My first race of the year, and I didn't race it. Rather, I had a ball on the course!
The Hot Chocolate 15K in Atlanta was simply a success for me. I started training last week for the Murray Half-Marathon, which is my "A List" race, and my plan called for eight slow miles on Saturday, Jan. 25. Since I was running the 15K, I decided to switch the two days and simply enjoy the Atlanta hills.
And boy oh boy, the hills were long and at times steep. Let's just say the hills in downtown Nashville have nothing on Atlanta. Even the hills in Louisville were absolutely nada compared to those in Atlanta.
I ran approximately the first seven miles in my easy paces before I had to begin walking. Most likely, I ran down the hills a little faster than I should have, but I did not care. The weather was perfect, and I was having a great time. Donna England, a friend who is a phenomenal runner, ran with me until I began walking, and I told her to go on without me. She didn't want to do so, but I knew I had to take a few moments to shed my Brooks running jacket and cool down my core.
I finished strong, running my last mile and then some between 8:30 and 8:45 paces. I could not believe it! After all the climbing, I had energy for faster paces. That gave me a confidence boost.
Some of you are probably wondering about the goodies given at the Hot Chocolate races. I love my hoodie sweatshirt, and the finishers mug was a delight -- all better than a medal, I think.
The next few weeks of half-marathon training are going to be hard, but yesterday simply proved that I can meet my running goals. I have to, as professional runner Kara Goucher always says, "Work hard. Believe in yourself. Believe in the run."
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