First thing was 5:05 am. I'm always afraid of sleeping through an alarm and being late, so I got up even before the coffee pot started. Two cups of pumpkin spice java, one slice of peanut butter toast and a banana, and we got parked a little before 7:00. There was an Athens Road Runners group photo to show up at, at which time I discovered crisis #1-- my Garmin locked up. Swell.
I somehow pushed the right buttons and the watch reset, and we were fine. No luck in finding a port-a-hooter, so I had to pee the whole time. But things worked out OK on that.
I found my way into corral #2 with ten minutes to spare (a record) and took off. Temps were in the upper 40s, so I kept my wind pants on over my shorts, and I wore my red, long-sleeved ARR shirt, and Nike Pegasus 30s completed the outfit. My only fuel was a pack of sport beans and my water bottle, which I hardly notice anymore.
The course was very tight, with cones marking off one lane of traffic throughout, so a challenge was to accelerate and pass and then return to base pace, without losing too much energy. My first mile was 8:53, so it didn't take as long to find pace as it usually does, and I felt good early on, but I was wary of going out too fast. Early quarter-mile splits were very good, 2:07 and below, so I was under goal pace. I felt good through the first half of the race, so I decided to keep the pace up and see how long it would last, and I passed halfway at 55:00, which is right at 1:50 pace, but I knew my first mile was a tiny bit slow. I even passed the 1:50 pace group at about mile 5.
However, the first half was also the flat half. Hills near mile 6, 10.5 near Sanford Stadium, and 12.5 (ouch) were all challenging. I focused on steady effort, since I felt good about my ability.
I also want to talk about the First Lady, who got up at 6:00 on a Sunday morning to support me and lug my stuff around. She is my biggest fan, and I was very happy she wanted to come.
The volunteers and crowd support were also awesome. Race proceeds go toward music/arts programs in Athens, so there were musicians at every mile. Much of the race was either on the Georgia campus or through town, so the townies were out in force. Let me be very clear about something-- supporting runners like that cannot be underestimated. The signs (including my favorite, Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever-- I well up just typing it), the cheering, the drink stops, even the Methodist preacher working a drink stop at mile 2, all mean so much to those of us who are in our own little purgatory. I know it meant a lot to me.
I also became more of a Georgia Bulldog fan, since members of the men's basketball and gymnastics teams manned the final drink stop, on campus. College kids, up early on a Sunday. I was wowed by their show of support. I've marshaled at mile 12 of a half, and I was there by myself for 4+ hours, so I know those kids were there for a while. I plan to repay it by wearing red at some UGA games and meets.
Meanwhile, my quarters were drifting close to 2:00, even under it a few times, so I chose to continue at this pace until I couldn't anymore, as I realized I was going to put a good number on the board. I even allowed myself to do math on beating 1:45, but the numbers and my body wouldn't allow it. The suffering began at about 8.5, but I felt reassured, since everything we ran was familiar-- we ran nearly every inch of the course during group runs. This gave me a lot of confidence.
After the hill/hairpin turn at 10.5, I could start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Mile 12 took us past the opposite end of the stadium, and I couldn't run past here without a smile. Amazing support. Mile 13 (after a high five from the First Lady) got us into Sanford Stadium and onto the jumbotron, as we ran around the field near the famous hedges. My last two miles were 7:57 and 7:48, so I finished well, even with that last hill at mile 12.5. The finish area was very tight, as it was right outside the UGA student union building. All I wanted was to keep walking, but it wasn't really possible, because of the mass of humanity all crammed into such a small space. I also saw some of my running friends at the end.
My watch said 1:47:52, so that's what I'm going with until I see something official. Average mile pace was 8:15, or :09 per mile slower than last year's Huntsville Half, and on a much more challenging course this time.
Though it wasn't a PR, I am very, very pleased with the time and the effort. I look forward to building on this effort.
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