Suwanee Half-Marathon (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

My knees have really been giving me fits as of late when I run any significant distance. I spoke with my doctor about it a couple of weeks ago and he did an examination, but could find nothing obviously wrong and suggested it was probably just worn cartilage - a sure sign that I'm getting old. That said, I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet and surrender. Suwanee is a neighboring town that organizes lots of events from their Town Center Park. Today, they are hosting the 8th Annual Suwanee Half-Marathon and like any glutton for punishment, I couldn't resist the call of a race nearby. That said though, I am going to Las Vegas next weekend for another Half-Marathon and decided that I would take it easy on this one to ensure I can survive a second one just a week later.

Arriving at the park, I wait in my new Subaru (which I just purchased two days ago to replace my Jeep that was totaled a few weeks ago) for the start time. It's cold this morning, but not nearly as cold as it was in Tennessee a few days ago for that 10k. Ten minutes or so before the start time, I leave the warmth of the car and head up to the starting line. Without a lot of ceremony or anything, all of the Half-Marathon runners depart on time to a countdown. I'm feeling pretty good. I'm dressed for the cold with running gloves, leggings, and a down vest on. I may regret all of this later, but for now it feels pretty good.

The race departs the park and heads down several roads through the city. The route is pretty well marked and Suwanee's Finest are parked at all crossroads to block traffic as necessary. I'm maintain a pretty good pace for the first couple of miles, but then the hills kick in and since I had decided in advance that I wasn't going to push myself hard today, I walk most of the uphills and steep downhills. I'm sure my knees appreciate it.

After a few turns around the roads of Suwanee, we end up on the Suwanee Creek Greenway, which I have run before and will likely be taking my bike on when temperatures warm up. This trail is very nice. It's paved and follows the creek as it travels through town. It's mostly flat, but offers a few ascents and descents as it makes it's way to the starting point at Suwanee Creek Park. This also serves as the turning point and while we don't repeat the entire route we have just run, we do follow much of it back towards the Town Center Park. 

As I make my way back, I feel less concerned about my time and more concerned about how my knees are feeling. They don't seem to be doing too bad. I do note a sharp jolt like pain in my calves when I start running at one point. I quickly reduce my pace to a walk and massage it out a bit. I think the lack of pain I'm experiencing is also affected by the precautionary Advil I took prior to the start of the race. Either way, I'm feeling pretty good.

As I make my way up the board walk and then through the final neighborhood, I see the time is approaching three hours and not wanting to have a time later than that, I force myself to a faster pace for the final sprint. I finish with a time of 2:59:55, which is terrible, but I'll take it as a victory since my knees are still feeling pretty good. Hopefully, I'll still be feeling this way next weekend on the Strip.