July 19, 2014: Atlanta Track Club Decatur-DeKalb 4 Miler

Goal: Negative splits; to conserve enough energy so that my last mile will be my fastest. 

The Atlanta Track Club sponsors several free races for members throughout the year.  I ran the Heart and Soles 5K in Panthersville in February but had to skip the Singleton 10K in Norcross shortly after I broke my collarbone.  Today's race route began and ended at the Clairmont Avenue YMCA, and circled the neighborhoods immediately south of the Emory University campus.  I'm quite familiar with the area and have even run on most of the streets on one or more occasions over the past year. 

The major problem that I have suffered in every single race to date is that I start out far too quickly, and then I struggle in later stages of the race.  I've been able to run fairly consistent splits in training, but in races I'm always overcome by the excitement of the start.  For this race, I resolved to begin in the slowest of the three waves, even though I would normally start in the middle wave for 9 minute per mile runners.  My plan was to begin with a 10 minute mile 1, gradually increase speed in miles 2 and 3, and then hopefully rip off a fast final mile to the finish.  I would wear my heart rate monitor and hopefully that would also alert me to slow down if my pulse rate was too high early in the race.  For a change, I wasn't going to try for the fastest possible overall time.  And Atlanta Track Club events always have many really fast runners, so I already knew that my best finish time would probably be below the median for my age group. 

For the past couple of months, I've been using the Polar Beat app on my iPhone to track my runs.  This free app connects to the website polarpersonaltrainer.com where I can download not only the GPS map but also an elevation profile, and I can even analyze the data in specific sections to determine my pace or actual speed.  I had originally thought that I could download data from my Polar FT4 heart rate monitor, but it turns out that the data transfer process is manual, not wireless.  That's OK: it wasn't an expensive heart rate monitor and I'm not yet ready to spend hundreds of dollars on a Garmin watch, emphasis on the word "yet".  I'm getting plenty of information through the free app that I didn't get with the paid RunHelper app. 

When I awoke at 5 am this morning, it was raining quite hard.  Many reasonable people would conclude that it would be foolish to run on a day like today, but I decided that I would at least drive in, pick up my number, and then make a decision on whether or not it was safe to run.  When I ran the Fast Fun Phiddippides 5K last December, the rain tapered off in the minutes before the start, and perhaps we would be similarly fortunate today.  But I wore my oldest pair of racing shoes, so that if they were ruined by the water it wouldn't be a loss, and also brought a towel, an extra shirt, and an extra pair of socks, so that I could drive home in dry clothes if I got soaked. 

I arrived around 6:30 am, and was surprised to discover that the closest parking areas were already full!  Lots of other unreasonable people made the same decision!  It was still raining as I walked a couple of blocks to the YMCA, trying to keep my shoes dry, mostly successfully avoiding big puddles on the sidewalk.  Shortly after 7 am, the rain virtually stopped, at most a very light drizzle or mist.  I was able to chat for a few minutes with Curt and Kathie Walker, the head coaches from the Peachtree training course.  After a few pre-race announcements, we made our way to the starting areas.  I kept my promise to start in wave C, but lined up close to the front.  At 7:30, wave A runners had started, and we moved up to the wave B area to watch the wave B 7:32 am start.  Then it was our turn!  As we reached the starting line, I was about five rows back.  We stood still for a moment as the volunteer counted down the last seconds, the runners on the starting line coiled up in their starting positions, the airhorn sounded and we were off!

At the start! (Thanks ATC for the photo, and to Kathie Walker for finding me in the crowd!)

Mile 1:  We started on a quiet residential street behind the Westminster School, gently uphill on a long block to Scott Boulevard.  I immediately reminded myself to take it easy, and didn't try to pick up my pace as the lead runners quickly opened a gap.  Shortly after turning onto Scott, I heard the first alert for 0.2 miles at 1:43, which was much too fast, and reminded myself to slow up a bit.  We began a gentle ascent to the intersection with Coventry Road when I heard the 0.4 mile alert at 3:24.

I willed myself to slow down, and kept reminding myself that this should be like my training runs at Stone Mountain, where my goal was just to establish a comfortable pace at the beginning.  After Coventry the road turned downhill and while I didn't slow down very much in this section, I resolved to take it as easily as possible.  We quickly reached the mile 1 marker at the intersection of Scott Boulevard with Ponce De Leon Avenue, with a time of 9:04 elapsed.  Although that was quite a bit faster than the 10 minute mile in my plans, I suppose that it was a big improvement in discipline over 8-minute mile 1 (and sometimes less) in most of my previous races.  

