2012 georgia 1/2 marathon – race recap

Welp…I’d like to regale you with a crazy chicken-costume-guy-story, but that didn’t happen.  It could’ve, but it didn’t.

Not yesterday.

Yesterday was for long-distance racing, great fellowship, yummy food, a loooong car ride home, and a 9pm bedtime.

Yesterday was fun.

But let’s got back to Saturday first. 

(warning: this post will be mostly pictures and not a ton of words.  Remember that 9pm bedtime?  Yeah, sleep is more important to me than rambling right now.  Weird, I know.)

All packed up.  This + Clara’s bag, fan, blanket, pack N’ play + Travis’ bag + Henry’s bag (Henry stayed with Travis’ parents, which is why he isn’t in any of these pictures.)

Pulling out of Franklin, around 2:00pm on Saturday. 

Stuck in the car for 2+ hours with these two fools.

Cooler than a polar bear’s toenails.

The Varsity.

After WAY TOO many viewings of the first 20 minutes of Little Mermaid (Clara likes to pull the plug out of the DVD player), I was ready to get OUT.  We checked into our hotel and made our way to the Publix Race Expo to pick up my race bib.

There were probably 30(?) vendors there, selling everything from pepper spray, to GU, to compression socks, to headbands.

The highlight (aside from spotting Tina and Lee)?

The CHOMobile!!! 

Prior to the expo, Lindsay Kos emailed Tina and I to tell us that Chobani would be at the expo and that we should drop by.  Little did I know that I’d come home with an entire canvas bag FULL of FREE Chobani!!

(I can’t say it enough – I LOVE this company!  Their product, their blogger outreach, the way they conduct themselves.  And NO – I don’t get paid to say that.  It’s just the truth.)

After exploring the expo and spending WAY too much money on a Nike top for the race, we headed to dinner with Travis’ sister and some friends. 

Roasted Eggplant, Portobello Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Pesto Sauce on a homemade crust!

When we got back to the hotel room, I was ready for bed and it was only 8pm.  I also started getting that nervous feeling in my stomach.  So I did what I do best – organized.

Everything laid out for the race:

• Nike Dri-Fit top and running capris.
• Pearl Izumi Streak II’s.
• Thorlo Running Socks (a race tradition..must have a brand new pair for every race!).
• iTOUCH/headphones.
• Garmin 405
• Spibelt, with Sport Beans tucked inside.

I did NOT sleep well.  Chalk it up to pre-race nerves or being in a new place, but I got maybe 2 hours of sleep.  Bleck.  Around 6am, I got a quick shower, put all my gear on, ate a banana with sunflower butter and chia seeds, then headed down to meet Tina and Lee. 

Meeting up with them was actually a huge feat!  The streets were absolutely SWARMING with people!  18,000 runners overall!

We got in our corral and waited for the start. 

QUICK RACE RECAP:

Tina and I started out at a pretty decent pace – due to the skyscrapers, both of our Garmin’s were wonky, so we decided to go by feel.  We hung together until Mile 4, then I broke off (Tina was still not completely recovered from being sick earlier in the week.)  The course was hilly, but manageable.  My legs and lungs felt strong until Mile 11, when we started the UPHILL finish!  I kept telling myself that I only had 2 miles left, but they felt ROUGH.

Finish Time:

1:45:58

Not a PR, but I’m happy with it.

We met up with Heather, her husband, Kirk, and Lee after the race.  Check out Heather’s tutu!  I need one!

Centennial Park was hopping!  A live band, tons of sweaty people and one cranky Clara.  We chatted for a while, then went back to my hotel room to shower (thank you, Omni, for a late checkout!)

I was tired.  I was clean.  I was starving.

Enter Stone Soup Kitchen and healthy living bloggers (who all had no problem taking pictures of their food.)

Laura, from Sprint2TheTable, joined us all for a blogger brunch, which turned into a lunch.  We chatted, sipped coffee and enjoyed talking about BLEND!

It honestly felt like I already KNEW KNEW these people (not just read their blogs).  I like when that happens.  And it rarely does.

The table was loud until….FOOD!

His: Biscuits and Gravy, Chicken Sausage, Cheese Grits.

Hers:  Garden Scramble – 2 eggs + Mushroom + Red Peppers + Avocado + Sprouts, with a side of black beans and a whole wheat biscuit.  SOOOO good – I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone living in/visiting Atlanta!

After saying our blogger-friend goodbyes, Travis and I found the nearest Trader Joes.  I *only* spent $60 (a HUGE accomplishment) and got a little treat for the road.

After picking up Henry and chatting with the in-laws, we’re now finally home, unpacked, showered and ready for bed.  Yep, you read that right – 3 showers in one day. 

A great weekend, all the way around.  I very much enjoyed the atmosphere and the people! 

Marking one more race off my list was just an added bonus!

A special thank you to Travis and his parents, for watching my children while I did this crazy racing thing.  I couldn’t do it without you!

**Reminder to get your Tuesday Trainer submissions to me by tonight!!  We’re resting, so you have no excuse not to participate!**

splendid…lindsay