn't get my phone to work so I said forget about it. He would just miss me crossing and that's ok.

And then I started running through Watercolor. I was getting close! Then I started seeing all the pretty houses in Seaside!

I knew that a PR was gonna happen. I just wasn't sure by how much!

And then there she was...that wonderful finish line! I sprinted towards it. I had PRed for sure!!!!

I stopped my Garmin and looked at my time! I had PRed by about 3 minutes!!! My official time was 1:54:43!!!!

I had several new records too!

I walked through the finishers chute and received my medal. Then I went through the tent and got my Vera Bradley bag. They had two patterns to choose from and I liked them both! It was a tough decision!

I came out of the tent and there was Billy and Brian! They had looked up and saw me running towards the finish line but didn't make it in time to see me cross. They congratulated me and then we headed back to the finish line to cheer on our other sisters.

I was ecstatic over my new PR! I couldn't believe I had done it!

Before long Paige and Susanne came through. Everyone had run a good race! Yay!

We then headed over to grab our free BBQ from Jim 'n' Nix! Yum! We went back to the wall we sat at pre-race and ate. We all started getting super cold from being sweaty! We headed back to catch the shuttle and the heat on that thing was divine!

Since we couldn't make it back to the condo before check out time we made the plan the day before to change clothes in the visitor center. So that's what we did. Even though I longed for a shower, getting out of the sweaty clothes made me feel so much better!

On the way home we stopped for some lunch. I wasn't super hungry since I'd eaten the BBQ after the race. But I did splurge and ordered one of my favorite seafood dishes...crab claws! They were so yummy!

This race was so much fun! Even though the course wasn't very entertaining it was worth running it for that Vera Bradley bag! ;-) This was my second time running this race...and I have PRed both times! So I think I like this race lol!

And just check out the cute race shirt, medal, and Vera Bradley bag! LOVE!

QOTD: Have you ever ran this race? What is the best finisher swag you have gotten?

Seaside School Half Marathon Packet Pickup!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!! Hope you have on your green today! :-)

This race weekend didn't start the way I had hoped. My husband was supposed to come with me. We had rented a beach condo for the weekend with another couple. We were both so excited! But the morning we were leaving, my son Hayden got sick. We took him to the doctor and he had a sinus infection. My wonderful sister in law was still going to take care of him so we could go but our gut feeling said one of us needed to stay home. My sweet hubby offered because he knew I wouldn't want to miss my race. So I went without him. :-(

With the change of plans I rode with Susanne and Brian. There wasn't any use in taking two vehicles. We arrived in Destin, FL and our condo was so nice! We stayed up late talking and laughing! So much fun!

The next morning Susanne and I headed out for a run. The beach road had a sidewalk so it was perfect!

I got in a little over a mile for my streak and then we headed to the beach. It was overcast and chilly out there but so gorgeous!

I love these two pictures below! I didn't know Susanne was taking them and they turned out so cute!

After our run we got showered and went in search for some breakfast. We were starving! We found an Ihop and I devoured some strawberry pancakes...yum! Then it was off to Seaside!

First we stopped at the visitor center because in the past they've always had a gift for the race participants. But we were disappointed this year...they didn't do the gifts this year. Oh well! We still got a good picture out front!

Before we knew it we had arrived in Seaside! Now if you're familiar with Seaside then you know that it is very hard to find a parking spot. So Brian just dropped us off in front of the school and he went in search of a parking spot. He ended up never finding one and kept driving around until we were done and then he came and picked us back up. Crazy!

There was a line to pick up our race packets when we got there but fortunately it moved pretty fast. And the line went right through where all the vendors were so you could window shop while waiting in line! This was different from the last time I ran this race.

The Seaside School is one of the cutest schools I've ever seen!

To get our race bibs we went in one door. It was simple...they had everything organized by last name. Then you went back outside and to the building next door and picked up your race shirt. The school was decorated with all kinds of signs welcoming and thanking the runners!

I was hoping this was a lucky bib number! :-)

After getting our bibs and shirts we headed back to the tent to do some shopping. And there...we ran into Paige and Billy! They were staying in our condo that night so we were excited to see them! We didn't shop long since we knew Brian was driving around waiting on us. We passed by the tent with the Silent Auction but didn't go in. We headed to the post office to meet Brian. This is seriously the cutest post office I've ever seen!

Brian picked us up from there and we headed back to the condo in Destin. We hung out there that afternoon just having fun talking and catching up with each other! It was great to relax so much before the race the next day!

That night we headed to Carrabba's Italian Grill for dinner. I wanted my pizza of course and this restaurant gave everyone other options as well as pizza. I went for my usual pepperoni and mushroom pizza. It was divine!

After dinner we made a quick stop at Publix for coffee for the next morning. Then it was back to the condo. Of course I had my flat Road Runner Girl ready to go!

I loved my outfit for the race but was a little worried about wearing a tank top. The temps for race day were in the 40's with wind. I knew I'd be fine once I started running but it was going to be freezing before and after the race.

Stay tuned for my race recap! :-)

QOTD: What's the lowest temperature you will run in a tank top?

An Afternoon in Seaside!

Make sure you've read all about the Seaside School Half Marathon Expo and my recap of the race!

After the race I headed back to the house to shower and get warm! Then I relaxed on the couch with Coby and we exchanged race experiences. Unfortunately hers wasn't as good as mine because she had a foot injury. But she still finished and got her schwag!

After some more refueling and rehydrating we set out to explore Seaside! I wasn't leaving without stepping foot on the white sand beaches! I've been to Destin, FL before (not too far from Seaside) and the water is always gorgeous!!! We set out to walk toward the beach. One really cool thing about Seaside is all the entries to the beach. There are nine pavilions that take you to the beach...and each pavilion is different! I really wanted to explore all nine...but we only got to two.

We walked a little ways on the beach but it was super windy and very tiring on half marathon legs! I loved the perspective of seeing the houses from the beach!

We entered another pavilion to leave the beach. The water was just so pretty...even though I've seen it prettier. I just couldn't get enough! And I loved seeing all the sand dunes. The beaches near me are mostly flat now after several hurricanes have washed away the dunes.

After walking on the beach we did a little shopping in Seaside. I could spend all day shopping in all of their cute little shops! We may have also stopped for some ice cream! ;-)

On the way back to the house we took a detour. We went to see the house where the Jim Carey movie The Truman Show was filmed. I was so excited to see this house!!!! After walking down a few streets we finally found it!!! It was on Natchez Street!

The house's name is...surprise...The Truman House! The address is 31 Natchez Street but the owners left the house number from the movie...36...above the door.

Just to refresh your memory....here's the clip from the movie that shows Truman coming out of the house and saying his famous line! Yep! It's the same house!!! Pretty cool!



I fell in love with Seaside while I was there! The shops, the beach, the quaintness of the town, the architecture...it was all amazing! And my hubby would love it! I definitely plan to come back!

QOTD: Have you ever seen The Truman Show? Have you visited any other towns like Seaside?