ING Georgia Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Atlanta, Georgia
United States
The ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon
Precipitation
Total Time = 1h 44m 6s
Overall Rank = 796/10467
Age Group = M 20-24
Age Group Rank = 51/224
Pre-race routine:

For starters, I had been dealing with hip flexor issues all week long, so needless to say I was not feeling very confident in my running abilities. Could not relax the night before so sleep was lacking as well. 4:45 came around and I pulled myself out of bed, surprisingly awake. Packed up and went to Marta. Since I didnt check in a bag, I had plenty of time to get to the corral. Did some strides and light stretching.
Run
  • 1h 44m 6s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 57s  min/mile
Comments:

I started off in Coral 3, so in retrospect I didn't have to fight through too many people for the first 3 miles. Still, I felt way slow for miles 1 and 2 since I kept being boxed in. I tried staying in the middle of the road as much as possible so I could run flat. Things calmed down a bit around mile 4. Around then I noticed that I was a bit tired, and my legs were already feeling fatigued. Not good at all. Then I realized I forgot to take a gel before the race began. I quickly downed a Gu and another one about 20 minutes alter and I was fine, but I feel like the damage was already done. I was tired and generally not into it. I had pacing goals set for myself, which I kept alright for the most part. Miles 1-4 at 7:45, 5-8 at 7:30 and 8-13 at 7:20. Once I got to the 7:20 pace, the wheels fell off (naturally) and I just could not hold my pace. Legs felt very tired by the end, so I know I worked for it, and crossed the line at 1:44.
What would you do differently?:

At the end of the race, I didnt feel anything. I got my medal, blanket, food and hopped back on Marta home. This was not an accomplishment for me today, mainly because I had a goal time of 1:40. I had no reason to hang around the park, so I just went on home. Thinking about it now, I am proud of my performance on a difficult course, but I am aware of the difficult task ahead. IMKY is around the corner, and if a 13 mile run is hard, think about how bad a 26 mile one will be after all that biking. Eiher way, I have time to prepare.

- Nutrition was off: eat a gel before the race
- Work of pacing, it was hard to tell how fast I was going at times
- More long runs, 8 miles and up
- No hard bike the day before
- Stay focused on goals, hit them no matter what, and stay on pacing targets
Post race
Event comments:

4th year of the ING GA, Ive done 3 of them. Good course, challenging, good people helping as well. VERY organized this year.




Last updated: 2009-12-04 12:00 AM
Running
01:44:06 | 13.1 miles | 07m 57s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/224
Overall: 0/10467
Performance: Good
Course: Hilly around various neighborhoods in Atlanta
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
Evaluation
Course challenge
Organized?
Events on-time?
Lots of volunteers?
Plenty of drinks?
Post race activities:
Race evaluation [1-5]