Monday, May 2, 2022

Race Recap: Tear Drop Half Marathon

For the past 2 years, I've put the Tear Drop Half Marathon on my must-run list. But the pandemic interfered with those plans. This year with everything opening back up, I was finally able to make it a date! I still had Delta credits from canceling a flight for last year's race. This is my friend Holly's favorite race and she was all in, so I signed up. It worked out well since I was already training for a hilly trail race, the Earth Day 15 miler. Ok, so that was happening the weekend before Tear Drop. But Tear Drop is a net downhill! What could go wrong? 

Spoiler alert: nothing went wrong, but running that trail race the week before probably didn't do me any favors. No matter. I had a fun time!

Holly picked me up at ATL on her way to Chatsworth, Georgia, the town where the race is held. We chatted the entire way there, sliding into that comfortable place where we felt like we'd just seen each other yesterday. Holly booked a room at the Super 8--the only motel in the little town. I was a little nervous about what the room would be like, but it was actually pretty nice, clean, and the bed was so comfortable. There were other runners there as well. We drove to the picnic shelter at the little park in town for packet pickup, got our bibs and t-shirts, and then drove up to Fort Mountain State Park, where the race would be held. 

The drop is so steep that it does not do the climbs justice.

I had never been to this part of Georgia and I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Fort Mountain is over 2800 feet above sea level. The road that took us to the top wound around a large rocky wall. Thinking about running down this hill both excited and scared me. Holly pointed out that this race wasn't just a downhill, showing me the hills we were going to have to run up. She parked the car and we stopped to check out the view from some of the overlooks. We also explored the park, which has a stone wall, thought to be built by the Cherokee Indians, dating back to the 1600s. We spent time soaking up the views, got some dinner, and went back to the motel to sleep. I slept surprisingly well.

We had an early wake-up call and boarded the school bus that would take us to the top of the mountain. I fueled with a protein smoothie, my usual pre-run fuel. I had my handheld water bottle and I put a pack of Tailwind in my shorts pocket for later in the race. I made a couple of trips to the porta-potty. There was a photographer at the drop-off site and we got a pre-race photo. We witnessed an absolutely gorgeous sunrise. It was chilly, but Holly warned me that it would get warm as we ran down the mountain to the finish line.

Even though buses were still bringing runners to the top, the race started on time at 7:30! We started down the hill. As Holly had warned, there was some running uphill as well. At about mile 1.7, we turned around and ran back to the start line. The hill that we flew down at the beginning was now an uphill. Since the first uphill, I was having issues with my heart rate being high--at one point my Garmin read 192. I felt uncomfortable as well, so I started taking walk breaks. 

At the top, where we started, there was a water stop and I filled my handheld back up again. I started back on the course, relieved that it would be mostly downhill the rest of the way. I still had high heart rate issues until about mile 6, when it finally settled down into the more comfortable 160s. I have no idea why this happened. I settled in and began to enjoy the pull of gravity as I made my way down the hill. I passed the overlook where Holly and I had stopped the day before and smiled for the photographer's mom, who was taking pictures of us. 

At mile 8, I decided I had better put some Tailwind in my water bottle. I opened the pack and of course, it spilled all over my hands. I was immediately surrounded by flies. There was a water stop at mile 10 and I stopped to refill my bottle. I took another bottle and rinsed off my sticky hands. I felt kind of bad about wasting a water bottle, but there you go. I continued to make my way down the course. I still felt pretty good. 

Once we got to about mile 11, the tree cover began to thin and we had full-on sunshine. It was HOT. There was a woman behind me who kept panting and groaning. I turned around to make sure she was ok and she told me she was, but I had my doubts. I kept running and then ahead of me appeared a huge incline up to a bridge. I tried to run but at that point, I was closing in on 2 hours. With a mile to go, I made the decision not to push it anymore. I chugged up the bridge.

I was ready for him to take the wheel!

At the top of the bridge was the photographer. I picked up the pace and ran towards him, smiling like I was going to win the whole thing. I continued down the other side of the bridge and rounded the corner to the final stretch of the race. Again, I slowed to a walk. As I approached the finish line, I started to run again and spotted Holly's bright pink singlet. She stepped out into the street to take pictures of me. I crossed the finish line at 2:08:01. When we got our official finish times, we saw that she got 2nd place in our AG group. I finished 9 minutes behind her and got 3rd! Glad I didn't push myself any harder--it wouldn't have mattered. Sometimes, things just work out.

There was a small afterparty in the park with a duo singing folk/country. Sadly, they had already run out of beer and most of the food, most likely due to the 5k and 10k runners who already finished. Holly and made a quick trip to a convenience store and were able to snag a 6 pack. We made our way back to the park, sat on a blanket, and basked in the post-race glow. 

Even though I struggled with my heart rate at the beginning, I was happy it settled down and didn't really affect me much. The heat and the hills definitely challenged me. As much as I like to think that my trail running has made me so much stronger, there was just no way to train for the heat. I made up some of my time on the downhills, even having an 8:05 split at one point! My pre-race fueling was on point and despite my struggles with opening the Tailwind package, I did well with that to get me to the finish. And no bathroom issues during the race was a huge win. 

