This was the 2nd Annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Marathon consisting of both a full and half marathon with a 5k the day before.
I came across this race last year after I was already signed up for a December race, so waited an entire year to come! I was super excited for a super flat, scenic, coastal race in prime running weather time of year and all of their gear/logos were super cute!
TRAVEL
I drove straight across from Jacksonville to Biloxi. It was a super easy 6.5 hour drive with the pup! We arrived in perfect time for the last of the snow and sunset! Mississippi Gulf Coast-one of the few places you can watch both sunrise and sunset over water!
ACCOMODATIONS
I had planned to camp at Buccaneer State Park which has tent spots right along the coast, however, the weather had another plan. Super cold temps came in that week and snow actually made an appearance (a rarity) so I had to cancel the camping and splurge on a room at the Hyatt Place. The Hyatt Place is the newest property in the area and was absolutely perfect! This pet friendly hotel has awesome ocean view rooms with a heated pool/hot tub, and complimentary breakfast! It was also only .7mile walk to the Start Shuttle/Finish area.
EXPO
The Expo was held at the Convention Center, where unfortunately the city did not waive the parking fee of $5. Thankfully, the race director advised us of this and told the secret of parking on the main street and walking in if you wanted to save. There were enough vendors to get your race supplies and I picked up a super cute Soak up the Run tank top!
COURSE
The point to point course runs right along the gulf coast from Gulfport to Biloxi with constant coastal views of sugar white sand, a gorgeous sun rise, beautiful art sculptures, and even a Christmas tree on the beach! For most of the course some people (me) ran on the wide sidewalk/boardwalk and others on the partially closed road. Because the Finish is across a busy street, the course does take you off the scenic path the last mile, goes up a highway ramp (not too bad) and then turns around to finish at the MGM Park.
PARKING/SHUTTLES
Because it is a point to point course, shuttles are used to get to the Start. There were two locations, one at MGM Park and one at IP Casino. If you used the IP Casino on, there was another shuttle at the Finish to get you back if you didnt want to walk the mile. The Start Shuttle was pretty far since its an out and back course, about 15+ minutes for half marathon and 30+ minutes for full. The half did have an option to park at the Start, but no way to get back to your car after you finished. The full did not have any parking.
START
The most disappointing part was the race started right after sunrise and the Starting Line was on an open road, so you really could not get across the road ahead of time to watch the sun rise over the water. I would suggest starting the race earlier so we can run with the sunrise, or to have the shuttle drop us off on the beach side so we can watch the sunrise.
WATER STATIONS
All of the stations were set up properly but one. One was completely empty. There were a ton of stations along the course, so there was still plenty of fluid. Fuel was also passed out.
SPECTATORS
Im not sure if it was because it was so cold, or the race is kind of on a busy street, but theres not a lot of spectators cheering you on for this race.
RESULT
I went into this race super excited. It has been a while since I have had a PR as a lot of the courses I have ran lately have been challenging or hot. As the temps were dropping approaching race day, I knew this was going to be 'the one.' A super flat scenic course in cold temps! I slept and woke feeling awesome. I even had a great and motivating conversation with a girl on the shuttle talking about my goal and The DONNA.
I felt great (but cold... no freezing) at the Starting line. I ran almost the entire first mile still wearing a foil blanket and had the perfect 'warm up' mile....not too fast so I wouldn't cramp....then each mile after improved faster and faster. Those first few miles I felt wonderful. It was such a pretty day and my body felt good, my lungs felt good. About mile 4 I realized the times were a little slower than I needed for a PR. But I was still okay. It was a gorgeous race day. I had not stopped for a walk break yet because it felt so easy to run in this cold, so decided I would shoot for my back up goal of running the entire course, which I hadn't done in a couple of years either.
About Mile 6 I suddenly got a sharp pain in my right knee. I was surprised as I know knee pain. Usually it comes and goes and its more of a mute pain. But this was sharp and it wasn't going anywhere. And it was more on the outside of the knee than top or bottom. I then starting feeling my lower back aching. Again, Ive felt that before, but it was weird it was happening with the knee. Then I realized my right foot was kind of numb. But its cold out....its got to just warm up!
I pushed through that mile, slowing down, really not wanting to stop, but by mile 7, I had to take a walk break to see if the knee pain would go away. To my surprise it hurt transitioning from running to walking. Devastated I missed out on both goals, I tried not to think about that and was confused on what I was feeling. I tried to do the run/walk. I would run until I would feel my knee again, then walk to make the pain go away. That worked until about M10 when the pain just wouldn't leave no matter what. I was getting scared. It is 2 months til DONNA marathon and I can NOT be injured for a full marathon! I made it to about Mile 11 when it still was not going away and I just lost it.
'Why was this happening? Why am I still not good enough? I am in year 7 of doing a half marathon a month, why am I not getting faster/better? I have not PRd in 2 years! And I didnt even PR the DONNA last February like I do every year! Today was supposed to be the day! Today was supposed to be my confidence booster that I still have what it takes. That I can prove to the world that someone that never could run one lap on the track can now run half and full marathons and improve every year! How am I supposed to motivate people if I cant even improve myself? Whats the point of people following PinkFeet if Im so pathetic I cant even PR? and now, what, I might be injured? 7 years Ive gone with no injuries. I only have 3 more years of this mission. Why is this happening now?'
