June 28, 2014: In-Training for Peachtree, the final week

Goal: a strong finish to a four-mile run along Peachtree Road in Brookhaven

Today was the final run of the In-Training for Peachtree course.  We had a fairly small group, as the 4-mile run scheduled for this morning was a bit anti-climactic after the 6.2 mile course run last Saturday.  It was good to see the coaches one last time and to thank them for their work.  Coach Rob, student A. and I set out promptly at 7:45 am for two miles down Peachtree Road to the intersection with Peachtree-Dunwoody road, with a fairly easy elevation profile.  I was feeling good and aimed to run a consistent pace, leaving enough energy to put on a burst of speed at the end. 

The turnaround point was within sight of Phipps Plaza, where I will be gathering with group C runners next Friday morning.  It was tempting to keep going forward, and if I hadn't been with the running group, I might have continued to aim for another 6 miles, taking MARTA back to Brookhaven from wherever I would end up along the route.  In any case it was a good run, and for the last mile or so I stayed out in front of the others.  

Feelin' groovy, in mile 3

When we crossed Osborne Road I was still feeling strong, even though it was uphill, and then when the Town Center mall came into view, I kicked into my higher gear. I felt that Rob and A. were keeping up with me, but didn't realize that they were right behind me until I made the U-turn into the Publix parking garage!  I had good splits:

mile 1: 9:04

mile 2: 9:13

mile 3: 9:55 (walked for a moment after the turnaround)

mile 4: 9:28

0.09 mile dash into the garage in 46 seconds, an 8:31 pace for whatever that counts

Although I was drenched at the end, I was delighted that I had enough energy left for a final strong sprint.  Of course on Friday we'll be running 2.2 more miles and a tougher elevation profile before reaching the end, but I feel that I'm well prepared.  I'm not sure that I'm faster after the training course, but my endurance has definitely improved over the past few months, and health-wise (which is how I got into this in the first place!) that is undoubtably more important than my times.  Also with the warmer temperatures, perhaps I should not expect that my summer times will be the same as my winter times, so it will be interesting to run some of the same races and routes a year later to see if I've improved. 

Lookin' drenched after the sprint!

With Coach Rob Gee.  Thanks Rob for your coaching over the past couple of months!

I'm very thankful to the coaches and the other students.  I'm especially grateful to coaches Rob and Chuck for leading my groups each week, teaching me some of their tips on running and providing lots of encouragement along the way!  Also head coaches Curt and Kathie have done a great job with the weekly sessions, organizing each session including several seminars in the early weeks, teaching us all some really good warmup and stretching exercises, as well as valuable tips on running safely, and recovering after tough runs.  Curt sent us the routes a few days before each session, shared photos shortly after each run on Facebook (many of which have appeared on this blog), and in general building a great sense of camaraderie among the members of the Brookhaven Group.  I look forward to seeing many of the Brookhaven group runners and coaches at future events around town! 

Head coaches Kathie and Curt Walker.  You did a great job leading our group!  I look forward to congratulating you both in some upcoming races!

After completing the Peachtree 10K, my next goal will be the Atlanta 10-miler race in October.  I had been eyeing this race for a couple of months, and last night decided to make the commitment with my $65 registration fee.  It is a good intermediate step to a half-marathon and there will be enough time for me to increase my training mileage.  And if I have to walk part of the 10-miler, so be it! 

Goal: a strong finish to a four-mile run along Peachtree Road in Brookhaven: Achieved!!

For the final week of training, Krispy Kremes and Gatorade!  But I tracked it! (5 points for the donut, 2 points for each cup of Gatorade)

June 21, 2014: Peachtree Course Run

Goals: to get a feel for the actual route; to conquer Cardiac Hill

Today was the long-awaited dry run of the Peachtree Road Race route, 13 days ahead of the big day.  We would be limited to the sidewalks, and streets would be open to automobile traffic, so we were advised not to focus on our times and instead simply enjoy the experience of the route, and perhaps think about pacing for the big day, to have enough energy to finish strong after 10 km.  The route is famous for a long gentle downhill stretch in mile 3 to Peachtree Creek, followed by the equally infamous "Cardiac Hill" in mile 4.  But the Brookhaven group has trained well, especially the Club Drive runs on May 31 and June 7, which mimicked the elevation profiles of miles 3 and 4 of the Peachtree Road Race.

