Seaside School Half Marathon...And a New PR!!!

I'm not writing my normal Fitness Friday post today since I had a rest and recovery week anyway. Instead I want to tell you all about the Seaside School Half Marathon!

In case you missed it be sure to read about the Seaside School Packet Pick Up and Expo!

My alarm went off at 6AM and I felt very rested. I did all of my usual things....went to the restroom, got dressed, rolled, stretched, ate a Designer Whey protein bar, and took some pictures!

Here I am with Coby and her friend Mandy!

We headed out the door about 6:40 and walked our two minute walk to the start line. Immediately I saw all of my Sole2Soul Sisters!!! We huddled up for our group picture!

Do we look cold? It was in the 30's with 10-15 mph winds! That's chilly on the Gulf Coast! This would be my first half marathon in cold weather. Usually I train in cold weather but race day ends up being warm! I was looking forward to running in the cold...I feel like I always run better in the cold.

I was also super excited to see some of our Sole2Soul Sisters from Illinois!!! Yes they came all the way down here to run! They are used to cold weather...even running in snow...so this was no big deal to them!

I reunited with the Illinois S2S leader Stephani! You may remember that I met her for the first time this past summer when she was in town on vacation and came to run with us. She was just as sweet and gorgeous as ever! (Thanks for the picture Stephani!)

I also got to meet Bev and Angie! They were sisters from Illinois AND they were super excited to tell me that they read my blog!!! How awesome! It was so cool to meet actual readers!!!

I was super happy to find Holly from Running and Baking Oh My! She's my pace partner! We always run together if we are running at the same time or running the same race.

We didn't have long and it was time to line up at the start line. We headed towards the back to find where our sisters were. I really didn't have a goal for this race. I was just going to run it for fun. I knew it would probably not be my best time since I had just run a half marathon the weekend before.

Holly, Donna, Me, and Kim all squeezed in the corral ready to start!

And another group shot! (Thanks Megan for the picture!)

And check out Holly and Jacque's shoes!!!!! They found the wings I was talking about at last weekend's race!!! Unfortunately I didn't see these at the expo or I would have surely bought some!

Finally we heard the gun go off and we were ready to run! 

I LOVE this picture that Cocoa L. Photography posted on the Seaside School Half Marathon's Facebook page of us crossing the start line!

The course was an out and back course so I wasn't sure if I would like it. It's described as "fast and mostly flat" but we knew there were some rolling hills because one of our sisters runs it every year and gave us the run down. The first few miles were all about warming up and not starting out too fast. I told Holly I wanted to stay with all the sisters and she was fine with that. Within the first two miles we crossed over a bridge with an awesome view of the water and you could see the sand dunes in the distance! So gorgeous!

That was the prettiest part of the course. We passed by some neighborhoods and by some businesses but mostly it was just us and the road. Around mile 3 we reached Grayton Beach State Park where several of our sisters and their families stayed. We kept our eyes out for people we knew! We saw Renee's family, Mindy S.'s husband, and Katrina's family. 

And then I saw Laura's Dad...Mr. Terry!!! He had his camera ready and was taking pictures! He is an awesome photographer and has taken many pictures of us running (like during my first half marathon)! He got some great pictures of me and Holly! Thanks soooo much Mr. Terry aka Laura's Dad!!!

Holly and I didn't stay with our sisters for long. We broke away about mile 2. I was feeling great and so was Holly...we kept trying to slow down but our pace would just keep getting faster. I had no idea what was to come. 

I took a Huma Chia Energy Gel around mile 4. Around that time we started seeing runners that had already turned around and were headed back. It was awesome seeing their looks of determination as they sped by us. But Holly and I agreed that we preferred running slower and being able to talk. Those lead runners looked pretty miserable. 

There were rolling hills on the course but Holly and I tackled them with ease. I think we were well trained for those hills. 

We made it to the turn around before I expected it and I couldn't believe we were already half way done! I was feeling great and having the best time! We were able to see the sisters that were behind us once we turned around! We cheered them on as we went past! They were all looking strong! 

The rest of the race we sped up. I had no idea we had sped up so much until I saw the final stats at the end of the race. I really was feeling great! I wasn't struggling a bit. I was having one of those runs where I felt like I could keep going forever! 

