Locomotive Half Marathon

Before I get into my race recap let me back up and say that this half was going to be my half for Grandma Lil's 96th Birthday Virtual Race hosted by the lovely Rachelle. I am waaay behind on reading blog posts but I saw the title of it when I was scrolling through and assumed it was a half this year like it was last year. Nope, it's a 5K. Thank goodness Rachelle told me that doing a half was fine and a big thank you for hosting such a fun virtual race. Never before have I been an overachiever when it comes to running longer than I'm supposed to so there's a first!

Before the start

The Locomotive Half Marathon took place on Sunday, February 17, in Kennesaw, GA, and it was cold. It was around 27 at the start and I don't think it got above 35 before the finish. Thank goodness the wind wasn't as bad on Sunday as it was on Saturday or it would have been brutal! I realize that may sound like a heat wave to many of you living in colder places but that's cold for me.

Both the shirt and medal had a great old school picture that made me want to take train ride across the country

We wound our way through Kennesaw past several businesses and into a commercial area very similar to Research Park here in Huntsville. We also ran past the municipal airport but I guess it was too early for anyone to be out flying and it was pretty windy so it wasn't in the cards to catch any planes taking off or landing. There were a few spots around the aid stations where water had frozen on the road but the volunteers were great about warning you to watch your step. Part of the course was an out and back which was nice since I wasn't familiar with the area.

Even though it's a white tech tee I do love this shirt!

Although I ran with a fuel belt this was probably the first race that I didn't need my Gatorade that I carried until the last few miles. There were 8 aid stations along the course that offered water and Powerade. Unfortunately there were no gels or chews offered on the course.

This is one of my favorite medals!

Three of my friends ran the 5K and it went along part of the half marathon course and they all seemed to enjoy it. I felt like the field was a pretty fast field and judging by the fact that most of the post-race food was gone I guess I was right. I finished at 2:38:11 which isn't fast but there were several people behind me so I can only imagine how they must have felt when they finished and there was nothing left but tortilla chips and Muscle Milk. Hopefully they will do a better job with post-race offerings next year!

Post-race photo

The half is the last in the Locomotive series that includes a 5K, 10K, 15K, and half. I may try to do the entire series at some point. It was a small half in terms of runners and we all know those are my favorite! I also got to spend the weekend with a college roommate whose condo I'm in love with. She and our two friends prepared a delicious post-race lunch that we all enjoyed before saying goodbye. The weekend was far too short!

Have you run a race series before?
Small, medium, or large half marathon: which is your favorite?