Halvsies

Here I am nearing the finish line of the Georgia Half Marathon last Sunday. That's 13.1 miles, yo. Not sure if that's a smile or a grimace on my face, or just me gasping for breath.

It was a perfect day for running: started before sunrise, temp rose to low/mid 50s, cloud cover.

It's my third Half in the last year; I'd never run that distance in my life before last year's race. Though not a PR, I was pleased with my result: within 20 seconds of my projected time. And but for a four-minute bathroom break waiting to get into a smelly port-o-john, I would've been right on my PR. But here's the thing: I set my PR at the Myrtle Beach Half, which is flat, straight, and at sea level—none of which is to be found here in the ATL. Elevation approx. 1000 ft. Hills galore: 1407 ft. elevation change, 702 ft. total climb. By comparison, I was 28 minutes faster overall than last year's Half on the same course. That's over 2 minutes per mile improvement in one year! (If I can keep up that rate, in six years I won't even have to run the darn thing! Heh.) Not bad for an old guy.

You can follow the saga of my running exploits (and the story behind those shoes) here.