Atlanta Half Marathon Recap

I successfully completed the Atlanta Half Marathon on Thanksgiving Day!  The best part is, I had fun doing it and I wasn't too overtaxed afterward to cook and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal. I didn't get much sleep the night before the race.  I had no trouble falling asleep at about 10pm but I awoke three hours later and tossed and turned the rest of the night.  It's that annoying anticipation you get when you know you have to be somewhere early in the morning and you're anxious about oversleeping. I didn't oversleep and was ready for my 5:30am wake up although I did briefly consider forgetting the whole thing and just sleeping in.  I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go and I didn't want a Thanksgiving Day guilt trip. 

My husband drove me to the race so I didn't have to stress about traffic (which I hate) and driving in downtown Atlanta (which I also hate) so I was able to eat a slice of whole wheat with some peanut butter on it as my quick breakfast.  Despite the numerous warnings about traffic and parking spots being limited we didn't have difficulty finding parking around Turner Field and we actually got a space pretty close to the start.  There were a sea of  people there.  When it finally came time for me to get into my corral (corral C) I was amazed at the mass of people in front of me and behind me.

Several minutes behind the 2 hr pace group is a good place to be

The middle of the pack. It feels good to be average.

 There were five different start waves (A-E) with staggered starts of about 5 minutes in between.  The difference between the corral A start and corral C start actually ended up being about 11 minutes instead of 10 but luckily I had my Nike+ sportsband to keep track of my time.  I wasn't going to make the same mistake I did during the Atlanta Marathon and start out too quick.  I made myself take it easy and slow in the beginning even though I really wanted to pass people.  After I got warmed up I could've started pushing myself at that point but I knew that a PR wasn't likely to happen anyway so I resolved to just have fun with it.  I stopped to use the restroom twice and stopped to walk at three different aid stations, twice for water and once for Powerade.  I had two Gu gels with me but only used one at about mile 5.

There were a lot of hills along the course which I had been prepared for after running the Marathon a  few weeks ago.  Luckily, keeping a slower pace meant that I never had to stop and walk and I didn't get any leg cramps this time.  We passed along many of the same points of interest as we did for the Atlanta Marathon.  I'm beginning to realize that I don't like urban races as much as I do trail runs or suburban races.  I just don't find the city view that inspiring.  The longest part of the race seemed to be the last mile.  I saw someone getting loaded into an ambulance at about the 12 mile mark so I hope she's okay. I saw a few guys that obviously encountered chaffing issues if the blood on their shirts and shorts were any indication.  I noticed that there were far fewer spectators at this race than there were at the Marathon.  I don't know if that's due to the holiday or because the distance is shorter or simply because the Half Marathon didn't have the "cheer zones" the full marathon had.

But, after 13.1 miles I finally crossed the finish line at 2:06 along with several other people at around the same time. The race was pretty crowded so there was always a group of runners around me.  Because of this my husband never saw me cross the finish line despite the fact that he was standing right there.  He wasn't the only spouse/relative/friend to miss their loved one crossing the finish line though so I'm really glad there were photographers taking pics throughout the race and at the finish.  As I made my way through the finisher's chute I received my finisher's medal, a bottle of water, a foil blanket, and a banana and some pretzels. The finisher's chute was so long I was wondering if it would ever end and if I would ever find the food tent which was at the very end.  I'm happy I went and I feel I really earned my Thanksgiving meal. As to whether or not I'll do this again next year....probably so.  

 

Atlanta Half Marathon 2011 Prep

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome shirt for a Thanksgiving Day half marathon!

The Atlanta Half Marathon 2011 is the day after tomorrow!  I went to pick up my race number today at the Health and Fitness Expo at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.  I  just browsed around quickly at the Expo because there were way too many tempting running goodies there for me to spend my money on.  But, I did get a pretty snazzy long sleeved technical shirt for signing up for the half marathon that just screams "This race is in the Autumn!".  They also had a few running seminars going on but I arrived too late for the Nutrition for Novice Runners seminar which was probably pretty informative.  I checked my race number only to find that I had a pretty cool and easy to remember number.

My lucky number? I hope so.