I was a mess. I mean, hyperventilating sobbing, down right mess. I walked pretty much the entire last mile (it was an incline and decline, which didnt help the knee). My mind had given up, my body had failed me. I got to the Finish line stretch in the Stadium and trotted across the line, head hung low.
I got ice for my knee, and texted my friends and called my boyfriend sobbing away about how Im not good enough and thankfully they all slapped me back into reality.
"Missy, Nobody Cares! You are the only one that cares about the numbers. That is not what motivates people. You motivate people because you are out there doing it, and you never give up. You keep going and traveling the world, mostly alone, and you don't care what others think. You do it because you want to! And you are making a difference raising so much money for breast cancer."
Why do we put such Expectations on ourselves (or even others)? Expectations is an imaginary perfect world that only exists in your head. The world is not perfect. When one part of your expectation does not pan out, you are disappointed. If we just stop and appreciate and enjoy what is actually happening right in front of us in that very moment, we could feel amazingly blessed instead of upset. The race day was perfect! It was fun and gorgeous and easy to run along that scenic flat coast! I had run a distance nonstop that I have not done in a long time and even at close to PR time! If I hadn't gone in with an expectation, I would have walked away from this race proud and happy, even despite the knee issue. (which thankfully subsided the next day)
Why do we think that 'Best' means 'Better'? What does Best really relate to? Times, Statistic, People, the Past? Again, we are comparing and setting expectations when we relate Best to being Better. The problem with Best is the world has to be aligned to have those perfect conditions, many of those out of your control, and there you go creating Expectations again. Shouldn't Best really be a feeling inside? If we look at Best as the effort we gave that day, mentally and physically and appreciate what just happened in that moment, then we can walk away feeling proud and accomplished. Every day, every race will be different, but your insides will tell you if you are giving it your all. We are so lucky to be out there even running at all. We had the encouragement to sign up for the race. We had the motivation to train and show up at the Starting line. And we had the determination to finish the Best we could for that given moment. Best should come from your heart. Maybe if we didn't put Expectations on Best, we would always be doing our Best in one shape or form.
FINISH
The race finished inside the MGM Park (a baseball stadium) broadcasting your epic finish line crossing on a jumbo tron! The vendors are located upstairs so you can have views of runners on the last mile. Your bib came with 6 tabs which were to be redeemed with the vendors, however, only the beer station was checking them off....so, basically you could have had 6 free beers! Super yummy BBQ sandwiches, chicken pasta, and gumbo were also provided! There was plenty of space to relax in the stands, or sprawl out on the grass! It was a beautifully sunny and warm winter finish!
MEDAL
I love the medal, but seems the stained glass could either be more see thru in the sunlight or brighter colors.
SHIRT
The gender specific shirt is made of some awesome super soft material and not splattered with sponsors logos all over the back.
THINGS TO DO
Mississippi Gulf Coast is filled with cute small beach towns. This race is lined perfectly to experience some Holiday Spirit, especially the Winter Lights at Gulfport. Because it was so cold, the beaches were completed empty, but they were cute because there were swings and bonfire pits you could use! (note, you have to get a permit for the bonfire pits). If it was a tad warmer, I had planned to visit the Davis Bayou State Park. Casinos are located in Biloxi if you want to try your luck
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I love any race that is scenic. It just makes the time go by that much faster! And I am a total beach girl, so I may be a little biased on this race. However, for it being only the 2nd Annual, I believe this race knows what they are doing! With that said, there was some confusion on the full marathon distance and the course ended up not being Boston certified. The full and half had the same ending, and my Garmin was right on par for the distance, so it had to be something about the first part of the full course. With that said, I think the Mississippi Gulf Coast half marathon should be highly recommended. It is easy to rent a beach house pretty cheap this time of year and kick back and relax, or if you like the liveliness of entertainment, the casino hotels will fill your desire.
This race was definitely a life lesson for me. I went into this 10 year, run a half marathon a month while completing the 50 states mission without any expectations at all. Shoot, my original goal was to do only 1 year of half a marathon a month. But it just kept going when I realized I could travel for races! I still never really put expectations on myself. (of course I secretly hoped I would magically turn into a Kenyan and be able to qualify for Boston...I mean, who doesnt?) The 10 year goal just materialized when I realized the trend of how many states I could afford a year. The $100,000 goal just materialized when I saw it could actually be realistic. I've never really put too much pressure on time, because to be honest, I am still just amazed to this day that I used to be a 15 year smoker who never could run 1 lap doing the mile test in grade school. I've naturally progressed in my times over these 7 years, but I still go to every race trying to give it my all, and trying to find the fun and beauty in every run. It doesnt matter about the times, or even the medals. It just matters that I did it and found something to enjoy about it. I lost that feeling this race. But these weeks since, I have regrouped, refocused, and realigned with what is really important in life, which is a positive outlook on all outcomes. Live life through your the love in your heart. I have been so blessed to be able to do this mission and I have loved every single moment of it!
13.1-2:25
State #34
Half marathon #81
Pink Feet's half marathon calendar runs from March to February with the final race being the full marathon at The DONNA Marathon! I am on Year 7 of a 10 year mission to complete the 50 states while also running a half marathon a month; all to help spread the word of breast cancer prevention, early detection, and living a healthy lifestyle including running and walking. My goal is to raise $100,000 for breast cancer charities. Current donations are going to The DONNA Marathon whose beneficiaries are The Mayo Clinic and Donna Foundation.