Around mile 10 we saw Laura's Dad again! He snapped some more pictures of us! You can see in the pictures that Holly and I were running in the opposite lane from most of the runners. That side of the road had a slant to it so we moved over. 30A was closed so we didn't have to worry about traffic.

At mile 11 I knew I was close to a PR. I had set my PR last April at the Gulf Coast Half in Pensacola Beach...I ran that race in 2:24:37. I couldn't believe that I was going to be close to that time only 7 days after running another half marathon! 

Around mile 12 Holly told me I was so close to a PR and that I needed to go on. I resisted at first because I didn't want to leave her. But she finally convinced me and I took off! My body had been wanting to run faster and it felt great! I now had that goal in my head...I wanted that PR bad!

Around mile 12.5...knowing that I was almost there!

You know how in some races it feels like you are never going to see the finish line? Well this race it seemed to sneak up on me! I saw it before I was even looking for it! I was feeling so great that I was almost sad to be finished!

And...I DID IT!!! A new PR of 2:23:22!!!!! I was ecstatic!!!! Who would have ever guessed that I would PR after running another half marathon 7 days before? I was 7 minutes faster than I was last weekend! 

You can see how much I sped up in the last half of the race when you see the timing stats! 

I grabbed my medal (which surprised me...I thought the Vera Bradley bag was our medal) and headed to get my Vera Bradley bag! There were only two patterns left when I got there. But I loved the brown pattern that I got...Canyon! 

I immediately headed back to the finish line because I knew Holly wasn't far behind me. I ran into her before I got there. She PRed too!!! We stood in line and got our finisher pic before heading back to the finish line to cheer our other sisters in. 

Of course we had to take a few pictures to celebrate our PR's!!!

While waiting at the finish line (it was FREEZING by the way) I saw this sign and had to take a picture! You could tell that Seaside was so glad the runners were in town!

Once our sisters had all finished we headed to the after party! I was looking forward to eating some Jim 'N Nick's BBQ...they are my favorite BBQ place! They did not disappoint! We had coleslaw and a choice between a pulled pork bbq sandwich or a turkey sandwich. I chose the pulled pork...and it was amazing!

Yeah major fail that I didn't open the sandwich up so you could see but I had my hands full and I was freezing!!! ;-) Just take my word for it when I say that it was probably the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever eaten...and no that doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I had just run 13.1 miles lol!

The after party would have been a lot more enjoyable if it weren't so cold and windy. We were freezing! Being sweaty and in the cold didn't help. There were umbrellas set up on the lawn in front of the amphitheater. People had brought chairs and blankets to sit on. A band was playing...it was perfect...if only it wasn't so cold lol!

Here's a picture of the pattern of my bag and the medal! Love it!

Overall I thought this race was amazing! It was super organized and the volunteers were awesome! Getting a medal AND a Vera Bradley bag was just icing on the cake! And I have fallen in love with the little town of Seaside!!! I definitely want to run this race again next year! 

Stay tuned tomorrow to hear all about my afternoon in Seaside after the race!

QOTD: Have you ever PRed in a race unexpectedly? 

Seaside School Half Marathon Packet Pick Up and Expo!

I was so excited to run this race! The Seaside School Half Marathon sells out super fast every year. Why? Because not only do you get a medal at the end of the race...you also get a Vera Bradley bag! Wow!!!

This was also the second group of Sole2Soul Sisters that I helped train for a half marathon. I was so excited to run this race with them!

I left early Saturday morning to head to Seaside, Florida where the race was being held. I couldn't wait to visit Seaside! I'd always heard what a gorgeous little town it was and of course I've seen the Jim Carrey movie, The Truman Show, that was filmed in Seaside.

My hubby was supposed to come with me to Seaside but the boys had their Blue and Gold Banquet with Cub Scouts this weekend and Andy had to be there since he is a den leader. He and Hayden also had to bake their cupcake for the Cupcake Bake Off. So I headed out on my own for Seaside.

Once I made it to 30A the traffic was horrible! I'm assuming everyone was arriving in Seaside and trying to find their houses and condos. Plus I learned that in Seaside pedestrians have the right of way so if you see one on the side of the street you are supposed to stop so they can walk across.

