Race Recap: Gulf Coast Half Marathon

See?  Great scenery!  Wait...
Is that a port-a-potty?

Pros:
1.  The medal is a bottle opener.  Need I say more?

2.  You're running in a beautiful location.  Not that we could really see it because it was (thankfully) overcast and misty most of the morning.  But the background noise was the calming crash of waves and the scent of salt water was in the air.  And as you can see (right) they thoughtfully put the photographers at particularly scenic locations.

3.  Post-race Party?  Great.  Plenty of red beans & rice, beer (Land Shark), bagels and bananas at the finish line.  I went back to run Goldilocks to the finish and her pace is a bit slower.  We didn't hit the post-race party until 3+ hours after the start but there was still food & beer.  Unfortunately for her, that's never a guarantee at her pace so we were psyched they didn't run out early.  OH!  And as a special bonus, everyone got laid at the finish line.  Or is it lei'd?  I always mix those up.

Looks like I just jumped out of a pool

Cons:
1.  It was HOT!  A bank sign said was 74 degrees before sunrise on our way to the race.  Plus a ga-jillion % humidity.  I was sweating before we started.  The webpage advertised that the average temperature at the start is 57 degrees.  Liars.

Goldilocks & I.
*Note that my shorts are SOAKING and
plastered to my legs.  SEXY!

*approxiate

2.  Almost no spectators.  We were basically running on the ONE road on the island so not much traffic could get through.  I actually didn't mind the calm, but a lot of people did.  If you want people cheering, this race isn't for you.

Lemon-Lime Gatorad-ita
Patent pending.

3.  No Gu <shrug> and the Gatorade was mixed SUPER strong.  But with all that we were sweating this probably wasn't a bad thing.  If you salted the rim & added tequila, we would have had some tasty margaritas.  (I thought of it first! Don't try to steal credit!)

Overall?
Good race.  A bit pricey.  Quiet.  Great post-party.

As an added bonus, this guy was labelled as me.
Our numbers weren't even close.
Too bad I didn't get a picture of a male model...

Gulf Coast Half Marathon

I'll wait to give the full race report until the official pictures come back, but I will tell you that the race went well.  I accidentally came within 1 minute & 5 seconds of my half marathon PR.  Seriously.  This was definitely an accident.

My plan was to take it nice & easy.  A couple reasons why:

1.  The weather was hot and muggy.  A bank flashed 74 degrees as we arrived before sunrise.  Felt a smidge like doing a duathlon with both the swim & run at the same time.  Besides, this was intended merely as a training run for Nashville.  Don't go crazy.  Just do the miles.

2.  My Garmin decided to not turn on this morning.  This is the second time it's done this ever.  Last time was the Little Rock Marathon.  I even checked to make sure it was charged last night, so I have no effing clue what happened and am kinda pissed since it's only 7 months old.  It wouldn't even turn on for a second to show me it was a dead battery (that is, until after the race.)
Saved

3.  I was in costume.  Sorta.  Not a full costume, but Goldilocks & I found some killer $1 bunny ears at Walmart that were too good to pass up.  Added to this, we made some clever signs to pin on our backs.  It was a big hit:

Goldilocks & I

The ears were kinda a pain to keep steady until 3-4 miles in when my hair was nice & sweaty - gave it a little grip.  Let me just say that there is nothing so gratifying as passing a ton of people when you're in costume and they're not.  Plus, on an out-and-back course, it's a huge boost to see the smiles on people's faces as they catch sight of the ears.  You can't help but smile yourself.

Ever run in costume or get a boost from someone who did?

Why I Race - Reason #117

We all have different reasons for running, racing and staying in shape.  Most of us have more than one reason and often those reasons change over time.  This weekend my good friend, Goldilocks, talked me into running the Gulf Coast Half Marathon in Pensacola.  Here's why:

3.  It's in Pensacola, which is only 3.5 hours away.  Well... I'm driving, so 3 hours away.  Easy peasy.  Plus, with good friends, time flies.

2.  It'll be a good training run for Nashville, which is a mere 3 weeks away at this point.  Getting long runs (or short runs) done in the New Orleans heat is increasingly difficult especially when you start sweating before you walk out the door.  A run where someone else will be providing regular cool beverages for you and reward you at the end is   so   awesome.


1.  The medal is a bottle opener.  Seriously.  That is awesome.  Oh!  And the race is on a beach.  And the postcard we got to advertise the event a few months ago didn't show people running... it showed people drinking beer on a beach.  Now that's what I call a fun run.