This year I ran the 2021 Publix Savannah Women's Half as virtual race. Due to the current health issues, the in-person race was cancelled a month before race day. Participants were offered either a refund or the chance to complete the races virtually. I like virtual races so I decided to run the distance on the original race day of October 9. This is my experience with the race.

Training
I have been training for the half marathon since May. I had a minor set back in January when I fractured my foot, but thankfully I didn't have much loss of fitness. I rehab through 10k training and once my foot was finally healed I switched over to half marathon training. I choose a terrain that was similar to Savannah (as flat as I could find) so I could get used to the prolonged flatness. ATL is hilly, so running in Savannah is challenge is there is little elevation change. Also flat terrain results in a faster pace so I wanted to work on better pacing and improving my endurance. Overall, my training was great and I improved from the first workout to race day.

Race Day
I choose to run the same route that I used for a virtual half marathon in June to see if I could improve on my time. I incorporated the run in with one my Garmin easy run workouts to help with pacing. I enjoyed the run since the weather is so much cooler in October. My route took me from Decatur to the City of Atlanta and back home. Along the way I passed GSU and all the cool sights on Ponce De Leon Ave. I also had plenty of stores along the way to stop and refuel. I finished the race in 2:40:15, which wasn't a bad time for a virtual half.

Medals and Swag
In addition to the 2021 half marathon finisher medal, I also earned the Square 2 Square Challenge medal as a result of running the 2020 virtual half marathon. I received both medals and my bib a month after the race.

Along with the medals, I also received a premium race bag, Publix shopping bag, 2 pouches, and a reusable straw for my swag.

Overall, I enjoyed the run. I like the flexibility of virtual races so running in my neighborhood wasn't an issue. The weather was perfect and I was so grateful to finish. Hopefully next year the race will be held in-person. See you in 2022!