This was the 2nd Annual Roswell Area 13.1 Half Marathon. This fun night time Alien invasion themed race is held in the small town of Roswell GA right outside of Atlanta. There were about 1700 runners that escaped the invasion and a good portion of the proceeds went to charities.
I was scheduled to run the Pittsburgh Rock n Roll for August, when at the end of April they decided to cancel due to city officials and security reasonings (this was to be the Inaugural and they made this decision right after the Boston attack). I had to scurry to find a replacement in one of the worst race months of the year(because its so hot, there are minimal to chose from). I decided to stick with a 'local' (anything within driving distance) instead of having to figure out airfare AGAIN with short notice.
The cute alien medal convinced my friend Vicki to join me for this race, which I really appreciated the company on the long 6 hour drive....in the pouring down rain!!
The forecast was predicted to be almost perfect...65 degrees...but a 60% chance of rain. As we got into town, the rain kept coming and going.
We arrived at the Alpharetta hotel around noon and had lunch at Jasons Deli. We then decided we might need some layering for the race since the rain was keeping it cool...so we created our own Expo and went shopping! (it was convenient our hotel was near a mall!)
We then came back to the room in time for a 2 hour nap....I think I slept 20 minutes. I bought a 5 hour energy, knowing I would be going into the race exhausted. Driving by itself is tiring, add in the stress from hydroplaning=not fun!
Packet Pick Up
We prepped in the room and headed over to the race, where we could also pick up our 'packets'....except someones registration couldn't be found! Yep, that's right. Apparently 'Ms Organization' wasn't so organized this time around! I still dont know how that happened. Luckily, the lady in charge handled it very professionally and provided me a bib and tshirt. (donation check is in the mail!!)
They offered packet pick up the days before the race at a sports store for those already in town.
There were a couple vending tables at the start, including Moms Run This Town, which handed out cool alien tattoos and car stickers! They had a food stand selling burgers/dogs, as well as an icy stand, which was funny as the race was so prepared for a Hot August race (cold wet towels provided too) and we had nice cool temps!
It was starting to rain again, so we sat in the car and waited it out....for over an hour. Good thing we had LOTS of glow stick bracelets and necklaces to play with!
As the rain wasn't lightening up, I decided that I had to do away with my pink colored bangs and wear a hat (Thanks to Vicki for giving it to me on this trip as I left mine at home!) After a wardrobe change and contemplating wearing the Garmins, Ipods, jackets, we finally had to get in the rain and use the porta potties for the last time. The race had a pretty good amount of outlets, so no long wait.
Starting Line
It wasn't clear on where exactly the starting are was. Everyone was lingering at the Huge Alien Finish Line when a voice over the loud speaker directed us to the main street.
As we lined up, we realized the rain had stopped. There was not to be another drop the entire race!Can you say LUCKY?! I was a little disappointed I didn't have my Garmin to keep my pace and Vicki's rain jacket she decided to wear went straight to being tied around her waist! Too late to run back to the car!
Vicki convinced me to line up with the 2:15 pace group. (my fastest is 2:24) My plan was to stick with her as long as a could, but I knew that wouldn't last long. (It ended up being less than 3 miles.)
She kept waiting for me and I finally convinced her to go ahead and PR this race! Shes been working super hard at her running and eating habits and has lost over 30lbs. I knew she had this one in the bag!
The Course
I quickly realized this race that claimed to be 'super flat' was super NOT! It felt like we were on a constant incline for most of the race with the second half having at least 3 good sized hills. It was not a hilly course, don't get me wrong. But it was not flat. Maybe 'Georgia Flat.' But definitely not "Florida Flat!"
The course was basically two 'out and back' loops and ran on a nice trail system along the Chattahoochee River. Some of it was muddy, but the majority of it was paved. About half way, the course went right by the finish line, which is never a fun thing to see when you are a slow runner! By the time I hit the second half, it was starting to get dark with the overcast skies. We headed into a woodsy area with glow sticks hanging from the trees, lighted bags lining a bridge, and a dark alien infested tunnel! It was all very fun!
