ING Georgia Half-Marathon - RunHalf Marathon


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Atlanta, Georgia
United States
The ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon
54F / 12C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 42m 35s
Overall Rank = 335/8917
Age Group = F 18-29
Age Group Rank = 18/1394
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 5, had a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana and a cup of tea. Headed out for the race just before 6. Had no problem finding a free parking spot in downtown Atlanta about 1/4 mile from the starting line. It was a little chaotic at the start. We had a hard time finding the baggage drop-off. Then we headed to the start and saw a "7:00" pace sign and hopped into line. Then we found out that meant a 7 hour marathon pace and not a 7-minute mile. Eventually we were able to hop into the starting line around the 3-something pace sign.
Event warmup:

A little jogging around trying to make sure we didn't start too far back. Some light stretching waiting for the start.
Run
  • 1h 42m 35s
  • 13.1 miles
  • 07m 50s  min/mile
Comments:

My husband paced me (what a sweetie), but had some trouble since his running watch died and he was wearing mine. On top of that, the half marathon mile markers were NOT well marked and there were only clocks at the first mile marker and 12.1. So, most of the race we weren't really sure what kind of pace we were running. It felt good...a little fast...but we stuck with it. Until about mile 10....then I felt like somebody poured concrete in my shoes. I managed to hang in there and finish strong. Another PR! I beat my Thanksgiving Half time by 4 minutes!
What would you do differently?:

More training!!! I've really been slacking on my weekend long runs. I think I've only run 10 miles once or twice since the Thanksgiving Half.

I can't say that I think I wouldn't have pushed as hard at the beginning, because I think my body would have died at the 10-mile mark anyway. So, there's really not a whole lot I would have done different...maybe given my husband lessons on how to use my watch prior to the race.
Post race
Warm down:

Got some water, a banana, and some yogurt. There were girls giving out Red Bull and WOW, that was the best-tasting Red Bull I've ever had. After we wandered around and picked up our stuff from the baggage check we heard the announcer say that the lead marathoner was approaching. So we jogged around a few blocks to find a good vantage point.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

I slacked off between Thanksgiving and Christmas and then had a battle with shin splints in January. I hadn't been getting my long runs on the weekends.

Event comments:

Overall, I thought it was a great race! The expo was nice, technical shirts were great, course was pretty good, post-race refreshments better than most races. A few things I would suggest to them: somehow organize the start better. It was hard to tell where to go. Mark the half marathon miles more clearly and either have people calling splits or put up a clock.




Last updated: 2007-02-20 12:00 AM
Running
01:42:35 | 13.1 miles | 07m 50s  min/mile
Age Group: 18/1394
Overall: 335/8917
Performance:
Course: I had seen the course map, but it didn't chart the elevation. Overall I liked the course except for the loooong out-and-back on Freedom Parkway. There were some nice downhill stretches in the middle of the race. There were a few hills in the last 3 miles, right when you want to give up anyway, so that was no fun.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
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? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 4