Most of my friends had arrived in Seaside on Friday. I was staying with my friend Coby and her family. They rented a house in Seaside and it was perfect! It was only about a two minute walk from the town square and where the expo, packet pickup, and start/finish line were.

I felt pretty good about my directions. I had the address plugged into my gps and all was good...until I was on the wrong street. I had to call Coby and figure out where I was. She wasn't sure so she handed the phone to her awesome Dad. After a few turns in the wrong direction he finally saw me (he was walking on 30A trying to spot my car) and I had him jump in the car with me to get me to the house. It was easy when you were on the correct street lol! Turns out I had missed an important word in my gps address..."East." Because the street our house was on was East but there was also a street with the same road name and West....and those two streets did NOT intersect! Tricky! But I was glad to have finally made it!

See how cute and "Seaside-y" our house was?

One thing I noticed in Seaside is that all of the houses had a name and the owner's names and where they were from on the picket fence. Our house was called "Going Coastal."

The house felt like a little cottage. It had a full kitchen, half bath, dining room, living room, and a bedroom (with a queen bed and bathroom) downstairs. Upstairs there were two other bedrooms (one was a master with a bath and the other was a bedroom with twin beds). There was also a full bath and a loft with a twin bed. So overall it would sleep 7 people! 

I slept in the bedroom with the twin beds upstairs! Very comfy and homey! 

After checking out the house we headed to the Seaside Neighborhood School where packet pick up was. This race benefits the school...as a teacher I LOVE that! The school was so cute! And I found myself not believing that people actually lived there in Seaside. It seemed more like just a place to visit. 

The line to grab your packet was so long! But surprisingly it moved super fast! The race organizers had the process down...this was the 11th year of the race! 

There were signs that pointed you in the right direction...whether you were going to the expo or packet pick up!

The first thing you did was go in and get your race bib. The race organizers were very adamant in all their race literature that you and only you could pick up your packet. They DID ask for my driver's license but I don't even know if they looked at my face to make sure it was really me. After getting your bib you walked to another part of the building to get your race goody bag and shirt. 

The shirt was super cute!!!

It was all a super easy and super quick process! We only waited in line about 5 minutes and picking everything up took less than 5. Now it was time to head to the expo. The expo wasn't far away...and was located in central square by the amphitheater.

The vendors were set up under white tents that circled the edge of the square. I wasn't expecting much but I was highly surprised! There were several vendors there including my favorite running store (Running Wild), Team 413, and Saucony! I was impressed!

They also had a silent auction. I had a blast looking around in there at all the neat things! I didn't bid on anything but Coby's mom won a cute bike that was just like a bike she had when she was a little girl!

After shopping we were ready for some lunch. We wanted something quick and easy so we headed in front of the amphitheater on 30A and found several Airstream trailers that served food! There was a hot dog place, yogurt place, grilled cheese place, and bbq place. I decided to get a grilled cheese at the trailer called The Meltdown on 30A! They had so many options but I decided to not try anything adventurous the day before a race and just got the classic grilled cheese. And it was really yummy! I also got sweet potato chips with it....sooooo good!!!

The Airstream trailers were nestled around the Seaside Post Office. It was awesome to see this landmark building! It is said to be one of the country's most photographed post offices! You bet I got my own photo!

We ate our food out on the lawn in front of the amphitheater...they had a band playing. But it was soooo cold and soooo windy that we didn't last there as long as we wanted. We headed back to the house to relax a bit.

For dinner we had a home-cooked meal of spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. I was so hungry that I totally forgot to take a picture! Just believe me when I said it was super good! :-)

Soon it was time for bed. Luckily we didn't have to wake up super early because we were only about a two minute walk to the start line. Most of my friends were staying outside of Seaside and they had to get into town before 6AM because that's when they were closing the roads. Lucky me I didn't even wake up until 6AM!

Per race tradition, I laid out all my clothes and gear. This would be my first half marathon (out of 15) where the weather was super cold and windy. Normally I train in those conditions but come race day it's warm. I prefer running in the cold so I was looking forward to it. Although the cold did mess up my outfit lol! I couldn't wear my cute compression socks! It was tights instead. And layers!

I was ready for half marathon #15!

QOTD: Have you ever been to Seaside?

March 5 by the 5th Virtual Race!