It started to get super dark quickly. The course had huge spot lights which lit up the road for a long ways, but was also very blinding as you approached. Then you had the spots that did not have any light. Those were blindingly dark. So dark at points I was relying on other runners with head lamps. (why did I leave mine in the car?!) And when they weren't around, I was praying I would not twist my ankle on a cracked sidewalk or tree root (but the sidewalks seemed in really good condition).
There was an 'infamous hill,' which I knew nothing about until the people turning the corner coming off of it, where yelling "don't go up there! That's where all the aliens are!" It was quick, but it was Steep!
From there it was a few more hills and then a turn around at M10. It was pretty much coasting downhill from there into the Finish Line.
The Plan
I kept going back and forth with my game plan on my usual wog (run/jog) or try to once again run the full 13 (this would be my 2nd time). I was feeling good going fast in the beginning, but I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain that pace. I quickly slowed my pace and decided I was going to go for it all, no matter what my time....I wasn't wearing my Garmin anyways! About M4 I let the 2:15 group go and decided I just wouldn't let 2:30 catch me. But at M10, I was rubbing shoulders with the 2:30 pacer! I quickly cursed at him for catching up. But I wasn't going to let him deter me. Nonstop no matter what!
I met a couple people on the course. A girl named Jill that runs the 26.2 with Donna and a guy that agreed with me on the nonflatness (yes, I just made up that word). It felt good to spread the word about the Donna!
Water Stations and Volunteers
The hydration/fuel stations were almost excellent. They were spaced properly (a couple too close together, but I think its because they did a table for each out and back). However, only a couple stations had Gatorade and I must have missed the first one. They handed out some sort of GU twice (which was NOT GU and tasted like crap), which is more than usual on a half.
All of the volunteers at the stations were SUPER excited and happy to be there! It really does make a world of difference when they are loud and enthusiastically yelling out motivational words!
M10 my knee was hurting abnormally more than usual which had me scared and made me walk the complete water station, instead of just enough to swallow. But just that little bit helped and the pain subsided. Weird. My quad on the other leg, however, would be the enemy for the remainder of the race. It threatened to pull a few times, so much so I had to slow my running, just so I wouldn't have to walk. I was thinking I needed salt. I had taken 2 GU packets and tried the one they handed out, but it tasted like crap, which almost made me spew. I started licking my hands and arms to try to get to some salt. One of these days I will learn to carry salt packets!
Finish Area
I hobbled all the way up to the Finish, but managed to pick up some speed in the home stretch. I had no idea what my time was, but I knew it probably wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Vicki cheered me in at the finish line and I found out she set a huge PR! I am so Proud of her! As for me, I am happy that I proved to myself that I can tackle the full 13 without wogging. However, I am still a bit confused and have mixed feelings on why my time was so much slower than usual....by a full 10 minutes! I can analyze it over and over, but really does it matter? Probably not. The important thing is I gave it my all. The importance in life is always giving it your all and supporting those around you to be the best that they can be as well.
The finish area was pretty lame. No beer (don't they know that is the best carbs?). And the food boxes were EMPTY! I mean, I know im slow, but they were allowing for another HOUR worth of runners...and no food? It looked like all they had was bread and some sort of pastries. For the price they charge, they could strongly improve pre/post festivities. I did get a Muscle Milk which held me fine until we hit the hotel bar and then TGIFridays!
The Medal
The medal is cute and I LOVE the runners in the Aliens eyes. Apparently each year is supposed to sport a different color.
All in all if you are looking for a fun themed mid summer race, but one that doesn't necessarily have all the bells and whistles, then this small town night time race course is suggested! Both Vicki and I walked away enjoying ourselves and said the course is worth repeating! The Area 13.1 also hosts in other cities across the US.
Finish Time-2:34