Running the Talladega 21000 Half Marathon

Several months ago, Anna decided she was ready to start training for her first half marathon. So we looked around and settled on a race that we were both interested in, the Talladega 21000 Half Marathon. This would be my third Half, and the legendary Talladega Super Speedway would provide quite a different backdrop from the races I had previously run in Birmingham and Huntsville.

As training progressed over the course of a couple months, the miles added up as did the blisters, excitement and anxiety set in, and we avoided any injuries. On the morning of the race, Sunday, September 16, 2012, we set out early from Fultondale, headed for Talladega, with Anna's parents along for moral support, seeing many others who were similarly eastward bound.

Talladega 21000 Half Marathon, September 16, 2012 :: Just out of the Gate

On this morning, the weather could not have been better, with overcast skies and rains to the east, making for some nice vistas as we ran. The event, in its fourth annual running, was well organized, with music and an energetic emcee to be heard throughout the course. And best of all, we finished at our goal time and saw a couple of other folks we knew who ran as well. If you're a half marathoner, this Talladega 21000 should be on your radar.

Commentary, photos, and video from other races I have run in 2012 are also available: Russell Forest Run 10K in Alexander City, Statue to Statute 15K in Birmingham, and Run for Their Lives 5K in Fultondale.

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Atkeson Trail

On my way up to Huntsville on Friday (in order to run the Huntsville Half Marathon the following day), I decided to stop at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge on the Tennessee River, near Decatur, Alabama. I didn't have a great deal of time, so I stopped at the Visitor Center where I found a nice half-mile trail, called the Atkeson Trail. This little hike contained all sorts of flora from bamboo to a bald cypress grove, hackleberry to red oak.

In addition to carrying my Panasonic LX3, I have just acquired an iPhone 4 and wanted to test its abilities. I used the iPhone to take the first two photos below.

And while I was pleased enough with the results I achieved, it certainly can't replace a camera, except in a pinch. Just too many limitations. I did download the ProCamera (which gives you greater control over focus and exposure) and Adobe Photoshop Express (which has some nice little post-processing options), which increased some functionality.

The below photos were the best of the photos taken with the Panasonic LX3, which is quickly approaching the its second anniversary with me. It was my first digital camera, and I have just loved this thing.

Huntsville Half Marathon

In February, I ran my first half marathon, the Mercedes Half Marathon, in Birmingham. In July, I set about looking for the next Half I would run and came across the Huntsville Half Marathon on November 12, which gave me plenty of time to re-train (following a very lazy June) and cooler temps to run in. I then convinced my friend Mark Gouge to run with me; it would be his first Half.

So with each short run, long run and cross training day, D-day drew nigh. And on Friday, I went to the thrift store to pick up throw-away sweatshirts for Mark and myself. I was incredibly fortunate to find these lovely bowl game sweatshirts from 1998 (below).

USC-TCU at the Sun Bowl, and Tennessee-FSU at the Fiesta Bowl

The Huntsville Half is a much smaller race than the Mercedes, with about 950 registered runners. On Friday evening we went to pick up our SWAG bags and numbers.

 Due to the slow nature of our pace, Mark and I elected to start at the very back of the pack. We ended up placing in the mid-600s, meaning we passed about a third of the field. So here's a day, in a slideshow (but for those of you using portable Apple products that don't support Flash, you can find the gallery containing these same photographs: here).

And since finishing was really the highest of priorities for Mark and myself, here's a video of us doing just that.