about 40 minutes from home! |
Our Myrtle Beach view! |
Once we arrived in SC we went straight to the Expo .. This was a super convenient expo to get to and not crowded at all! I went straight to get my bib #
Love him! |
Backpack |
How cute are these socks?? |
T-Shirt! |
My favorite part of the expo where the baby chimps they had there:
We did not spend much time at the expo since we are technically down in Myrtle Beach for my hubby's softball team and tournament ... and since I was not planning on racing but rather just getting a 26.2 mile training run in for Boston!
As I was unpacking my race gear I found this in my bag:
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to me!! |
We met up with his teammates and went to go cheer at the home run derby ... But there was also a Neon Night 5K @ 7pm that I debated running but decided to stick with my man on Valentine's Day! However, my friend Jen killed the 5K and came in 2nd place female!!!!
After tossing and turning all night and waking up with a headache I really felt like today was going to just be about finishing the miles! Then we walked out the door to POURING rain and awful winds! It was fairly easy to get close to the start line where I met up with Jen ( she was running her first marathon ). We started the races and ran about the first 6 miles together then I pulled back a little because I started to feel like complete CRAP! I saw my hubby at mile 5 and his buddy Ben at mile 10 ( this was an awesome surprise ) .. I could still see Jen and knew she was on pace to BQ! I got to mile 12 and strongly considered bailing out at the halfway mark so I called my hubby and asked for advice! He basically said " don't hurt yourself for Boston and that I am not a quitter " ... I kept going until mile 14 and then called my running wife for a good a$$kicking! She said the same thing and told me to put on my music and just have fun! So I did just that .. I threw in a few Yasso's and did some speed work mixed with recovery intervals, I made friends with two guys who loved my Oiselle gear and called me the "FLY girl", I chatted with my new running friend Wendy and then I crossed the finish line! I looked at my watch which said 27.55 miles in 3:47:52 ...and this is the first time ever I have had my chip malfunction in a race but the clock said 3:48:?? when I looked. I spoke with the Precision Racing Results right after I finished and they said they would recover my time in about 30 minutes ( WELL that was on Saturday and I still have not heard back from them or the Race Director )!!! Any way it was NOT even close to a PR or even a decent race time but I still want credit for the race!
Finish Line! |
LOVE this medal! |
I was so hot during the run and wanted to rip my shirt off but as soon as I stopped running my temperature dropped and I could not stop shaking! Normally my hubby is at the finish and has my Oiselle hoodie and a warm change of clothes for me but he had games ALL day so I was flying solo! I did partake in my post race massage but did not get to take any pics of the elephant and animals at the finish line because I was so focused on finding my car and getting warm. Had the weather been warmer and had there not been 25-30 mph winds I probably would have enjoyed this race a lot more! I highly recommended this race as it is a definite BQ course because it is so FLAT and FAST and not crowded at all!!!
I could not wait to get to the hotel, take a hot shower and go watch the Titans play ball. They ended up playing 3 games with the last game starting at 9:45pm....the winds never died down and I felt like an ice cube all day until Jackie and I hit up the hot tub:
bring on the heat! |
I absolutely love being able to combine my love of running with my hubby's love for softball ... I think it is so important support each other and enjoying doing what you love!
I would love to do this race again and maybe if they play in this tournament next year I will do the half marathon or maybe the full again! We shall see..
A HUGE CONGRATS to Jennifer Boutin for not only coming in 2nd female for the 5k but for also completing her 1st marathon and qualifying for Boston with a time of 3:32:?? ... YAY!!!!
On Sunday I woke up with awful cough/congestion and fever and it has been kicking my butt since then.
Monday: BodyPump with Nicole and Danielle plus I ran 2 miles in 15:02 to test out the legs.
Tuesday: Still felt like crap but needed to move so I ran 8 miles in 63 minutes with Angel at the Y ... followed by lunch and then losing my voice!
Wednesday: I gave into my body and decided to REST!!!!!! Cough drops, cold meds, tissues, and sweatpants!
Thursday: 10 miles in 1:15:58 followed by core work and stretching. I can finally breath again!
Happy Running!