Four of my five fastest half-marathons have been on the Jeff Galloway course. This was my first half-marathon in 2014, and I've run all seven of the in-person races as well as the December 2020 virtual event at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately the number of participants has decreased each year, so this year they delayed by three months to hold the race in March. I was concerned about running a half-marathon just three weeks after completing a full marathon, but I was recovering well. In fact, I started thinking about trying for a 2-hour finish. I haven't run a sub-2-hour half-marathon since December 2019, and I wasn't too confident that I was in shape to finish in 2 hours. But I also wasn't certain that I couldn't do it!
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| Unusually cold 30 deg F at the start, on March 19! |
Race morning was cold and windy - just like typical December weather in Atlanta, except that it was mid-March. Near the starting area, I huddled inside a small vestibule of a nearby building for about 15 - 20 minutes, until one runner entered, looked around, and said dryly "Looks like a potential super-spreader event." He stayed, while I quickly decided that it was time for me to warm up the legs with some easy strides outside in the crisp cold fresh air.
I had a wave A bib, so I was able to start with the 2 hour pacers, which included Coach Carl trainee Allison Troxell. My plan was to keep them in front of me but in sight for as long as possible, and if things were going well near the end of the race, to pass them to finish just under 2 hours. The pace group was doing 2 minute run, 30 second walk intervals, but I knew that the running sections would be too fast for me, so I set my watch to 4:30 run, 30 second walk. After the National Anthem (it was sooooo cold to stand without a cap while they played a sloooooww version), it was finally time to start.
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| Started with two layers and a heating pack in a pocket, along with a bottle of Nuun and two UCan packets |
Jeff Galloway started the race at 8:00 am sharp. I was conscious of starting cautiously even with the downhill start on 11th Street. I followed my plan to stay close to but never move ahead of the 2 hour pace group. That worked out pretty well for the first couple of miles, running consistent 9:14 splits, but the pace group began to upon a gap with me on Central Park Place. We turned onto Freedom Parkway, and the gap increased with me running another 9:14 for mile 3 (that's now 15 seconds slower than a 2 hour finish). I crossed the 5K timing mat at 28:51 elapsed clock time; my chip time was 11 seconds shorter, so 28:40. Officially 164th place at the 5K split. No problem, I could make up the time if I just kept the pacers in sight. On Freedom Parkway I caught up with another Coach Carl trainee, Jessie Abraham. I asked how she was doing, and she said "I won't be able to last if I try to keep up with the pacers." I moved ahead, still willing to try. Overconfident and undertrained? Mile 4 in 9:20, 37 minutes elapsed.
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| 5 miles in: I see Bonnie, I wave to her, and then I point to the water station on the opposite side of the path from her. |
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| Stretching a hand to Bonnie without blocking anyone behind me. |
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| In my right hand, I'm holding a Hot Hands heating packet, trying desperately to stay warm. |
Having run this route seven times in races (and many parts of the route on dozens of occasions) I had a detailed course map in my mind, including the elevation profile. As we left the trail parallel to Freedom Parkway to join the Eastside Beltline, I took advantage of the short but sharp downhill to speed ahead, closing the gap just a bit - except it was time for a walk break. Not to worry, the Beltline is downhill heading north, and I pressed the pace to narrow the gap with the pace group in mile 5, 8:48 and 45:50 elapsed. Still only 15 seconds off of a 2 hour finish. Near the north end of the Beltline, I saw Bonnie in her usual location, across from the third water station. I tapped Bonnie's hand and then slowed down for the water station. The first two water stations had coincided with my scheduled walk breaks, but this one was in between, so I tried to keep it short. Jackie Whitlock, another Coach Carl trainee caught up to me at this stage, and we ran together for a short time, but I quickly lost ground to her as we began to head uphill into Virginia Highlands. Mile 6 in 9:34, 55:25 elapsed, and I crossed the 10K timing mat at 58:45, 163th place at the 10K split. Jackie moved well ahead and was soon lost in the midst of the other runners, and I could no longer spot the pace group.
