Race Recap: Myrtle Beach Half Marathon

There are few races when it all comes together... but the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon was just that!!  I'm having a hard time finding the right words to describe how fantastic this race was for me...

It was perfect.

Happy with a New PR!

My husband and I arrived in Myrtle Beach two days prior to the race. I took him on a quick tour of the town past my old apartment, hangouts, etc.  So much has changed in Myrtle Beach since I lived there 12 years ago!  After checking into our oceanside hotel, we hit the race expo.  Pretty much the norm for an expo, so we were in and out pretty quickly.

The race garb was okay... I loved the yellow bag and the sweat towel.  Custom arm warmers were also a nice touch (never got those in a race bag before).  As a graphic designer myself, I'm always fond of events that put together a nice race magazine.  This one had maps and detailed information on everything you needed to know about the race, in addition to local stories. Nicely done, especially for us visitors.  Now the race shirts were a bit of a disappointment.  Half marathoners got orange, as pictured above - not terrible, but the women's sizing was like children's... tiny.  There was no flexibility to swap for a size larger.  Perhaps the worst call was making the 26.2 shirts fuschia.  While I loved the pink color, I can't imagine any man wearing it. In the short time that I stood at the shirt table, the complaints were very vocal.  I felt bad for the volunteers that had to work the shirt table.

After the expo, we scurried off to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville to review our race bags, study the maps and determine a plan for the race events. Tequila is 'muy bueno' for pre-race jitters.

The next morning after a 3-mile shakeout run, we drove the race course.  This baby was pancake flat, great straightaways with very few corners.  I knew this was "the one" if a sub-2 was going to happen this spring. Knowing this made me even more nervous...

Friday evening was the 5K and family fun runs.  I ran around like crazy (in the dark) trying to spot my hubby as he ran the 5K.  (I caught him at three different spots in the race - pretty impressive for the 3.1 distance I think)  I thoroughly enjoyed cheering in the runners, once again pumping me up for the race that awaited me in the morning.  After the race, we finally devoured a pasta dinner at 8:30pm.

Surprisingly, I slept like a baby that night and sprung out of bed at 5:00am.  Morning temps were in the mid-40's.  And once the sun rose, a beautiful sunny day was on the horizon.  Perfecto!  My hubby dropped me off a 1/2 mile from the starting area.  I got in a nice jog warmup, moved quickly through the porta-potty line and lined up with the 2:00 hr pace group in the starting chute.

It took exactly 1:38 seconds to cross the start line, and once we did, our pace leader took off.  Her name was Nicole and I liked her instantly. One of my pet peeves about pace groups is that they always seem to start off behind the pace.  Nicole carried a balloon and weaved her way through the crowded street with a line of us on her tail.  By mile 1.5, it thinned out enough that we relaxed into a pace and chatted away.

Mile 1 - 8:53

Mile 2 - 9:09

I buddied up quickly with a guy named Blake who was also running in the pace group.  In fact, my husband first found me at mile 2 because he could hear me talking. Chatting away and mindlessly following the pace leader kept me from sprinting out too fast.  I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the pace felt as we ticked away the early miles.  I was aching to speed up, but made an internal promise to hold the pace until mile 6. Somewhere in the first couple miles, my right contact flipped in my eye.  I struggled to fix it, then attempt to remove it with no success. Instead of stopping to fix the problem, I plunged forward the entire race with the right side a big blur. I was determined not to allow any excuses interfere with this race... and my sub-2.

Mile 3 - 9:09

Mile 4 - 9:10

Mile 5 - 8:58

Mile 6 - 9:09

At mile 6, we entered into the Market Common area, a cool area of little shops and condos.  There was great crowd support in the next couple miles as I slowly pulled ahead of the pace group.  Before I knew it, I passed the halfway clock and were heading down Ocean Boulevard.  I couldn't believe how fast this race was going by... and how great I was feeling!  I felt pretty confident by mile 8... and slightly giddy.  I knew the work was yet to come, but I was beyond happy that it wasn't feeling hard yet.

Mile 7 - 9:01

Mile 8 - 8:58

Mile 9 - 8:58

Mile 10 - 9:00

That's some pretty consistent self-pacing if I do say so myself!

Who needs a Garmin? Not me!

Shortly after mile 10, I saw hubby up ahead and put on my best "I Got This" smile.  I couldn't get over what a perfect race I was having at that moment.

But soon the miles and pace caught up with me.  Mile 11 started to hurt and I started to work the race mentally.  "A PR is gonna hurt... and I AM going to PR today. Do Not Quit. You've got More.  You're trained for this.  You've got this; Don't let it slip away."  We made the turn off Ocean Blvd and back towards the start/finish area.  It was the only part of the course that was "slightly uphill".  Normally I wouldn't even notice this slight change, but now I was feeling every footstep that was at an incline. I felt like I was slowing down, so I was delighted when my mile 12 split flashed a 8:58.  I so freakin' got this...