As you know one of my 2013 running resolutions is to run Laura's 5 by the 5th Virtual Race Series each month until June. In January I ran the Resolution Run as my 5 by the 5th. In February I ran the Tackle the Miles 5K as my 5 by the 5th. But in March I didn't have another virtual race so I dedicated this run ALL to 5 by the 5th!

I missed my weekly run with the girls (Therapy Thursday) because I had to sub. So I had to run Friday solo. This was one of those mornings where I really didn't want to run. I was not looking forward to running by myself. I was not looking forward to running a short run (remember I love running long distances so much more than short distances). I really tried talking myself out of this run but knew I needed to run it since I had the Seaside Half Marathon on Sunday. So I got on my running clothes and strapped on my running shoes and headed out the door.

The first mile was torture. It was chilly and windy outside so I opted to wear capri pants instead of my beloved running skirt. Yeah...big mistake. The first mile I kept having to hike up my pants because they were falling down! Finally I got sweaty enough and they started to stick to my body and stop falling down.

Mile two I started warming up. The run didn't seem quite as bad. I was starting to feel glad that I had gotten out there. And I was running at a fairly fast pace for me!

Mile three I was sooooo glad I got out there and did this run! I felt great!

Of course I know that I will ALWAYS feel better after a run and I will ALWAYS be glad I got out there and did it. But sometimes it's hard to convince your mind of that when you are wanting to be lazy.

I was super happy with this run....and my average pace was 9:56! That's fast for me! Yay!

Oh and one more thing...don't you just LOVE my new chevron BAMR Band??? It makes me so happy!!!! :-)

QOTD: Do you ever have that battle about not wanting to go for a run?

#GoalGetter2013 Update: February

So it's time to talk about how goals and resolutions for this year! How is everyone doing? I hope you are still getting after it and crushing those goals you set back in January!

As you know, I've been using #GoalGetter2013 and the Weekly Chase to help me stay accountable for my running resolutions and weekly goals. I will be doing an update each month to help me stay focused.

One of my running goals for this year is to run 13 races in 2013! I happily knocked out another half marathon this month...the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon! I also ran a virtual race...Tackle the Miles 5K!

Another running goal is to run Laura's 5 by the 5th Virtual Race Series! This was completed with the Tackle the Miles 5K too!

Per #GoalGetter2013 requirements, I posted the following picture on Instagram to show my goal progress for February! I was super excited to run the Rock n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon three years in a row! And those virtual races are always fun!

For the month of March I am still focusing on running my races but I am also working on getting membership in Half Fanatics! And as I wrote in my Weekly Chase post yesterday, I am working on getting my guest room organized this month. 

I hope you are joining me for both the Weekly Chase and #GoalGetter2013!

Feel free to grab the badge and play along with us as we conquer our goals this year!!! All you have to do is take a photo of you working towards or completing your goal, use the hashtag #GoalGetter2013, and upload it to Instagram and/or Twitter! You can also post your picture on our #GoalGetter2013 Facebook page!

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QOTD: What goal did you crush in February?

The Weekly Chase #10

I had an awesome weekend in Seaside! I love that little town! It's so cute! And the race was great...and I got a new PR!!!! Very unexpected since this was my second half in 7 days! I'll take it!!!

I promise I will get the race recap up this week! ;-)

It's time for another Weekly Chase! Be sure to post your own goals and link up with us!

It's also a new month...so that means a new challenge! Molly has a great one for us this month! 

March is about making it happen! We make goals weekly – and that is fantastic! Let's think of one or two LARGE goals this month that we really want to see happen. I mean really.

Here's how I did on last week's goals:

• Goal #1: Mail notes to friends telling them how much they mean to me (challenge goal). I hate to say it but I didn't get this done...and I'm super sad. I know this challenge is over but I still plan to do this one this week.
• Goal #2: Complete all of my Bible Study homework. 50%. 
• Goal #3: Taper for my next half marathon. Yes! I got in two easy runs this week! 
• Goal #4: Hydrate and carb up for the race. Yep! I ate good last week lol! I've got to get back on a healthier track this week.
• Goal #5: Get all the laundry done this week. I didn't get it all done but I got a lot of it done.

So here's my focus for this week:

Goal #1: Mail notes to friends telling them how much they mean to me. I want to get this one done this week!

Goal #2: Complete all of my Bible Study homework. I need to do great with this because this is the last week of the study.

