Journey From Philadelphia to Myrtle Beach to Run 13.1 Miles

By Lauren Grant

Let me first begin by saying that everything that could have gone wrong on this trip, did. To tell this story, I should probably start from the beginning.

Several months ago, I tried to convince my boyfriend to run a half marathon with me, but he declined. So when a friend mentioned she would be going to Myrtle Beach to run a half with a friend who lived down in North Carolina, I jumped at the chance to go. And so we began planning our days off from work, our flights there and back and our hotel, much to the dismay of my boyfriend and my parents who declared this trip a waste of money as there are other half marathon closer to Philadelphia. I should have known.

We soon learned that the friend, who we would be meeting down there, had asked her mom and sister to come down for the race, but since they live nearby, the four of us (me, my friend, and her friend’s mom and sister) booked the flights and hotel rooms. I started training for the race and as it quickly approached. I learned training in the Winter is not the most enjoyable thing to do, but I had to because I was paying all this money to go to Myrtle Beach. I couldn’t back out even if I wanted to.

There was a threat of snow for the day before we were schedule to fly to Myrtle Beach. The amount predicted increased from a few inches to over a foot. We began to get nervous our flight would be canceled, but never thought it actually would. The snow came and we were pounded with over a foot, which meant my friend and I couldn’t drive to the airport the next day as both of our cars can’t handle snow well.

Eventually we learned that our 7am flight had been canceled. Our layover (which we didn’t know we had until that day) was in Michigan, a mere 7-hour drive. Long story short, we were stuck with only a few options: drive, try and get another flight, take a train or forget the whole trip. The sister and the mom spent the rest of the night on the phone and my friend and I learned that they had decided to get us a flight out of Norfolk, VA, a 6-hour drive from us and about halfway to Myrtle Beach. Despite the fact that the roads were barely plowed, we were picked up around 7am, and then rented a car to drive down. The rental company, who will remain unnamed, was so backed up as 7 of their employees called out that morning, that we waited for a half hour to get a car. We were told the information would be added into the system later in the day as that took too much time with only a few workers. We didn’t think anything of it.

Since we left Philadelphia around 8am, that gave us exactly six and half hours to drive to Norfolk, drop off the car, get through security and make our flight. Over the course of the next five and half hours, we ran out of windshield wiper fluid (which when it snows and the salt flies up, makes it impossible to see and therefore drive) and the one store we stopped at was out of the fluid. We used my full water bottle to refill the empty wiper fluid. We switched drivers once from the mom to the sister, who proceeded to drive 90 MPH for most of the way. Then we hit traffic -twice- and we thought we were done for.

Everything seemed fine after the traffic in Northern Virginia until the car told us we were only 10 miles from an empty tank and riding on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, not the smartest thing to do but the sister refused to stop. As the gas went down, she kept going and driving at very fast speeds. She eventually stopped and put in $4 just to be able to make it to the drop off at the airport. When we finally got to the drop off, we did the quick checkout and ran for the airport. Thank God this was a small airport or we would not have been able to get through security and check-in as quickly as we did.

We made our flight and flew into Georgia and then hopped on a little “Puddle Jumper” to Myrtle Beach, where we learned they were calling for snow the day before the race.

It would be the first time in 10 years it snowed in Myrtle Beach. Of course it would. At this point we didn’t think it could get any worse, but it did.

Because of the impending snow, the race director decided the day before the race to push back the start from 6:30am to 7:00am. As the night went on, it began snowing, lightly at first and it wasn’t sticking. A decision for the race was to be made at 5:00pm, and then that was pushed back to 10:00pm. Finally at the end of the 10 O’clock news the anchor announced that the city decided to cancel the race because of the snow.

This was the worst news. Everything we went through up to this point to get down there was in vain. Still, we didn’t want to waste all of our training efforts so decided to still run the 13.1-mile course at 7:00 am. We began a little late but started near the planned start line and tried to follow the course. There were tons of runners out on the course. I felt proud that we were still out there, but sad I wouldn’t receive my medal I had worked so hard for.

I ran alone for the majority of the run and turned around at the spot my friends and I had agreed on, but I never saw them. I got back and was picked up by the rest of our party who informed me that several people were wearing medals. I ran down the finishing chute and no one was there. We drove around for a while looking for the other two and for those medals with no luck. We drove back near the hotel and found the other two. Then we drove back to the finish to see if there were any medals there, and there were. So we all ran down the chute together and got our medals. I felt like I really accomplished something, even though the time wasn’t official. I had a great time that day. Despite the snow that was the cause of all our cancellations and the interesting trip down, I had a good time and I’m happy I was there.

