Myrtle Beach Marathon Race Rating

Race: Myrtle Beach Marathon
Date: February 14, 2015 (note the race will be in March in 2016)
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Year Running: 18th
Registration: $60 (with the extra early bird deal, which I think has passed for 2016)

Race Information

Size: 1478 full, 2793 half, 86 relay

Course Limit: 7 hrs

Min. - Max. Elevation: 0 - 50 ft

Min. - Max Temperature: 40-62

Charity Supported: Red Cross, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Travel

Airports: Myrtle Beach has its own airport, but some direct flights are seasonal (like from DTW). It seems like a lot of flights connect through Charlotte, which isn't a bad drive from Myrtle Beach, especially considering the money saved. We ended up flying on a baby plane to Florence because it was actually cheaper than ending our itinerary in Charlotte. I'm not sure if more options will be available now the race is moving to March.

Rental car: Could do without. Some of the host hotels have an airport shuttle, and there is also a race day shuttle. Depending what else you want to see in the area, you could live without one. (I think there is a bus system, but it seemed to be running very infrequently in February.)

Host hotel: Many. But be careful - lots of them only can be reserved by people over 25, and these aren't specifically marked on the Myrtle Beach website. Maybe people from beach towns know to look for this, but we almost got screwed. (Also, we stayed at the Crown Reef Resort, which I do not recommend.)

Pre-Race

Communications: Very good. I think we got several emails leading up the race, including our bib number. It was communicated parking would be $3 at the expo, but it was not made clear that it was cash only. We got lucky I happened to have some. The expo is moving locations in 2016, so I'm not sure if this will still apply.

Expo: At the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, but it will have a new location in 2016. There was plenty of space, but the volunteers let people congregate in large groups and block aisles. I ended up feeling pretty claustrophobic.

Admittedly, it looks less crowded when I'm not hangry.

Other Activities: Friday night 5K, post-5K party, post-race party 
We didn't participate in any of these, but I think I've heard in the past that the 5K is fun. The post-race party sounded like a good time, but we had tickets for the Carolina Opry instead.

Race Day

Parking: Plenty, since it's at a honky tonk area. However, it was pitch black, and honestly dangerous to walk around in. Cars couldn't see you, and we almost fell into a ditch as well.

Shuttles: These cycled between all the host hotels every 15 minutes, but we didn't want to deal with finding them after the race, so we drove. I also read less than stellar reviews in the past, so I'm not sure if any of those issues were addressed this year.

Bathrooms: Plenty. We arrived at the start with about three minutes to go and walked right in.

On Time: Exactly on time.

Corrals: None, though they had pacer signs lined up. We got the whole road to start with, so it never felt crowded, even with the halfers.

Course

Type: Loop

Terrain: Concrete and dirt/rock - major road along the beach, neighborhoods, bike path

Bathrooms: Every few miles, but there was a wait until about mile 18.

Crowding: None

Highlights: Myrtle Beach

Support

Course Support: Great. There were plenty of volunteers, and most aid stations had a person clearly calling out the order of the water and Powerade. They also did a great job dealing with annoyed tourists that couldn't leave their hotels for a couple hours. I give them major props for that.

Spectators: Few, but it was unseasonably cold. 

Local knowledge of race: Hard to judge. The permanent population of Myrtle Beach is small, and we were mostly in the honky tonk areas.

Post-Race

Food: It seemed pretty picked over, and I couldn't find the promised donuts. There was a nice variety of sweet and salty options. They also had a police officer guarding the tent keeping out non-runners. He was a boss.

Atmosphere: Festive, since there was a post-race tailgate type area set-up. 

Party: The official one was later, but lots of people hung out and checked out the booths.

Swag

Shirt: Long sleeve technical T-shirt. I got a woman's small, and it actually fits!

The v-neck scared me a little, but it's pretty shallow once you put it on.

Medal: Awesome. I love the flip-flops to tie to the beach theme!

Each distance had it's own size and color.

