5K Finisher's Medals My girlfriend Jamie told me about the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon a long time ago. She ran the half there last year and I thought about running the half this year with her but I opted for the 5K instead. I hadn't ran a road 5K since October 2007, when I ran a 17:41 as part of a team in the Emerald Isle Triathlon. I added more 5K training (faster 400s, 800s, and 1,000m repeats) to my training the last couple weeks to prepare for the Coastal 5K the day before the half marathon in Myrtle Beach. My goal was to break 18:00.
Jamie and I arrived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday afternoon and went to the expo and packet pickup. I was bib number 626 in the 5K. After that we headed to some outlets and just did some looking before grabbing a marginal dinner at Famous Wok in the outlet shopping center. The food wasn't that good but at least I got some carbs and protein from the rice and chicken. We stayed the night with her parents in their condo in North Myrtle Beach, about 20 min from the start of the 5K.
I didn't sleep well the night before the Coastal 5K but I was still ready to go when I woke up race morning. Jamie and I loaded up and got her dog, Justus, and headed to the race. I ate a blueberry crisp Cliff Bar at 6:30am after we parked. It was cold, 43 degrees but the wind was calm. I love running in the cold so I was happy with the weather. I did some dynamic stretching followed by a 10 min jog to warmup before the start of the race. After that I drank a G Series Pro 01 prime pouch to give me an extra boost 15 minutes before the start of the race. I lined up at the front of the starting line and talked to some runners while we waited for the start. I met Ann Mazur and she said her goal pace was 5:30 so I figured we could be close in the race. After a moment of silence for the troops fighting for the USA and the playing of the national anthem we were ready to start the race.
Jamie and I arrived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Friday afternoon and went to the expo and packet pickup. I was bib number 626 in the 5K. After that we headed to some outlets and just did some looking before grabbing a marginal dinner at Famous Wok in the outlet shopping center. The food wasn't that good but at least I got some carbs and protein from the rice and chicken. We stayed the night with her parents in their condo in North Myrtle Beach, about 20 min from the start of the 5K.
I didn't sleep well the night before the Coastal 5K but I was still ready to go when I woke up race morning. Jamie and I loaded up and got her dog, Justus, and headed to the race. I ate a blueberry crisp Cliff Bar at 6:30am after we parked. It was cold, 43 degrees but the wind was calm. I love running in the cold so I was happy with the weather. I did some dynamic stretching followed by a 10 min jog to warmup before the start of the race. After that I drank a G Series Pro 01 prime pouch to give me an extra boost 15 minutes before the start of the race. I lined up at the front of the starting line and talked to some runners while we waited for the start. I met Ann Mazur and she said her goal pace was 5:30 so I figured we could be close in the race. After a moment of silence for the troops fighting for the USA and the playing of the national anthem we were ready to start the race.
Coast 5K Start The gun went off at 7:30am and I was out fast with Ann right beside me. We easily pulled away from everyone else. She led the first mile but I was right behind her. My first mile was 5:44, right on my planned pace. I felt good and pulled even with Ann. We ran side by side until shortly before the turn around where I took the lead. I opened up a little lead, maybe 10 seconds or so, and kept running hard. My 2nd mile was a 5:46. I was leading but knew Ann was close. It was a 2 person race as we had out distanced the chase field.
Ann ran me down and had caught me by 2.8 miles. I should have opened up more of a gap when I took the lead. She pulled up beside me as we kept running hard towards the finish line. She pulled ahead of me and my plan was to out kick her. Ann held me off and won with a time of 17:45. I finished 2nd Overall, 1st Male, in 17:47. It was a flat and fast course and the weather was perfect.
Ann ran me down and had caught me by 2.8 miles. I should have opened up more of a gap when I took the lead. She pulled up beside me as we kept running hard towards the finish line. She pulled ahead of me and my plan was to out kick her. Ann held me off and won with a time of 17:45. I finished 2nd Overall, 1st Male, in 17:47. It was a flat and fast course and the weather was perfect.
Ann and Me with our awards Ann ran a strong race and it was fun to push each other. The place was excited that a female won the overall race. I've been beat by my friend Anne before and by women at the Boston and the Shamrock Marathons. I may have been "chicked" but at least Ann was a former All-American at Notre Dame and runs a 1:15 half. I felt great the whole time during the race and probably could have dug deeper and ran harder and faster. I'm not used to running 5Ks so I wasn't confident in what pace I could hold. I beat my 18:00 goal so I was happy with my performance. It's good to know I can still crank out a sub 18 minute 5K when I rarely race that distance.
After cooling down and stretching, Jamie and I watched the high heel run that had 2 men compete but it was won by a woman. I would feel pretty bad if I was a woman and got beat my a man in high heels. After the high heel race was the Doggie Dash, that Jamie and Justus were racing. Jamie and Justus started off towards the back of the pack but quickly picked off other runners and their dogs. Jamie and Justus finished 6th Overall and 5th in the female category. They ran right around 8:00 min pace for the 1.5 miles. Justus was a big hit at the race; adults and kids loved him.
The next day Jamie ran the half marathon. Her goal was 2:15-2:20. Her half pr was 2:29 at this race last year. She did awesome and finished in 2:10:58 and knocked an amazing 19 minutes off her personal record! Her dad also ran his first half marathon and he finished in 2:09:20.
The Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon is a great race and a fun weekend with a variety of events. The courses are flat and fast. It is also very well organized. There are a lot of things to do in Myrtle Beach so you can enjoy the area on a fall weekend.
After cooling down and stretching, Jamie and I watched the high heel run that had 2 men compete but it was won by a woman. I would feel pretty bad if I was a woman and got beat my a man in high heels. After the high heel race was the Doggie Dash, that Jamie and Justus were racing. Jamie and Justus started off towards the back of the pack but quickly picked off other runners and their dogs. Jamie and Justus finished 6th Overall and 5th in the female category. They ran right around 8:00 min pace for the 1.5 miles. Justus was a big hit at the race; adults and kids loved him.
The next day Jamie ran the half marathon. Her goal was 2:15-2:20. Her half pr was 2:29 at this race last year. She did awesome and finished in 2:10:58 and knocked an amazing 19 minutes off her personal record! Her dad also ran his first half marathon and he finished in 2:09:20.
The Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon is a great race and a fun weekend with a variety of events. The courses are flat and fast. It is also very well organized. There are a lot of things to do in Myrtle Beach so you can enjoy the area on a fall weekend.
Jamie and Justus in the Doggie Dash
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