 
I'm taking it easy today and tomorrow and I'm only doing some stretches and a bit of yoga to loosen up for the half marathon.  I've found that I run better when I've had a couple of days of rest. So many of these running plans have short runs scheduled for the two days leading up to the race, but I find a walk and stretches to work better for me.  I just hope my legs get well rested by Thursday.  I did a strength training leg workout on Sunday and a 4 mile run which still has my legs sore.  I thought I wasn't pushing myself too hard, but apparently I was mistaken.  The soreness should be gone by Thursday though so I'm not too worried about it.  I did an upper body strength training workout and a two mile walk at an incline yesterday to get in a  good calorie burn and to take it easy on the legs.  Let's hope my strategy this week pays off.

I've already decided that this 13.1 mile race will be run for fun.  I'm not going to set a time goal or try to get a PR.  After all, my last half marathon was on a scenic course with gently rolling hills and this race will have tougher hills to manage.  Most importantly, it's Thanksgiving, so I don't want to be so worn out that I can't enjoy the holiday afterward.  Now, if I can only remind myself during the race to just have fun, everything should go fine. :D

Runner's "Gift" I Could Do Without

I just received my December Runner's World magazine yesterday because it had to get forwarded from my previous address.  I always find RW a great motivator and even more so this month because this edition is the Readers Issue focusing on the average RW reader.  It's also a good issue to look to for tips on staying motivated during the holidays.  Anyway, the real reason I was compelled to write today was because of an ad I saw in RW.  It's on the holiday gift guide page and I have to say it's a  gift that I wouldn't find a use for.

www.myswih.com

 
My apologies to the company but I just don't find this practical even if the site is called "So What It's Hot".  It is not hot and I don't ever intend to purchase this product.  It doesn't help that the video on the website features a man who is wearing too much makeup and/or someone else's face.

Yesterday's run was a good one.  I almost put it off because of the tornado watch and the thunderstorms but I decided to go to the gym during a lull in the storm.  The treadmill isn't my first choice when it comes to running but at least on a treadmill I don't have to worry about getting lost, traffic, small woodland creatures, or assailants (or encountering small woodland creatures that are assailants while lost in the woods in an attempt to avoid traffic).  I also get to zone out to music.  I wanted to do a 5 mile  run, but to make it more interesting I decided to do hill intervals varying between 0.5% for the easy/downhill portions and as much as 4.5% on the uphill portions.  The day before yesterday I had used the treadmill for a walk/run workout and varied the incline some on that too.  So, I think I'm done with hill work this week.

The Gym is for Everybody

Photo by Steve and Jemma Copley via Flickr

The gym is a fascinating place where all kinds of people come to show off their eccentricity.  From neon spandex shorts to t-shirts with the arms ripped off and workout clothes that are anything but workout clothes, people love to show off the latest fashions while working out at the gym. In a simple pair of Adidas running shorts and moisture wicking t-shirt I feel under-dressed.  I suppose my problem is that I try to avoid attracting too much attention at the gym while these fashionistas obviously want all eyes on them. 

Last week I saw a middle aged woman walking on the treadmill wearing an outfit that was the complete opposite of workout gear.  She had on a t-shirt (no problem so far), flannel shirt, ankle-length flannel skirt, white socks, and black loafers.  I didn't see the moment that the incident occurred but I knew something had happened when I saw people running into the ladies section of the gym and a little while later they came out supporting the flannel lady and leading her to a chair.  I can only imagine that she either tripped on her skirt or non-athletic shoes or she passed out.  After all, flannel is not moisture wicking. 

Today I saw a man wearing what I can only describe as a Crocodile Dundee necklace.  I would think something like that would be a safety hazard while exercising but apparently he was not afraid that his jugular may be pierced by his pointy necklace.  I also saw a man wearing the shirt he had apparently been wearing when he was attacked by a bear.  There was hardly enough material left to constitute a shirt, but I suppose something like that is a sort of trophy that you want to show off.

Look at me I'm high vis!

Looking cool doesn't mean you always have to dress like Bozo the Clown's personal trainer (isn't that Carrot Top?).  Another of today's sightings was a female in her 30s who chose a treadmill next to the wall mirror so that she could watch herself walk.  Every few seconds she was checking herself out.  Apparently she liked what she saw because she kept looking.  My main fear was that she would become more preoccupied with looking at herself than walking and end up falling headfirst into the treadmill.  This regrettably didn't happen.