Elevation profile for the Peachtree Road Race

I decided to practice getting to the race start as well, familiarizing myself with parking at the Doraville MARTA station, checking the transit time to Lenox Station (3 stops, about 10 minutes), and heading north on Lenox Road to the start at Phipps Plaza (about 5 - 6 minutes, at a relaxed jog).  Coach Kathie Walker was there to sign us in at the Phipps Plaza parking lot, and while stretching and warming up I had a few minutes to catch up with Coach Rob Gee and students T., S., M., and A., and later Coaches Chuck Carr and Naomi Attaway.  Altogether there were several hundred runners today, with all of the In-Training for Peachtree groups present, as well as training groups sponsored by the local running stores and a couple of smaller running clubs.

Wave A has just left, and wave B is about to start!  Thanks to Coach Curt Walker for today's photos. 

6.22 miles (10 km) covered today! 

There were six waves today, and I chose wave B anticipating that I would aim for a 10-minute mile.  I finally spotted Coach Curt Walker, taking photographs as we got underway.  We were off to a good start, jogging out of the Phipps parking lot onto Peachtree, through the intersection with Lenox Road, and then past the official start line at the main entrance to Lenox Mall.  Thanks to group adrenaline, we were running at a good pace in the first couple of miles.  Although we had to cross the street twice to avoid construction projects that had encroached on the sidewalks, we managed to find crosswalks at points where there was minimal automobile traffic.  I sailed down mile 3 heading to the low point at Peachtree Creek.  I knew that I was probably going too fast considering the distance to cover today, but it felt good to move quickly.  I enjoyed noting some of the landmarks along the way, including the former site of Cafe Intermezzo (second date with Bonnie in December 2008) and Restaurant Eugene (where I proposed to Bonnie on October 16, 2009).  The fond reminiscences evaporated after crossing Peachtree Creek, and looking uphill at the stretch known to Atlanta runners as Cardiac Hill, the fourth mile of the Peachtree Road Race, rising 120 feet in 3/4 of a mile.  By focusing on form and pumping my arms, I made it up the hill without too much trouble, although the landmark that I had originally thought would mark the crest at Piedmont Hospital was actually a rehabilitation center several hundred feet before actually reaching the hospital at the intersection with Collier Road.

This is around the end of mile 3, immediately after crossing Peachtree Creek, at the beginning of our climb up Cardiac Hill.  Although there were several water and Powerade stations along the route today, I was glad to have my own water bottle, as the temperature was in the mid-70's with some humidity, even at 8 in the morning.

In the fifth mile, I began to feel some fatigue as we crossed the I-85 overpass.  Although the elevation map showed a mix of downhill and uphill sections, in real life the downhill stages were not obvious to this runner.  And I was aware that we would be rising in elevation another 75 feet on our way into midtown Atlanta.  I just focused on enjoying the familiar territory of Midtown Atlanta: Rhodes Hall, where I started and completed my second 5K in November 2013, the Arts Center complex between 16th and 15th Streets, where we have enjoyed many wonderful Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performances, past Colony Square, and finally reaching the high point of the second half of the route at 14th Street, with the Proscenium Building on the southwest corner.

The sixth mile went fairly slowly, as we had a long stop at 12th street for a red light, as I contemplated the STK restaurant across the street.  After two more blocks, past the new Café Intermezzo where we celebrated with brunch after my first 10K in December 2013, we made the left turn onto 10th street, for the final half-dozen blocks to the finish.  As I approached the intersection with Piedmont Avenue, the light turned yellow, and then red, so we had to wait for at least a dozen cars to pass before we could cross.  But as we neared the end of the sixth mile, I could see the beautiful green grass of Piedmont Park to our left.  I heard the footsteps of another runner behind me, and I picked up my pace a bit, determining that I would not be passed in the final 0.22 mile.  But I was unable to hold off the other runner.  At least he was a coach - we chatted for a moment and I learned that he was from the Alpharetta group.  It took much longer to get to the finish at Charles Allen Drive than I had expected, although the very very last bit was noticeably downhill.

WXIA Channel 11 caught me "hot-dogging" for the camera as I reached the finish line!  Link to news video at ajc-peachtree-road-race-preview/wxia-channel-11

Coaches Curt, Rob, and Chuck greeted me as I walked into the cool down area to check in.

Flanked by coaches Rob Gee and Chuck Carr in front of Grady High School.  It looks like I was still breathing heavily! 

