Area 13.1 Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Roswell, GA
Saturday, September 11, 2021
Race/Event #92
Half Marathon #40
Weather - warm, mid 70s, night race 7:00 PM start

It's been a long time since the last time I did race. Two and a half years to be exact. Retirement from work, Covid, and such. Anyway, glad to be back at it. I joined just over 1,000 people who also signed up to do the half-marathon or 5K. It was a nighttime race, my first. They strongly recommended bringing a headlamp.

There was one other really odd thing about this race for me. After looking at the race participant list on their website I noticed that there were only two guys in the male 65-69 category. With the assumption that the other guy was going to run the race, all I had to was keep my walking pace fast enough to meet their cutoff times (6.5 miles by 9:00 PM (2 hours) and 10 miles by 10:00 PM (3 hours)). If I was successful, I'd place second in the category. This became my goal for the race. I don't typically place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any of the races I do, especially half marathons.

As race time was getting near, I took my normal starting position near the back. During the national anthem, took my hat off and stood at attention. It means so much more to me to pay deep respect not only in general but specifically because this was the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.  Shortly after that, we were off.

Being overly aware of the cutoff times, I decided to do a little running in the first few miles. I had "fresh" legs, no knee pain. The back of the pack thinned out pretty quickly and for the majority of the race it was never crowded. Sunset was about 7:45 so darkness came quickly. At about 8:30, while on a trail in the woods, with no one else around I was extremely thankful I had a headlamp. I shut it off once just to see what it was like without light. It would have been impossible to do this section without light. A few times I thought I was lost. Didn't see anyone ahead or behind. It was a good feeling every time I came across a sign with an arrow on it (and the race logo). 

As the race progressed, I was really feeling the difference from doing my 12-13 mile walks during the week. Those weekly walks were easy. This was hard, races are different. I was able to make the cutoff times at mile 6.5 and 10. That was good. I would have been disappointed if I got a DNF (did not finish) on this race. 

At the finish in the dark, exhausted

Three hours and seven minutes after starting, I crossed the finish line. I was exhausted. My 3:07:07 time got me 1st place in the M65-69 age group. I was the only person in that category!  :)  It was still nice coming in first though. They gave me Alien 13.1 pint glass and a $15 gift card to the Big Peach Running Store. 

It was a good race.

2018 Georgia Half Marathon (Race Recap)

For number 73, did the 2018 Georgia Half Marathon.  It's been two years since I did a half - after doing this one, I remember why it's been so long.  They're hard.


I've been battling a knee problem for a few years now and even a few days before this race, I was still on the fence for switching to the 5K instead.  Two things helped me decide on doing the half:  a new knee brace and an absolute promise to myself that I would do no running during this race.


For once, I was true on the promise - I did no running in the race.  It worked.  The knee did not bother me outside of the 'normal' pain of doing these distance races.  The new knee brace was great! I was very pleased with it.


The best part about the race, pretzels and ice cold chocolate milk at the finish line:

Typically do not snack on these two things together, but after the race, the combination of the salty, sweet, and cold, really hit the spot!


 It was so good!!! 


Time: 3:01:33
Minutes/mile: 13:52

Purple Stride 5K & Atlanta Half Marathon

Catching up on races from last year...

 PurpleStride Atlanta 5K, November, 2016, Atlanta, GA

My son organizes this race for us each year as it supports research for pancreatic cancer research and support.  Pancreatic cancer impacted our family, my dad suffered from it.  I'm proud of my son for doing this each year.

We gathered at Centennial Olympic Park in a sea of purple (t-shirts, hats, balloons, streamers,...) to do this race.  As always - a great cause!!!

Atlanta Half Marathon, November, 2016, Atlanta, GA

It has become somewhat of a Thanksgiving Day morning tradition.  After doing this race six times and blogging about it, there really is not too much more to write about.  I do like seeing Atlanta this way and suspect I will probably continue doing this race as long I am in the Atlanta area for Thanksgiving.  The absolute best, best, best thing about this race - since calorie consumption will be significant later in the day - you sort get the feeling you are getting ahead and justifying the overeating that will take place by burning a significant number of calories before the feasting even begins!  :)

If I'm going to do this race in November, need to sign up soon as they do have a tiered pricing scheme:

$65 through 5/30/17
$70 through 7/31/17
$75 through 8/31/17
$80 through 9/30/17
$85 through 11/15/17
$90 at number pick-up

sigh...

