For both races, the swag arrived the day before the race. The box included the bib, medal, shirt, salt water taffy (my favorite), an exercise band, and instant coffee. Runners were also gifted a Run for Tony bracelet to celebrate the life of Tony Banovich, the late Missoula race director. Overall, the race was well managed and I had a great time running the virtual race in my neighborhood.

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!

I ran the virtual half marathon on October 24 using fun route that took me through a few neighborhoods in ATL. My time was 2:52:58. It wasn't my best time, but my worn out shoes got the best of me at mile 8 and it was a slow run to the finish. I had fun earning the medal and I hope to return to Savannah next year.

The race officials were great with communication from the initial rescheduling of the race from March to November and then when it was converted to a virtual event. My only criticism of the race is that they only send your race items if you submit a finishing time. Since people already paid their registration fees, the items should have been sent automatically unless they deferred or cancelled their registration.

For the first time in I don't know when, I completed the Hot Chocolate Atlanta race in great weather. Due to the pandemic, the race was converted to a virtual event for 2021. I originally signed up for the 15k, but due to fracturing my fifth metatarsal in January I opted to walk the 5k this year.

I completed the 5k using a Peloton walking workout through my neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful day. I ran a little bit to test my foot, but I need a little more time for healing. I finished the race in 1:01:01, which was my longest activity time this year.

The swag for this year did not disappoint. I love the black jacket and the medal. The race packet also included hot chocolate packets and of course, chocolate. I registered for the race last year and I received my race packet the week before the originally scheduled race day (Feb 7). The race pack also included Nuun tablets, Honey Stinger wafers, a medal, and a bib. The medal had a small chocolate bar inside.

I hope next year we will able to run in-person for the chocolate. I am grateful for the opportunity to maintain my legacy status for another year.