BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon - RunMarathon


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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
United States
Myrtle Beach Marathon
26F / -3C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 53m 2s
Overall Rank = 513/1794
Age Group = 30-34
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Didn't really have one of these. Things did not go well the week or day before the race. Was sick for two days and the night before my family did the 1 mile family fun run (which was awesome--it went through the underwater tunnel at the aquarium) and then my mom ran the 5k. She got 2nd in her age group!!

The problem was that my family is slightly disfunctional and due to our disorganization we were running late for everything that night and I ended up standing outside in the freezing cold for three hours. I was so cold by the time I finally got home I was chilled to the bone, completely tensed up, and getting my migraine back. Got to bed late and then had to be up early for the marathon the next morning. My dad was also snoring so loud I thought he might suck the paint off the ceiling! :)
Event warmup:

Ate some oatmeal with soy milk and a banana and then leisurely strolled down to the shuttle in the hotel parking lot at 5:30. Got to the race site and jogged maybe a quarter mile before using the restroom and then lining up at the start.
Run
  • 3h 53m 2s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 53s  min/mile
Comments:

This race was not an 'A' race for me. It was a race just to finish feeling good. I would have liked to have been faster, but still not bad overall.

Drank water every aid station (every two miles) and took a gu every three aid stations the first half and every other aid stations the second half.

It was a little hard to pace the first 13 miles since the half marathoners were running more quickly. Unfortunately I let myself get a little caught up in it and went too fast at times. I'm not sure I would have been significantly faster overall had I run slower during the first half but maybe I wouldn't have been in so sore the second half. The mile markers were also really screwy and even if you didn't have an HRM to measure it you knew they weren't placed right.

I also had an emotional moment at mile 21.7, the point in the Milwaukee Marathon where race officials pulled me off the course, called the paramedics, and then sent me to the hospital. It was a little tough in the couple miles before that. I was slowing down, and I was getting mad at myself for falling apart. Then I hit mile 21.7 and decided to celebrate instead because regardless of how slow I was, I knew I could finish.

I also found out this weekend that my uncle, who was diagnosed with stage 4 non-hodkins lymphoma in 2003 and has been in remission, has developed a new totally unrelated type of cancer. I dedicated mile 21.7 to him because of how strong he is and how he reminds me that I should be grateful I am healthy enough to finish a marathon at any pace instead of facing larger and much scarier challenges.

I felt like I hit a wall from miles 19 to 24 and then I think the "horses heading home to the stable" syndrome kicked in and I picked it up a little for the last couple of miles even though my quads were screaming, my hamstrings were extremely tight, and I was completely exhausted.
What would you do differently?:

Maybe not make a big race event also a family weekend. Or else let them do their thing and just hang out in the hotel room so I could be rested for my own stuff.

Let my mom know a little better that night how proud I was of her for getting second in her age group and running her best 5k time by about 30"-1' per mile pace.
Post race
Warm down:

Quarter mile walk to the car, stop off at CVS for slim fast for recovery, and then off to the hotel for a shower before we headed out for lunch and then spent two hours walking around the aquarium (stupid I know but I didn't want to miss spending time with my niece and nephews).

Took an ice bath later that night.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not enough rest the day before. I think I may have peaked too early. I also felt a teeny bit undertrained and didn't get enough taper. But those things couldn't have been helped. There wasn't enough time to do a full training program like I would have needed.

Event comments:

Fairly well organized race. Important to know the expo hotel is nowhere near the race start (which I didn't when I reserved my rooms there). Family fun run is worth every penny of your registration and it all goes to schools. Nice finish. Didn't stay for post race events but they looked fun.

The mile markers were not very well paced so I didn't bother using them as any indication of my pace after awhile. My HRM also showed the course as being a little long.




Last updated: 2007-01-21 12:00 AM
Running
03:53:02 | 26.2 miles | 08m 53s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/1794
Performance: Average
Avg HR=174, max=183
Course: The course was a long figure eight shape and for the first 13 miles we ran with the half marathoners. The halfers dropped off after 13 and then it was long, lonier trek. The middle part of the race had some slight downhills and we had the wind at our back. That meant the last six miles, after we looped around and got back on Kings Highway, was a lot of slight uphills and we had the wind in our face. They weren't significant inclines at all, but enough to feel it after 20 miles. Fortunately the wind was not particularly strong either. Overall a nice course.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5] 4