MS Gulf Coast (WW # 124)

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Mississippi Gulf Coast Half Marathon

Biloxi, MS

December 10, 2017

Half Marathon  # 49

After the heat, lack of hydration and ensuing poor performance at the PCB Half Marathon, I was feeling...meh.  Don't get me wrong, I had a blast with my Southern Sole Sisters.  But race-wise?  Not so much.  While in PCB, Tricia mentioned she was running the MS Gulf Coast Half the following weekend. I didn't think much about it then but after receiving a mid-week email from the Battleship12k with a discount for this race, an idea formed.  I threw it out to PoPo who seemed interested...or at least didn't say "NO".   I put my head down and slogged through the rest of my week with my idea on the back burner. 

The decorations at the Beau Rivage were spectacular!

Saturday morning (you know, the day before the race -- that's how I roll), I threw the idea out again.  It was a go!  I was still able to register online with my Battleship 12k discount code, I booked a room at the Beau Rivage ($100 cheaper than mid-week!) and we threw some clothes in a bag.  I sent Tricia a text we were headed her way.  We initially experienced traffic issues due to our overnight snowfall, but once we were out of town the trip went smoothly.

The view from our hotel.

Packet pickup was quick and easy, although we found it irritating to pay for parking when we were only inside a few minutes.  We then dropped by the campground where Tricia and my running buddy Valerie were staying.   They had graciously invited us to dine with them.  But, we had stopped in Mobile for a late lunch so we just hung around the campfire for a while.  We certainly appreciated their hospitality.

 

Race Day!  This race is point to point from Gulfport to Biloxi.  The race shuttles were boarding in front of our hotel which made for easy race day logistics.   After arriving at the start, we were allowed to stay on the bus for a while since it was cold -- 32 degrees plus wind.  {What a difference a week made on the Gulf Coast!}  After a porta-a-potty stop, gear bag check and an "I'm in an ugly gold sweatshirt" text, I connected with Tricia, Valerie, Jenny and Katie.  We enjoyed a nice sunrise.

Me, Tricia, Valerie, Jenny and Katie

I hoped to run solid with a negative split and knew the cold temperature should work in my favor.   After the best rendition of the National Anthem I've ever heard, we were off.  Wow!  The first two miles were crowded; perhaps my own fault for starting too far back.  Watching the sun rise higher and higher over the Gulf was priceless.  I'm glad I had brought my sunglasses, just in case.  I never wear them while running, but this time they came in handy.

The timing plate and still camera around mile 7. 
Running into the sun the whole time!

As I often do, I zoned out and can't tell you much.  I ditched my sweatshirt after a few miles and when I dropped a glove while opening a GU, I let the other one go as well.  Thankfully, my top had thumb hole sleeves.  I didn't drink at each station because it slows me down.  They weren't in every mile but were plentiful.  My mantra was "make it count" and my only goal was to stay in the 9's.  A few times I went over a bit; mile 1 due to crowding, mile 9 due to veering off to a side street aid station, and mile 12 due to a steep highway ramp.  Breathing the cold, crisp air was a gazillion times better than last weekend's scorcher and I was able to remain strong to the end.

Not my pic...but this was our view for much of the race.

The course was mostly flat with the Gulf on our right and beautiful old antebellum homes dotting the resort-town landscape on our left.  Sadly, you could see where homes were missing due to Hurricane Katrina's wrath.   In mile 12 we started up our only hill; a long curved, banked, concrete highway ramp going up, up, up.  My left ITB was not happy.  We turned around and came straight down on the other side where I picked it up as fast as I could.  I spotted PoPo standing on the corner at our hotel a block before reaching Biloxi's MGM Baseball Stadium for the finish.

Hey, PoPo!

A few years ago I would have been disappointed with my chip time of 2:09:14.  But the older it's-always-something me appreciates the effort it now requires to obtain it.  I ranked 14 out of 78 in my age group. My last mile was the fastest.  I'm thrilled anytime I can do that.  It validates a well paced race effort and enough gas in my tank for a kick.

Trying to not let the gun time clock click over to the next minute.

The after party was an awesome venue with food and drink everywhere.  I drank a chocolate Core Power protein shake and sampled Chicken Alfredo, Seafood Gumbo, and a BBQ Sandwich.  I needed my warm jacket and spent an excessive amount of time locating the gear bag truck...more due to my foggy post race brain than race direction.  Sadly, that left no time to find my buddies since we had a hotel checkout deadline.  I was pretty bummed about that.   We brunched on the beach before heading home.

This is definitely a race worth repeating! 

And that's a wrap!

Have you run a race in Mississippi?  If so, which one?

Have you visited Biloxi?

Are you ready for the holidays?

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