May 31, 2014: In-Training for Peachtree, Week 6

Goal:  Taking on an elevation profile mirroring the middle 4.5 miles of the Peachtree Road Race

With five weeks to go before the big day, our training is steadily increasing, both in mileage and in elevation challenges.  The temperatures and humidity are also steadily rising with each week, and I'm glad for the regular workouts, so that we can gradually acclimate to Hotlanta in July!

For this week, our coaches Lori and Tony have mapped a route that mimics the middle of the Peachtree Road Race.  The Peachtree Road Race will have a 3/4-mile downhill run to Peachtree Creek, followed by the infamous Cardiac Hill, 3/4-mile uphill to Piedmont Hospital.  Today's run had a similarly long downhill stretch to the mid-point of the run, then turning around and running back up the hill.

The excerpt from Coach Curt's e-mail says it all

After stretching and warming up, our group started out at a nice pace.  Rob was back today, and there were three runners in the fast group, me, T. and C.  I was wearing the heart rate monitor, aiming not to exceed 160 beats per minute, so I knew that I might be taking the uphill section more slowly.  But we all moved quickly down Peachtree Road, approximately 1.4 miles to Club Drive where we entered the Brookhaven neighborhood.  (In our first week, we didn't quite get all the way to Club Drive!)  This was the nicest neighborhood that we've run through so far, beautiful houses and carefully manicured yards.  We enjoyed the long downhill at an easy glide.  My heart rate monitor was hovering around 150 bpm, and I was in the lead in this section.  Rob warned us not to burn up too much energy, so that we could make it back uphill.  At about 21 minutes into the run, we reached the turnaround point at the bottom of the hill, at 2.25 miles exactly.

Shortly after crossing the street to turn around and head uphill, a couple of young women passed, moving effortlessly up the hill.  They quickly moved ahead, and I decided that it would be foolish to attempt to keep up with them.  Early in the climb, Curt came down hill to take photos of the lead group, with encouraging words as we gradually worked our way up the hill.

When this photo was taken, I had no idea there were more than three people immediately behind me!  And nearly everyone in this photo passed me before we finished the run.

I kept a fairly close eye on the heart rate monitor, going no higher than 165 bpm, and for the most part staying around 160 bpm.  Although it was a long hill, it was not as steep as some others that I've run.  Coach Chuck and student T. caught up with me and we ran together for most of the way of the hill.  I felt good when we reached the top, at the end of mile 3.

With a left turn onto Peachtree Road, we headed back to Publix for the final third of the race.  Student T. was in front of me on the narrow sidewalk and I kept close for awhile, but my legs began to grow heavy.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and at one point we were running directly into the morning sun.  I was grateful for the brim of the cap, which I pulled down to shield my eyes.  I also began to realize that the hill had been well-shaded, and the relatively level stretch of Peachtree Road in the sun and humidity was more difficult for me.  Coaches Chuck and Rob passed me, then student C.  To my surprise, then student S. from the second group passed me!  I was determined to keep my heart rate reasonable, and when the rate touched 170 bpm I decided to slow down a little.  At one point I had thought that we were nearly back to Town Center Mall, but as we approached the intersection I realized that we were only at Osborne Road, with another half-mile to go.  I conceded that I had no chance of catching up with the leaders, and since it wasn't a race situation I decided to stay true to my workout strategy instead of attempting to close the distance.  My heart rate slowed to 160 bpm and I had a comfortable final run.

We entered the Town Center mall and I arrived at the Publix garage, having completed 4.50 miles (7.25 km) in 43:39, for an average pace of 10:10 min / mile (6:02 min / km).  It felt really hot in that final mile, although when I checked the actual temperature it was only 70 deg F.  Oh, and 90% humidity.  That's why it felt like it was in the mid-80's.  But with the slightly slower pace and attention to the heart rate monitor, I recovered very quickly this time, more quickly than after the last few Saturday runs.  So any disappointment at not arriving with the leaders was immediately tempered by a good feeling overall.  Unlike previous weeks, I could have run another mile without much trouble.

Splits per mile: 9:25, 9:19, 10:09 (mostly uphill), 9:46, and the last 0.50 mile in 5:00 even.  I am VERY pleased that I didn't slow down too badly on the hill, yet didn't overdo it with the heart rate in that sector.  But running in the sun is clearly now a challenge.  I'm hoping for cloud cover on July 4!

After cooling down and stretching, I headed to Big Peach Running Company to buy a new pair of shoes.  Although my current Adizero pair are still in good shape, probably with only 150 - 200 miles at most, I thought that it would be a good idea to have a relatively fresh pair for the Peachtree Road Race, and to have plenty of time to break them in over the coming month.  I felt so good while shopping that I tried out the shoes (Boost, also from Adidas) with a quick circuit around the entire mall.  In previous weeks I would not have had enough energy left to do that!  And the best part was feeling mellow afterwards from the post-run endorphins.