Although it was a tough run, it was also great fun.  In fact it went better than I had expected even though we were limited to the sidewalks, and the actual mileage was undoubtably longer as we had to switch sides of the street four times in the course of our runs.  Discounting the sixth mile where there were a couple of red lights requiring a complete stop, I was very pleased with my times:

Mile 1: 9:23
Mile 2: 9:23
Mile 3: 8:36, all downhill
Mile 4: 9:59, better than expected heading up Cardiac Hill!
Mile 5: 10:16
Mile 6: 11:36 with a couple of red lights
the final 0.22 mile: 2:14 (10:11 per mile pace)

Goal: to get a good sense of the actual route; Achieved!

Goal: to conquer Cardiac Hill; Achieved! 

June 14, 2014: In-Training for Peachtree, Week 4

Goal:  a strong, consistent run through a hilly neighborhood, 5.5 miles total

I had a good week in my preparations for the Peachtree Road Race: 6.22 miles at Stone Mountain on Tuesday morning, and 4 miles on the Eastside Beltline on Thursday morning, doing my 2 miles of speed work going northbound, with a consistent mild elevation drop of 100 feet over the 2-mile stretch.  This morning I woke to the relatively cool temperature of 65 deg F, and fog!  Although the humidity was high, the cloud cover was going to make this a pleasant day for running, if it held. 

We had a fairly large group today.  The coaches prepared a winding route through the Brookhaven neighborhood, so Coach Curt was particularly concerned about runners getting lost.  However, Coach Kathie had run the route earlier this month, and the route that she had posted with Map My Run

IT4P Week 4 - 5.5 Miles (USATF Map)

included mile markers and a better sense of the directions to follow.  We had run through part of this neighborhood three weeks ago on our four-mile run, but today's run would take us further back into the neighborhood, near Silver Lake.

Mile markers circled in red, elevations (in feet) in blue

Coach Chuck led the faster group today.  He had told us before (and reminded us today) that he would start out slowly but would be able to maintain a decent pace once he was warmed up.  Student S. and I started out with Chuck, and I took the lead on Hermance Drive.  After crossing a small creek, we headed uphill as the road turned northward toward Windsor Parkway. Windsor Parkway is on top of a ridge, with the highest point, 1030 ft, near the intersection with Woodrow Way.  We would cross this high point three times in today's run: shortly before the end of the first mile, midway through the fourth mile, and about 2/3 of the way through the fifth mile.  

Unlike last week, I had slept well last night, had plenty of time to stretch this morning, and overall was feeling really good.  It probably also helped that we enjoyed cloud cover and slightly lower temperatures.  The first new part of the course was the turn onto Inman Drive, a long winding road overlooking Silver Lake.  I loved looking at the forest to my right leading down to the water, and appreciated the elegant and expensive houses on the left side of the street.  Inman Drive had several short hilly stretches, but I was able to maintain a decent pace.  Chuck caught up with me around the 2-mile marker and we ran together for a while.  Each turn of the route was well-marked, although it seemed to take a long time to reach the midway point at the intersection of Chambord with Woodrow Way (marked by the balloon in the map).  We completed the third mile in just under 29 minutes, slower than my 5K race pace, but I was mindful that we were going nearly twice as far today.  Woodrow Way was a long, gradual but steady uphill stretch to the high point at the intersection with Windsor Parkway.  Chuck moved ahead at this point.  I focused on my form and that helped me to move forward a bit more quickly, although I was careful not to red-line the heart beat monitor, so that I would have some energy to complete the longer run.  Curt arrived at this point to photograph us as we struggled uphill.  

We rehearse everything in training, choosing what to wear, planning for carrying water and keys, and discussing strategies for tackling hills.  The photo shows me rehearsing the cardiac incident that I hope to avoid on July 4.  But if heart trouble should strike, I am now prepared. 

After crossing Windsor Parkway, we were back on familiar ground from three weeks ago, running downhill on Woodrow Way with Oglethorpe University to our right, then north and uphill on Lanier Drive, to the intersection with Windsor Parkway at the top of the ridge.  It was a relief to know that the rest of the run would be net downhill.  Chuck turned back as we crossed Woodrow Way for the third time today, to check on the runners behind me, and I was on my own for the final 3/4 mile.  At the five-mile alert, I resolved to pick up my pace for the final 1/2 mile.  Even though we had run further today, I felt that I had an easier time with Hermance Way than three weeks ago.  Just before making the last turn to the Publix garage, I spotted Chuck about 100 feet behind me.  He had certainly caught up quickly!  I was motivated to put on a dash of speed (and was delighted that I could manage it!) and sprinted for the last 100 yards into the Publix garage.  5.57 miles in 55:32 total. 

