Publix Georgia Half Marathon Recap

Today was my first big girl race. I have only ever run trail races, small town races and even my marathon had less than one thousand finishers. Today there were close to twenty thousand runners doing the Publix Georgia full and half marathons and I will admit I was kind of freaked out.

I guess I had visions of being trampled by thousands of angry runners who were upset I snuck into their corral but it turned out okay after all. The race began at 7am in the dark which was another first for me. I got into Corral H which was clearly marked and may have started dancing. Come on - they were playing LMFAO before a race. I got pumped and started the shuffle to the start.

 

Since it was my first race of this size I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get across the start line but it was about 7 minutes so definitely not bad at all. I made friends with the runners in my corral and we prayed that no full marathon runners would cross the finish line before us. (I was spared - I think the winners started coming in a good ten or fifteen minutes after me, thank God.)

The temperatures at the start were almost 70 and I was drenched by mile one even though it was still dark. Thankfully most of the course is shaded and I was really only in the sun the last two miles or so. As for the elevation of this course: there is no flat. Really, I promise I'm not exaggerating. On the plus side there are definitely a lot of downhills to balance out the uphills. 

Toward the end I was praying for a flat piece of road but it was either up or down the whole way. Most runners around me were able to maintain a pretty steady pace the whole time so it was definitely me who just needed to be stronger.

Highlights of the Course:

-Great crowd support. Groups of neighbors came out to cheer and it was a fun atmosphere. 

-A lot of people who were clearly still out from their Saturday night before were cheering us on and pretty entertaining to watch. 

-Water spray stations to cool runners down (twice on the half marathon course).

-Water/Gatorade nearly every mile and Gu in the middle. 

As soon as I crossed the finish line I started being handed stuff and I liked that. I ran out of hands because I basically took anything that was being passed out. After my medal and (ice cold) water and chocolate milk I grabbed a cold towel full of ice water and then found Tim for a regulation post-race shot.

Do you see that, chocolate milk people? I'm shilling your products. Send me awesome places now, please. Thank you. After I downed my drinks I got a bag of food (the sponsor was Publix) and I thought it was a good haul post-race: cookies, M&Ms, banana, pretzels and granola bar.

For all of you people who are secretly hoping I was sick during this race - I was ok! I started feeling bad every time I started pushing it up a hill so I ended up walking maybe 10 times to catch my breath every time I felt sick and I was fine. I decided early on with the heat and hills just to take it easy and I'm so glad I did. Final time/ranks as follows:

Chip Time: 2:20:12 

Division Place: 188/385

Sex Place: 2454/5113

Overall Place: 5337/9123

I think that puts me solidly in the middle of each category. I can do average so incredibly well!

I had to check out of the hotel early this morning so I just headed back to the room and showered after the race. I wish I had stuck around because the whole post-race party looked like a lot of fun. I had my own party after all because Tim and I went to Ikea. I managed to find somewhere comfy to relax, don't worry:

The alleged reason we went to Ikea was to look at rugs and blinds but really I just wanted to eat lunch there. They have these amazing veggie wraps and I get one almost every time I go. Today, though, I was really needing more than a veggie wrap. Solution? Get two meals. 

 

Veggie wrap on the left and salmon, mashed potatoes and vegetables on the left. Perfect. Tim had pasta which is such a waste to me. PASTA IS CHEAP - eat it at home! 

Oh, I should also say - the tech tee and the medal are both the best I have gotten from a race. The medal is heavy and clearly that means I am a better runner. It makes sense in my head.

Do you prefer big or small races?

I've always said small races but now I want to say big ones. As long as I am staying close by and can walk to the start it is really ideal. 

Would you rather pay for cheap race with no extras or pay a little more for a nice tech tee, medal, snacks, etc.?

I would still probably pick the cheaper races because of budget but I certainly like the perks!