Mile 11 - 9:00

Mile 12 - 8:58

Mile 13 - 8:58

Final 0.1 - :94

The finish chute was an awesome setup... a long 1/4 mile stretch that was completely barricaded off so no one could cross - and it kept the 13.1 and 26.2 runners separate (genius!).  It was lined with spectators cheering and banging on the plastic barricades.  As I turned the final corner, the runner next to me took off in a sprint... and I matched.  I used up every ounce of energy to carry myself in.  I saw the 1:59xx on the clock and was completely overcome with joy.  

I had become slightly obsessed with achieving the sub-2 half marathon. Both physically and mentally, I trained hard for this goal... and FINALLY it was mine!  I bent over in exhaustion and the tears flowed. I knew in that moment that anything was possible with persistence and hard work.  As I exited the finishing chute (slightly delusional, exhausted and still only seeing out of one eye), the disappointments of Chicago and Indy flashed before me.  Today made it all worthwhile.

Chip Time:  1:58:16

PR by 5:42 over the Illinois Half-Marathon April 2011

#1154 out of 3570 runners (top 32.3%)

The winner of the half marathon set a course record in 1:07:57.

#404 out of 2033 women (top 19.8%)

The female winner (15 years old!) also set a course record in 1:16:43.

#88 out of 372 in sex/age division (top 23.6%)

Final Race Prep for Myrtle Beach

The time has finally arrived.  In less than 16 hours, I will be on a plane with my honey to Myrtle Beach for 6 days of adult fun.  Oh, and a little thing called the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon!  This morning, I had a great 3 mile run and a hard 40 minute swim.  Besides one more shake-out run at the beach, I'm now on active REST to save it up for the starting line.

THE OUTFIT

Thanks for all of your input via Facebook on the race outfit.  I think I've decided to go with PR Purple!  Of course with me, it's always a game-time decision.  I have so many different accessories to add on to the outfit pending weather... arm warmers, leggings, headband, hat, etc.  My toughest call now... do I go with the compression socks or no?  I'll just pack it all!

THE INTANGIBLES

I've been weather-stalking like an eager runner girl.  The forecast has nearly driven me batty, changing drastically every day. One thing is certain... I probably won't know the true weather until that morning.  Race begins early at 6:30 am, so it will still be dark and cool temperatures to start the race.  Of course, Myrtle Beach "cool temps" are like spring weather for those of us in the Midwest.  Rain is expected on Saturday, but hopefully I will be done before it rolls in.  Lastly, if the wind goddesses could keep it under 10 mph, I'd be eternally grateful.  After running parts of the route on my iFit treadmill, there doesn't appear to be much tree cover should it be windy.

TIME GOAL

It's no secret that I've been trying to nail a sub-2 half marathon for the past year... 1:59:59 would make me through-the-roof ecstatic. That's a 9:09 pace for 13.1 miles... no small feat.  My training has been really good the past 6 weeks, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready for the sub-2 yet.  I feel like I need about 4 more weeks.  Unfortunately, this is a course that can deliver (flat and fast), so I plan on giving it all I got.  I used to live in Myrtle Beach (for a brief year).  I tend to race well in cities that I previously called home... something about it gives me that little extra push.  

I won't lie... I will be disappointed if I don't PR, but it won't be easy.  My current PR is 2:03:58 from the Illinois Half-Marathon (race recap) last spring (9:27 pace).  I remember it being a tough run, where I challenged myself every single mile.  My latest mantra has been "A PR is gonna hurt."  It pushed me through some tough training runs and has prepped me mentally for a tough race.  The Myrtle Beach Half Marathon will NOT be a pleasant vacation run... it will be hard fought and pure work.  Hopefully the finish line will prove victorious!  

I will update my race result on Facebook Saturday morning.

Other than that, I'm over and out for a vacation... until next Wednesday!!

Have a great week peeps and THANK YOU for all your support & encouragement!

* * *

While I'm gone on vacation, don't forget to enter to win {here} 

a FREE RACE ENTRY for the Dirty Girl mud run (location of your choice!)

Already entered? Remember you can tweet about it once a day for extra entries!

V-Day Randomness ~Winner~

My husband and I have mutually agreed on no Valentine gifts since we have a 6-day vacation to Myrtle Beach (with no children!) awaiting us in just two days!  We'll have plenty of free time to celebrate our love then.  It's actually a special weekend for us (besides my looming half marathon).  February 18 is the anniversary of our "second" wedding.  We had officially tied the knot at the courthouse 18 months earlier before his year-long deployment, and then on Feb. 18, we had a traditional Catholic wedding and reception with our family and friends.

