Atlanta 1/2 Marathon Race Recap

I have said it before, and I will say it again.  I have mixed emotions about racing at home.  I worry about forgeting things and seem to not really care about running a 1/2 marathon.  And yes, it is easier now, but it is still 13.1 miles.  I hadn’t run this race yet and figured since I would be in Atlanta for Thanksgiving I may as well.  After all, the start is about 5 miles from my house.

Wednesday/Expo
This too wasn’t far from my house.  Except it was downtown.  Which means pay to park.  I paid $9 freaking dollars for 15 minutes in an expo.  I get in and realize that they don’t have the right size women’s shirts.  Like none.  Somehow M’s and L’s weren’t ordered.  I ended up with a men’s small that was more like an XL on me (I later tweeted the Atlanta Track Club and they ordered more and I can switch sizes–which is awesome).  There wasn’t a single thing that I needed at the expo (no freebies either) so I headed home.

I made this dinner for me and P (yay for delicious carbs) and got all of my race stuff together and went to bed.

Pre Race/Start
P got up early to take me to the start.  I met up with Allison and we had a few minutes before the race began.  We did a warm up run, snapped a pic, and parted ways to our corrals.

War Eagle! I was in Corral B, which seemed surprisingly crowded.  I tried to stay towards the back of the corral to try and take it easy.  The goal was 1:50-2:00 and to not over do it.  It was a little chilly, but perfect for racing.

Miles 1-8
Hills, hills, hills.  This is what I remember. We ran through West Midtown and Midtown towards Piedmont Park.  It is nice to run in my own town-I knew what to expect on most of the roads.  I skipped the first waterstop and felt as though the course was really crowded.  It was hard to get liquids at any of the stops and I was constantly having to watch my step for other runners.

Mile 6-7 was running through the park and I knew Chris (the bro-in-law) would be there with my “nephew” Zeus.  I missed the waterstop because of the crowds and hoped I would be okay for another few miles.  I saw Chris and Zeus and he barked quite loudly when he saw me.  I turned the corner to head up another hill and back through Midtown.

I knew I would soon see Michelle, a local half fanatic, at the water stop at mile 8.  A GU, quick hello and a drink and I was off again.  All I wanted was to get to the finish.

Miles 9-13.1
I was honestly getting bored at this point.  I don’t know if it is because it’s a Thanksgiving day race or because of the location, but the race is quiet.  Not a huge crowd watching, lots of turns throughout the course, and I guess knowing where I was, ended up being boring.

At mile 12 a volunteer said, “You got it, last hill!”  Well, he lied.  The finish had an uphill (technically ended on a downhill but there was still an UP).

Please look at all 3 of our faces.  We look miserable.   Looks like we are starting a downhill after a long uphill.

As I ran through the finishers chute I heard nothing.  I literally felt like I was in a movie and the sound was off.  The finish was actually crowded but no one was cheering.  I almost did the hands in the air to tell them louder but decided to let it be.  Didn’t want to be “that” girl.  I crossed the line and headed to the finishers area to wait for Allison to be done.

Note to self: DO NOT attempt to show off guns while running.  It leads to TERRIBLE pics.  All over the course.

Race Results

I just barely hit my goal-but honestly didn’t feel like the effort was that hard for me.  I guess that’s a good thing.

earned my turkey!!

Favs:
Local race
Running with Allison
Powerade and Sports Beans
post-race food
Weather

Not so Much:
The shirt
The medal
The course
The crowd support

The Bling:
It has sooo much potential!!  I think it is a pretty boring race medal overall.  I mean, the race is on Thanksgiving…there are so many ways to make the medal more fun.  I do like the lanyard and the weight of it.

Final Thoughts:
If you are looking for a Georgia race, choose another one.  If you happen to be in Atlanta and want more than a turkey trot on Thanksgiving-this is your race.  It’s a good race.  Not great, not bad.  Just good.  It isn’t exactly cheap (I think I paid $70) and there isn’t even an Atlanta Track Club member discount (which should be a member perk if they happen to read this).  The shirt is okay (like the medal-has so much potential but sorta boring).  I will do this race again if I am in town, but won’t adjust my holiday plans just to run it.