2014 Georgia Publix Half Marathon recap

This race happened back in March…it’s probably about time I did a little recap, huh?

We had a fun night planned for the day before the race.  We all met at the expo where we did a little shopping and hanging out.

  

We met up with Matthew and Angela and continued to browse the expo and do a little shopping.  Brandi, Ramona, Katie and I had all decided to get a hotel room near the start/finish line so we could hang out more and be closer to the race.  Worth every penny!  After checking in and putting our bags down, we headed to meet everyone for some carb loading at Max’s Pizza!

 

Soooo tasty!  We had a great group and it was nice to chat over dinner.  We had some fun afterwards taking some group pictures :)  We all walked back to Matthew and Angela’s hotel, the Glenn, to hang out at their Sky Lounge. 

(I think we’ve all decided that next year we’re staying here)

After more drinks and conversation, we headed back to our hotel to get some shut eye…we did have a half marathon to run in the morning :)

The alarm went off and we slowly made our way out of bed, dressed, and headed to the start line.  We met up with Brandi’s parents and then headed to our corrals.  It was soooo nice to be able to sleep in and not have to worry about riding MARTA or anything!

While in the corral I was able to meet up with my friend, Elizabeth.  We met at the 26.2 with Donna weekend, but she’s a local and it was nice to see her again.  She ran as “Where’s Wilma?”

Of course I had to get a pic with my BRF Brandi :) (even if it is a little shadowy)

Finally, it was time to start!

 
This was a tough race for me as I hadn’t really been running like I should.  I didn’t take a ton of pictures since I was focusing more on running and making sure that I finished. 

I do like to stop and take a picture with this beautiful background, though :)

Soon after, it was time for me to take my favorite during-race fuel – Huma Gel

I was feeling pretty decent.  I then came up on the Old Fourth Ward…this neighborhood has one of the best cheering sections during the whole race.  I really enjoyed their energy last year and was looking forward to seeing them again this year.

I came to about the halfway mark, and one of the food stations was located here…Jelly Beans!

I made sure to stay to the left here!  I was NOT prepared to make a 13.1 mile mistake!

Soon after breaking off from the full marathon, we ran into Piedmont Park.  This is another one of my favorite parks of the race…great cheering section and some really nice views of the city.  We go back onto the streets of Atlanta -

Just a 5k to go!  Then I came into the Georgia Tech campus.  I’m a UGA girl so I had to show my dislike for the bees :P

However, they did have orange slice, and even though they were a little big, it was still a nice mid-race treat!

As I ran through the food station, I came across a woman who was running her first half.  I asked how she was doing and she said good, so I continued on.  We met up again with a little over a mile to go until we reached the finish line, and I told her we would finish together.  We chatted about her training and how, at 58, she decided to run her first half, and she was doing great!  Katie, who was volunteering near the finish, came and ran with us for a bit.  We made the left turn and down to the finish line we went!  The woman (whose name I have forgotten!! Ugh!!) was so excited!  She turned and hugged me and thanked me for helping her through the last mile.  We got our medals, water, heat blankets, and chocolate milk and parted ways.

Half marathon number 7 was done!  I ran into one of the ATLrunsDisney girls, Kim, and we chatted while she waited on her husband to find her.  Brandi and Ramona had already headed back to the hotel so I slowly made my way there to shower and get ready to meet up with everyone for brunch at Chick-A-Biddy’s!

 

Even with the hills, I do love this course…still undecided if I will run it again next year…maybe I’ll volunteer instead.  Who knows :) 

While I’m not crazy about the orange shirt, I do love the medal.  One side of the lanyard has all different Atlanta landmarks that we passed while on the course – Carter Center, Little 5 Points, Piedmont Park, Centennial Park, MLK Center…and I love the bronzed look of the peach.  Well done!

After finally getting home, it was time for Guinness and I to cuddle up for a well deserved nap!

 
I enjoy all my races, but they’re even better when I’m with my running family.  They make the pain worth it.

Until next time,

LiveJournal Tags: Georgia publix half marathon,Chick-A-Biddy,Glenn hotel,Max's Pizza,half marathon,expo,Huma Gel