ING Georgia Half Marathon Race Report

Could also be titled, Cold, Hills, and Porta Potties in Atlanta.

I am kind of relieved that it is over. But, I did have a good time.

Wes and I arrived very early to the start because we took MARTA and wanted to allow enough time for crowds and train malfunctions (both of which we encountered last year), except for this year there were no malfunctions and minimal crowds so we ended up downtown way to early and had to stand around - Wes listening to me bitch about how cold I was.

And it was COLD! Low 40's or something and let me tell you - lightweight technical fabrics do nothing to keep you warm! I was so relieved when the gun actually went off because I knew that at last we could get moving and start to warm up a bit. Once I got the feeling back in my extremities, the first three miles passed quickly and easily. We were on pace to run around 2:11 and I was psyched and feeling good. A little like I had to pee, but good.

Mile 4. Stopped to hydrate and realized that I had to pee so bad that I could hardly swallow fluids. The problem was that the porta potty lines were so long that I couldn't stand the thought of wasting time to stop.

Mile 5. Realize that stopping is inevitable. I must pee! I console myself that I can still get an accurate measure of time spent running on my garmin and spend several minutes at the porta potties. (Wes waits with me - I have a pretty cool husband!)

After that we are still on pace with around 10 minute miles but we are starting to feel the hills of Atlanta. For the second year in a row I vow that next time I will do hill specific training! One mile down the road I vow that there will be no next year because these hills and the cold SUCK!

And then, disaster strikes. Around mile 9, just when the hills become more brutal and I should be focusing completely on them, I start experiencing, umm...gastric distress. I tell Wes that I have to make an emergency stop and he kindly stops with me AGAIN to wait in the porta potty line. At this point I was getting really pissed and then I look down and realize that my Garmin has been totally wigging out, beeping at me and feeding me all kinds of weird data. Eventually it froze on some random screen that said "19% accuracy" and after that I couldn't get it to do anything. So there went my back up plan of knowing what my actual time spent running was. Sigh.

The last four miles of the course are hard. That is pretty much all there is to say about that. Tons of long, steep uphills that had my calves screaming for mercy. By that point we had definitely slowed way down and were very excited to round a corner and spot the finish line. I was kind of bummed about all my stupid bathroom breaks but a giant table full of nothing but Oreo cookies helped me through my emotional distress.

So, in the end, our chip time was 2:23, but (and this is a conservative guess, it might have been more) we spent about 5 minutes at the porta potties total. So that really means our time was closer to 2:18. And that is enough to satisfy me. It is 12 minutes better than last year on completely inadequate training, and I probably couldn't ask for anything more than that. Plus, despite the hills and everything it was still really fun. I don't know what it is about running 13 miles in the cold, while my legs are burning that is fun...but it just is! I can't explain it but I can't wait to do it again. And, I am looking forward to running the Cooper River Bridge Run next weekend. After yesterday, 6 miles should seem like a walk in the park!

The Best Laid Plans...

Obviously it has been a while since I have blogged (and I may be the only one who has noticed!) but I haven't had lots to say about running lately. You know those Asics commercials about "breaking up with running"? Well, we have not broken up so to speak, but we are definitely "on a break".

I had such high hopes for the half marathon this weekend and I can't help but be disappointed that I had to alter my plans due to injury. But, whats done is done, and I can't change it so...moving on. I am going to enjoy this weekend, no matter what happens, and then running and I are starting fresh. No lofty goals, no training plans. Just the warm weather and the pavement and enjoying a few miles here and there.

And after a while I will get itchy for a new challenge, sign up for a race, and implement a plan and all that will go to hell. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans!

What Now?

Today, after I finished my run, I layed down in the grass in my back yard and wondered what was wrong with me. It was a beautiful day for a run - sunny, 60 degrees. I was wearing shorts and running during the free time that I had while Noah was at school, and I was listening to a really great play list on my iPod. So why was I in such a lousy mood?

Because I had spent the whole run feeling like crap. And going slower than I wanted. And trying to go faster but feeling like my legs were made of lead. And then halfway through, feeling like my right achilles was going to snap. All the while thinking, You only have 3 more weeks until the half marathon. You will never make it if you are feeling like this.

And then I realized something. I may not make my goal. I haven't wanted to think that but the truth is that with almost 3 weeks off due to spraining my ankle, and with very little time left to train, I may have to rethink what I want to accomplish on race day. For me, 13.1 miles is not something that I want to tackle under prepared. I have two options really. I can keep pushing. I can train miserably at a pace that is not realistic for my fitness level, on a foot that is really just too weak. I can push towards an unrealistic goal and drive myself crazy and ultimately be very disappointed when I can't preform a miracle on race day. Or - I can give myself permission to abandon all time goals and run the race for fun and see what happens.

I am leaning towards the second option - even though it goes against all my natural inclination. First of all, I don't want to hurt my foot, or anything else by favoring my foot, and pushing too hard could do that. Also, Wes and I had always planned to run this race together and he has already told me that he is backing off the 2 hour goal because he is just not ready. So if I back off too, we can still run together. And lets face it, when do we get an uninterrupted two hour stretch to spend time just the two of us. Not that often, let me tell you.

The problem is that for me, pushing myself towards pain and possible injury is actually easier than deciding to relax and enjoy. When it comes to the running, I am not good at the relaxing and enjoying. I like to compete against myself. I like to set a goal and reach it. I like seeing the clock and knowing that I went faster than I have before. Running the race without my watch will be hard! But I am thinking that I will try to do it. It could make for a surprisingly enjoyable day. Besides, I am signed up for the Bridge Run the next weekend so I can always go balls to wall in that race if I feel the need!