We've been without power for 3 days, so I'm a little tardy with my report, but here it is:
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front):
I PRed by 11 second! That's .4 seconds per mile. I find it pretty entertaining that it came down to that slim of a margin, but I'll take it.
More Detail:
Disclaimer:
In case you get the wrong idea about breaking my PR, rest assured OldSlowGoofyGuy is still slow. I'm about 1:15 away from a BQ.
Weather:
The weather was perfect, except for the wind (more on that later). It was about 32 degrees at the start. Maybe 45 by the finish.
Expo:
Package pickup was a breeze. It took 5 minutes. I'm not an expo-guy, so to me this one was perfect. Small enough that you don't spend too much time on your feet, but big enough to hold your interest for a couple of minutes and to pick up gels, etc. It was very convenient to the Sheraton, a 2 minute indoor walk. The shirt was a classy 2 color on black long-sleeve tech T. We also got a nice drawstring backpack bag with 3 compartments.
Transportation and Pre-race:
Other than a mix-up as to where to pick up the shuttle, it was a non-event. A 5 minute wait and a 5 minute ride. Then a 3 minute walk to the corrals. The corrals were marked in 15-30 minute increments. There was no physical division between corrals and placement was on the honor system. The announcer did a good job of keeping us entertained. It was actually a very Disney-like atmosphere. Well Disney like, with 1/20th of the people and no fireworks (although we did get a drone flyover!), and no characters, but it was a fun party atmosphere.
The Course:
The course is dead flat, perfect for a PR. As others mentioned, you don't get to see much of the ocean, just a glimpse now and then. The first part was mildly interesting, with lots of tacky tourist attractions. The second part was more commercial and less interesting. As long as you're not expecting Disney, it was fine. You can't expect every mile to be breathtaking. It has 4 or 5 weird little appendices (out and back) that seemed more appropriate for a local 5k rather than a marathon. Oddly enough, I find them comforting because they remove the fear of the unknown.
The Race:
I had no problem with congestion on the course after the first quarter mile. I started out with a pace group that was 10-20 seconds slower than my anticipated pace. I hung with them for 2 miles just to avoid going out too fast. I hit the half exactly where I wanted to be and stayed there until about 19. At 19, I was still on track to PR by about 2-3 minutes. Up until then, the wind was either non-existent or a tailwind. At 19, you make a big turn to head to the finish and from then on out, it was a pretty fierce headwind. The combination of the headwind and tired legs slowed me down by 20-30 seconds a mile. At around 23, the pacer caught up with me and told me he had a 90 second cushion. Some quick math told me I needed to beat him by about 20 seconds to PR. For the next 3 miles, I would speed up, he would catch me, I would speed up... I don't think I would have PRed if it hadn't been for the pacer. Even though it was only 11 seconds, I was pretty happy considering this was my 3rd marathon in 60 days (marathon maniac-qualified!) The sad part is, if you round it off to hours and minutes, my PR didn't change.
Post-Race:
The medal is shaped like a pair of flip-flops, a nice change from the generally round shape. For me, normally the funny stiff-legged walk doesn't kick in for a few hours, but this time it hit me immediately. I could hardly get out of the finish chute and didn't think I'd make it back to the car. I didn't have the energy to even look for the food or free beer. I will say that for Dasani being a sponsor, bottled water seemed hard to find. Due to dinner arrangements in the other direction, we didn't make it to the post-race party.
Summary:
I would definitely run Myrtle Beach again, except for the wind. I know anyplace can be windy, but I'm guessing Myrtle Beach could be one of the windier courses. If you don't fear the wind, then add Myrtle Beach to your to-do list. Be aware the race is moving to March for next year. I would also recommend if you've only done larger races like Disney, NYC, Marine Corp, try a smaller (< 2000) marathon like Myrtle Beach or Rocket City. It is a completely different experience which contrasts nicely with a Disney-style race.