When I checked my splits (9:21, 9:46, 9:42, 10:21, 10:51 per mile, and 9:39 pace for the final 0.57 mile), I was initially disappointed to have slowed down so badly in miles 4 and 5.  But after I charted my times against the elevation map, I realized that I did fine: miles 4 and 5 had significant uphill runs to the high point at the intersection of Windsor Parkway and Woodward Way.  And not only did I have energy for a final sprint, but I also recovered quickly after the run.  

I'm definitely feeling stronger in the eighth week of the training program, and have learned a lot about improving my endurance, especially tackling the hills.  Next week, we're running the race route on Peachtree, albeit on the sidewalks.

Goal:  a strong, consistent run through a hilly neighborhood, 5.5 miles total: Achieved! 

June 7, 2014: In-Training for Peachtree, Week 5

Goal: to save enough energy running uphill to put on a strong burst at the end of a 5-mile run

This week, I've run more than ever before in my life, 17 miles!  On Monday, I extended the 4.8-mile loop of Stone Mountain by tacking on a pleasant detour on the PATH trail into the village of Stone Mountain before returning to the park to complete 6.8 miles, a personal distance record.  Wednesday was "National Running Day" and I showed my holiday spirit by joining the Atlanta Track Club for an early morning run on the Eastside Beltline with a loop through Piedmont Park totaling 5.4 miles.  Today our training group completed a 5 mile run in Brookhaven.  We followed the same route as last week, except Head Coaches Curt and Kathy added an extra quarter-mile along Club Drive and then back, to add a half-mile to last week's 4.5 mile run.  I've enjoyed the new Boost shoes, having broken them in on my long run in Monday, and I plan to wear them every other run for the next few weeks.

This morning's route, now covering five full miles.  Mile markers in blue

Although I went to bed relatively early for a Friday evening (11 pm), I didn't sleep well, courtesy of my cat Smokey awakening me up around 3 am.  When I couldn't get back to sleep, I got up and read for about two hours, then went back to bed and nearly overslept today's training session.  I did make it out of the house shortly before 7 am, and arrived in Brookhaven in enough time to properly stretch and warm up.  Coach Curt was eager to start at 7:30 on the dot, and after a few announcements about the upcoming Peachtree Road Race and group warm-ups, we set out on our 5-mile run.  Our group seemed smaller today, one coach for two students.  Today a new student A., presumably from another group, was in the lead group with me and Coach Rob.  We made good time down Peachtree Road, and deliberately slowed down a bit as we approached the turn to Club Drive, into the beautiful (and expensive) Brookhaven neighborhood.  We were conscious of the need to save energy as we ran downhill, mimicking the approach to Cardiac Hill.  At the lowest elevation shortly after the two-mile mark, we encountered a new hill in the route.  Curt had warned us about this middle hill, but I didn't study the elevation map well enough ahead of time to appreciate that this would be a 60-foot hill.  I was joking with Rob about what the second hill might be called, and settled on "Survivor's Folly."

Student A. and I are following Coach Rob up the hill.  Coach Curt must have taken this photo fairly early in our uphill climb, as I was still smiling.  

Shortly after the 2.5 mile alert sounded, we reached the turnaround, and headed back down "Survivor's Folly.'  At 3.0 miles exactly, we began our uphill climb, 115 feet in 0.75 mile.  The hill definitely seemed longer and steeper this week, and I slowed down much more than last week (confirmed when I checked my splits afterwards).  Since it wasn't much warmer or more humid than last week, I will blame it on Smokey-cat keeping me awake last night.  When we turned onto Peachtree Road, Rob suggested that we could pick up the pace after we had recovered from the uphill climb.  Unfortunately I never recovered enough to close the gap between me and Rob and student A, in fact I steadily slowed down even as we approached the end.  Subtracting 30 seconds for a red light at Brookhaven Drive on the return leg, I covered 5.12 miles in 52:13.

Although I was disappointed in my slow pace for the last mile of the run, it was a valuable lesson for me: it wasn't the big 115-ft hill that got me, but rather it was the earlier smaller 60-ft hill that I did not properly respect in my game plan for the morning.  I need to better prepare in the remaining three weeks before the big day on July 4.  Also it's possible that not being properly rested may have made a big difference today.

Splits per mile: 9:16, 9:44, 10:01, 10:43, and 10:58; average pace 10:12 min/mile.

Goal: to save enough energy running uphill to put on a strong burst at the end of a 5-mile run:  not achieved, but hopefully lesson learned! 

To finish on a bright note, my number for the Peachtree Road Race arrived in the mail this afternoon. As I had hoped, I've been assigned to start wave C based on my PR in the Reagan 5K back in February.