ING Georgia Marathon - RunMarathon


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Atlanta, Georgia
United States
The ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon
50F / 10C
Overcast
 		Total Time = 4h 42m 28s
Overall Rank = 1466/
Age Group = 25-30
Age Group Rank = 141/
Pre-race routine:

Peanut butter toast and a Gu. Dropped off at the finish.
Event warmup:

None to speak of. I was so excited the night before that I hardly slept so I'm going to count tossing and turning as part of my warm-up!
Run
  • 4h 42m 28s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 47s  min/mile
Comments:

I knew the race would be hard and it was. I ran by myself until around mile 19 when another runner started talking to me. She really helped me pick it up the last 7 miles. At mile 21 my friends were waiting for me at N. Highland and St. Charles. They made funny signs that said things like "warp speed ahead." See, I'm not the only Star Trek fan in Atlanta! One of them, Patrick, joined me and he ran with me to the finish. He's not a runner and had originally planned to just run a mile or two. I'm really glad he was there. The last mile lasted FOREVER and he helped me push to the end. I bet he feels it tomorrow!

I was so worried about my old hip flexor injury during the race but it only bothered me the first 8 miles or so. I don't think I would have noticed it if I was running with someone.
What would you do differently?:

1. Train more. I was definitely under trained thanks to travel and being sick. The last two months I only did two long runs. While I'm happy with my time I know that I can shave at least 20 minutes off it the next race as long as my training is consistent.

2. A 3 week taper rather than a 2 week one.

3. No random intense weight workouts the week of the marathon!

4. Find a friendly looking runner and start talking to them a lot sooner during the race.
Post race
Warm down:

Crossed the finish line ELATED. It's seriously been almost 2 years that I've been trying to accomplish this goal. Immediately I looked for food, ate a handful of Oreos the size of which I have not had since I was 3 or 4, and shivered in my space blanket. Next time I am definitely checking a bag.

Hobbled a few blocks to meet my friends and went home. My boyfriend bought mimosas and tons of breakfast food and made pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, fruit, and grits for me and everyone that came out to support me. I ate like crazy. Tried to do some stretching when everyone left ... I'm going to be sore

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Being worried about my injury.
Lack of training.

Event comments:

This is a good (challenging) race and it takes you through some of Atlanta's most beautiful neighborhoods.




Last updated: 2008-03-30 12:00 AM
Running
04:42:28 | 26.2 miles | 10m 47s  min/mile
Age Group: 141/
Overall: 1466/
Performance:
Course: Hilly and challenging. Not too crowded once the full and 1/2 marathoners separated. Nice crowd support in all the right places.
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? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4