Georgia Marathon

I stepped off the plane on Saturday around noon and was greeted with a slap of humidity. I knew it was coming but it was still a bit of a shock. Temps on Saturday were in the low 80’s. I prepared for a hot race the following day.

My friend Dan drove me to the start line with about 10 minutes to spare. I did some light stretching while I waited in the corral. I planned on starting off fast and once the heat hit I would pull it back. The race starts at the CNN Center and rolls through the downtown. I felt good as I clipped off sub 8 minute miles. The first landmark of the race is the Martin Luther King Historical Site. I got chills as I ran through that stretch. This is a huge part of our history and I was taking it in. From there the course rolls through Little 5 Points. This is an eclectic neighborhood which was interesting to run through.

At mile 7 I saw the big red sun rise up in the East as I topped out on a hill where the half marathon course turns off. I was feeling strong and was prepared for the ensuing sauna. I kept pushing my pace knowing that the heat would soon slow me down. At the half way point I had recorded my fastest half marathon ever. 1:43:54! Damn, I was running below a 3:30 pace. This was great. I had time in the bag for my goal of 3:45.

As I ran through Decatur I fell in line with another runner. He was really attacking the climbs. He would pass me on the climbs but I would take him on the down hills. We played this game for several miles where we would swing 20 yards from each other. The Georgia Marathon is a pretty hill course with 1,534 feet of climb. I tapped into my trail experience and managed the hills. By mile 16 the other runner fell back and I didn’t see him again.

I had recalled that miles 17-20 were downhill and I was planning my race accordingly. I misremembered. 17-20 saw several climbs. I hit some miles in the high 8 minutes and low 9’s but I kept running strong. I was passing a lot of people. The sun was up but the course was shaded. This was great. I started thinking that maybe 3:30 could happen! This was nuts to me. I never ran this fast for this long. Oxygen is a beautiful thing.

By mile 20 I had too many miles in the high 8’s and I knew that 3:30 was going to be a stretch but I wasn’t going to let it take me down. I started the mantra “How bad do you want it?”. It kept me motivated. By the time I hit Piedmont Park I got a second wind. I was feeling great and had a ridiculous smile on my face. This was the best race of my life. I still had 4.5 miles to go so I was trying to keep myself in check a bit. I kept passing people at a good rate.

The sun was hot these last 4.5 miles. I doused myself with water at all the aid stations and kept pushing on. The finish was approaching. I was going to destroy my PR. I crossed the line in 3:34:29! Boom! I was fired up. Maybe I could have pushed more but I was happy with the race I ran. I fueled properly, I managed the race better than I ever have, the heat never did get to me and I finished with an amazing time.

A sub 3:30 marathon is possible for me! I thought I would always be a 4 hr marathoner. It was so much fun. I love the trails and most my races will be trail runs but it was fun to let it rip on the pavement. I’ll run a road race again and I’ll shoot for sub 3:30.

How will this translate into the summer? I don’t know. Collegiate Peaks is around the corner. Is another PR in my future?