I can't make fun of the self motivators though.....but I will.  Working out on the elliptical while listening to your music so loudly that you don't realize that half the time you're singing along and the other half of the time you're just uttering non-nonsensical words takes a lot of courage.  Add to that the moments of clapping or punching thin air and you've got a recipe for an extremely motivated person who needs no physical trainer to keep them in line.  It's true I've done my fair share of humming or muttering a mantra to myself while running OUTSIDE.  Doing stuff like that in a gym is alright as long as you don't mind attracting a lot of attention.  At least you can be certain no one will try to mug her in the parking lot afterward because she's sure to go ape-shit on somebody.

Photo by Cimm via Flickr

Zumba allows you to punch air and dress cool!

Getting Lost On a Trail Run

No, this isn't a trail running story about losing myself in the moment and being in tune with nature or anything like that.  It's about literally getting lost, which I'm apparently very good at.
I went on my long run for this past week on Saturday.  I decided to go to Clinton Nature Preserve for my 11 mile run  because I prefer running on trails.  I've been trying ever since I moved here to find the entire red trail. So far I have been able to follow parts of it and to run a route only to find that it isn't as long as the map says it's supposed to be so I know I've missed a turn off somewhere.  Sometimes I'm content to just go out and explore the trails and other times I go out, map in hand, determined to find the marked routes.  Saturday I thought that surely during the course of 11 miles I could find this trail that's supposed to be slightly over 4 miles.  The problem is that there's a great deal of unmarked trails and roads throughout the Nature Preserve.

EDIT: Since writing this the Clinton Nature Preserve has marked their trails more clearly and put up maps and signage which has eliminated a lot of the guesswork. 
 
I figured that it must be down one of these that the red trail is supposed to go and that I'd probably find where the marked trail picks up further on or at the very least I'd get more familiar with the unmarked trails.  As it turns out, several of these unmarked trails lead out of the Nature Preserve and onto adjoining private property.  When there are signs posted it's simple enough to turn around and run back the way you came, but when there are no signs well....you won't know you're on private property.  On Saturday I came across a man, his wife, and his large doberman.  He said "Hun, I think the trail doesn't go this way". I thought he was a fellow hiker so I just said hi to him and looked around the area trying to find where the trail was.  He said again "Hun, I don't think the trail goes this way." So I said "Yeah, I don't see it anymore but I guess I just have to look around for another one or turn back." It was only then that he told me that I was on private property, his property, and that I had to go back the way I came.  He wasn't mean about it, but it did make me wonder why he hadn't come out and said so first thing instead of making vague comments.  I apologized and asked him where the trail leading out of his property was (as there had been a few unmarked trails all around that area), and he sounded like he wasn't even really sure. He said he had people coming onto his property accidentally from the Preserve almost every day. You're probably thinking what I was thinking at that time: why doesn't he post a sign or put up a fence?

So, I turned around and retraced my steps only to come across two women on horseback just a little ways up the trail.  They had the same dilemma as me apparently because they asked me where the trail leads and if that is the trail marked on the map.  I told them about my encounter with Mr. Vague and then one of the women said, "Well why doesn't he put up a sign to let people know that's his property?" It seems I wasn't the only one thinking that.  At this point my desire to explore had pretty much gone away because I knew that the chance that I'd accidentally encroach on someone else's property was pretty great.

If that wasn't enough, I also tripped and fell.  This is a common occurrence with me as I often run on trails and I'm uncoordinated.  Luckily, this fall wasn't my most spectacular and there was no one around to see me, but the water bottle I was holding got ground into the dirt pretty good and I scrapped my knee.  I did what I normally do in those situations which is to get angry with myself, cuss, dust myself off, and start running again.  This time there was enough blood that it was dripping down my leg and that, along with the disheveled appearance, probably made it look like I was trying to escape an attacker.  Suffice it to say, that wasn't one of my better runs. But, at least I was relieved when it was all over. I think next time I'll skip the trail exploration and stick to what I know.

Atlanta Marathon Recap

I should have started a running blog a year ago, or at least at the start of my marathon training schedule. I didn't do that and I think it was probably because, when I started running, I didn't set out to run long distances or with any particular goal in mind. I started running because I had gotten out of shape after leaving the Army and had gained 20 pounds. I wanted to lose it quickly and I knew that it would take more than a diet plan to do that so I took up running. As I have previously mentioned, I was out of shape so my first month was more walking than running. I gradually ran more and more and before long I realized that, in addition to losing weight, I was enjoying myself. My daily run gave me something to look forward to as well as giving me a sense of accomplishment. Out of curiosity I entered a local 5k, the 2011 Ashcreek 5k in Ashland Virginia, and finished second in my age group! I took this as a sign to keep running. Since then I have ran in the Richmond Xterra 10k trail run, the Patrick Henry Half Marathon, and finally the Atlanta Marathon on October 30, 2011. It was an ambitious goal for someone who had ran their first race (and a 5k at that) less than a year before, but I was determined to run a marathon before the year was out. To say that it was difficult would be an understatement. It's a little late in coming but I wanted to recap my marathon experience if for no one else than at least for myself so that I'd remember this next year if I decide to do the race again (in lieu of flogging myself).

