The day before a half marathon is filled with routines. I picked up my bib. I set out my outfit. I took a photo of it to be sure I wasn't missing anything. I was missing my sunglasses and nutrition. They were both downstairs and ready to go.
I prayed and asked God for a joyful and safe run. I prayed I could encourage someone in the course. I ate a normal breakfast and drove to the race site.
I was very grateful for the medal! The 5K medal (I'm learning, a rarety nowadays) was so pretty!
This half marathon wasn't my slower nor my fastest. I finished it at 2:36. I felt good, body and mind throughout the entire race. I was very grateful before crossing the finish line.
I saw a couple of friends before the race started. We all talked about how cold we were. I went to the restroom and went to the start line.
My strategy was to follow my interval plan from the beginning til the end of the race. I also did not want to run too fast. I started with the 2:25 pace group but they passed me when I took a walking break.
I noticed I had a lot of energy so I told myself to double to amount of intervals before taking a break. I also decided not to listen to anything during the first half of the race.
The first half of the race was on the roads. I stayed entertained by the runners around me, the views, and the encouragement the volunteers were giving us. I did a good job with nutrition and hydration.
The second half of the race was through neighborhoods and golf cart paths. It was so cold that we did not see a lot of people. It was challenging to keep my hands warm the entire time but I'd say I managed to do it.
My reliable playlist really added to my race experience.
My mind was in the right place. I focused on gratitude. I spent a lot of time telling God thank you for health, a strong body, and a good season of training.
I spoke very little with the runners around me. People were mostly running solo, some were running in pairs. I thought about all the years I ran with a group. I gave thanks to God for those friendships.
It's amazing how I knew how to encourage myself to keep going. I told myself "You can use the restroom when you finish." I also told myself "Run most of this mile and you can take a break at the end." It worked! I realized that during my 15K, I took a lot of unnecessary breaks.
I was grateful to God for blessing me to train and complete this race. Crossing the finish line was a big blessing. To be honest with you, I didn't hear a lot of cheering. I did know that God saw me and He saw all it took to train. I also thought about all the family and friends who sent me encouraging words. As I was holding my medal, I realized that some difficult things are done by ourselves, which is okay.
I'm grateful beyond measure for being able to run distance. It's been 4 years since I participated in a long-distance race. The Rotary Peachtree City Half Marathon reminded me of how much I enjoy running distance.
I am grateful to the race organizers and volunteers. I really felt encouraged, supported, and safe. I recommend this race to any experienced or new runner.
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