Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon, 5k

Ah, September. When Floridians try to escape the heat and head north for cooler temperatures only to find it's, well, just as hot. And humid. Rats.

Breakfast of champions at the Tampa airport. That blob on the right is supposed to be a blueberry scone. It tasted better than it looked.

The Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon and 5k take place in the town of Townsend, Tennessee, on the north side of the Smoky Mountains National Park, west of Gatlinburg. The races don't take place inside the park but you're a stone's throw from the park entrance.

I took the day off of work Friday. Originally, my first flight left at 8 or so in the morning to Charlotte, and then would arrive to Knoxville by about noon. But thanks to American Airlines (and their disregard to people who make PLANS), they bumped the flights twice over the last few weeks and my flights didn't leave until 10:22 and arrived at 3:30. I needed to run at 6:30. Fortunately, the guy at the rental car counter was very efficient and my hotel was just 5 minutes away. After checking in at the hotel, changing, and making the 30-minute drive to the Tally Ho Inn to pick up my bibs, I still had an hour to spare before the 5k race would begin. The Tally Ho Inn is where the small race expo takes place and serves as the start/finish for the 5k and the finish for the half. Two years ago when I ran these races I stayed here. It's an older hotel, but clean and friendly.

Those little hills are bigger than they look!

The rental car was claiming that the temperature was 89 degrees when the 5k began. Based on my sweat level, I agreed. Going into this weekend, I had in my mind to treat these races like training. I wasn't going to go all out and try to score a fast finish at either race. We all lined up in the field next to the inn for the start. There are no corrals or fencing, just a bunch of people loosely lining themselves up. It's one of the things I like about this race. It's organized, but it's no frills. The organizers gave a few runners some pace signs so that we could line up somewhat accordingly. We stood around for a good 15-20 minutes (not my favorite part), had the national anthem, and then we were off. The course this year was out and back on the paved trails alongside the main road. After the first mile, it cut out into a field of grass for at least a half mile. There were some folks not so happy about the grass, but with my newest adventures in trail racing it didn't bother me. The course is challenging but fun. This particular section has lots of little ups and downs, and although it's near the main road it's not right on it. You don't feel like you're running with the cars instead of the competitors. I finished in 32:15. Surprisingly, that was about a minute faster than two years ago.

I didn't stick around after the 5k. It was after 7:00 and I still needed to get to the grocery store to pick up breakfast stuff and water. I hit up the Kroger for some microwave bacon, got a quick shower at the hotel, and headed to the Texas Roadhouse right next door. I knew it wasn't going to be the best decision, but I ordered a small steak with mashed potatoes for dinner. Although my love of bacon is fierce, my love of steak is a real close second. Steak is usually too heavy for me the night before a race, but I did it anyway. I knew it probably wouldn't process fast enough for my body to use it come morning but when in a steakhouse, you order steak. It was almost 9:00 by the time I was done eating and back at the hotel. 4:00 a.m. was going to come real soon.

And it did. I got myself up and ready, gathered race gear/fuel, and was on the road by 4:30. I arrived at the Tally Ho by 5:00 to get parked in the field. You have to arrive early enough to catch the buses to the start line. Since it's a point-to-point course, runners are picked up at the finish and shuttled to the start line at a high school 20 minutes away. I actually drove past the school on my way there. It's a fairly smooth and pleasant process. The race organizers recruit a few dozen school buses to run the loop for about an hour. I arrived at the start just after 6:00, which I thought was just right for the 6:30 start. Except it wasn't a 6:30 start, it was 7:00. The fueling plan wasn't getting off to a good start, and, I wasn't feeling too spritely to begin with anyway.

Just like the 5k, the half-marathoners lined up in the parking lot loosely by pace. After the sheriff closed the roads, the herd of runners moved out onto the road for the anthem and the start. Right after the first corner you were treated to a pretty spectacular sunrise over the mountains. I didn't stop to take a picture, I just held up my phone and pressed the button down. So, most of them were blurry. The pictures certainly don't do it any justice. Everyone around me was doing the same. Their phones were out and you could hear people saying "Wow", "Look at that", "That's beautiful", "Amazing"... 

The Smokies did not disappoint. The first half of the race was misty and foggy.

For several miles of the course, the left side of the road was rock face. On the right, the river. 

The temperatures for this race were much better, in the low 70s. For most of my time on the course it was foggy, overcast, and cooler. The humidity was high but at least the sun wasn't beating down like it was the night before. The course is run for the first 10 miles or so on roads, then it switches back to the paved trails (same as for the 5k). The roads fit the description of rolling hills perfectly. One of the challenges with this course is the fact that it is technically an uphill course. You get a little relief because it's rolling, but at the end of the day you were running up, not down.

Overall, I felt tired and heavy for most of the race, which I imagine is a combination of lackluster fueling and never getting enough sleep (story of my life). I also had to make a porta-potty stop about mile 9 which I pretty much never do. That extra half-hour sitting around waiting at the start meant I drank more fluid than usual. Whoops. Shortly after my stop I saw the 2:30 pacer pass me by. I had to remind myself, this is training. You will not push to go faster, you will not pout. Just run your own race today.

The sun made its appearance just after the 11-mile marker but the temps hadn't yet started to soar. This was also about the time I saw a woman who had soiled herself at some point during the race. Although her situation was a mess (quite literally), I found myself admiring her courage to continue. Based on evidence, I imagined she probably wasn't feeling too well either. But she was pushing through, staying focused on the task of running this race. I hoped she would finish.

I finished up in 2:31:27. That surprised me quite a bit. I thought for sure after the pacer went by that I would finish closer to 2:40. As compared to the race two years ago, I was only about 7 minutes slower. Factor in the porta-potty stop and having less fuel than usual, I felt pretty good about that finish time. In both races I finished in the top half of the field. Satisfied.

Since I had again planned a trip with a fast turnaround, I didn't stay to enjoy any festivities or cheer on other runners. I refilled my water bottle, grabbed my box of snacks, and headed back to the hotel. I had asked for a late checkout so after a quick shower, I attempted a nap. The result was really just a heavy rest because my phone kept going off and housekeeping was making a racket knocking on all the other doors up and down the hall.

My bumped flight didn't leave until 4:05 (thanks again, American Airlines) so I had time to kill. I went to the Ruby Tuesdays across form the airport for some lunch. BBQ pork meatballs covered in bacon and coleslaw. With a side of mac n'cheese. YES.

Thirty-six hours after I left home on Friday, I was back. In true Florida style, home welcomed me with a sunset. Half-marathon #48 in the books.