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| Running with Meb! Following the 1:40 pace group through Virginia-Highland. Note my Group B bib among the sea of A's. |
Don't stop, get it, get it/Peep how your captain's in it/Steady, watch me navigate, ha ha ha ha ha! - "Feel Good Inc.," Gorillaz
This race wasn't on my radar. I mean, I had a great time running sub-1:45 last year because I loved the race shirt but this year, not really.
That was until I learned I could volunteer for the February 29 Olympic Trials Marathon. The one condition was that you either had to volunteer for the March 1 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon or Marathon or -- you could run in the race.
So I decided on the latter. I didn't really devote any extra training in it as it's in the middle of my training cycle for the April 4 Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C. And I really hadn't thought much about the Publix half -- I even thought about switching to the 5K.
That was before I learned Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was going to lead the 1:40 pace group! The best I'd ever done on this course was 1:42:40 but I thought I still could do it. There was one problem, however ... I would be in the wrong corral from the 1:40 group.
On race morning I arrived downtown at about 5:50 a.m., an hour before the race started. Despite my problems finding street parking the last few years I actually found a few spaces where I have parked in the past. So I parked there and put on the free painter's jacket they give you at the end of races and a space blanket -- it was 32 degrees and pretty chilly but the space blanket made the difference.
I arrived and no one was in any of the corrals. So I couldn't determine where the 1:40 pace group would be. My corral was B and there was a 10-minute difference in start times, making it impossible for me to start in B and even reach this pace group if it was in A.
About 30 minutes before the start I decided to go into the Omni to try to use the bathroom but unlike years past this time there was a long line. So I left the hotel and walked across to try to use the portapotties in the race village. Still long lines there too.
That was when I saw two guys holding 1:40 pace group signs. I disregarded them at first but then made a beeline over to them when I saw that other portapotties were just as crowded. They and a female runner were headed directly for Corral A, where there was a line of bib checkers. I tucked in with them and still had my painter's jacket covering my bib -- and walked right in.
So I parked myself right behind their sign and waited for the race to start. It got wall-to-wall crowded in minutes and then Meb made his way to the pace group. He was signing people's bibs and taking selfies.
In no time the race started and we were off. I followed directly behind one of the pacers and the first mile was actually quite off the 7:40/mile pace we needed for a 1:40 half. There was even a guy who asked the pacer, who confirmed they would be speeding up.
The first three miles seemed difficult for me and at times I was 10 to 20 seconds behind Meb and the pace group. Lots of people chatted him up and took selfies but I felt like my business was trying to stick with this 1:40 group. The official time says I hit 5K at 24:19 for a 7:49/mile pace.
The next few miles we sped up a little bit -- my 10K split was at a 7:42/mile pace. Since the last time I tried to run a half really fast I ended up with calf cramps, I made sure to consume a salt stick chewable tablet at Mile 6. I'd never tried one before and they reminded me of a Sweet Tart.
At this point I was running right behind Meb as we went up Freedom Parkway toward North Highland Avenue. I wasn't real close but it reminded me of how he didn't like Galen Rupp drafting off of him in the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. Just as I was thinking this, he put in a quick surge and instantly was about 15-20 feet in front of me!
As we rounded Freedom Parkway toward North Avenue I started to lose the pack again and I knew that once we ended up on North Highland Avenue the pacers and Meb would be speeding up again. Because of the cold I wore two technical T-shirts and really regretted this although there was no way I could take one off at this point. I was running at 7:10/mile pace for Miles 7 and 8. (I had just a sip of water at Mile 7 and my second and final salt chewie at Mile 8). I saw my friend Josh in front of Limerick Junction, which gave me a pick-me-up.
I didn't see my family across from John Howell Park like I did last year so I stashed my Headsweats visor and a pair of (now really sweaty) arm sleeves off on a stone wall at Inman Middle School (it was still there a few hours later after we came back from brunch). I had been about 7 seconds behind Meb and I figured if my family saw me I would be behind the pack, nothing that I could do about it.
I slowed a little when I turned on Park Avenue but caught up with the pack, which inexplicably slowed down when I saw a woman on the sidewalk who I thought was my wife. It wasn't her but my wife was actually just the next block over! At this point I was actually running alongside Meb and the only thing I could say was to yell out, "Meb, that's my wife!" and pointed while she took pictures. He was extremely gracious and gave us all smiles for the picture above. I thanked him and then made my way ahead of the pace group into Piedmont Park.
I'd been mentally preparing myself for this point. In this race, to me at least, it doesn't start until you exit the park -- here you have the long incline along 10th Street and the rolling hills of Juniper Avenue. I took my time but was starting to get passed by the pacers. I was even more behind on Juniper but there was nothing I could do. I kept trucking along and the great energy I had last year for these hills were gone, at least in my mind. I ran 7:40/mile for Mile 10 and 7:29/mile for Mile 11.
I knew there were two more giant hills left -- the one alongside Bobby Dodd Stadium on North Avenue and then the one on Techwood Drive. I ran my slowest mile here since Mile 1, a 7:55 for Mile 12.
As soon as I passed Mile 12, I reset my lap counter so it would measure the last mile. The two slight inclines here were pretty monstrous to me and maybe a dozen people passed me here. Nothing I could do about it although I ran 7:40 at this point. In the last tenth of a mile I was speeding up but before I could turn the corner into the park and the Finish I could hear the announcer say, "Only 100m to go for Meb!"
When I made the last straightaway I tucked in behind a young woman and put my head down and focused on my final kick. Since I accidentally started my watch about a minute after the race started I didn't have a good idea of the final seconds of the race. All I could see was the race clock saying 1:40 and counting. I figured there wasn't too much difference in my time and the clock time since I started in Group A and I told myself if I couldn't break 1:40 at least I could try the best I could to finish under 1:41.
Meb and the 1:40 pacers finished 12 seconds ahead of me. As soon as I crossed the line I jumped in with a big crowd surrounding Meb for a group picture. Then as I walked away, my wife texted me with my final time: 1:39:49, which is my second fastest half marathon time and just bonkers for me since the course is so hilly.
So this race ended up being really rewarding -- I never thought I'd break 1:40 here but it took a special day and a celebrity to do it.
Time: 6:55 a.m.
Temp: 36 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short x2 (Chicago Marathon 2019, Team Beef Georgia), shorts, cep compression sleeves, Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4 percent Flyknit/B.
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