Final Thoughts

• I'm glad the race is being moved to March. While the weather could be perfect in February, it was pretty cold (relatively speaking) this year, and someone we ran with said it had snowed the past several race days. It didn't bother us during the race, but it was hard to enjoy the rest of our trip when it was in the 30's-40's.
• Overall, the organization did a great job. I felt well taken care of on the course and afterwards. I think they could use some crowd control at the expo (but this might just be a Southern cultural thing) and maybe a few signs at the finish pointing towards the food tent. 
• Be prepared for the wind. The race made no mention of it (but again, maybe people from beach towns don't even consider it?), and I'm glad I read about it on Marathon Guide. It really sapped my energy in the final miles, but I think it would've totally drained me if I hadn't been expecting it.
• The course is very fast and flat. I did all my training in Michigan, and I don't think I noticed anything I would consider a hill the whole race. Some people have said they found the course boring, but coming from a small town, I thought the honky tonk was fun to see.
• Lots of the typical tourist trap stuff is closed in the off-season, so research some other things to do. Charleston was a doable drive, and we really enjoyed taking a day to go there.

Recommendation

• 50 Staters: Yes. The race is well-organized and a fun location. 
• Non 50 Staters: Yes. Myrtle Beach is already considered a big travel destination, and it's fun to go when it's not packed to the gills with people. I would recommend it even more now that it's been moved to March and will be warmer.

Myrtle Beach Marathon Recap

I know I normally write my travel recap first for races, but I have a lot on my mind from the Myrtle Beach Marathon that I want to get down before I forget. Besides, I'm sure you all care much more about my race than my other adventures anyway!

For some ungodly reason, the race starts at 6:30 AM (right around sunrise), despite it being mid-Feburary. I'm guessing this is because the main road along the ocean gets shut down and traps everyone at the resorts.

Michael and I both had a horrible night's sleep Friday. An itemized list of the noise we endured: a family cursing at full volume running down the hall at 10 PM, the same family cursing and running at 11 PM, a toddler having a meltdown in the next room because she was up until midnight (parents, what did you think would happen?!?!), and a smoker watching videos at full volume on his phone outside the room at 1:30 AM.

Our hotel (Crown Reef Resort) was certainly Not Cheap, but a lot of the other guests seemed...out of place. I would definitely recommend staying elsewhere if you go to Myrtle Beach. I would also recommend being at least 25 so you can stay at a nicer resort. (Yes, I'm still very bitter!)

The 5 AM wake-up call came very early, considering I got probably less than six hours of sleep. I reminded myself I had no problems running Hatfield-McCoy on less than four hours last year, so I sucked it up.

Parking was free at Broadway at the Beach, and it was about a five minute walk from the start. We also could've taken a shuttle from the hotel, but we wanted the warm car to wait in, and I had read less than stellar reviews of the shuttles in prior years. It was a little tricky to find in the dark with the road closures, but it was still stress-free. There were tons of spaces, so we had no trouble parking less than 45 minutes before the start.

By the time I had finished my bagel, I realized we only had about 15 minutes until the start! We quickly packed up our stuff and headed to the start. There weren't too many people walking over, but we managed to get to the right spot. We were also able to walk right into port-a-potties and then waited in line only a few minutes before the gun.

The pacer started out way too fast, so we didn't end up running with him.

It was around 30 at the start, but I only wanted a light jacket for the race, so I brought my mylar blanket I had been saving since Maine to throw away. That was an excellent idea! They also had a big clothes drop a few miles in specially for donation, so that's an option as well.

I am sad I didn't stop for a quick picture at this point. A crescent moon was still clearly visible above the palmetto trees, and it looked exactly like the state license plate. It was pretty crowded and I didn't want to get run down. Looking back though, I wish I had hopped on the median to get the shot!

The race is a loop course but has very few turns, though there are a few short out-and-backs to add distance. We began with a long run towards the airport. It was very pleasant as soon as the sun came up. The humidity actually felt pretty nice after so many dry winter days in Michigan. I spoke briefly to a couple transplants who were worried about how cold 30 degrees would be.