Lauren A. Grant graduated from Albright College in 2008 with a B.A. in Communications. She is interested in many different aspects of communications including writing, editing, design and layout, public relations, as well as photography and website building. Lauren recently picked up bicycling and is a volunteer for the marketing initiative of the Tour de Cure bike race for the Philadelphia area. After her first half-marathon in February, she will try to train for a triathlon. Lauren enjoys reading, running, cycling, shopping and puppies.

Lauren A. Grant

So it’s a little under a month till my first half marathon! I’m getting very nervous and while I’ve been training, I still have a fear that I will be unable to complete the 13.1 mile run. I’m trying to stay positive but this isn’t easy, but at least it benefits a good cause!

In addition to this race, I’ve also signed myself up for a 40-mile bike ride to benefit the American Diabetes Association in May and will be signing up for the 10-mile Broad Street Run which benefits the American Cancer Society scheduled for May as well. I really enjoy participating in things that not only benefit a great cause but also benefit me physically. As I get older, I realize the importance of donating to charities that could one day help them cure cancer, diabetes, or something else. Donating and raising money for a good cause allows for you to help others in ways you may not have realized. Participating in the 3-day Breast Cancer Walk shows survivors that they aren’t alone in the fight gainst the disease. Charity events bring people together for a common cause, it helps people to feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. These events are rewarding for all who participate and I highly recommend it!

There are plenty of races that benefit a variety of causes this year, make sure to sign up for one that supports a cause close to your heart.

Lauren A. Grant graduated from Albright College in 2008 with a B.A. in Communications. She is interested in many different aspects of communications including writing, editing, design and layout, public relations, as well as photography and website building. Lauren recently picked up bicycling and is a volunteer for the marketing initiative of the Tour de Cure bike race for the Philadelphia area. After her first half-marathon in February, she will try to train for a triathlon. Lauren enjoys reading, running, cycling, shopping and puppies.

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By Lauren Grant

I’m just starting my third week of training for the half marathon and already I’m struggling to keep up! I probably wouldn’t have a problem if I wasn’t working two jobs! Let me tell you it is not easy! Going from one job to another doesn’t leave time for the gym or for running during daylight. That leaves only a few options.

Option 1: Wake up at 5:30am on days that I have work at both jobs.

Option 2: Run at the gym near work during lunch and shower.

Option 3: Run after working 12 hours.

This doesn’t allow for much leeway, so today after failing to wake up at 5:30 to run 3.5 miles, I decided to run during lunch, only not at the gym. Instead of running in the development in which I work, I drove across the road to another development. I found a trail that leads to nice winding and hilly road where I was able to run my 3.5 miles. I was able to get changed and get back to work in under and hour, much better then driving 15 minutes to the gym. After running, I ate my lunch and finished up my work, energized for the next job. Running during lunch may not always be the best option for me, but today it worked out in my favor. I’m still going to run and train after work whenever possible to ensure I’m getting enough sleep by not waking up too early to workout, but now I know I have the option to run at lunch and have plenty of time to get back to work. It allows for me to have more time to run while still working two jobs. I hope I make it through the next few weeks!

Lauren A. Grant graduated from Albright College in 2008 with a B.A. in Communications. She is interested in many different aspects of communications including writing, editing, design and layout, public relations, as well as photography and website building. Lauren recently picked up bicycling and is a volunteer for the marketing initiative of the Tour de Cure bike race for the Philadelphia area. After her first half-marathon in February, she will try to train for a triathlon. Lauren enjoys reading, running, cycling, shopping and puppies.

by Lauren A. Grant

When was the last time that you tried something new? When was the last time you stepped out or in this case “sprinted” out of your comfort zone? Author Lauren Grant discusses how she is taking on adventure one race at a time.

Just a few minutes after my first 5 mile race, I began thinking about running a longer race, perhaps a 10k or the 10-mile Broad Street run. After trying to find some of these events unsuccessfully, I realized by only other option was a half-marathon. While there are some in the next year in the Philadelphia area, I know I was ready for the race sooner than next year. Over the last few weeks, I became mentally prepared for a 13.1-mile race with support from some friends. Getting over that was easy, choosing a race was not.

That’s when fate stepped in. Just last week, a friend asked if I would go down to Myrtle Beach with her in February so she could run a half-marathon. I proceeded to ask if it would be okay for me to sign up to run as well. She was fine with this, so we both signed up for our longest race to date.

And to be honest, I’m scared to death! I have my twelve-week training schedule ready to go! I’ll be mentioning my progress periodically over the next few months. Please feel free to leave me any racing pointers!

Lauren A. Grant graduated from Albright College in 2008 with a B.A. in Communications. She is interested in many different aspects of communications including writing, editing, design and layout, public relations, as well as photography and website building. Lauren recently picked up bicycling and is a volunteer for the marketing initiative of the Tour de Cure bike race for the Philadelphia area. After her first half-marathon in February, she will try to train for a triathlon. Lauren enjoys reading, running, cycling, shopping and puppies.