Snow = No Go

The Myrtle Beach Marathon was canceled. For 3-4 inches of snow. Apparently Myrtle Beach doesn't have a snow plow and can't deal with removing snow from the streets. They canceled the race because the course isn't closed to cars and, due to the slippery conditions, wanted to keep the runners safe. Great. I get that. But cancel? Why not just postpone a few hours?

A bunch of us met and ran because that was the point of being here in the first place. We met up with a bunch of folks from Twitter: Megan (@veganrunningmom), Eric (@veganrunningdad), Eva (@EvaTEsq) and her husband, who's name escapes me (sorry!) and Gordon (@disneyrunner). We were also there with John's cousin Tim and his wife Tina. We did a nice and easy 10 miles and then hung out at Starbucks for a while chatting. A few of us wore our race numbers and it was generally a great time. There were tons of runners on the roads. We weren't the only ones trying to make the best out of things. We runners are a dedicated bunch and when we want something, we find a way to do it.

Today was the bike rides. John did the 33-mile ride and had a good time. I was supposed to do the 14-mile ride but decided not to so I could get some more miles in. I did another 10 along the beach road. There were still a ton of runners out, a few with their race numbers. I ran along the beach for a while as well. It was a nice morning. Everyone was in a fantastic mood. Tons of hellos, nods, waves, a Happy Valentine's Day, and a "good girl." I liked that one.

So, while we were extremely disappointed that we couldn't do the race, we had a great time anyway. Sometimes the best times are not the ones we thought we would have.

First Race of Many

Next Saturday I'm running the Myrtle Beach Marathon. I'm super excited.

I'm using this race as a training run for my 50K. So, I have no expectations. No time goals. No pressure. This is for fun, if you can believe it. With this as my 8th marathon, I just want to have a good time. I've never been to Myrtle Beach before and I figured this would be a great way to see the city! I've heard great things about the race. My husband is doing the half marathon and his cousin and his wife are also doing the half. We're going to have a blast.

I really think, as runners, we have to have races that are for pure fun. Sure, we need to race to test ourselves, measure our fitness, get experience, etc. But we also need to have fun. We need to race for the pure pleasure of running. Of being part of the atmosphere. I love the race atmosphere. Being among sometimes thousands of others that have the same interests and passions I do is electric to me. It makes me feel alive.

Sign up for a race just for the heck of it. Don't set any time goals for yourself. Don't put any pressure on yourself. Just run it because you can. Enjoy yourself. It will recharge you, it will recharge your running.