women's half marathon elevation map

so here is the elevation map for my half marathon in Nashville on Saturday. doesn't look too bad. slow gradual hill from 1.5 miles - 4 ... then flat for the most part and then downhill for the finish... i am most excited about touring Nashville by foot. i have never been there, but heard it is a cool city. ...depending on how this goes it will make me decide if I want to do The Country Music Half in April...

race starts at 7:00 AM. I am in coral 2. I figure I will be done by 9:30 AM - 9:40 at the latest. Gotta be back on the road to Atlanta by 10:30... Need to be back in Atlanta by 3:30 PM for the Alabama/Arkansas game. I was kinda excited to see a 12pm checkout time for my hotel, it was shattered when i saw the 2:30 pm (CT) kickoff for the game. Oh Alabama Football how you rule my life in the fall. depending on my true finish time and the ice situation at the hotel, i may get in a 15 minute ice bath... but that's me being optimistic.

I know I want to run it in about 2:21 - so I can beat Erin's most recent time. (love you girl!) a


Saturday is going to be busy, busy, busy with the race and trying to get back to Atlanta...

3 days till ING

We are counting down the days now to the ING Georgia Half & Full Marathon. I signed up for this race coming off the Disney Marathon when I said I would never ever ever do a full again. Thankfully so, since I am once again no where near in half marathon shape (and because I am wickedly congested and at the tail end of a chest and head cold ... which evidently is floating around Atlanta and plaguing many a ING runners -- feel better if you're sick and running!!).

I have never done this race so please do not think I am giving out any tips, secrets, or pointers because well I am not. All I know is what I have heard and all I have heard is that it is well organized, well run, and hilly. So, I did what I normally do and looked for an elevation map. And well it does appear to be quite the hilly course. Mile 6 looks like it will be a doozy (wait, wasn't mile 6 the rough one in San Fran too?!) and that it will be 100% up hill and into mile 7 and finally giving us a break around mile 8. Luckily it looks like mile 11 (when I will be for sure out of steam) is downhill and that the last mile or so is fairly flat with some little hills.

The weather is supposed to be rainy. Last I heard there was a 60% chance of rain.... which means I will for sure be sporting my new pink Nike rain jacket. I do have my fingers crossed that the rain will hold off until AFTER the race but with my luck that won't happen. I tried to look at the hour-by-hour predictions on weather.com and I guess it is too far away to predict what will happen come 7 am on Sunday morning.

Oh well. Good luck to everyone running, walking, crawling, skipping, whatever their way to the finish. If you're doing it, let me know, maybe we can suffer this out together! Happy Running!