Day 3,252: Atlanta Half Marathon

I didn't seek out this race and the Triple Peach series but am glad both are finished.

This race wasn't on my radar this year but when I wanted to do last month's Atlanta 10-Miler, I discovered that the best way to get the cheapest entry fee would be to sign up for the Triple Peach series.

It also made this race cost like $40, and how I can resist a $40 half-marathon?

So I dutifully made my way this morning to the starting line to run in this race for my seventh time. Unlike in 2013 when I ran in 23-degree weather, it was much warmer -- 47 degrees.

I also thought that I could have a shot at breaking my half marathon PR and when the race started, things seemed to go really well.

Like last month's race, being in the Triple Peach series allowed you to race in any corral you wanted. So I made my way up to Group A, where I could see 1:45 pace team signs in front of me.

The race even started at a pretty good pace -- not too fast but just right and I felt like I might have a good shot at breaking a 17-year-old PR even though I really hadn't done extra training for it.

But by the time I exited Piedmont Park right before Mile 7, I knew that a PR would not be possible. I dutifully snowplowed my way to the finish. I didn't worry about trying to regain my speed, just wanted to finish the race the best I could.

It turned out it still was my fourth best running of this race. It was nice to be among a really festive crowd of racers and volunteers, so it's definitely a race worth doing again.

I just need to make sure I'm properly trained for the distance and the hills.

Time: 7:30 a.m.
Temp: 47 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, long (Locomotive Half Marathon 2010), shorts, Saucony Iso Zealot.

This year's Triple Peach shirt is a lot better than the one I got in 2013.