I just realized that my Half Marathon this weekend starts at 6:30 am. Early start! My kids have spoiled me over the winter... I'm rarely even awake at that time!  So this week, I've decided to get my body back accustomed to morning running.  I was up at 6am this morning for a short easy run. It was hard to get rolling but felt great at the end.  During race weeks, I'm pretty intense on envisioning the finish line in my runs. It's so hard to respect the taper, but active rest is the best thing I can do for race prep this week.

Yesterday's weigh-in got me over the -20 lb mark, so I had earned my next reward (new pair of jeans).  However, I opted instead for a new pair of Under Armour running capris.  My old pair were getting too big... and extra material is no good for thigh chaffing.  To top off the reward, I got myself a little Valentine's present... some fun knee high socks!

Running shoe boxes make great Valentine's Day boxes for the kids...

• • •

The Deluxe CLICK Starter Pack Winner is...

TAMMY SMITH!

She won by pinning the CLICK picture/post to Pinterest.

Tammy, please e-mail me your mailing address.

I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!

My Ragnar Team Meet-Up!

Ever since I saw the movie Hood to Coast, an overnight relay race was on my bucket list.  So when I found out about Madison-to-Chicago Ragnar Race, I immediately started searching for teammates.  Initially, I was on a 12-member team, but the challenge of an Ultra team was calling me.  I wanted Ragnar to not only be a fun experience, but a challenge... an 'A' race if you will.

Finding five other women as crazy and adventurous as me was a challenge in itself.  But over the last couple months, the team has come together through a chain reaction, three of us from the Peoria area and the other half from the Chicago area.  A three hour drive separates us, but yesterday, we met each other (for the first time!) for a team meeting.   Team (You Just Got) Chicked is up and ready for action.   Meet my teammates here.

What better way to get to know your new teammates than go for a RUN?!  After a little research on TrailLink, we settled on the Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail.  The trailhead at Lock 14 in LaSalle was our meeting spot.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but true February temperatures in the low teens with the typical Midwest winter wind.  Bundling up for the cold was not first option... we first had to take some promotional photos for our sponsor Aspaeris Pivot Shorts  in our new compression shorts. It started our first team meeting off with lots of laughs, as we struggled to change in our cars and then stand out in the cold with bare legs.  Brrrrrr!

(You Just Got) Chicked - Sexy Legs, huh?
www.aspaerispivotshorts.com

We ran a 10 mile out and back on the trail.  Most of the run had beautiful views of water. I will definitely be returning here for a spring/summer/fall run.  It was breathtaking even in the cold.

After our run, we photo-opped some more...

From left to right:  Amanda, Kate, Lara (up in tree), Julie, Tara and me

And then we went for lunch!  We had a lot of logistical details to workout for our Ragnar race... vans, outfits, sponsors, runner routes, travel, volunteers and training.  Surprisingly for a group of women, we seemed to agree on everything and came to decisions fairly easy.  I'm so happy with this group. We've really got a great team of "ultra" women!  Ragnar is going to be a truly special running experience.

TEAM

(You Just Got) Chicked

Ragnar Ultra June 8-9, 2012

Have you ever run on a long-distance RELAY TEAM?

Have any great advice for us?

Run for Sherry

Last night brought the coldest temps of the winter so far, dipping into the single digits. I was warm and snuggled in with a heated mattress pad and a big down comforter.  I could have stayed there all morning long... but I reluctantly rolled myself out of bed at 7:15am.  

This morning, we run for Sherry.

I had invited area runners to meet at the Sonnemaker Statue to run the hilly Springdale Cemetery.  Over 40 people responded yes or maybe.  Unfortunately with the cold temps this morning, it was a smaller showing... but many more pledged to run/walk/workout indoors today to honor Sherry. Without this event, I probably would have reverted to the treadmill also... single digits are kinda my cutoff point for the great outdoors.

We quickly snapped some pictures and then started off our run.

 I'm a pretty good one-arm photographer, but 9 people was just too many for my short arms! 

We ran the first mile in silence to honor the memory of Sherry. During this time, I prayed for Sherry and her family.  I thought she must be smiling from above at all these people running around the globe this morning.  My thoughts drifted to how she was kidnapped and ultimately killed, details we may never know.  It must be horribly difficult for her family to continue guessing and imagining.  I pray that today may start their healing.  I found myself extremely grateful for the women running by my side, my Sole Sisters.  Running is no doubt safer in groups, but also more fun.  I'm so appreciative of all the new friends I've made this year through running. May we run many more happy years together...

R.I.P. Sherry Arnold

• • •

Don't forget to enter my current giveaways to win a 

CLICK Pack {here} or the Dirty Girl race entry {here}.

Are you a DIRTY GIRL? ~Giveaway~

It's about time I get down and dirty. 

So this summer, I'm taking the plunge... into the MUD!

