So on Sunday, I ran my third half marathon and actually set a
PB. It was the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon here in South Cak (Carolina). It’s a
very flat point-to-point race that ends on the boardwalk. There’s also a beach
party at the finish and shuttle service back to the start.
My goal was to break the 2:30 mark and beat my previous HM
time, which was the fastest back then – 2:32:32. And I did! I have to
contribute my success to the summer months of serious strength training,
following HH Intermediate HM program, and racking up about 4 weeks of 30 mile
totals (two weeks were about 1 mile shy of the 30 mark). Also, I find running
in cooler temps to be much better for me. My last two HMs were in late spring
and it was pretty warm back here in SC at that time.
Well, enough of that.
On with this RR thing.
The Score: The start of the race was only a few miles drive from
my hotel. It was located in one of Myrtle Beach’s larger mall areas. I got
there about an hour before start time (7:00am), took a bathroom break and walked
around to see if I could find anyone I knew. I came across a Facebook friend
who was running this race as her first HM. We said a few words and then found
our places in the crowd.
[NOTE: There was a bit of disappointment before the race.
This race advertises having the actors of the Medieval Times Dinner Theater at
the start. They were absent for some reason, so I didn’t get any photos like I
was hoping for. Oh well. At least I didn’t have to worry about horse poop.]
Time to Run:
Miles 1 – 4: The race pretty much began on time. There was
some mention later on regarding a fluke with the inflatable start arc, but I
was too far in the back to even notice the issue. After a very slow jog/walk to
the starting pad, the crowd began to spread out and settle into the run as we
made our way around the mall area for the first mile and finally onto adjacent
roadways and somewhat un-scenic areas until mile four. I kept an eye on my
Garmin to make sure that I was keeping at a pace slower than my goal. I was
determined to not get myself caught up in the madness of running the first few
miles to fast and not reach my desired time at the end. I also wanted to run
this entire race without having to take a walk break. I even decided to bring
along my Amphipod so that I wouldn’t have to stop at water stops along the
course.
Miles 5-8: Somewhere along mile five we ended up in another
shopping/mall area right before we looped into another neighborhood. I thought
that was sort of disappointing to go through that area, but it was part of the
route and kept us off the highway for the time being. I guess it wasn’t so bad.
This stretch with the loop gave me a chance to see the elite and faster runners
again, but I also got the opportunity to see how many people were actually
behind me. I felt a bit better because I realized at this point that I was in
the middle of the pack. Yes! I’m on time! And I really was. Right before making
it around some baseball/softball field and my fuel break, we crossed the 10K
mark. The timer let me know that I had shaved 3 minutes off my previous 10K
time. Another goal met!
Miles 9-11: I’m still running but I’ve slowed down a bit on my pace. I
starting having side stitches and wanted them to clear up. By this time, we
finally made it onto the main street adjacent to the beach. This was a straight
stretch of road -nothing but hotels and restaurants galore. There were a lot
more spectators, but by this time I was ready to see the sand, waves and the
finish line. Oh! And get a cup of coffee. I swear I passed by five Starbucks
joints.
Miles 12-Finish: (This last mile was tough)
When they say running is more mental than physical, they are
on the money! I don’t know what happened to me between miles 11.5-12.5, but I
think I lost it temporarily. I believe the sight of seeing finishers walking
back up the street with their huge medals around their necks got to me. Or
maybe it was the clear view to my left of runners making their way down the
boardwalk in the opposite direction to the finish line. Or maybe it was the
fact that I could not see the freakin’ turn to the left that we needed for that
final mile. My body was strong, however my brain wanted to just give up. I
ended up dropping down to a walk for a sec to yell, WTF? Some ladies next to me
could do nothing but agree, and tell me to keep going. Little did we know what
waited for us that last half mile. The clear view of the ocean was just a tease
at this point…
Okay. I’ve been to Myrtle Beach several times.
Unfortunately, I have not been this far down in the area to see the new
boardwalk and new construction. Please, tell me why did they decide to make a
zig-zag stone walkway? I mean, I guess it’s marvelous for a nice stroll, but
it’s hell if you’re trying to get that finishing kick in. For the majority of
that last half-mile, we ran in a snake-like pattern. That’s all fine and dandy
if you’re being chased by something, but this really sucked! I could hear the
announcer and the cheers, but could not see a thing due to all the palm trees
and foliage. It wasn’t until the very last few meters that we finally came out
of the “jungle” and onto the boardwalk so that we could make that mad dash to
the finish. I heard my name and crowd support as a smiled and crossed over the
finish line with the clock displaying 2:31:42. I paused my Garmin at 2:29:03. I
knew I met my goal, but also knew I needed to wait until the official results
came in before celebrating.
Results:
Chip time – 2:28:54 (PR)
10K Split – 1:09:42 (PR)
Will I run it again? Probably, lol! Have you seen the size
of this finisher’s medal? There is a magnet on the back so that you can stick it on the fridge. There is also a bottle opener at that bottom so that you can use it for the Blue Moon beer that they give out at the beach party.
What’s next: Some recovery and pretty much another taper.
I’ve got the Rock n’ Roll Savannah Half Marathon in less than two weeks so I’m
taking it easy up until then. Not looking to set any time goals with this one.
I’m only looking to finish strong and qualify as a Half Fanatic (Neptune).