It's worth noting that my birthday is on October 29. So, I guess I can blame that on the fact that I didn't hydrate the day before the race as well as I should and I didn't eat as well as I probably should have either. At least I had the presence of mind to avoid alcohol. I know there are plenty of people out there who can drink the night before the race, eat fast food, and get four hours of sleep and then run a 3 hour marathon. But honestly, everyone hates those people. So for the rest of us lowly humans hydrating and eating properly before a marathon is a good idea. That may have been mistake number 1 for me. I did get plenty of sleep though, about 7 hours, and ate half a peanut butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat an hour and a half before the race. When I arrived at Atlantic Station it was chilly but at least it wasn't freezing. I decided on compression pants, a tank top and a long sleeved Nike shirt as a top layer, and a baseball cap. I had not ran in this particular outfit before. That may have been my second mistake. I did not do any dynamic stretches (unless you count hopping up and down because of the cold) because I didn't want to give people the false impression that I knew what I was doing or planned to run fast. That may have been my third mistake. I was in Corral D with the slow people (but not the slowest people so at least I had that). It wasn't long before the race was on.

I had every intention of pacing myself. I had the 4 hour pace group in front of me and the 4:30 pace group behind me. For about a mile or so I was content to just go with the flow but then my competitive nature got the best of me and I started to pick up the pace. After all, I was feeling great! I started passing a lot of people and could tell that I was gaining on the 4 hour pace group. Before I knew it I had passed them and then caught up with the 3:55 pace group so I passed them too. That may have been my fourth mistake. Actually that was probably my biggest mistake. I was feeling alright for several miles. I started to feel a little fatigued in the legs so I slowed down to the 4 hour pace group's pace for a bit. I'm not sure exactly where it happened but somewhere around the halfway point I realized my legs were cramping up. I had passed the 13.1 mile mark at about 2 hours 1 minute. My first thought was "Great, I'm doing better than expected!", followed by "Oh shit, I'm going to regret this.". Sure enough I struggled from that point on. I had arranged for my husband to meet me at the 16 mile mark. It was the closest spot to the Start/Finish line so he shouldn't have any trouble getting there and by that point if I was warm enough I could hand off some of my extra clothing to him. I was looking forward to seeing him because I had taken the hat off at about mile 6 and hooked it to my equipment belt. Mile 16 became a goal for me where I could see someone I knew, after miles and miles of nothing but strangers, and hopefully receive some encouragement. Well, when I reached mile 16 he was nowhere to be found. Nor did I see him again until after I crossed the finish line. That had an enormous affect on my motivation. More than I expected it to have. After that my pace slowed considerably as I struggled with "the wall" mentally and my cramping legs physically. I had to stop several times to stretch and I had no qualms from that point on with stopping to walk on hills or taking bathroom breaks. I even considered quitting but where would I go? The quickest way to the car was to finish the marathon anyway so I just kept going. I was mad at my husband from mile 16 to about mile 21 where I encountered a fellow sufferer who was on his first marathon, had went out too fast, and was now dealing with leg cramps. Somehow that camaraderie encouraged me and after a brief conversation with him, I set off running again with a better attitude about the whole thing.

After all, no one was forcing me to do this. I was doing it for fun and to succeed at this goal which most people will never reach. I started paying more attention to the motivational signs held by the spectators or posted on the side of the course. I was by no means fast, but the last 5 miles where at least mentally pleasant even though physically my body was rebelling. I had to take it with a grain of salt when the 4:30 pace group passed me. I made it to the finish line in 4 hours and 40 minutes. Not bad considering how often I stopped to stretch, take bathroom breaks, chatted with fellow runners, and took copious walk breaks. It turns out my husband had somehow gotten lost and couldn't find the mile 16 marker. He swears he didn't fall asleep in the car but I still have my doubts. At least he was there at the finish and to drive my weary body home. I now have a nice finisher's medal to show for my efforts but most importantly I have a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding marathon running that I didn't have before.