Dirty Girl is a female-only 5k obstacle and mud run for women of all ages and athletic abilities.  What I like about Dirty Girl is that the event is focused on female-camaraderie (hugs and laughter!), rather than pure grit.  Whether you're a runner, fitness guru or a beginner, anyone can do this fun run!  It's a healthy day of discovery and laughter with your friends... in the mud.

Participants can register either as individuals or as part of a team.  Undoubtedly, the fun begins with a team. At each race, there are awards for Biggest Team, Most Creative Team Name, Best Themed Costumes and a few more with fun prizes. I laughed so hard reading some of the names from past years...

Muddy Melons   •   The Mudd Butts

G.I. Sloppy Janes   •   The Muddonnas

Dirty Pigs (group of female cops)

Team Victorious Secret (dressed in lingerie)

Does This Mud Make My Ass Look Fast?

The Dirty Girl course is 3.1 miles with 11 obstacles along the way.  In true girl-style, each obstacle has a fun feminine name... The mud pit is called P.M.S. (Pretty Muddy Stuff), and the tunnel crawl is called Utopian Tubes.  I'm a sucker for that kind of creativity!  The obstacles have varying degrees of difficulty to accommodate all participants. Everyone crosses the finish line laughing with a feeling of accomplishment. See all obstacles of course here.

Do the Dirty Girl with your girls and for your girls. A portion of all proceeds from registration fees is donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  In 2011, Dirty Girls helped raise over $50,000 to help win the race against breast cancer.  In 2012, race coordinators will also give special recognition and complimentary registration to 250 cancer survivors in each of the 12 planned cities on the Dirty Girl tour.

The Dirty Girl Mud Run series debuted in 2011 to a sold-out field of over 6,000 women in Wisconsin.  (Yup, I'm a Wisconsin girl and can attest... we are dirty girls!)  The inaugural year also featured successful events in Colorado and New York.  In 2012, the Dirty Girl has expanded across the United States...

The entire day of Dirty Girl is a festival-like atmosphere.  The start area features music to rock the crowd, pump up the Dirty Girls and set the stage for runner waves departing every 15 minutes. The course is staffed by off-duty firefighters and concludes with a sloshing crawl through a 40-foot mud pit, energizing Dirty Girls with the laughter, encouragement and cheering of teammates, supporters, friends and families.

After completing the course, Dirty Girls can clean up, change clothes, and then do what women do best... eat, drink, dance and shop!  That's right... delicious food at the end with a complimentary cosmopolitan!

So get your girls together and sign up today! Events do fill quickly. The Wisconsin race already sold out for August 18.  Thankfully, race coordinators added a second day to accommodate those Wisconsin Dirty Girls.

Check out the Dirty Girl website {here} for more event details and registration.

Don't forget to show 'em your dirty love on Facebook {here} and Twitter {here}.

ARE YOU A DIRTY GIRL?

I'm excited to offer one lucky reader a FREE REGISTRATION

for the race location of their choice (based on availability)

I'll be running this sweepstakes via Rafflecopter, ending at midnight on Feb. 23.

Winner will be announced on Friday, Feb. 24. Good Luck!

Show me LOVE

Valentine's Day is less than a week away.  Don't get me wrong, I love flowers. White and pink daisies are my personal favorite.  And oh-boy, I can devour a good box of chocolate... especially if there's a little peanut butter in the center.

Nothing says LOVE like PINK running gear!  
Here's some of my favorites that are perfect for Valentine's Day. Give yourself a little love - or send your man over for some ideas!

Always the place for fashion and function, BondiBand headbands
are my favorite sweat gear.  Available in hundreds of patterns, colors and sayings,
these are an affordable gift when the wallet is slim.
$8 each -or- Buy 3, Get 1 Free with coupon code ONE.
{buy here}

Most runners love a good watch - and pink always makes it cooler in my opinion.
No matter what your budget, there's a watch right for you.  (Note: I love my cheap Casio!)
Left to Right

Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS Watch $185 {buy here}

Soleus Chicked Watch $55 {buy here}

Casio Runner Digital Watch $24 {buy here}

What a fun surprise to find one of these socks wrapped up inside your running shoe?!?!

Left to Right

Hearts Print Knee High Socks $11 {buy here}
Stripped Red/Pink Knee High Socks $7 {buy here}
Pink Cheetah Animal Print Knee High Socks $8 {buy here}
Key to My Heart Knee High Socks $10 {buy here}
Run Love Compression Socks in Haute Pink $32 {buy here}

The best way to feel feminine on the run is to sport a cute running skirt!
This one from SparkleSkirts has Valentine's Day written all over it!
Neon Luv SparkleTech Skirt $64 {buy here}

Every girl needs a pair of PINK shoes in her run wardrobe,
and these stability shoes will treat your sweet feet.
Saucony ProGride Guide 5  $100  {buy here}


• • •


What do you and your significant other normally do for Valentine's Day?
Do you go all out? or just a special card sealed with a kiss?