We passed a band around mile six or seven playing Country Roads and sang along. I have no shame when I'm running marathons. One guy also stopped and danced along to it. I would say the race had a super fun, relaxed atmosphere - at least towards the back by me.

We then hit Ocean Blvd and ran along the strip for a very long time. Other people had complained they didn't like having the ocean blocked, but there were still quite a few spots with an unobstructed view, plus the buildings were great at sheltering us from the wind.

Being from a small town, I also thought running through "honky tonk" was pretty neat. It had that fun tourist feel without the downside of being filled with tourists. Win win, if you ask me.

My legs were feeling great at this point. My goal was to run 10:53 min/miles, and my average was just about dead on, with only quick walk breaks at water stops. At mile 12, in the honky tonk section, I put on my podcasts to get myself to mile 20. The halfers had split off at mile 11, so now the course had plenty of room and I could really get into my own groove.

Around mile 15 or 16 we entered North Myrtle Beach and ran by private homes and had more ocean views. At this point, Michael started struggling to keep pace, and he dropped back from me.

I was interested to try out my plan from Stone Bridge that worked so well and use my podcasts to zone out until mile 20. For the first time, I think I finally understood what it means when people say they "go inside" themselves for a run. I still enjoyed the course, but I was able to block out all concept of time and distance and just put one foot in front of the other. I started getting a little fatigued by mile 18, but I was able to just focus on my podcasts and keep up the pace.

I was really confident I would hit my 4:45 goal until I made the turn and hit mile 19. Out of nowhere, there was a horrible, horrible headwind. A runner near me reported the forecast had said it was 20 mph, but honestly, head-on, it felt much stronger. I felt like I was running into a brick wall. I walked through more water stops at this point, so it's harder to analyze my splits, but it seems like I did an okay job of keeping up the pace.

At mile 20 I switched to the new music I bought and got ready to rock out. That is, until I came up on mile 21 and started feeling a tingling in my hands. I had a decision to make - this was clearly the sign of a rapidly approaching bonk - what should I do?

I remembered how horrible I had felt when I bonked at Sleeping Bear, so I slowed to a power walk and began stuffing Sports Beans in my mouth like it was my job. I ate and ate until the tingling went away. My stomach was pretty unhappy at that point, but the silver lining to IBS is I'm actually pretty proficient at ignoring that discomfort and carrying on. Looking at my splits, I lost only about two or three minutes there, and I'm sure I would've lost much more time if I let myself go over the edge.

I also had a crazy revelation at this point. My Garmin starts my lap pace over each mile (which I like), and there were a couple miles where the beginning was sheltered from the headwind...and I was running a sub-10 pace. What? Who was I? I'm not a runner who can run sub-10 miles in the last 10K of a marathon! But apparently I am. That was a huge moment for me. To go from not being able to run one 10 minute mile to running that pace at the end of a distance race in a couple years is a huge achievement for me!

The last few miles were on a bike path, which did offer some protection from the wind. A lot of people were beaten down at the point and walking, so I felt pretty good passing a lot of runners. Yet another thing I'm not used to! Maybe I need to give myself more credit.

The race finishes at TicketReturn.Com Field (yes, that name is super stupid). They are the farm team for the Cubs (who my parents love), but I couldn't coordinate taking my camera out for a picture at mile 26.

No pictures after mile 25!

The chute was almost .2 miles long and felt like it went on forever! I had promised myself earlier I wouldn't kick if I didn't want to, but I did try to pick it up at the very end. My legs were spent from fighting the wind, but I managed a sub-10 pace for the last bit.

Time: 4:51:07

Despite all the obstacles - a five minute PR! I was overcome with the same feelings I had after my first marathon and almost cried. It passed quickly, but it was still overwhelming. I finally accomplished a goal I've been chasing for over a year.

The chute continued for quite a ways past the finish line. I got my medal (placed around my neck!) and skipped the free picture area since I was alone. I hobbled to the food tent and was very pleased to find a police officer keeping out everyone without a bib. Considering how many people still tried to get in, they really needed someone with authority. I was super bummed the promised Krispy Kreme donuts were gone, but I got some pretzels to settle my stomach.

