On Saturday, I ran my last race of the season -- the Rehoboth Beach Seashore Half Marathon. My family spends a week every summer in Rehoboth so I was really excited to race on a familiar, flat course, especially after coming off a good race on a hilly course in DC. 

The logistics for this race could not have been easier. Our hotel was right across the street from packet pick-up and the finish line and just a few blocks walk to the start line. 

We got into town Friday, grabbed my bib and shirt and swung into the Rehoboth Running Company to stock up on some Gus for race morning. Then we hit one of the local Italian places for dinner.

I slept horribly the night before the race, so I didn't really get to take advantage of the fact that I was so close to the start line that I could have slept until literally an hour before the starting gun went off. 

Instead I was up stupid early, ate my peanut butter and toast and got dressed and ready to go. Then I just hung out in my hotel room enjoying the luxury of not having to wait in a porta-potty line.

About 20 minutes before go-time, I left the hotel to walk to the start line. On the walk, I realized I had probably overdressed. I was not nearly as chilly as I expected to be based on the temperature. But oh well, not much I could do about it at that point. 

I hopped into the starting corrals near the 2 hour pace group. After the strong race I ran in DC, I wasn't totally sure what to expect. I figured it was likely that I wouldn't do quite as well in this race since it was only three weeks later, but I knew there was definitely a slim chance I could potentially run an even stronger race. 

My plan was to go out and see how I felt and adjust as necessary. 

When the gun went off, I felt meh. But I was hanging with the 2 hour pace group and their current pace didn't feel unreasonable. So I stuck with them as we wove through the neighborhood where my family rents our beach house every year, and I stuck with them as we ran down the boardwalk toward the first 5K.

And right around that point is when the pace group started to pull away from me, and I realized it was not going to be a speedy day for me. So I let them go and I dropped back to a more comfortable 9:40ish pace. I held that for a couple of miles as we ran in and out of Gordon's Pond.

But by mile 6, I was struggling. My headphones had died so I didn't have my music anymore, and I was about to head into a long out and back on a trail, which I knew would not have many spectators for motivation. 

I had also just passed several medics attending to a runner who was on the ground and appeared to be unresponsive. It was unnerving, and I spent a lot of time during the rest of the race thinking about that man and hoping he was OK. 

I passed my husband a little before mile 7. It was nice to see a friendly face right before I hit a much longer and quieter stretch of course. 

I was still holding an OK pace when I hit the trail, but I could feel my energy waining a bit. I gave myself permission to let go of any time expectations and just find a pace that worked. I kept telling myself it's just one foot in front of the other. All I needed to worry about was keeping myself moving forward. 

At the turn around point on the trail there was a decent crowd of spectators and they were playing music and calling out people's names and bib numbers. They had tons of signs to read, and it was a really helpful motivational boost. 

I passed mile 10, telling myself I only had a 5K to go, but that's where the wheels really started to fall off. 

My legs were dead, and I let myself take a short walk break. The change in motion in my legs actually felt really good, and I was able to pick it up again shortly. I took another short walk break sometime after mile 11 while I took my final Gu. 

We got off the trail just before mile 12. I wanted to be able to run the last mile so I gave myself one more walk break until somewhere around 12.1 or maybe 12.2. My GPS wasn't exactly matching the course at that point, so I couldn't quite tell. 

But then I picked it back up and slowly plodded my way to the finish line. This last mile felt like it took forever. Once I passed the park, I didn't think it would be too long to the finish, but it felt like it took ages. Every block we passed, I was like how is this not the turn for the finish? When I finally got to that turn, I was so excited, but I didn't have an ounce of energy left to pick it up. 

So I just kept going at my super slow pace and eventually crossed the finish line while the race announcer called my name. I got my medal and my heat wrap and found myself a place to plop on the ground and stretch. 

My final time was 2:12:21 -- a 10:06 per mile pace. 

Overall, it's not a bad time and I'm super proud of myself for finishing a half marathon just three weeks out from another half marathon. Any day I can start and finish a race in one piece is a good day. 

There are definitely things that in hindsight I'd go back and do differently. I'd probably start slower and never have tried to hang with the 2 hour pace group. I should have let the DC race be my A race and run this one solely for fun with no thoughts on time goals. I also wish I would have dressed in a short sleeve top and capris instead of long sleeves and tights. Even though it was in the 40s at the start, it warmed up quickly and I struggled with how hot I got. Oh, and I wish I had taken a minute to walk and fix my headphones and music situation early on. I really think if I had something in my ears on the trail I wouldn't have struggled so much mentally. 

I would love to do this race again. I definitely think I can improve on my performance, plus it was just an overall well run race by the Seashore Striders. The after-party was great, the race shirts are awesome and the logistics could not have been any easier. Also, you get all your professional race photos for free (they're the ones in this post with the logo at the bottom. The others are ones my husband snapped while being the best cheer squad).

I have no deep parting thoughts to leave you with. I'm proud to have crossed another finish line even though it wasn't my best race.