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Atlanta Half Marathon - Thanksgiving rain (Read 502 times)

    Just finished my first ever Half Marathon. According the McMillan calculator, I was supposed to run a 9:14 pace based on my best 10k time, but told myself to take it easy. My game plan for today was to settle in to a 9:30 pace, and maybe go for that 9:14 pace at the next one in 6 weeks. Well, so much for best laid plans and good intentions. I ran the first mile in 9:10, and kept telling myself to back off a little, not let the "first mile exhilaration" wear me out. The further I went the better I felt, however, and never went much slower than 9:00 the whole race. I think I even managed to negative split (haven't downloaded the Garmin yet). My watch time: 1:57:20, or 8:58/mile. !!!!!. So I basically blew myself and my expectations totally out of the water. Cool The race itself was great. It was in the high 50's just before sunup at the start. Just as the gun sounded, it started to rain. At mile 1 the heavens opened and we ran through a true gullywasher for about a mile. Everybody was cheering - we are in a major drought and water shortage here. After that it rained and drizzled off and on for the rest of the race. Lots of squishing shoes, and I got a blister on the ball of my right foot - Didn't notice it till walking the mile back to the subway from the finish. I had lined up fairly close to the front, and felt like I was going backwards for the first several miles. But from about mile 8 on, I was doing a lot more passing than getting passed. Once I got to that point I realized I was going to be able to hold my pace for the rest of the race. The last 2 miles I tried to really turn it on. This race had a nice long downhill straightaway to the finish. Race highlights: One guy in a turkey suit being chased by a butcher with a cleaver. Also several platoons of Marines and Army Rangers marching in cadence. One group in PT outfits carrying a large flag, another in t-shirts, fatigue pants, combat boots, and FULL packs, bedrolls and all. They were on a 2:30 pace, but still in formation. Funniest sign of the day: You guys are the BOMB I wish IRAN with you! Big grin 1 - 9:10 2 - 9:03 3 - 8:56 4 - 9:04 5 - 8:59 6 - 8:50 7 - 8:34 8 - 9:22 9 - 8:41 10 - 8:59 11 - 8:56 12 - 8:49 13 - 8:05 Total: 1:57:20 (8:58/mile) watch time (Official Clock time 1:59:05) (Chip Time I'll guess at 1:58:30 - autostop feature on watch may have messed me up with a wasted attempt at a bathroom break - there was no line whatsoever, but they must have been going twosies Angry )


    Another Passion

      Don, that is freakin' awesome!! Big grin Way to go dude! You should be very, very proud of yourself and your effort today! You rocked! Thanks for sharing. Wink

      Rick
      "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa
      "I wanna go fast." Ricky Bobby
      runningforcassy.blogspot.com

        Don, that's a fantastic first HM! Sounds like a great event and the rain, Marines, and the turkey being chased by the butcher will make it unforgettable for you! Great job!

        When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

          Wow, way to blow your expectations away!! Congratulations on the first HM and on the AWESOME time! Smile
          Race highlights: One guy in a turkey suit being chased by a butcher with a cleaver.
          Haha, awesome !
          2009: BQ?
            You kick some buttacus for your first HM! Great Job! Wink Treat your digestive system to plenty of goodies today... you deserve it... plus you'll help the people that don't need the food! Big grin

            Vim


            Imminent Catastrophe

              That was a wet one, wasn't it? Then there was the windstorm right in our faces at mile 11. And you didn't mention the nasty UPhill, just before the downhill finish.

              "Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"

               "To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain

              "The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.

               

              √ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015

              Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016

              Western States 100 June 2016

                What a fun race!!! I saw the sign you were talking about but just as I was passing it. Congratulations on a great race!
                http://distance-runner.blogspot.com
                  Awsome race. Congrats.
                    Wow - thanks for the comments everybody!


                    #2867

                      Nice work! It's a good feeling when you figure out what pace you ran and it is so much faster than you thought that you could do, isn't it?

                      Run to Win
                      25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)