And so much more of course...
Last Sunday, I ran the inaugural Divas Half Marathon in North Myrtle Beach. This was my second half marathon and one of the best experiences I have had so far. Not because I set a personal best (PB) but because I was able to enjoy this experience with my daughter, who ran her first 5K on the same day. She will be a senior in high school next year, and so I'm attempting to soak up as much mother/daughter memorable experiences that I can before she leaves the nest. She's my only child and so you can pretty much figure out what this means to me.
Okay, enough of the sentimental stuff...let's get back to the race reporting.
THE DAY BEFORE
We arrived at the beach on Saturday for packet-pickup and hotel check-in. I only live 2.5 hours away, so it wasn't much of a distance to undertake. The Expo wasn't that crowded at that particular time, so we were able to get in and out fairly quickly. I met a couple of my BGR! friends there and we decided to check out some of the vendors and take a few pictures to help commemorate the moment. After that, we left since there really wasn't anything else left to do there. I was a bit disappointed that this Expo event was nothing like the ones mentioned for their prior race events. Maybe it's was more lively on Friday due to all of the various activities being offered on that day. Eh, oh well.
After getting a quick bite to eat, we made our way to the hotel and checked into our room. I was lucky enough to make reservations at one of my favorite locations, Avista Resorts, which happened to be a half mile away from the Start/Finish of the race. And despite this being week two of a three-week biker festival, I was able to get a decent room rate (probably because hotel management was unaware of the Divas race when I booked my room). How lucky was I? :-)
Before we got to comfortable in our accommodations or made any plans to visit areas of the beach, I made sure that we laid our gear out for the next morning, so that we didn't have to rush through it later. My daughter thought it was a bit silly to do this so early in the day, but after explaining why it's so important to prepare like this, she understood the idea. I have to admit. The bibs for both the half and the 5K where pretty sweet. Definitely one of the most appealing that I've seen so far. During early registration, everyone had the opportunity to choose which name they wanted on their bib to follow after the word "Diva". I just stuck with my first name - DIVA NIKKI. The tech shirts themselves were also nice, despite some objections to the design. Each Divas event has their own individual character on the shirt. Some with a lot more details than others. Personally, I would have preferred the Divas Marathon Series logo on the front instead.
Once we finished settling in our room, we decided to make our way outside to visit the area. We were able to see the partial setup of the racing lane and gauge its exact location from the hotel. My goal was to drive the course as outlined on the map, but I didn't get the chance to do so at the time. Next, we visited a few local stores to acquire some souvenirs and also gather some necessities to bring back to the hotel. There was a meet and greet scheduled that evening at a popular seafood restaurant, but I opted out. As much as I love seafood, I just didn't want to take the chance of eating something that would aggravate my system during the race. It's always best to stick with what you know. We decided to have a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday's instead. I love their salad bar!
We made it back to the hotel before nightfall and decided to walk along the beach before calling it a night. The weather was really cool for this time of year, which made for a great weekend in and of itself. Was so looking forward to completing the race and then being able to relax and enjoy the area, since I opted to wait until Monday to check out. Nothing like having some cool water surging against your legs after a long run.
RACE DAY
No surprise I didn't get much sleep the night before, but I will admit I did better this time around compared to previous pre-race nights. I woke up a bit earlier to eat my usual breakfast of oatmeal and bananas. I also ate half of a bagel and downed some coconut water. I'm finding that this combination works for me before an event. I woke my daughter up to allow her to eat something and then we both got dressed to go. Out in the lobby and outside of the hotel, we saw lots of ladies dressed and ready to run like divas. We made our way across the street and began to do our half mile warmup to the start. It was VERY chilly that morning. I was a bit surprised actually. Earlier in the week, it was projected to be in the high 60s, but from what I gathered it was in the mid 50s at the start. I have to say that it was really a blessing for us living in the south, considering how hot and humid it has been for the past month.
After locating my corral, taking one last port-a-potty-break, and meeting up with my friends from BGR!, we lined up to pose for our race photo (always easier to get everyone together before the event and plus we look better, lol). There were a lot of us who came from near and far to participate in the Divas Half Marathon and the Girls 5K. We then all gathered hands and said a prayer for a safe race for each and every one of us. One of my friends who was running the 5K stepped in to take my daughter under her wing during their race and until I completed the half. I am so grateful for her kindness. I didn't even have to ask her. She just took it upon herself to do so. Thank you Ms. Dennis :-)
ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!
