After we picked up registration packets, Jason, Chuck and I headed down to pool and then the beach. The sun had gone down and there was a chilly breeze out by the pool area. So, we headed out to the beach where the sun was still shining. I cannot recall the last time I played in the ocean. I had a blast jumping in the waves and being knocked around by the waves. Everything was going pretty well. We were all enjoying our play time. Then, tragedy struck...Jason was stung by a man-of-war. The first sting was apparently just a small one on his back where the tentacle just grazed his back. The second sting, the tentacle attached itself to his elbow.
Jason ran out of the water. In fact, I cannot recall ever seeing him move that quickly! By the time Chuck and I reached him, he was standing under the outdoor shower area trying to remove the tentacle from his arm. I recalled that his mother had mentioned that a couple years back his nephew had been stung and they peed on him and it helped relieve the irritation. So, we went back up to the hotel room and we peed on him. I say "we" because Chuck peed in a cup and I poured it on him! LOL...I know it's pretty special! Then, Jason got in a really hot shower and washed it with soap. It was still bothering him quite a bit, so we went to the grocery store and got some vinegar. Jason almost passed out when we poured it on him the first time. It started to look worse, so we decided it was time to head to the ER.
This is what it looked like at the ER.
So, we gave the ER all the details. There was much laughter about us following the wives' tale and using pee on his sting. The doctor who saw Jason said that this was called Maximum Marine Envenomation. Basically when Jason went and put fresh water on the sting and the tentacle was still attached, every stinger that had not fired, immediately fired on him. The pee didn't help out at all and neither did the hot water and soap. The vinegar would've been great had we used it first. So, they marinated him in vinegar for about 45 minutes. They gave him Zantac, Solumedrol (a prednisone), and Benadryl through an IV. After the ER, we picked up prescriptions and then went searching for dinner.
We all wanted pancakes...we saw several pancake houses earlier in the day and we really started craving pancakes. So, we drove around looking for pancake house and found one that opened at 10 p.m. After searching for others, we finally ended up back at the one that opened at 10. And we enjoyed our dinner!!! Then we went back to the hotel and everyone went to bed.
Chuck and I met up with Cathy around 6 a.m. We walked several blocks to the start line. We chatted and waited around and finally lined up at the start line. Finally Bob Harper arrived and he spoke for a few minutes and then he had to speak again because apparently the filming crew did not get exactly what it wanted. So, we endured that and waited for the start.
Finally the race started. It was the slowest start I have ever had because it was so congested and the area was so narrow. It was hard to even get into a running rhythm. I also had trouble finding holes to get in and out and around people. I know the plan was not to compete just to complete. However, I was competing against myself and really wanted to do my very best.
I ended up doing a lot more walking due to some horrible shin splints and just a slight inability to get going when I needed. I jogged as much as I could when I could. I ran in some very strange ways...alot of sideways running which was a bit painful on the hip. But I muddled through. It was hard completing a race with so many people who did not know race etiquette. It didn't matter if you hollered "on the left" or not, people just didn't move. Then they had the bright idea of letting the 1 mile people start in enough time that they could complicate the finish line towards the end for those finishing up their 5k. This was the first time I ever got pushed as I was crossing the finish line. I was not very happy at all about my finish. I had plans to beat my best training time, but it didn't happen. Part of my problem was that I was also racing like I would a half-marathon...reserving something for my last mile. In shorter races, that is not good strategy.
So, for my next 5k race, I will be in a more competive race :) But seriously, I will plan a bit better to try and keep a steady pace the entire race and maybe leave a small amount in reserve for a push across the finish line!
I forgot to mention, during the race, I had the opportunity to high five Bob Harper and he told me "Keep it up! You're awesome!" It was pretty cool. I also got a high five from Sherry from last year's show. I did not stay to get a picture with Bob Harper because Jason was at the hotel and I wanted to check in on him and make sure he got his breakfast and medicine. We ended up heading out of Myrtle Beach after Chuck and I both got showers and breakfast.
All in all, I am relearning my running strategy and basically starting over again. It stinks, but I have to relearn my old running patterns and maybe even some new running patterns so I can prevent injuries and be a better runner. It's all learning for me now. I am hanging in there though and continuing on.
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