Would I do anything differently? Not at this race. While I wish I could have finished faster, it just wasn't in the cards for me. I had no control over my heart rate issues and slowing down was the right thing to do. I loved the small race size and the medal was gorgeous. Free race photos is always a win. My ultimate goal when I run races is to always have fun. Mission accomplished! We spent the afternoon touring local wineries in this beautiful region of Georgia. This was a really fun weekend. I'd definitely do this one again.

Have you ever run a downhill race? What's the most beautiful place you've run? Do you pick up the pace and smile for the photographer?

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics, with the Runners' Roundup: DebbieDeborahJen, and Lisa.

  


30 comments :

  1. Congratulations, Wendy! So cool that you both placed on a podium in your age group!
    I was wondering why you were wearing two medals but I guess one is for the race and the other is for your placement.
    Love your race photos! I do the same - smile and pretend you're the overall winner. I'm sure it helps mentally!
    Did you feel the pounding in your quads from the long downhill?

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    1. Oh my quads were so angry with me for several days! I did my best to lean into the downhills, but there's just only so much you can do.

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  2. I have yet to do what I'd call a true downhill race. DAM to DSM has a net downhill, but there's almost equal inclines as well. This race looks really scenic! Great to see Holly's face (we all miss her!!!). Congrats on the 3rd place AG!

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    1. Thanks, Kim. This was really different from anything I've ever done and it was definitely worth it!

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  3. Um yes always pose for the photographer. I have never run a true downhill race. My last half was close but nothing steep and mostly flat.

    Boo on no beer and food.

    Happy to see that Holly is still out there. I miss her blogging.

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  4. That area of Georgia definitely is beautiful! I'm trying to convince my husband that we should move there (so we could have a little cooler weather) but he says no. Anyway, congratulations! You had a great race, and that must feel good to know 2nd place was nine minutes ahead (unlike some races I've done where I find out I finished like four seconds behind the next person in my AG- so frustrating.)
    I'm wondering if altitude possibly affected you? I'm not sure if you were high up enough to make a difference, but maybe that accounted for your elevated HR. Anyway, it sounds like a fun race and trip overall.

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    1. I was really shocked that I got the AG award, but you know it all depends on who shows up! I'm not sure what was up with my HR. I've had that happen on the run sometimes. It's so random.

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  5. Congrats on the finish! Looks like a beautiful course. Glad that you were able to have a beer at the end despite the race not having adequate supplies for the half marathoners!

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  6. Another great race, Wendy!
    My brother-in-law owned a "cabin" in that area of Georgia for about a decade (can you call a 4 bedroom/3 bath that can sleep 20 a "cabin"?) Les has ridden Fort Mountain, it's a beautiful area!
    I ran a marathon with a huge net downhill, but after 15 miles of it, anytime the road turned up my legs were very unhappy. Most beautiful place I've ever raced... it's a toss up between Santa Barbara and Honolulu. If I can see the ocean, I'm happy.

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    1. I love that your hubs has been to Fort Mountain!!! My sister and I are planning our fall sister trip to Santa Barbara. I can't wait!

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  7. I am so glad that you all were able to run it this year Looks like a really beautiful spot. Your race photos are great! congrats to both of you

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  8. It looks so pretty there! I've done a downhill race, which is net downhill but there are still plenty of uphills along the way. Glad you had a fun weekend. Congrats!

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  9. I think I'd like the downhills. The uphills, not so much.

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    1. Running downhill isn't as easy as it seems. My quads were very angry with me for days after this!

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  10. I have run several downhill races & I love them, but having you go back to the start -- that's just cruel! You did awesome, especially since you were dealing with sudden heat; that's always really tough.

    Congrats!

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    1. I guess they needed to add on miles--I'd rather do it at the beginning of the race than at the end!

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  11. I love the friendship you have with Holly! Those are the best kind of friendships - where you don't have to live close but each time you meet, it's like you're just continuing a conversation from the day before! And wow - well done to the both of you! You both are so inspirational. Every year, I choose a favourite photo of me when I sum up my year - the one I would choose for you if you were doing a similar blog would be the one of you nearing the finish - you look so strong, happy and accomplished.

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    1. Holly and I met through our blogs, so I will always be grateful for blogging. I've met a lot of nice people through my blog. It's the reason I keep blogging--it's like having a bunch of pen pals!

      I like that picture too and I'm shocked that it came out so well. That was mile 12 and I was dead by that point, lol!

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  12. Always so fun when you can link up with a friend for an out of town race! I am loving all of your photos from the race - you really look like you were having a great day, despite the hills!

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    1. It feels so good to run races again. And yes, we had such a good time.

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  13. That's beautiful, and well done both with your AG placings!

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    1. Thank you! It was such a beautiful place to visit. I loved all the green!

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  14. So fun! There are so many gorgeous parts of Georgia, and you were definitely in one. I absolutely pick up my feet and smile for photographers;. Don't you have to LOL? The prettiest place I have run to date was probably Jekyll Island. Also in Georgia.

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    1. This photographer was hilarious and he knew how to get the best out of us!

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  15. Congrats to you and Holly! I am so happy you two got to meet up and run together. Uphill and downhill are the same - I think, they're both hard and then the quads hurt for days.

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    1. I loved the downhills! But yes, I had quad pain for quite a few days after this one.

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