Half #4

Sunday was the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon. I ran in the Half, but will get to that in a few minutes. Let's start with my not-so-little kid:

B1 participated in the ING Run for Something Better Half Marathon through his middle school. The kids had several weeks to build up miles, then were able to run the final mile of their half marathon on the official course. They received wristbands at four, eight and twelve miles, a t-shirt to wear for Sunday, and a medal upon finishing the final mile.

Sunday night, B1 and I added up his miles for the time of the challenge, and he was at a total of about 23.25, once we added in the mile on the course. I looked at the total and remarked how proud I was of him... not only did he finish, he was almost at a marathon distance. He's asked me about which races are coming up over the next few months, so I think I'll have a running buddy for at least a couple of them.

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Now, my race. The course was beautiful. The hydration stations were perfectly spaced. The volunteers were amazing. The neighborhood cheering areas were great. (Favorite was the costumes, punny signs and pep band at Poncey Highlands.) But, it was not my best race.

Chip time - 2:23:48; 10:58/mile
Watch time - 2:17:35; 10:30/mile

My official time was 2:23:48, far slower than what I'd hoped. There are several lessons learned from those numbers though, that I plan to carry forward for next year.

• Unless it's an emergency, don't stop at the portaloos before the Half and Full courses split. The lines are too long, and chances are the conditions are disgusting. Almost 10 minutes waiting at last stop before the split. Of the four, only two units were usable. Had I waited two miles more, there'd have been no line, and much less time lost.
• Plan for constant hills. I knew it would be rolling hills, just really hadn't occured to me how very many there were.
• Ignore the weather report. Dress warmer than I need to, and toss items in gear bag, last minute. The sun never came out, the wind picked up, and the temps dropped, instead of climbing into the low-mid 50s. (Next couple things stem from this.)
• Wrap my knee. If it's warmer than 50, I probably won't need it. But on a long run, on the chance that it stays cold, it's going to hurt a lot more if I don't wear it on all those downhills.
• Take body glide along, or wear capris. Goosebumps chafe more than regular old skin.

Good news:

• The practice at pacing paid off. Starting off with a warmup pace of 10:45-11 for the first few miles meant keeping a 27/3 for run/walk intervals was perfect. The transition to a pace around 9:30 went smoothly. Just couldn't make up the time lost in line for the "nature break".
• Recovery is getting easier. I was wiped out Sunday afternoon, but didn't feel the overall stiffness Monday, other than in left knee. Was able to do an easy three on Tuesday at a 9:15 pace.
• Even at 2:23, I beat my time from the comparably cold and hilly TWC Atlanta Thanksgiving Half of 2:24.
  
• Since the average finishing time for women in my age group (30-39) was 2:24:09, I am slightly better than average; which I'll combine with all the learning experience for an overall win.