Goal #3: Recovery and Rest time. Even though it will be hard, I need to rest my body this week. Running 2 half marathons in 7 days takes it's toll and I need to let my body recover. I will be itching to run again by Wednesday but I know I need to rest.

Goal #4: Make a dinner meal plan for the week. Life goes so much smoother when I know what we are going to eat each night. It also helps us to eat a little healthier.

Goal #5: Get the guest bedroom organized (challenge goal). My guest bedroom is a mess. It's where everything in the house that doesn't have a place ends up. All of my teaching things that were in my preschool classroom are all along the wall on the floor in that bedroom. There are boxes of random things on the floor. It's just a mess....and super embarrassing when we have the grandparents or other guests stay. This week...I'm going to focus on getting my teacher stuff organized and condensed. 

That's it for this week! 

QOTD: What are your goals this week?

Runner Spotlights #28

Here I am on another beautiful Sunday morning...about to run another half marathon! And it's in the gorgeous  Seaside!!! It really is beautiful here! I can't wait to tell you all about it!

It's time for another runner spotlight! If you'd like to be spotlighted please send me an email at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com! I'd love to spotlight you!

Today it's Kat from Sneakers and Fingerpaints' turn! Kat is one of my best blends (blogger friends)! She is also one of my partners in #holidayaday and #goalgetter2013! I got to meet Kat in January at Disney and she is even more beautiful in person! I'm so happy you get to learn more about her!

Name: Kat Pilkington
State: Florida

When and why did you start running? In 2007 I started doing 5ks with friends to stay challenged with fitness. Starting in 2012, I started tackling longer distance training! I did my first half Nov 2012 and am now working on my 5th coming up in March! Half fanatics level 2, here I come!

What is your favorite race and race distance? Half marathon!

What is your race day routine? I usually wake up 2+ hours earlier to eat something small (an energy gel - haven't worked up to food yet) and then 'do the do' and get to the race early enough to hop in the port-o-let again and warm up!

What is your most favorite piece of running gear? Compression sleeves! I use them for recovery mostly & my Brooks Pure Cadence 2 sneaks! I have 6 pairs in my current rotation ;)

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running? I make sure to eat healthy complex carbs to stay fueled when running - rice is my favorite pre-run carb. I started avoiding white starches, besides rice, to remain somewhat gluten-free. Also, I gave up sweets recently and look to fruits for that fix! - and natural peanut butter ;)

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running? No new is good new on race day ;) (see next question)

What is your fondest running memory? My first 15k race where I learned more than I planned to (http://sneakersandfingerpaints.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-day-of-reckoning.html)

What is one thing that most people do not know about you? I am very blunt and honest, which can come off as direct, but I'm just super realistic! lol

Kat didn't talk about this in her answers but check out her before and after picture! She's a true inspiration!!!

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Kat!

Blog: http://www.sneakersandfingerpaints.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatSnF
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sneakersandfingerpaints

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/katsnf/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/katsnf/
Dailymile: http://www.dailymile.com/people/KatSnF

Thanks so much for sharing with us Kat!!!

QOTD: What is YOUR favorite race distance?

Fitness Friday...March 1st Edition!

Happy Friday everyone! It's time for Fitness Friday!!!

Time for me to let you know all about my workouts this week! It was a bit of a different week for me. Last Sunday I ran a half marathon so I needed to recover some. But I couldn't take rest from running because I am running another half marathon this weekend! So I ran easy and continued to plank...but that is about it.

• Saturday- #plankaday 1:05

• Sunday- 13.1 miles in 2:30:31 average pace 11:29

• Monday- #plankaday 1:01

• Tuesday- #plankaday 1:12, 3 mile treadmill run in 33:58 average pace 11:19

• Wednesday- #plankaday 1:10, 50 pushups

• Thursday- #plankaday 1:03, 50 pushups

• Friday- #plankaday 1:00, 50 pushups, 3.1 mile run

So I didn't do as much this week as I normally would but that was the goal. I needed to take it easy so I could recover some. I'm excited about this weekend's half...this is the half I am running with the Sole2Soul Sisters that I've been training. It should be fun! AND....it will complete one of my #goalgetter2013 goals to be an official Half Fanatic! 

QOTD: What great workout did you do this week?