State #34, Myrtle Beach Half Marathon, Myrtle Beach, SC, Part 1

I arrived in Myrtle Beach last night after leaving for the airport straight from work. My flights were fine, and I easily met my aunt at the baggage claim in the airport. Easy trip! That's always a good start. 
My uncle was waiting in the car to pick us up curbside, and we were off to their house. They only live about 15 minutes or so from the airport, so that was good. I arrived around 9:45 pm and we were at their house in no time. We chatted about everything...running, Myrtle Beach, family, work, and before we knew it, it was midnight! I never stay up that late!
The next morning we took it easy, getting up around 8 am and relaxing over coffee and breakfast. Linda and I headed out to the grocery store, as I planned to cook dinner for them pre-race. Whenever possible, I prefer to to be in control of my pasta meals. If I can have whole grain or whole wheat pasta, spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs, then I'm good. So tonight dinner was on me. 

Race number, t-shirt and race map.

We met up with Uncle Pete after the grocery run and all headed to the sports center to the marathon expo to pick up my number. The vibe there was festive and upbeat. I got my number and t-shirt and along with the t-shirt the race directors gave out Myrtle Beach Marathon socks and sunglasses. Cool! I like this race already. We perused the vendors, and I ended up purchasing a cheap pair of cotton gloves. The race morning temperatures were going to be in the 30's! Not what I was expecting. Good thing I threw in a pair of long running pants and a long sleeve half zip just in case. We also took a look at the race route map, and then took a ride along the route so I could see where I'd be running. We drove along some commercial areas and some residential areas and finished up along Ocean Drive that runs along the beach. It was a nice route, and I know it will be a great run.
We went to lunch at a place called Mrs. Fish. We had a nice fish lunch (I had salmon), and they told me that Mrs. Fish was a favorite local place that was no frills but good food. Yes and yes. After lunch we drove down to the beach for a short walk. What a lovely beach it is! You can see beach for miles and miles. The tide was out, so the beach was extensive. We walked a little bit just taking in the sound of the waves and the views. It was lovely.
We headed back to their house and relaxed for a bit, and then I worked on getting dinner ready. We had a super meal of pasta, spaghetti squash, meatballs and salad. It was nice to have a home cooked  meal together. So much better than eating by myself in a restaurant somewhere. Luckily everyone enjoyed my cooking. 

My distinguishing hat. 

After dinner I got my running gear ready for the morning. My aunt found some ribbon I could pin on my hat to make me stand out more in the crowd so they could maybe spot me easier tomorrow. I might look silly, but it will be fun.
What a great first day in Myrtle! Good night!