2016 White Mountain Milers Half Marathon

Sunday October 30, 2016 - North Conway, New Hampshire


I did the White Mountain Miles Half Marathon with my daughter Jen.  What I really like about this race (third time doing it) - you can sign up to do it as a walker, and they have an early start!  As a walker, I do appreciate that.


A few months back, Jen and I did the Great Saunter (32-mile walk 'saunter' around the island of Manhattan) and truth be told, neither of us walked any substantial distances since.  So basically, we were not prepared as much as we should have been for this race.  Oh well that just basically meant that we would not break any records and we would both be much sorer the next day, and the next day, and the...  You get it.  And that is exactly what happened.


We had a nice morning with temps around 50 and a 10-15 mph wind.  Except for the wind it was great.

Early Start for the half marathon

The first four miles were the best because we were still fresh, no pains anywhere yet and the runners had not caught up to us yet with the early start.  After that, as expected, getting passed by everyone.  It got a bit crowded at times as the race was on the side of roads with traffic.  There was only one port-o-potty at the half way point so I was queued up for that - wish they would have had more port-o-potties.


They had a nice spread at the end - pizza, bagels, root beer (in a keg - was really good), and more.  It was a good race and I am glad I got to do it with my daughter!

2016 Georgia Half Marathon

2016 Publix Georgia Half Marathon, Atlanta, GA  March 20, 2016

The sign up & prep

I decided right after the first of the year that I wanted to do this race.  It's a hometown, well sort of hometown, local race.  As usual, once paid for and on the calendar, the training schedule gets created and I do get more serious about following that training plan.  What I did not anticipate was getting the flu earlier this month (and I did get a flu shot!).  Unlike a cold or an upper respiratory infection, the flu throws a major curve ball to the training plan.  So for this race, definitely not 100% prepared, but close enough - just super glad that I did have a few weeks to get strength back.


Volunteered

Think I read somewhere that they needed over 2000 volunteers to help out with putting the race on, so I volunteered to help out at the Expo handing race packets.  The shift I had was on the Friday before the race from 2:30-7:00 PM at the Georgia World Congress Center.  It was fun interacting with participants picking up the race bibs & shirts, and such.  The odd thing about handing out shirts, you sort of become a pseudo expert about the shirt and many actually expect you to be an expert on the shirt:

"What's it made of?"

"Is it unisex?"

"How come they don't have male/female sizing"?

"Will it shrink?"

"Can I try it on?"

"How does it look on me?"

"Should I get a different size?"

"Can I get a different size?"

"Do you have to wear this for the race"?


But I only signed up to hand them out!  :)


The Race  

I was up at 4:15 AM.  Being an early bird anyway, this really was no big deal.  One last check of the hourly forecast showed temps in the 40s meant an extra layer and gloves were in order.  A stop at Quiktrip for a blueberry muffin & another coffee and I headed towards Marta.  For me, it is just easier to take to subway down to the race.  Virtually everyone on Marta was heading down for the race, we exited at the Peachtree Center Station and just followed the crowd to Centennial Olympic Park.  It was still dark but the park was already packed with folks just waiting around for the race to begin.

Of course it was not too much later before the normal pre-race lines began to form.  When you have upwards of 10,000 people who were hydrating for the race...  The good thing about this race, plenty of porta potties.

As 7:00 AM approached everyone was getting to their corral for the start.  They had five corrals - A, B, C, D, E with the fastest runners in corral A and the slowest in E.  I took my usual starting spot in corral E.


At 7:00 AM on the dot corral A was off.  Each of the remaining corrals made their way closer to the starting line.  By the time corral E was at the starting line, it was 7:12.  No worries though as each race bib had a chip in it and an individual's race time did not start until you crossed over the (electronic chip reading) starting line.