Today's route. 

Mile 2:  We passed under the concrete railroad bridge on Ponce De Leon, after which the road became significantly uphill.  As we turned right onto Artwood Road into the Fernbank neighborhood, I could see that this would be quite a substantial hill (80 feet in 0.4 mile).  I focused on form and cadence and felt strong as I passed a few of the other runners.  I kept a close eye on the heart rate monitor and slowed down a bit when my pulse reached 160.  As we turned onto Vickers Drive, we ran past the former site of Fernbank Elementary, now completely razed except for a small sign marking the name of the school and founding year of 1957.  That building was 'only' 57 years old, about the same vintage as the 'new' elementary school building that I attended in the late 1960's in Texas.  I suppose that I now had the luxury of daydreaming because the road had leveled out.  We then went downhill toward past Dyson Drive (and I fought the temptation to take a short-cut!) and then left onto Coventry Road.  In all we would enjoy a 150 foot descent over the next mile, and a few runners took advantage of the downhill slope to pass me.  I just focused on keeping a consistent pace, looking forward to the burst of speed that I would release upon passing the mile 3 sign.  We turned left onto East Clifton Road (here I normally turn right when I'm driving this route to Emory) and I saw a volunteer at the end of Dyson Drive, guarding against anyone who might have taken that short-cut!  At the mile 2 marker, elapsed time was 18:26, for a 9:22 mile.  That was pretty good considering the hill, and I was still feeling pretty strong.  

Today's elevation map

Mile 3:  East Clifton continued straight ahead, now as Clifton Road heading toward the Emory campus.  I've run this stretch quite a few times, and always enjoy passing through this neighborhood.  But I appreciated the opportunity today to run in the street, noticing just how badly the sidewalk was cracked in sections.  As we continued to the bottom of the hill on the wet asphalt, I began to reconsider my decision to wear the older shoes, and was wondering if I had enough tread to avoid slipping when I made my move to speed up.  Oh well, I would just need to be careful when the time came.  Clifton Road is a winding two-lane street, and with one lane reserved for runners, there was a small traffic jam at the intersection with Oxford Road, with no police or volunteers to help direct traffic.  One car encroached a bit into the running lane, but I and the runners in front of me were able to stay out of the way, and as I entered the intersection, the jam appeared to clear.  From my familiarity with this area, I knew that there would be a significant uphill section from this point to North Decatur Road (50 feet in 0.3 mile) so I was prepared for that challenge, and I passed a few runners in this section.  Throughout I had been getting alerts every 0.2 miles, and I was running each 0.2 mile section between 1:45 and 1:59 minutes.  We reached the crest of the hill at the intersection with North Decatur Road, as the buildings of Emory University on the Clifton corridor came into view.  Shortly after making the right turn onto North Decatur Road, I heard the alert for 2.8 miles.  More than 2/3 done, I realized!  As we ran this section, I reflected on my first 5K last October, where we reached the 1 mile marker on this same stretch of road.  In the Winship Cancer Center 5K, we ran on the far left lane to turn back to Emory on Haygood Road at Druid Hills High School, whereas today we were in the far right lane today, and I was looking for the mile 3 marker.  There it was! near the intersection with Ridgewood Drive.  Now I would see just how much energy I had left.  27:38 elapsed, 9:12 for mile 3. 

Mile 4:  My conditioning has really improved since the Winship 5K, when I couldn't imagine having enough breathing capacity to say anything while running.  Today I was able to smile and say thanks to the volunteers, wave to cars in traffic, and enjoy the experience without feeling too tired to do anything but run.  I gradually began to accelerate.  There was a mild rise as we passed Haygood Road, and a few runners had to stop and walk.  I flew past!  One walker must have felt my footsteps behind her and she began running again, but she wasn't able to hold me off for long!  But to be sporting, I tried to shout out encouragement along the way, "This is the last hill!"  I passed a few more walkers at Princeton Way "We're at the top, it's downhill the rest of the way!"  I was now moving at a pretty good speed, which later I learned was 7 mph.  That's my typical speed when starting out too fast in mile 1.  To avoid the busy intersection of North Decatur with Clairmont Road, we were routed through the McDonald's parking lot.  I put on another burst of speed (showing off now, as I heard the 3.6 mile alert) and dashed by a few other runners as we turned into the lot.  I was momentarily overcome by the odor of fry grease as I turned the corner past the drive-through window, but quickly recovered and turned right onto Clairmont Road.  Now I was beginning to feel a little tired, but I knew that the finish line wasn't far away.  Some of the early finishers were returning along the sidewalk, which helped me regain a tiny bit of humility (they were all MUCH faster than me) but I was determined not to be passed by anyone today.  As we turned right onto Maediris Drive, a young feller dared to move ahead of me.  I kicked into warp speed and ran past him.  Ha!  I didn't see him again.  And I just kept progressing past runner after runner, turning up the speed as best as I could.  (Definitely showing off for those watching the finish.)  As I saw the finish line ahead, I determined that I might be able to pass three more runners if I pressed, and one, two, and then with a mighty final effort, I blew past the third, into the finish chute, and across the line at 39:55 on the clock.  Accounting for the four-minute delay by starting in wave C, I had beaten the 36 minute mark.  My official time was 35:49, covering the last mile in 8:11.  

