I'm so sorry Karen.  How annoying.

Karen, that SUCKS.  Why on earth isn't the course distance verified AFTER it is marked??  Seems like that should be a gimme....

Oddly, I'm not that upset about the short course. At least the state is driving distance, and this was a pretty inexpensive race overall (basically the entry fee and two tanks of gas, thanks to Susan!). I am glad I signed up for Boston next year. I probably won't go two years in a row, so if I don't get another BQ for 2019, no big deal. I was really running hoping to better my placement for next year's Boston, but even my short course finish wasn't better than what I qualified with last November. I was much more excited about the AG placement than the time or the BQ, and that's still valid. I feel like I should have some serious outrage, but I just don't. I was more upset about The Woodlands, and that one is local, so I don't get why I'm not, but I guess it's for the best.

So more detail - this is the second year for the race. The first 24 miles are pretty much a straight shot down Highway 90, which runs along the coast. The right lane (closest to the water) is blocked off for the runners, leaving one lane of traffic, the median, and two lanes of traffic going the other way. Last year the course had the runners crossing those three lanes of traffic once they got to downtown Biloxi, then running on some roads there and finishing at the baseball stadium. The police suggested an out and back on I-110 (which is right by the baseball stadium and ends at highway 90 that we ran on). That way runners wouldn't have to cross the traffic lanes - we went up an onramp, ran a bit, turned around and came out on the other side of the road. But, getting access to measure the course on an interstate was not easy and they only had a couple hours early on a Sunday morning, with traffic being blocked by cops, to do it. Then they had no access until they shut the road down for the race a couple hours before the race started. So when they did the initial measuring, the RD measured and marked various points along the way so when they got the official measured distance of the rest of the course, he would know exactly where to put the turnaround to make the total distance correct. When people started complaining, first he blew it off as GPS error. Except like mine, everyone's GPS was measuring right on the first 25 miles, then 26 came way too early. So he talked to the person that marked and set up the turnaround, who told him exactly what he measured, which was exactly what the RD told him. Then the RD figured since there were very few volunteers up there, people must have turned at the half marathon turnaround accidentally, and said basically your fault but we'll have it marked better and put a timing mat at the turnaround going forward. But we all ran past the first turnaround and turned at the second one, marked for the marathon. I guess today he went back and looked and he told the person marking to measure "105 feet north of the 2nd truss structure" and his calculations said "105 feet north of the 3rd truss structure." And that, my friends, is how you get a course that is 0.295 miles short.

So it is what it is. I learned that running lots of miles without real long can work. I think if I'd run a marathon in November and then just coasted through with shorter runs in December things would have gone better than running a half in November and trying to coast through to a marathon. Basically, I peaked too soon for this race and would have done better treating the half as a training run. I think I probably was in 3:45 marathon shape in November - in fact some of my shorter race results say I could have gone as fast as 3:39.

Anyway, that's what it is. I would run this one again, except it will probably be the same weekend as Brazos Bend again next year, and I want to do that. So probably Stennis.

And now I'm tired of typing, so I'm blowing off personals for now. I think maybe a nap with Riley is in order instead.

Thanks Tessa.

That reminds me, I was going to answer Kat's menopause question also. My last period (hopefully) was in late January of this year. I turned 50 in July (but you all know that part already). And I agree with Tessa's good riddance!

Annoying day at work. Was hoping to run outside, charged up the lights and everything, but when I was feeling the wind move the car around, I decided to to stick with the treadmill.

AnonymousGuest, that sucks that the course was short. It seems like that is becoming more and more common.

DHuffman, ugh about the car. I hope your kitty starts feeling better. I think you had posted yesterday about alternating running & strength workouts? I did that when I started running. I liked it. I think I drank was too much of the "more miles are always better" koolaid on RWOL, and even though I think it would benefit me to do more strength training and maybe a little less running, I hesitate too reduce miles. I find even with 2 full body workouts per week, stuff hurts less. I try to throw in core work a little more as well.

Lizzie, that sucks. I did that to my car last year around this time, same thing, hit a curb & gashed the sidewall. I make sure to blow extra snot rockets in the directions of the houses where I was unloading the contents of my trunk & people who were clearly home offered no assistance or even asked if I needed anything.

Lizzie, Chicago is a lottery, unless you're fast or legacy.  So it gives me guaranteed status so long as I keep 5 marathons in 10 years....

Lizzie, "It was my fault I hit a curb (came out of nowhere)". LOLOLOL  I can so identify with this! It's like the cement sidewalk that comes up and hits me if there are walnuts around.     Sorry about the flat.

Liz, ugh on the tire. No spare at all? Not even a donut?

I think most of us have done that at some point -- hit a solid object and exploded the tire.

Kupcakes, wind blowing your car around is not good. We're having bad winds also.

Damaris, my sister had everything removed (ovaries, uterus, cervix) and so went into menopause immediately. I think the only way to avoid menopause is to have everything out before you reach puberty, and that of course would have its own set of challenges.

Kathy, nice workouts!

Managed to avoid cookies this evening. And had no wine. I'm hoping I can lose a little more this week, I was down 2 lbs on Sunday.