We weaved our way through downtown Atlanta, through various neighborhoods, and parks.  I always enjoy seeing the city this way as you miss many things if you happen to drive through.  My favorite vista on this course came in between mile 3 & 4, a great view of Freedom Parkway.

Freedom Parkway

Success for me in any of these races is to simply finish the race.  I do have a secret goal for half marathons though, it is to finish under 3 hours and for this race I did.  It was a good race.

2014 Atlanta Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon

Windy.  W I N D Y and cold, hovered around 40 degrees for the entire race with winds 10-20 MPH maybe more at times.

Did the 2014 Atlanta Half Marathon Thanksgiving morning.  What was so very special about this race, my new daughter-in-law, Raney, did it with me and it was her first half marathon!

Raney & me before the race

Up crazy early that morning as I volunteered to help out with crowd control which meant arriving 5:15ish in the Green Lot at Turner Field (Atlanta Brave stadium).  I was a coraller (actually not sure if that is a word) for Wave "E".  With so many doing the race, think just under 8,000 signed up, they needed folks to "coral" them into groups/waves as they would start corrals one at a time.


The best part about getting there at that time - no traffic and plenty of parking spaces.  The other nice things about helping out, they gave volunteers a full-length zipper fleece (thanks Atlanta Track Club!) and, this was the best part, they had Krispy Kreme donuts & coffee!  Yes, I indulged.


I am always amazed at all of these folks who volunteer to help out with the race.  They needed and got 1500 people to volunteer for this race.  My volunteer job was one of the few that you could help out and do the race so it was no big deal for me to get there a bit earlier.  But I am very appreciative of all the others who were willing to come out on this cold, windy morning and help out.

Because I was also doing the race, the team leader assigned me to the front of the corral to be a rope holder.  Yes we actually controlled, corralled, people with ropes.  Although the race actually started at 7:30 with Corral "A", we in Corral "E" were slated for a 7:50 start.  So we made our way behind Corral "D" keeping our distance.

So at 7:50 we were off.  It was great to get moving to generate body heat.  From the starting line for about a mile or so, top layer clothes were thrown over the fences.  One of the things that this race did not have was gear check.  It is not uncommon for races to have gear check so the participants can "check" their top layer and such (for trying to stay warm before the start of the race) and then retrieve it after the race.  Instead this year the Atlanta Track Club was holding a clothing drive so people could discard their additional clothing and the ATC would collect, wash and donate to local shelters.  I liked this idea.


After standing around in the cold for 2+ hours it really did feel good to get moving.  It wasn't too long into mile 1 when I felt a tap on my shoulder.  It was Raney and that was the last I saw of her for the race.


This was my 5th year in a row doing this race since they changed the course.  I do enjoy the course, it's a great way to actually see the City of Atlanta.

As usual with a half marathon, at least for me, miles 1-8 are not so bad, even in cold windy weather.  But once I hit mile 8, mile 9, my attitude about doing the race really changes and not for the good.  It is no longer fun.  It is no longer enjoyable.  It hurts.  I want to stop moving.  I just want it to be over.  Of course the best thing to think about in a race, when it really starts to hurt, especially on Thanksgiving morning is: mash potatoes & gravy, turkey, stuffing, pie,...  Oh I thought about these a lot during those last 4 miles.  That was my real prize and I couldn't wait to get it!


One of the other things I thought about during that last 4 miles, this was my 60th Thanksgiving celebration.  That's a lot of Thanksgiving memories.  That made me feel lucky.  Sometime things just sort of happen, not sure why.  Take a look at what I saw right around the time when I realized this was my 60th Thanksgiving:

Senior Zone

Really?  I guess I'm in the Senior Zone now?  Gee, I wonder if others could see the sign  :)


I was really happy to cross over that finish line, really happy.  Each received a finisher's medal, a top layer (to help keep warm during cool down), water, Powerade, and a box of goodies to eat.  Shortly thereafter Dan & Raney found me.  I was anxious to hear from Raney.  She did great.  She completed her first half marathon!

