Myrtle Beach Half Marathon Race Report
Myrtle Beach...the sound of the ocean...the feel of sand beneath your toes...the warmth of the Sun...NOT!.....
I chose this race appropriately timed as the mid-term test/exclamation point at the end of the first phase of training for IM Texas....with a goal of setting a PR at the distance....I also chose this venue...a 10hour drive south of Philly...as a midwinter reprieve and potentially to hopefully test in the warmer conditions I will experience later in Texas...of course I knew it wouldn't be THAT warm...but thought it would be warmer than the mid-winter temps I had been training in Philly....
I arrive into MB on late Thursday evening after a 10hour drive....I check in and walk next door to Sharky's for a couple of beers to help me sleep.
Friday...I sleep in and then head over to the race expo to take care of business...other than purchasing a couple of gels...it is an uneventful event. I then drive the course and head back to the hotel to hit the hot tub and relax. Along the way I stop and pick up a stromboi that I can warm inroom microwave for lunch/dinner, two big gatorades, and a couple of Guinness....the afternoon and evening go according to plan and I'm in bed asleep by 9....the race starts at 6:30 am and I plan on arriving on site around 5:45.....3 alarms set, coffee maker readied, and snoozed well.
I awaken on schedule...get to the race venue and park with no problem....hangin out in the truck trying to decide exactly what to wear....I have on Tri shorts, Tri top with nothing underneath, arm warmers, gloves, a baseball style hat....and it seems a bit cold...but decide to go with it....as I noted I expected race day to be much warmer...but a cold front moved in...(they were actually almost expecting rain/slush) and due to the early start time...the temp is 37degrees at race time....and will only get up to 39 by the time I am done...interestingly the dew point is 37 and that equals 100 humidity....I make a porta potty stop...and jog/strides over to the start.....I discard the arm warmers.................thinking that it is going to get warmer as I run.
My overall time goals for the race were: a.) to improve upon my last Half Marathon best set at ING Philly Half of 1:34:53 (7:12/mile pace) b.) My Target pace was 7:05 c.) My stretch target was sub7min. pace
I have a longer term goal of running under 1:30 (6:51 pace)...but a realistic view of my training (Ironman focus)...and current level of fitness suggest that 7:05 - 7:00 was a realistic goal. My plan for the day is to run the first mile around 7:15 and relax into 7-7:05 pace around mile 3...run this steadily through mile 10...then pick it up as possible the final 3 miles.....
Off we go on schedule in the dark....the back light on my garmin doesn't work...so pacing the first couple of mile was more by feel...I was lined up behind the 1:30 pacer and just tried to key off of them....for a bit...but making sure the first mile felt smooth and easy....I hit the first mile at 7:24 (7:45 on the race clock)...a bit behind but a-ok...I felt good and just focused on relaxing...letting the pace come to me.....(it is light enough now so I can see my watch)...I run mile 2 in 7:10....we are on a long straightaway for the next 3 mile and I quickly take a gut/form check and say okay...this feels okay....just maintain steady...its a nice crowd so the feeling of moving ahead...picking out someone and either maintaining or gaining/passing them is a great way to pass the time...I find a Booty Pacer with excellent form...running steady...and I key off of her for this stretch...miles 3-5 pass in 7:02,7:04,7:01...and we turn into a shopping area with a bunch of turns for miles 6&7....I catch & pass booty pacer and find myself closing behind two big goofy guys that are like suv's/trucks blocking your view on the highway....I have to get pass them...(there's another booty pacer moving nicely up in front of them and I need to latch on to her)....it took me the better part of a mile to vanquish these guys...and catch Booty Pacer #2 as we exited the shopping area and headed back out the long straight away return...into a slight breeze when expsed between buildings (we are one block off & parrallelling the beach/ocean at this point)...miles 6, 7, & 8 were 7:02,6:51,7:01....so far so good ...I have taken water at mile 2 & 4 & a gel at 5k, 10k...I plan on one more gel at 15k and water as I feel....the plan is to hold steady and build to the finish from mile 10 or 11....around mile 9 Booty Pacer #2 drops off but Booty Pacer #1 returns...and passes me...I settle in behind and try to relax...and focus on my form...no concerns at this point...everything seems to be okay...can I go faster? is it too soon?...miles 9, 10, & 11 are 7:01,6:58,7:00.....I recall mentally saying to myself "okay...easy...steady this mile so that I can push the final 1.2"....and I don't know if I conciously let up...or due to mile 12 being slightly uphill...or what...because I was continuing to move through the crowd passing people and Booty Pacer stayed even ....but whatever mile 12 came in at 7:10...I was a bit disappointed with that...and tried to regroup and push for the finish....through center of MB turn slight uphill and hit mile 13 in 7:02 and the final .21 (by Garmin) @ 6:47 pace...to finish the course in 1:33:12...7:07 pace for the course & a 1:40 sec. PR...(actual distance run was 13.2 and a pace of 7:03...)...I was about 110/2500 and 6 or 7 th in AG...AG winning time was 1:26 overall winning time was 1:10.
Throught the finish and straight to the beer tent for celebratory breakfast beer...then relaxed outside for a bit before heading back to the hotel and head out of dodge...unfortunately, though sunny, it was a bit too chilly to hangout outside much longer. NOTE: As I was wandering around I heard " Hey Endurance Nation!"...and was pleased to meet fellow EN'er Greg Charbeneaux who ripped up the course in much speedier time than I...congrats!
In summary and review; I am generally pleased with the result...the 7:03 pace actually felt quite comfortable...and still believe I could have run faster given more optimum temperature conditions, getting to pace sooner, and just better course management.... But clearly this gives me confidence in my current fitness and training....
A couple of thought that came to me after the race: a.) It kind of astounded me that this was the first running only race that I have competed in a year and half!?....I need to race more often..I miss it and it is good for confidence and skills....clearly I didn't manage the course well. b.) I was able to PR and run this on only 3-4 days/25-30 miles avg. running per week...anxious to see what I can do if I go back to a run focused program.
Thanks for reading...and for all the support!...Any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Comments
winter running races at the beach can sometimes be painful with the cold wet breeze that always seems to be in your face.
Nice run, keep up the great work!
"...clearly I didn't manage the course well..."
Sounds like a damn good race to me. Perfect confidence springboard to keep the pressure on for the rest of your training. However, a whole different mindset is needed for racing @ IM Tejas; look forward, young man, not back.
Great race, Joe!