I retreated to a hill overlooking the chute to wait for Michael. I really wanted to walk back to the finish line to get pictures of him, but my legs just hurt to badly to contemplate moving. When I heard his name called, I did hobble back down the chute to meet him.

I picked up a few more snacks, including chocolate milk, and we found a curb to sit on. The group next to us had a Stick, and I was really tempted to ask to borrow it. My quads were so tight!

Overall, this race was awesome, and I would highly recommend it. It was well organized, and, as a Northerner, I found the course pretty scenic and interesting. The volunteers were awesome, and I never wanted for anything.

I think I needed this race to really fine tune what I learned at Stone Bridge. I need to just go inside myself from mile 8-12 until 20, then use music to power myself home. Bonks need to be addressed immediately.

Now the question is - can I gain back some of those lost minutes at Knoxville in five weeks?

Pre-race Thoughts - Myrtle Beach

My trip to Myrtle Beach has gotten off to a roaring start (knock on wood). Security was practically a walkthrough, and my luggage didn't need to be searched, even though I've crammed a space blanket in there. I even got to hear TSA discuss how someone was a "GIANT TOOL" - somehow he sent his jacket with ID through the X-ray before his boarding pass was checked.

There was also a scare last night when US Airways called saying the second leg of my flight was delayed, but then immediately called back saying it was now on time. Jokes.

I'm supposed to start boarding in about 40 minutes, but considering our plane is still not here...I thought I would whip out a quick post. (ETA - plane has arrived while I've been editing the post!) I had planned to do this last night, but I was too busy spending quality time with my parents. (And big shout-out to my dad for interrupting his work this morning to drop me off at the airport!)

I've struggled a bit with what I want to cover in this post. It would be easy to accidently turn it into a review of Run Less Run Faster. That post is definitely on my to do list, but I want this to be a more simple reflection on what happened and what I hope to have happen tomorrow.

I've talked about my injury on the blog (and in person) until I was blue in the face, and everyone reading/listening was probably ready to injure me further to make me shut up already. It certainly didn't feel like it at the time, but the injury was probably very good for me. I've always struggled to skip runs, even if it's for an extremely good reason, but now I feel like I have a more laid back approach. This is obviously a work in progress, but I'm making steps in the right direction.

I did lose some endurance during the lay-off, but my cardio capacity seems to be right where I want it. This is what I typically struggle with: I'm okay to suck it up buttercup when my legs hurt, but the minute I start sucking wind, I'm done. The race tomorrow is obviously not a sprint (thank God), but I'm glad my lungs are prepped for the challenge, nonetheless.

I just truly don't understand people who feel this way.

I am a little nervous about how my legs will hold up. My long runs following my break weren't exactly stellar, but my 13 miler at MP two weeks ago was awesome. I'm hoping running on snow-free streets, in the sun, in ideal temperatures will be just the boost I need to outperform my training runs.

The plan at the moment is to run with the 4:45 pace group. I had been planning to run a 4:30ish before, so I feel like scaling back five minutes per week of injury is a reasonable adjustment. This will also be my first time running with a pace group, but I hope it's a good experience. While my Garmin can be programmed as a pacing crutch, which I love, I hope having a leader to stick with will keep me motivated. Maybe I'll even make some new friends!

All the tracking for the race is via the Myrtle Beach Marathon app. I think I set it up correctly to have my splits auto-posted to Twitter. (Follow me @myeagerfeet.) If not, you can always download the app and track me that way. My bib number is 696. It's such a boost to know people are tracking my progress when I hit timing mats! But the race does start at 6:30 AM, so no judging if sleep through most of it.

There is also a live stream at mile eight, which really makes no sense to me. I'm definitely on the slower end of the spectrum, but it's going to be right around 8 AM when I get there. If I were fast or people tracking me were not in the Eastern time zone, this would useless. But it's there if you're interested.

Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend!

(And good luck to everyone staying warm!)