Post race with Raney donning our finisher medals and freezing!

Oh yeah, later that day, the turkey, mash potatoes, gravy, stuffing,... were fantastic!

Number 44 - 2013 Atlanta Half Marathon

Brrrrr!!!

It is not suppose to be this cold in Atlanta for Thanksgiving!

It was a crazy cold day for the 2013 Atlanta Half Marathon.  More than 8000 people signed up to do this race but the race results show that 6728 actually did the race.  Do you think the others basically said "too cold" and just stayed in bed?  Maybe they're the smart ones  : )


Although the race did not start until 7:30 AM, I volunteered to help out with crowd control prior to the start so I had to be there by 5:15ish.  Of course when I signed up for this I had no idea it would be this cold.  This meant besides figuring out what to wear for a race in these temps I also had to have more layers on for the two hours or so in the freezing cold before the start. This actually worked out well as the organizers wanted participants to have that top layer and take it off just before the race started as a donation to folks who have a need for some warm clothes.  This was good - the Atlanta Track Club volunteers would pick the items up, the ATC would wash them and donate them via atlantamission.org.


So there I was at 5:15, with a lined, hooded jacket and a fleece scarf over my race clothes looking for the volunteer check in tent.  But first, needed to use the porta-potty.  I was in luck, there were hundreds of them and of course at 5:15 there were no lines.  Life is good!  Oh wait a minute, they all had zip lock straps on them and I have nothing that will cut through.  Hmmmm...  Continued to look, got lucky found one not locked!  Great!  Took care of business and quickly discovered NO toilet paper!  Oh great!  No one around, in the dark, in a freezing porta-potty at 5:15 AM...


Exited the porta-potty a few minutes later minus one fleece scarf whose destiny served a different purpose.  I guess it was a good thing it was cold enough to have that scarf!  Lesson learned, again, always check first...


Next found the volunteer check-in tent.  This year was a bit different, it was definitely more secure.  I suspect this is byproduct of the Boston Marathon bombing.  This year we were issued credentials to be worn on a lanyard while working our volunteer shift.

Met the rest of the volunteers for Corral "E" and we moved into location.  We were freezing, especially toes and fingers.  I tell you, we are not use to 23 degrees in Atlanta!  As the 7:30 start approached I shed my jacket over the fence and we started moving closer to the starting line.  Was not quite sure what to do with the lanyard & credential so I just flipped it over my back and forgot about it.  Closer and closer we got to the start.  The start was under the Olympic Rings from the 1996 Summer Olympics:

And we were off!  The first couple miles, as usually, were very crowded.  But that is to be expected in any big race - it's just part of it.


A couple of things happened in this race that I had not seen before:


The first thing, because of the freezing temperature there was a pretty significant ice problem around the water stations.  Inevitably water gets spilled, this is normal.  However, the road was cold enough and the air was cold enough for that to form ice.  Much caution had to be exercised when going through these areas.  Again, in the deep south, we are just not use to this  : )


Second, I was moving along the course, minding my own business, and a runner (who I do not know) pulls up besides me and says "why weren't there enough parking spaces for the race"?  My initial reaction was, she's not talking to me, she must be talking to someone else.  Nope, she was taking to me.  Her tone was not a making conversation on the course tone, she was complaining to me that she had to pay $10 for parking.  This puzzled me, why was she picking on me?   About a half mile or so later I figured it out - she saw the credential on the lanyard that I flipped over my back when I switched from volunteer to race participant.  I did not have have the chance to tell her - I'm just a volunteer.


And last, I'm still not sure if I should have laughed at this or felt sorry for these people.  This happened in between mile 3 and mile 4 in the half marathon.  A little background first - there were two races today - a half marathon (13.1 miles) and a 5K (3.1) miles.  They were different courses with different starting areas and the half started at 7:30 and the 5K started at 8:00.  Well these three people were talking to one of the course monitors (volunteer who makes sure car traffic does not interfere) and basically were asking where the finish line was.  I think they were 5Kers who for whatever reason started with the half marathoners at 7:30!  They expected the race to end a 3.1 miles.  I have no idea how that one was ever resolved.