Miles 1-6: I pretty much kept close to my average pace this stretch of the run. There were a few moments of congestion being that some of the course was on narrow streets in neighborhoods. Somewhere along mile 2, I noticed a couple 5Kers coming around the bend. Their race began 20 minutes after the HM so it was inevitable to meet up with some of the faster runners. Right before the HM and 5K path splits, I found my daughter. I slowed down to a walk and gave her a hug and encouragement, before we had to go our separate ways. And that my friends, was the highlight of the race for me that day. It was as close as we could get, at that moment, to running a race together. Someday, we will actually do one!
Miles 6-12: Lots of twists and turns, however, I was really impressed at my mile split at marker 6. I knew that I was in the right state to reach close to a 2:30 finish if I kept up with my current pace or close to it. During this portion of the race, we had to run about a 1/4 mile off Highway 17, before making it to the golfing area. I was not happy running on that busy road, since they had us facing away from traffic. I was smart enough to stay closer to the right, though. Once we got off the highway and back into the residential golf area, the course became a little hilly and full of turns on neighboring streets. My pace dropped about a min/mi, but I was able to forge through. Oh, I forgot to mention that the Divas Series has musical entertainment along the course. I think by mile 9 we had ran past 3-4 DJs. I even heard "Eye of the Tiger" at some point. No athletic event is complete without playing that song. LOL
Miles 12-Finish: Ahhh the home stretch. No turns, no hills... just a straight path before the final turn to the end. But because we were back on the main road close to the resorts, the lack of trees made this last trek a hot one. I saw a couple ladies bent over on the side of the road trying to catch their breath. The sun and the salt air can be bothersome if you are not used to it. The wind was pretty generous blowing from the sea that day as well, so that could have been a contributing issue. I kept pushing on, splashing water from my CamelBak onto my back. It felt really good.
Then I spot my hotel :-). I knew that the finish line was fast approaching. But hold up! As part of the event, you have to get fancy for that last half mile to the end. What Diva is not complete without her shiny tiara and hot pink feather boa. I grabbed my goodies from the lovely volunteers and placed them on, running my very best through the orange barricades, hundreds of spectators and other finishers, to that big pink balloon arch. Yes, I made it. I Ran Like a Diva and finished very close to my goal time. (Goal: 2:30 -- Official time 2:32:32) I was very satisfied with that!
I received my huge medal from a shirtless hunk and made my way down victory row where my daughter and friend cheered me on and took pictures. After getting my celebratory wine, oatmeal cookies and other fuel. I posed for yet another photo -- the finisher photo, and walked back to my hotel. From the location of my room, I was able to get a glance of other ladies making their way through those same barricades into their own victory. What a great day for a run. What a great event for any woman (or brave man). And what I beautiful experience to share with your daughter. I only wish that I was there to cheer her on as she finished. I will make certain to sign her up for another 5K race so that I can be there for her, like she was so happy to be there for me at the end. 
Happy Running!
Happy Running!
Race Results ----> Results Archive via Active.com
Place -- 1731/3063
AG -- 368/654
Gender -- 1712/3043
Chiptime -- 2:32:32
Clocktime -- 2:35:55
Pace -- 11:39
6 mile split -- 1:06:33
Race Training Plans:
Hal Higdon's Novice 2 Half Marathon Training (modified)
P90X2 by Beachbody (modified program)
Race Statistics:
Weather -- Temp 55 degrees (at start), Humidity low, Winds 14 mph, Partly Cloudy
Mile Splits -- Garmin Connect
2012 Races:
10/21 Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon - SC (registered)
11/3 Rock n' Roll Savannah Half Marathon - GA (registered)
Half Fanatics Here I Come!
2013 Races:
1/20 Charleston Half Marathon - SC (undecided)
2/24 Rock n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon - LA (registration tentative)
3/9 Famously Hot Half Marathon - SC (registration tentative)
4/13 Palmetto Half Marathon - SC (undecided)
4/21 Divas Half Marathon in North Myrtle Beach - SC (registration tentative)
11/16 Anthem Richmond Half Marathon - VA (undecided)