Race: 2020 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon
Place: Atlanta, Georgia
Date: March 1, 2020
Time: 1:50:02
Back in 2014…I ran the Publix GEORGIA Marathon. I had been coming back from an injury (no shock there)…but I finished it strong and felt good. In 2019, it was re-branded as the Atlanta Marathon/Half Marathon/5K (which makes sense as it is held in Atlanta). Also, it got a new course. So, it was going to look different from the time I ran the full thing, right?
But…I think they somehow made it hillier.
I’m getting ahead of myself.
Please note…it’s been almost 3 months since I ran this…because as we all know…life got pretty crazy shortly after this…so I might not have much to say in regards to the course or the race, other than it was cold AF, hilly AF, and my hip still hurt like a mother.
But we were doing this thing.
Woke up early. Cathy had to get up with the alarm this time as she had signed up for the 5K. Hey, if there is bling involved and she can guarantee that she’ll be at the finish line to see me finish…those 5K races that run with the longer runs are her sort of thing. She was pretty certain we’d be finishing close together given that the 5K started about an hour after the marathon and half went off, so it would be close. I also told her, though, not to fret anything since I definitely wasn’t 100%.
So, we got dressed, fueled, and she cut up some garbage bags for us to huddle in to attempt to keep warm on the walk over to the start line. Except she cut her bag wrong so the holes were not in the right spot. Meaning, she cut a hole in her stomach area…so she looked more like a Care Bear and had a definite draft. We couldn’t do anything about it, and as I am definitely more cold natured than her…I got the properly cut trash bag and she got the one that she hadn’t unfolded properly before taking scissors to it. Please note…she learned a valuable lesson.
We headed out of the hotel room and took the elevator down to the lobby. And we struck out toward Centennial Park, where the race would start and finish. Temperatures were in the low 30s. It was windy (although NOTHING near what it was the day before when the Olympic Marathon Trials ran). And I was noshing on a banana as we made our way to the start area. Because of how cold it was, we sort of just gave ourselves enough time to get down there with only a little bit of time to spare, but enough that we weren’t stressed out and making a mad dash through the streets to get to the start corrals.
Had my leg/hip felt 100%…I had given some thought to hanging with the 1:40 pace group, which was being paced by Meb Keflezighi. That would have been a dream. But since I had to go to physical therapy and back off my training runs…it wasn’t completely out of the question, but it was a definite pipe dream. I lined up further back, keeping my trash bag on for as long as I could prior to the start.
Here was the really cool thing about the USA Olympic Marathon Trials happening the day before – MOST of the Olympic Team came down to watch the start of the race – despite it being early and cold. The only one who didn’t put in an appearance was Galen Rupp (not surprised – I acknowledge his skill as a marathoner, but I just don’t like him). The rest of them came down. AND…Alaphine Tuliamuk (the women’s first place finisher), stayed down there for the ENTIRETY of the start line from the marathon/half start to the last 5K runner to cross. And she was not only speaking to the runners, but taking selfies and the like with them. Because she’s amazing.
After the National Anthem was sung, I did shed the garbage bag, wearing my BibRave t-shirt (with arm warmers because…it was cold, duh) for the first time at an event. This one wasn’t a BibRave event…but I’m doing my part to represent. I gave my hip a little bit of a warmup with some dynamic moves in the tight confines of the corral…and then…we were off.
I waived to Cathy as I ran by, my hip doing okay for this part. Even being sent up a hill almost immediately. That was good, because that wouldn’t last long. And while the hip would eventually succumb to all the uphills and the cold…any movement I could manage without it bothering me…I was grateful for.
Also, on an interesting note…the FAQs for this race said that hydration packs were not allowed. I saw a lot of people running with them, but I opted to obey the rules and ran with my hydration belt instead. I hadn’t done that in a LONG time during a race, but as I had to use it for a bit of training while waiting on new bladders for my vest to come in the mail, I wasn’t completely out of practice yet.
This race weaves through Atlanta completely now…whereas before, when it was the Georgia Marathon/Half Marathon, it went out to Decatur and would come back into Atlanta. Not anymore. Now it’s completely inside the city. With this new course, I think I was glad it wasn’t this way when I ran it in 2014…because I think the hills are worse. With the leg/hip issue happening, I legit had no power on any of the uphills. You better believe I lived for those downhills though.
At one point, as the sun was coming out, I went to tuck my pink knit gloves into the back of my hydration belt…but I lost them. It made me sad, as those were the best gloves (and pink still represents my mom – a breast cancer survivor). But, they are throw-away gloves for a reason, I guess. At another point, I spotted someone I know from Instagram, running just up ahead. I wished I had the go-power to get up to her and run with her or at least say “HI.” But…meh…not happening. She finished up three minutes ahead of me…because she’s awesome. So…HI KRISTIN STOKES!
I will say, I think the hill around Mile 12 was the one that did me in. I felt like I was crawling up it. My hip was done with the entire experience, so I basically crawled it in to the finish. No finish line sprint. Nothing. Just a jog.
But, Cathy had managed to finish her 5K just ahead of Meb…which meant she had about 10 minutes before I came in. She found a spot to watch the finish line…and when I crossed I was so happy to be done. Maybe not Kauai Marathon happy…but it might have been close.
I walked through and got my medal and some snacks before meeting up with Cathy. We went to go take some pictures with the Olympic rings before heading back to the hotel to clean up, shower, pack, and head down to snag lunch at Walburgers before hopping on the MARTA to head to the airport for our flight home. Walburgers had a bit of delay on opening due to a problem with with the water or electricity or something. We hung out with some ladies and made friends with them. When they did open, we were taken upstairs and seated, and then just after we placed our order, our friends Tammy and Dean showed up and joined us. YAY! It was nice to sit and catch up with them (Tammy had also done the 5K and Dean did the half ). Also, Walburgers is great with the gluten-free options. I had my first ever Impossible Burger on the gluten free bun…with gluten free Sweet Potato Tots. It was…awesome.
Eventually we did have to head out to the airport. We hugged Tammy and Dean (this was when that was still allowed, which now seems weird) and made our way to the MARTA to head home.
So, my official results of the 2020 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon are that I finished in I finished in 1:50:02. Not bad on a gimpy leg, right? I know for a fact that I would have been able to deliver better had my training and my hip been 100%. But you do what you can when you can , right? I was 1346/5809 finishers overall. I was the 531/3189 female finishers. And I was 99/486 in my age division. Considering an unusual night before the race happened…with a late dinner…and lots of time standing the day before, topped with hip/leg issues…I’ll take the hell out of this result. Couldn’t be prouder of myself for sticking it out and getting to that finish line.
Just goes to show you…if you set your mind to something…you can do hard things.
The Celiathlete 