The long steady uphill half-mile on St. Charles Avenue officially ended my "Breaking Two" quest, finishing Mile 7 in 10:08 (92 feet ascent), 1:05:30 elapsed. With six miles to go, today was going to be a struggle the rest of the way. The people watching the race on Highland Avenue and Virginia Avenue were encouraging, and I tried to push myself a bit, but only managed 9:45 for mile 8. Things went better in mile 9, 9:08, thanks to a 102 foot descent. Bonnie was waiting at the 15K timing mat, 1:28:17 elapsed, 174th place at the 15K split. I gave her an enthusiastic hand slap, since I was doing so much better than last year when I was injured. I was on pace to finish under 2:05, so that became my new goal, to average 9:30 min / mile pace for the rest of the race, less than 4 miles. I could hear the announcer inside Piedmont Park calling out finishers, and could see several people about three miles ahead of me on the park path parallel to 10th Street. Unfortunately the next mile was mostly uphill (so much easier to run this in the opposite direction!) and I needed 10:38 for mile 10, so already I was not executing well with my backup plan. 1:35:05 elapsed, just 5K to go. A 30 minute 5K is normally easy for me. But today I doubted that I could manage that after 10 tough miles on my legs. I don't know if it was because I hadn't completely recovered from the marathon 3 weeks ago, or if my goals for today had been unreasonable.
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| 9 miles in: I'm exuberantly happy that this race, if not according to plan, is still going so much better than the December 2021 race. |
I tried to speed up going downhill on Piedmont Road, but then my heart rate hit 170 bpm, and I slowed down as soon as the road leveled out crossing a creek, before turning onto Monroe Drive. We entered Piedmont Park, and a moment later Jessie passed me during a walk break. She was now running well, and there was no way that I could keep up. Mile 11 was 9:31, but after that I was completely spent. I maintained the running motion during the 4:30 run intervals throughout, but I was not moving very quickly, trudging through Piedmont Park. A mile 12 marker was posted near the dog park, but that was a quarter-mile too early. Bonnie was posted where the mile 12 marker should have been, and we exchanged hand-slaps. Mile 12 was my slowest of the day, at 11:04, 1:55 elapsed. I fondly remembered the times that I had reached this stage in less than 1:50 elapsed, but today I just had no acceleration. I realized that a 2:05 finish had almost certainly slipped out of my hands.
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| I slowed down in the last few miles, but didn't take any walk breaks other than at 4:30 intervals or at water stations, sticking with that part of the plan. |
We made a few hairpin turns in the park, then in the stretch south of Lake Clara Meer, several runners passed me and I managed to speed up a bit. A right turn at the Boathouse, just 0.2 miles to go. Another couple of runners caught up with me. Although they both moved in front of me, at least they didn't gain any significant ground, as I was gearing up to finish as strongly as possible. Around the curve of the Active Oval, passing the mile 13 marker (10:44, 2:06:25 elapsed), I deployed every last kilocalorie of energy. I heard my name after I crossed an initial timing mat. With 2:07 showing on the race clock, I could have been disappointed, but I remembered the adage "Celebrate every finish line." I gave myself a little clap after I had cleared the timing mat and before I came to a stop. 2:07:16 official chip time. 191th place overall, 6th place age group.
My legs were sore, my energy reserves were completely depleted. At least I wasn't injured, the soreness in my legs was evenly distributed, and today I hadn't been afflicted with the difficulties today that had turned the January Red Nose Half Marathon into an ordeal. And to be realistic, this was my fastest half-marathon since the virtual half in December 2020. For my next half-marathon, I think that I ought to plan for a 2:07 pace and aim to run the distance well with that goal, before I try again to work down to a faster finish. So I guess I'm looking for a late spring half-marathon!
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| With 1972 Olympian Jeff Galloway |
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| 6th in my age group |
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| Comparing Coach Carl trainees. Jessie Abraham passed me with about two miles to go, look how many places she moved up and/or I moved down at the end of this race! |
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