Hey peeps! Just realized I never got around to writing my Thanksgiving Half Marathon recap from last month. In order to keep it a little shorter and simpler…

The Thanksgiving Half this year was the 3rd part of the Triple Peach Race Series that the Atlanta Track Club puts on. This was the second year I completed my Triple Peach.

I picked up my race number and runner’s hoodie the weekend before at the Big Peach Running Store up in Alpharetta. It was good to run into Karen and Brandi while grabbing my stuff.

On Thanksgiving morning, I made my way down to the Georgia State Stadium (formally Turner Field) very early. They suggested getting down there by 6am due to the number of runners and spectators. After grabbing a good parking spot, I ended up sitting in my car for a while just staying warm and killing time before the race start at 7:30.

By 7ish, I jumped in line for the bathrooms before making my way over to the corrals/race start. I ended up in corral B, which would put my start time about 5 minutes after the official start.

My goal for the race was stay injury free since I was using this race for Dopey training. I figured the hills would probably slow me down, but was hoping for a nice solid pace if possible.

Once I got started I knew I was going to have a good race. Sometimes I just get that feeling where my energy is high and I feel like I’m on cruise control.

Even with the hills, I enjoy this course quite a bit. It takes you through Georgia State, Downtown Atlanta, Atlantic Station, Piedmont Park, Peachtree Street, Georgia Tech, and various other spots in Atlanta.

I ended up maintaining a 9-10 minute pace most of the half marathon. I felt really good almost the whole time, including the final few miles, which can be quite hilly. Once I crossed the finish line, I ended up with my second fastest half marathon ever! I was super happy to have such a great race!

Once I finished up, I grabbed my medal/water bottle and Powerade/food/runner’s jacket and made my way over to the Triple Peach area to pick up my extra goodies. The Triple Peach medal and long sleeve shirt are awesome this year! Once I got everything, I headed back to my car and home to shower. I had a pretty short window to get ready before heading down to Alabama to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family.

All in all, I was super pleased with the race this year. The weather was almost perfect and the course/crowd support was excellent! Thinking I will take a year off next year to spend Thanksgiving away from Atlanta, but I definitely plan on coming back again soon.