Marathon #50 (state #37): Georgia Marathon, Atlanta, GA

3:57 finish, 367/1628 place overall. Constant hills but nice course, 50s and cloudy with a little light rain late. Course runs through various neighborhoods and college campuses in Atlanta and its eastern suburbs. Nicely supported, relatively scenic, and well-organized. Hills were comparable to Austin last month, but cooler weather and more energy got me back under four.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #49 (state #36): Austin Marathon, TX

4:04 finish, 1084/3628 place overall. Constant hills, warm and humid - big change from training weather in NY probably contributed to slowdown as compared to last couple of races. Okay course - nothing spectacular - but nice crowd support and local Austin live music.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #48 (state #35): Mississippi Blues Marathon, Jackson, MS

3:55 finish, 160/827 place overall.  Late arriving flight plus three hour drive from New Orleans meant only three hours of sleep the night before. This is less than my previous "record" of fours hours the night before Charlottesville in 2011, and that was a PR at the time. Once again, ironically, sleep deprivation and strong performance went together. No PR this time, but best since July 2012, and this in spite of a somewhat hilly course. Great friendly support from spectators and volunteers throughout the race with a nice finish in downtown Jackson.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #47 (state #34): Rocket City Marathon, Huntsville, AL

3:57 finish, 457/1346 place overall. Wouldn't ask for anything more from a marathon in Alabama. The area is hilly, but course is routed to avoid the hills and keep it pretty flat. Enthusiastic and friendly local support, combined with nearly perfect running weather, made for a great day. Best time since PR in July 2012.

Garmin map and performance details

Marathon #46 (state #33): Route 66 Marathon, Tulsa, OK

4:06 finish, 457/2021 place overall. Easily the coldest marathon I've run so far - first time below freezing and first marathon wearing long pants, hat, and gloves. Unusual for OK in November, but it motivated me to go out fast in an effort to warm up. Ended up being too fast, and despite having a sub-four pace going at mile 20, I crashed and burned for the last six miles. Course was hillier than many would expect for OK, but I attribute the slowdown more to running too fast too early. One minute improvement over NYC earlier in the month, but nothing to brag about.

Garmin map and performance details