So, I went back to South Carolina

 Myrtle Beach Marathon, 2020

Running along the strip in Myrtle Beach

I traveled to Myrtle Beach as we were amping up for a lock-down thanks to SARS-CoV-2.  This would be the last in-person marathon I run for a while.

Travel day was noting too unusual.  Fly in, grab luggage. The hotel had not shuttle so I hitched a ride via Uber to the hotel.  Note: Caroline and I stayed in the hotel recommended by the race organizers.  Great, makes lodging easy to book.  The down-side is that we were not extended a late check-out after running 26.2 and the hotel was rude about storing out bags while we ran.  The race was held during the start of spring break/tourist  season to the beach town.  It was not overly-crowded, either.  It would be nice to grant the late check-out to race participants since we  are helping to support the economy in the area.

The pre-race dinner and post-race lunch were at Dirty Don's Oyster Bar and ate tuna tacos for both meals.  Plus had a pint with each one.  

I managed to score a Bloody Mary from one of the few race spectators.

The course was flat as advertised and the crowd was not bad - not too much traffic.  But the spectator race support was not there.  You get used to this as a runner and it helps with motivation.  There were a couple of golden nuggets with this marathon: the post-race party was chill, finishers medal and tank (yes! two race shirts).  I still sport the finisher tank on summer run days.

His sign says "No Melt Downs"  Best one of this race!

Come prepared with a cooler weather set of clothes and a warm day set.  I was cold & windy for most of the run due to the overcast day and high humidity.  The sun decided to peek and wind died down toward the end of the time I was on the course.  Go figure.  

Sporting the Finisher Medal

The post race party was chill.  Pizza was served and runners were able to get up to two refreshing beers to help wind down after  26.2 miles of man-powered road time.

Chip time: 5:13:41

Only 0.2 miles to go - and I'm taking a selfie?!?

Travel Cost

Airfare & Parking: $600

Uber Rides: $40

Food: $150

Swag for the kiddos and DH: $100

Estimated cost: $1000

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Altra Torin 4

Shades: A throw-away pair picked up at a race expo

Race Day Shirt: Raw threads Bamboo mix Hoodie from the Nightmare Before Christmas collection

Compression: CEP Compression sleeves

Pros: Flat course

Cons: Limited flight options from Myrtle Beach to Connecticut, hotel refused a late checkout during the early states of tourist season

Race injuries: Some sore muscles, the usual blisters

Rating: 2 out of 5 running shoes. If you are looking for a flat course to BQ, then sure. The lack of late check-out for marathon runners contributed to this being a less-than-desirable race. If you want to get South Carolina as part of your journey to run a marathon in all 50 states, then go to Charleston.  The city has more charm  and better dining options.

Going to Jackson, Mississippi

 Mississippi Blues Marathon

Race date: January 27th, 2019

This was not my favorite race for a large number of reasons.  The biggest being running 26.2 miles with an injury.  Mine happened to be medial tibial stress syndrome, AKA: Shin Splints.  They hurt a lot, so much to the point I thought I would not finish this race.  Getting the bias in check while writing this post took some effort.

Jackson has southern charm that you would expect when traveling below the Mason-Dixon line.  This is also a smaller southern city (I should note my expectations of a southern city are Charleston, Atlanta, & Savannah) so don't expect a sprawling megalopolous with a ton to do.  Do expect some good food and libations.  Caroline and I met up at the usual airport hub with pre-arranged flight times.  Went to the race expo - where there was a shipment delay with the shirts (oh no!!!).  This wasn't a big deal.  The smaller expo happened to be less than a half mile from the hotel. 

Then moving forward to the pre-race meal.  We dined at The Manship and had libations here.  I was like a school girl when I saw Stone Brewery's Xocoveza available.  We ate, imbibed, and took and Uber back to the hotel.  

Marathon planning tip: watch the weather.  The evenings around this race are a bit chilly, hence taking an Uber one mile back to lodging.

Moving forward to race day: It was chilly.  Make sure to have throw-away layers.  Lululemon happened to be a race sponsor and have drop-off boxes on the course.  The promise was to bring these items back to the finish line to grab at the end of the race (unless you wanted everything donated).  

This race is small - not a bad thing if you're not a fan of large crowds - and is also a preference of mine.  My starting line complaint was having the marathoners through 5Kers start at the same time.  There could be more organization as I almost tripped and stumbled into a few walkers at the start of the race.  Keep in mind, I am not a particularly fast runner and steam rolling people at a starting pace of 10:00/mile just does not feel right.

There is plenty of entertainment for the non-elite athlete marathon runner in the form of collegiate bands, bringing out the inner band-geek in me.  

One of my sticking points was the lack of motivated volunteers & signage to direct a turn for the half and full marathon runners.  This was the only time I missed a turn off and accidentally added another mile to the distance run for the day.  Apparently I am not the first person to miss this, nor will I be the last (with the 2019 course).  

The police officers assigned to the course were awesome as well and great motivators to the runners. You would easily be greeted with a smile for saying hello or thank you to any of them on the course.  Then there are the race signs since crowd support was meh.  

One other thing to consider with this race are flight options.  Flying to & from a place like Hartford limits options into and out of the area.  Departing and landing from Boston expands flights home but adds to drive time and cost of parking.  Crossing the finish line was already a task due to injury at 5:36:30. Caroline was waiting in the car - ready to go to catch her flight. Post race shenanigans were a bit limited here.   

Travel expenses:

Hotel room was split, so roughly $100 each person

Race entry: $115 

Flight: Expect to pay $500 for a smaller airport plus parking

Rental car was split, so roughly $20 - $50 per person

Uber: varies.  

Dining while traveling: Expect at least $100 - $200 per person

Estimated cost for the weekend: $1000 for travel, lodging, food, and race entry fee.  Keep in mind, the cost of lodging and a rental were split.

Curious about the gear, pros and cons? 

Here is a readers digest synopsis of my experience with this race:

Shoes: Altra Paradigm 4.0

Compression: A sleeve purchased from a large on-line retailer

Pros: Small race, great entertainment, southern charm, race shirt

Cons: Starting line was not organized, not having flashier signs for the half and full split

Race injuries: Ran with shin splints and cried a bit on the course

Rating: 3 out of 5 running shoes due to limited flights into and out of the area, poor labeling for the half and full split, and starting line.  I'm a one and done here.  Police support and collegiate bands were awesome!