Epilogue:  In the Beltline Southwest 5K last week, I wrote that I was passed by two runners at warp speed as I approached the finish line.  Today, I was that warp speed runner.  The strategy of starting out slowly (or at least not starting at high speed) worked beautifully.  Most importantly, I had more fun finishing today than in any of the previous 14 races to date, because I had that reserve of energy to finish strongly.  Not that I had anything left after the finish line, but at least I didn't struggle to finish.  According to the GPS tracker, I reached a speed of 10.1 mph as I crossed the finish line.   

To be more modest about my results in comparison to the others, today's winner finished in 22:11.  Therefore his average speed was 10.8 mph.  In that light it seems silly to be overly proud of reaching 10 mph for a few seconds, but I probably couldn't run half that speed one year ago.  I was impressed to learn that the winner in my age group (Male 50 - 54) finished in 24:23.  As I scrolled down the list of runners in my age group, I first thought that somehow my results had not been posted.  It was sobering to find my name on page 2 of the age group results, 25th out of 42 finishers.  

As they were calling out the names of awardees, I heard the name of one of my former students: he won his age group, and finished 7th overall.  Coaches Curt and Kathie had great races, and Kathie won her age group, completing the course in less than 34 minutes.  

It's always exciting to be in the same event as some really fast runners.  And despite (or because of) my slow start, my average pace of 8:58 per mile was virtually identical to my average pace in my three fastest 10K races, so despite beginning the race with no expectations of a fast time, I did quite well.  I certainly didn't expect to finish in less than 36 minutes! 

Goal: negative splits: 9:04 (~level), 9:22 (hill), 9:12 (hill), 8:11 (~level), Achieved! 

Goal: to conserve enough energy so that my last mile will be my fastest: ACHIEVED!!! 

http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/events/view/2014-decatur-dekalb-4m

July 12, 2014: Atlanta Beltline Southwest 5K

Goal: To challenge my 5K PR of 25:23; to get through a race without a shoelace becoming untied!


This morning's race was held in the West End of Atlanta, along the first completed section of the Beltline project, which opened in 2008.  Bonnie and I had not previously been on this part of the trail, and I was limited to studying the course and elevation map posted by the organizers when we registered a few weeks ago.  When I picked up our race packets last night, I learned that more than 450 runners had already registered, so it promised to be a fairly big crowd.  

My endurance has improved over the past few months.  Although I didn't break my PR in the Peachtree Road Race, I now have more confidence that I can run a faster 5K, which now seems a relatively short distance for me.  I feel that a sub-25 minute race is possible for me in the near future, but I must prove it! 

About an hour before the start, upon arrival
at Gordon White Park

We gathered in Gordon White Park along the Beltline, and by 7:15 am the park was fairly full.  Shortly before the race began, we warmed up to "Hey Ya!" by OutKast (a great warmup song, it turns out) and then we made our way across the street to an unfinished, unpaved part of the BeltLine corridor.  I estimated that I was about 100 feet behind the starting line and probably in the front quarter of the runners.  One of the local residents was carrying a sign expressing concern about commercial trucks being driven through the neighborhood.  I was standing close to him and was listening to him instead of the official announcement, but suddenly the people in front of me began moving forward.  Someone next to me said "Are we starting?" and shortly after we began moving, we passed between two signs marking the starting line. 

Mile 1:  The race announcement had "featured" a 3/4 mile off-road jaunt, which started off on grass.  In spots it was a little muddy from occasional afternoon rains during the past week, and after we passed through the first narrow underpass at Abernathy Boulevard, I took off my sunglasses so that I could watch carefully where I was running.  I didn't have a sense of my own speed but I was keeping up with the other runners in my pack.  We crossed under a second narrow underpass at Lucile Avenue, where the grass and mud was mixed in with some stray gravel.  I was thinking that it would have been good to have some cleats for this first part of the race, although of course that wouldn't work once we got onto the paved path.  We reached a larger underpass at Interstate-20, then scrambled up a little hill culminating in (for me) a three-foot vertical leap onto the paved path, as we turned back south on the Beltline paralleling Langhorn Street.  Shortly after passing under the interstate, we reached the mile 1 marker, in 7:41. Once again, a little too fast at the start, although perhaps that was the pace that I would need to have a chance to break 25 minutes. 

