It was going to be my third Myrtle Beach Marathon. Legs were great. No nagging little injuries. An extra long running season which included many fall trail runs had prepared me for (hopefully) my best marathon ever.
The weather forecast was getting worse every day before race day. After arriving in Myrtle Beach on the Wednesday before the race, I went shopping for a new jacket to run in since a cold rain had crept into the forecast. And then snow was in the forecast. It did snow. The night before the marathon the beach got several inches of snow with high winds. The city decided (controversially!) that it was too dangerous for runners and drivers to be on the roads together. In retrospect, I think they were probably right, even though the roads were fine by 10 a.m., the volunteers would have had to set up the course over night in miserable, dangerous conditions.
I was initially very disappointed when we heard the race was canceled. I slept in on race day (Saturday) and got up bummed. But then I saw runners on the course. Just a few at first, but then a steady stream. I decided to go out and run a few miles with them. We ran sad. We ran mad. But we didn't let all our training go to waste. I was so inspired by the resilience of the tribe that I ran the entire distance and nearly had a PR. It turned out to be my most emotional marathon finish ever. This was my third time running a marathon in Myrtle Beach and I will be back
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