An Atlanta Kind of Thanksgiving :)

i ran the Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon yesterday morning with a friend i had not seen in 4 years. it was so much fun! new route - incredibly hilly. who knew!!

we left the house by 6:20 and by the time we got parked and out of our car is was 7:10. considering how awfully backed up one exit was, we found our way thanks to the garmin through side roads and stumbled across a parking lot not far from the start line. i had no race nerves, no worries, no goal - just anxious to reunite with a friend. :)

potty lines were awful in one area near the start where my friend was, but in the back of the line, they were empty! by the time we found each other, we were the last ones to start the half; the 5k'ers were right behind us! but we were not last to finish!. it's been a long time since i've run and talked with a friend. my tank was full! it was a humid and warm run, especially when the sun came out around mile 10. that's typical south style this time of year. i survived with my long sleeve on, though. my friend did awesome on the run! she kept a nice steady pace and we chatted and enjoyed each others company. not aiming for a time was so relaxing (can i use that word when running a half?!).

my son also ran with a friend from football. they had basically not trained. my son did awesome - finished in 2:21 and his friend finished in 2:04! i know he'll be sore today but he was on a high yesterday from completing his first one!

the new route is so hilly. this will be part of either the publix maratahon this spring or the new atlanta marathon in the fall. i had hoped to run one of those here, and i've been warned from yesterday's run to bust out the hills around here. :)