It was a good race.  It was a really good workout.  I walked the entire race in 2:56, had an average heart rate of 135, and according to my Garmin, burned 1410 calories.  That meant I could enjoy that turkey dinner even more!  And as usually each finisher gets a medal:

2013 Atlanta Half Marathon medal

Also, the race organizer - Atlanta Track Club - as a token of their appreciation for volunteering, gave us each a commemorative embroidered jacket.  Much appreciated!

Race 15 Thrill in the Hills Half Marathon

After a lot of back and forth on should I do the full marathon (26.2 miles) or do the half marathon (13.1 miles), I finally decided to do the half at Fort Yargo State Park today.  The race is known as "Thrill in the Hills" and it is put on by a company called Dirty Spokes.  Side note - if you ever happen to have the opportunity to participate in a race put on by these guys - do it!  They are great at doing these races.  


Anyway, I had originally signed up for the full.  But about a month ago, I noticed that they were doing a split start.  The full marathon was to start at 8:00 AM and the half at 8:30.  So as I am a back of the pack person (meaning slow), that meant if I did the full, I would be passed on the trail by many of the half marathoners.  I calculated that I would be passed by more than 300 runners during miles 4 through 7.  And this would have been mostly on a single path in the woods!  


The morning of the race I was up early, 4:30ish, eating my race morning PBJ sandwich and coffee.  Checked the weather one more time, figured out what to wear, dressed and headed out the door.  Fort Yargo is only about a 30 minute drive.  Arrived there as the sun was rising.

Enjoyed the serenity of the sunrise for a bit and then headed over to picnic shelter #5 for race packet pickup.

What a great day for a race in the woods!  It was a bit chilly at 38 degrees, but once you get moving on the course, it's pretty nice!    Folks started gathering for the start and shortly after that we were on our way.

After a half mile or so on the road (for thinning out) we hit the trail in the woods.  My guess, there were about 400 doing the half marathon.  By the time I got to the woods we were single file queued but it didn't take too long to get going on the trail.

Given a choice of road race or trail race - for me, trail race!  It's just so great being out in the woods.


By about mile 2, spacing was pretty good.  From that point on, it was never crowded.  And actually at times I could not see anyone in front or behind me.


Once again, 13.1 miles in the woods - there is potential to get off course (lost).  The race director had a link on their website for turn-by-turn directions for the entire course so I printed it out and put a copy in with my race day gear.  You know, this only helps if you actually bring the directions on the course - which I did not!  :)  This was not a big deal though, they had enough yellow squares marked on trees on the trail.  So there were only a few short periods of time when I thought I might be off trail - but I never was.

A few people passed me early on in the race and a few was no big deal.  But as I went on through miles 4, 5, 6, and 7, I was pleased with my decision to switch to the half.  It would have been crazy having 300 or so people pass me during that time.  :)


On the course they had great volunteers at miles 3.4, 6.2, and 10 with plenty of water/gatorade.   Although they did have actual porta-potties at the race check in, while on the course they had thousands of virtual porta-potties, aka trees :) you just have to remember to bring your own TP!

This is the 2nd year in a row for me doing this half marathon.  Last year I finished in 3:07, this year I finished in 2:54.  I guess I am in better shape this year?  Hopefully I can do it again next year and see what happens.

Post race they had pizza, bananas, gatorade, and water.  The pizza was great!

Garmin Stats:


Time: 2:54
Average Heart Rate: 139, 85% of max
Calories Spent: 1244
Distance: 13.1 miles
Steps: 51,100

About Fort Yargo:

After the race, on the way out I stopped and took these pictures.

Preserved from 1793

Also, as a tie in to retirement, met some folks there who are from New York (retired) and stay at Fort Yargo (and work there for free rent) each winter.  This is another line of thought that will be fun thinking about during long walks.  

The possibilities...