Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon - RunMarathon

Miles 0-6..I felt great. My pace was very comfortable and I was easily keeping an 8:12 or so. I was feeling optimistic this race would go well given how good I felt at the start. We ran around the circle and back to the start where we turned onto a "service" type road and back on gravel and onto a path that lead us through woods to the two-loop course. This is where the hills began and never let up.
Miles 6-13..I could feel my legs starting to tire a little around the 10k mark but it wasn't bad. I knew the 3:40 pace team was behind me and coming on strong. On a loli-pop out and back I heard someone say.."there's the 3:40 pace team" So, I tried to hold them off. I was passed by them at the 13 mile mark. I was still on target though at 1:48. My legs though were starting to really fatigue here and mentally I was a little sad the pacers passed me like I was walking. I knew I had to just run my race.
Miles 13-20..Oh my. My pace just started going up and there was nothing I could do about it. At mile 13 is where the second loop started so each of the rollers were beginning to feel a little more difficult than the first time around. By mile 18 I was just plain hurting. Still on target though at 2:32. Between miles 18 and 20 is where I lost my pace and ultimately my mental stamina. I walked at the 18 mile water stop and was just tired. Although, this is where strangly enough a woman working the aid station thought I was someone she knew..a highschool student. Yeah-No.
Miles 20-26..This included that loli-pop out and back where I saw Greg Corn..that was the only time during the whole race I saw anyone I knew. It was very exciting. He looked good and that was encouraging. I pushed on and came to the water stop between mile 21 and 22 and wanted to quit. I hurt. So I walk for a couple minutes and then slogged my way to finish up with the last part of the loop and out to the main roads. Only to find NO water stop from that one back at mile 21 to the finish! I was pretty upset about that..anyway, I finished running. hehe. My whole body just hurt after this race. I laid down in the grass for a minute..thanks Rivi for your warm jacket. :)

I gave everything I had to give in this race. Just came up short.

Hmm..here is where I could over think things. I don't think I was recovered enough from Chicago to push myself as hard as I needed to in order to really race. I didn't really have a training plan in between Chi and Chick so there was no focus. I just kind of went and ran.

ha. I could barely move. Sat and chatted for a whiile and that's about all.


me. of course.


The race started late due to late racers and people waiting in line. The RD thought it would be nice if we waited for people who clearly didn't bother to get to the race on time. So those of us that did, stood out in the freezing cold waiting. No-I'm not bitter :) Anyway, it was a spectacle becasue people started boo'ing and yelling for us to go already. It was pretty funny. Aside from that, and the NO water stop bewteen mile 21 and the finish it was okay. There were a couple times where the aid stations weren't stocked with enough people and I had to stop and wait for them to hand me a drink. It was a beautiful course and a perfect day for a marathon. Just not the flat course I was told it would be. heh. Defintely not flat. It's constant rolling hills. You're either going up or down. I would do the race again, but not for a time goal just for fun.