Myrtle Beach 1/2 Marathon

Well,

I wasn't quite sure what to expect for this race. Slammed at work, limited sleep... I figured my race wasn't going to be top notch anyway, so I enjoyed beer at the race expo and wine with dinner beforehand.

And somehow I had a really good race! It wasn't my fastest time, but certainly up there as one of my best! To top it off, I negative split the race! (In other words, I ran the second half faster than the first half.) I've never negative split a race! Maybe in a 5K once? Anyway, they didn't truly have the halfway point for the race, so I timed the first 6 miles (56:28) and then the second 6 miles (55:51). My overall finish was 2:03 flat, according to the watch.

Many people on Team Z had a great race too, between the half and the full.

Don't you love Carol's Accelerade Mustache?

Difficult Run?

For an easy training weekend (well, taper for next weekend at Myrtle Beach), I thought of a "difficult run"... as in the stream in Fairfax County, Difficult Run.

Difficult Run is the largest watershed in Fairfax County, with some fabulous hiking/trail running/mountain biking/horse riding adjacent to the stream. I was long overdue for a visit. I am not sure how the stream quite got its name, but it seems that going down the stream in a kayak would be quite difficult. It's rather rocky and steep in some sections, sort of a microcosm of Great Falls along the Potomac River, which is nearby. In fact, the Difficult Run trail connects to the Great Falls Park trails. And that's what I did today. A trail run. I took it easy, not wanting to fry the legs and just took some time to enjoy the scenery.

Tomorrow is slated for a 25-mile ride. Hmmm. Seems that the weather is not going to quite cooperate. The wind chill is going to be potentially unbearable. I think it'll be a good opportunity "train on the Ironman Lake Placid" course again, as ride the trainer, watching the training DVD.

Mardi Gras Weekend

I succeeded in dragging myself out of bed this morning to go for a run. I knew it wouldn't be pretty. (1) I was up well past midnight last night watching parades. (2) Dinner last night consisted of 2 pieces of Popeye's chicken and 2-1/2 Abita beers. (3) No means for pre-run breakfast. Oh well, some run was better than no run. So, I headed out with a bottle of Accelerade in hand to scope out the early morning action along the parade route and in the French Quarter.

I remember why I tend to steer clear of the French Quarter during Mardi Gras, particularly Bourbon Street. I ran only three blocks of Bourbon Street, before I could no longer take running through the mysterious goo on the sidewalks. (Stale beer, discarded beads, and a lot of stuff I don't want to think about.) So, I switched to running along Royal Street, peeking in the windows at more art I'd love to add to my collection.

Returning along Decatur Street, I paused to flirt with the group of guys trying to convince me to trade in my Accelerade for some beer. Maybe I should have?

Anyway, it was a short run, but I managed to knock out something. Besides, does the 4 miles I walked to and from parades last night count?