After ignominously bonking Kiawah, I’ve decided to run the Myrtle Beach Marathon. To be precise, I’m running the BI-LO® Myrtle Beach Marathon presented by Wendy’s®. Pardon my corporate faux pas. The race is on February 17. Seventy days after Kiawah, it’s a fast turnaround, but I really, really have to get this bad taste out of my mouth.

This is Myrtle’s tenth anniversary. There’s a full, half, 5k, bicycle ride, family fun run, and a Marathon Relay. Crowd support should be the polar opposite of Kiawah. The course follows the famously tourist-sensitive Hwy 17 and Ocean Boulevard. At least I’ll have the opportunity to stop in a Wings along the way. I should pass multiple locations, to say the least.

This will not be an official Boston attempt. My goal is simpler. I intend to run a mentally strong race, particularly in the last 6 miles. I need the satisfaction of a solid finish, so I’m targeting 3:20. I plan to enjoy myself, run hard, and as Tom Berenger said to the mortally wounded private in PLATOON, “Take the pain!”

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