Atlanta Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Atlanta, Georgia
United States
Atlanta Track Club
Sunny
Total Time = 2h 05m 4s
Overall Rank = 4062/
Age Group = 46
Age Group Rank = 328/
Pre-race routine:

Drove to JB's house and w/ his brother and Uncle we drove up to the Chamblee MARTA station. My friend has a townhouse right across the street from the station so we all went over there to dress up and have some pre-race food and hang with some other pals. It was a really great venue for getting together w/ friends. We walked over to the start. I dropped my bag and then headed to my corral.
Event warmup:

Stood around. Chatted it up with JB's uncle. Talked about endurance training.
Run
  • 2h 05m 4s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 09m 33s  min/mile
Comments:

It was a bit chilly but actually I knew it would be a great race day. Amazing change from previous TG1/2's. Clearly the addition of a major sponsor and other upgrades, this race is going to be better and better. Not just a 1 off tradition. No longer the red headed stepchild of the SE race community. I approached this race with absolutely no expectations. Since I have only been a few weeks since a successful IM FL I knew I hadn't recovered yet. I had been nursing a nagging head cold and also a sore back. I only logged 3.5 hrs of running and a 40 mile bike so I planned on a very easy pace. I planned on taking a nice 9+ - 10/min mile jaunt keeping my HR in check and enjoying the day. Interestingly I did just that. After 10 miles I was still sub 2 hrs! I knew though two things: first that my HR crept up over LT before I reached 6.5 mark. I was there in an hour and my gas tank was ok. Second though, I was wanting to cramp. A result of my running over LT for sure. By the time I reached the 12 mile mark I was fighting calf cramps. Running down Hank Aaron Drive I finally had to stop three times to let my legs relax. That's ok though, I exceeded my expectations on this one. I saw Deb on the left cheering me on and headed to the finish.
What would you do differently?:

I didn't respect the distance. Maybe more GU's and fluids to keep the cramps away. Ultimately it was a fun run for me so WTF?
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the line and grabbed a water and some crackers. Walked up to where Deb, Debbe and Dan were. He ran his first 1/2 in 1:48!!! Awesome. "Beer's in the trunk!!" I changed and drained a few Corona's and watched 'em run it in. A beautiful day.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Ironman Florida on Nov. 01.

Event comments:

I used to rate this race as average and attended it as a tradition with friends. In one year it's made amazing changes. They finally figured out over at ATC that this is a cool race. Plus, the parking is great so our families can get in and set up to watch the fun.




Last updated: 2008-11-25 12:00 AM
Running
02:05:04 | 13.1 miles | 09m 33s  min/mile
Age Group: 328/
Overall: 4062/
Performance: Good
Course: Point-to-point from Chamblee-Tucker down Peachtree to the Ted.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? No
Post race activities: Below average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4