Pre-race
The Hard Rock Hotel looked cool at first. But looking closer š it is quite old. It also has a weird, hotel perfume smell. The bathroom is quite European… there is no door for privacy. Luckily, I am solo this marathonā¦ couldnāt persuade anyone to enjoy Mississippiā¦
The Beau Rivage is definitely more upscale. It looks and smells just like the Wynn. It turns out that it was opened by Steven Wynn before MGM bought it š I think there is more to do there as well. I walked around Hard Rock, and there is nothing other than the casino and restaurants.
Iām not sure what to think of Biloxi. It seems like a cheap Vegas. I had dinner at BR Prime š„© in the Beau Rivage. It seemed like there were several regulars dining there. A single, older lady was very well dressed, and looked like a classic, casino old timer. The food was so-so.
The casinos are the town. I donāt think there will be much exploring for me tomorrow. Iām glad I switched my flight to get out of here early on Monday! I stopped by a convenience store across from Beau Rivage to get Gatorade… š³ the clientele was interestingā¦ I thought I had been transported to a meth clinic.
Icing on the cake… the water š¦ is not drinkable this weekend šĀ
Post-race
This was another tough one š¤ I mentally had a hard time staying positive. I could only think of the long distance I had to go. I went out strong…. I kept a 8.15 – 8.30 pace for 20 miles. I succumbed to walking at mile 22… my arms were going numb. I walked about 0.1 mile, then would resume running at a slower pace. When I saw the next mile marker, I picked up the pace as much as I could. That method kept me around a 9 – 9.30 pace for the last miles. Not horrible…
It was miserable at the end as far as physical comfort. I was numb and exhausted… but also soaked āļø between the sweat and rain. I finished with a time of 3:44:46. Not shabby… I won š„ for my age group again š¤ I unknowingly passed the 2 girls at the finish š to come in first.
The shower šæ felt amazing afterwards. I was freezing š„¶ by the time I made it back to the hotel. My feet were complete raisins… along with a blister at the bottom š
I went to Sugar for lunch. Sugar looked like an over-the-top, decadent brunch spot. It was not as exciting as I had hoped. I wasnāt craving pancakes š„ by the time I got there… but they werenāt even an option. There was no one at the bar and no TV to watch the game. I got a turkey burger š which was decent, along with onion rings. It was served on a paper plate… like the one you get at a BBQā¦ with plastic silverware.
I asked about the disposable housewares, and the waiter said they couldnāt serve food or drinks on real houseware because the water was not drinkable this weekend. WHAT?!?! How was I able to eat with normal housewares last night???ā¦ so many questionsā¦ š§ The glasses were all plastic. They must not be able to drink the water often as they had plastic cups for their signature huge drinks.
On the bright sideā¦ Mississippi is done with.
