Atlanta Half Marathon Race Report

So i finished my first half this morning, and man i feel great.  This race is awesome, there were over 8,500 finishers of the half marathon and the course is a point to point course that runs through downtown Atlanta all the way down peachtree drive, gorgeous.   i had a goal in mind, break 2 hours.  well i didn't quite make the goal, but i don't feel a bit worried about it as i have been nervous about just finishing with my chronic knee issues this fall.  in fact the only run i had ever done over 8.5 miles was a 10 mile treadmill session on sunday.

the race started @ 7 am, and it starts close to a MARTA (ATL's version of a subway) station, everybody takes MARTA to the start so it was a bit hairy just getting to the corral, but i finally made it in as they were singing the national anthem.  i signed up for a pace group (2:00), but couldn't find it with all the people so i just ran my own race.  i didn't have my garmin with me or any watch for that matter, so my pace was all about feeling comfortable.  this is definiteliy the way to go, i wasn't stressed, i didn't push too hard, and i ran every step of the 13.1 miles without stopping.  i wore a fuel belt, so i didn't even slow down at the aid stations.  i had to wizz like crazy at the end though :)

anyway, my official time was 2:01:42, missed my goal by less than 2 minutes!  but i don't care, i had a great time and ran the race smiling the whole time.  awesome.  awesome.

Congratulations Bill!  What a way to celebrate Thanksgiving! It sounds like you were able to find the right formula of training and rest to keep the knee functional for the event.  I may just have to try running without the Garmin and let the body be my guide.

Savor every moment of your accomplishment!

Cassie