13.1 miles with a GoPro {Seaside Half Marathon review}

I’m back home! And moving pretty slowly after yesterday’s race :). I’m sore, but it was worth it! Here’s a recap of the Seaside Half Marathon.

The day before the race began, I had an important stop to make…

This Mexican Market has intrigued me since the first time I came to South Walton almost a year ago. Despite its very unassuming appearance, it always seems to be busy! So I stopped in to see what the deal was.

And the deal was tacos.

NOW I know why La Chalupita is a hot spot! Amazing Mexican food plus a really fun market full of Latin groceries and treats. What a lunch!

Okay, time to get serious. Moving on to race day…

My morning started around 5:45 am. I quickly got dressed and headed to the lobby for my usual pre-race lineup:

By 6:25, I was at the parking lot/shuttle pickup point in the WaterColor neighborhood. I thought I had plenty of time to shuttle to the start line… but I actually juuuust made it! Luckily I was able to convince the shuttle directors to prioritize half marathon runners (7:00 start time) over 5k runners (7:30 start time) who were waiting in line. I saved a bunch of us late arrival runners! It was like a “women and children first” moment on the Titanic, but a lot less dramatic.

Made it to the start line with two minutes to spare. Instead of stretching I decided to snap some photos…

It was an overcast day, but at least it was warm (in the low 50s) and not raining.

Here’s me looking super cool with my GoPro camera. I was actually out to film the race as part of a work-related project. (I’m lucky to have a very cool job)

And then we were off! I didn’t have any real goals for this race and really didn’t have any clue what I’d be capable of, given that it’s so early in the spring season and I haven’t been to the track in a looooong time.

That being said, I thought 7:15 sounded like a reasonable pace so that’s what I set out at. The first few miles felt pretty good; by the turnaround point I was feeling a little tired, but still strong. That girl in the yellow tank top above was really nice and we helped push each other during the second half! (I passed the lady in the pink… mwhahaha)

For a smaller race, the crowd support was pretty good. Lots of water/Gatorade stops and a relatively flat course. My only complaints are: 1) there was a small bridge over Draper Lake where we had to run over metal grates (not cool) and 2) about half a mile of mile 2 (and thus mile 11) was along a super slanted road — ouch.

Even though I was pushing hard, I couldn’t help but slow up a bit during the second half of the race. One thing I had to deal with during the race was negative self-comparison thoughts. Even though I knew I probably wouldn’t PR during the Seaside Half, I couldn’t help but think a few times how I was running slower than I had during the Chattanooga 4 Bridges Half I did in the fall.

But when these thoughts started creeping in my head, I tried to remind myself of a few things: 1) I was wearing a crapload of stuff during this race (GoPro, Garmin, HR monitor, rental car keys, Gu, phone) that was likely slowing me down a bit; 2) It’s really early in the training season and I have months to build speed; 3) I hadn’t been able to run for the past two weeks due to snow; and 4) I was still doing awesome and should be thankful to be out racing fast, 100% injury-free

And then it was over!

Official times haven’t been posted yet, but I think I came in around 1:36.

A bit slower toward the end, but not so bad. Also, does anyone know anything about heart rates? I know very little but it seems like mine was realllllly high. Maybe it was the tacos

After the finish line there was tons of food, live music, and lounging in Seaside. Also, one of the race rewards was a Vera Bradly bag… not too shabby.

I got one last solo shot of me wearing my snazzy GoPro. When the video of the race is posted, I’ll let you guys know!

About the GoPro, btw: A bunch of you have already inquired whether running in it is comfortable or not. After doing this race with it strapped to my chest, I think I’d report that it’s surprisingly comfortable. I mean, yeah, you can feel something pressing against you, but it wasn’t too restrictive feeling and didn’t bounce around too much either. The straps were light and didn’t chafe/itch, either. I didn’t have to adjust it a single time during the race. So, if you’re curious about trying a GoPro, I say go for it!

Another thing you should go for: post-race omelet bigger than your face.

I’d been wanting to try the Donut Hole for a long time. Thoughts of this breakfast basically powered me through miles 11-13.

And since it’s the Donut Hole, I had to get a donut on my way out.

And that was the race! Overall a great experience. I’d do it again!

• Favorite post-race treat?
• What sort of negative thoughts do you deal with during a race?
• What additional gear/gadgets do you run with?