The race route, and elevation map; distance in miles

Mile 2:  The path took a sharp turn away from Langhorn Street and then resumed southward for a short distance.  At Oak Street, we left the Beltline and entered the West End neighborhood.  The streets were lined with cars (probably mostly those of other runners) and the neighborhood was mildly hilly, although no more than my usual running routes in metro Atlanta.  A few of the residents turned out to cheer us on as we made our way due east along Oak Street.  I felt that I was still running at a ca. 8 minute per mile pace, and shortly before making the right turn onto Lawton Street, we reached a nice downhill section.  However, as we turned onto Lawton Street to head due south, the elevation began to increase, and for the first time, I was starting to feel tired.  We passed the mile 2 marker, at 15:50 total elapsed time, and 8:09 for the second mile.  

Mile 3:  Lawton Street continued uphill until we passed Abernathy Boulevard, where it leveled out.  I remember thinking at this stage that was the last difficult section, and tried to will myself to resume a faster pace.  Only one mile to go!  But we still had a few blocks before we could turn back onto the Beltline at White Street, for the final dash to the end.  I thought that surely the 2.5 mile alert should already have sounded, but in fact it wasn't until we were entering the Beltline that I heard the alert.  However I had not slowed too badly, and was at an 8:30 pace for the past half-mile.  We turned left and circled downhill, where we regained the Beltline as a broad sidewalk along the north side of White Street.  At this stage the runners had thinned out and I started with my strategy of picking a runner 20 feet ahead of me, and trying to catch up with him or her.  I passed a few runners in that way, although at least one fellow picked up his pace keep up with me, and we ran together for several hundred feet before he fell behind.  The published elevation map had shown a small uphill rise shortly before the 3-mile mark, although at this stage in the race, that "small" hill felt more significant.  But as we crested the hill, I could see the finish line in the distance, and I attempted to kick into a higher gear.  Mile 3 completed at 24:26, 8:36 for the third mile. 

The finish:  When I could finally read the clock hanging over the finish line, I thought I saw a number beginning with 24, then I wasn't sure if it was 24 or 25, because my vision was partially obscured by sweat in my eyes and on the inside of my sunglasses.  As we drew closer, I realized that the clock had passed 25:00 minutes as I was watching.  Several of the advance runners were doing their cool down run in the opposite direction along White Street, encouraging us to a strong finish.  I passed between two men holding signs urging the Beltline not to pave over their community garden, as well as encountering again the man demonstrating against commercial trucking in the neighborhood.  Shortly before entering the finish chute, two men passed me at warp speed, one on each side - where did they come from?  I passed over the finish line just after 25:30, seemingly without a bit more energy to spare.  I slowed down to allow the volunteer to remove the timing strip from the bottom of my bib, then walked into the park (none too steadily, although trying not to show it!) as I picked up Powerade, a banana, and the finisher's shirt.  After walking a lap around the park, I started to feel better.  Later I checked the official time on a monitor near the finish line, and my time was 25:33, and 10th in my age group.  

At first I was disappointed that I failed to break the 25-minute barrier, especially since I had spared no effort throughout the race.  But afterwards I realized that I just needed to find a way to shave about 15 seconds off of the second and third miles, and that would do it.  I also recognized that in the warmer weather (about 72 degrees at the start, and relatively humid), I was probably a bit limited in my speed.  I'm motivated to keep up the training through the summer, expecting that my times will probably improve when the temperature drops in the fall.  To be fair to myself, this was my second-best time ever for the 5K distance. 

Best of all, no problem with shoelaces this time!  Thanks to the internet, I learned that I've been tying my shoes with a slipknot for the better part of a half-century.  That has now been corrected! 

Goal: To challenge my 5K PR of 25:23: challenged although not yet surpassed 
Goal: to get through a race without a shoelace becoming untied: Achieved!!

http://beltline.org/event/2014-southwest-5k

July 4, 2014: The Peachtree Road Race 10K

Goals: To have a memorable race; to finish in less than 60 minutes; to challenge my personal record of 55:29 for the 10K distance

*******

“Winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.”  Meb Keflezighi, 2014 men’s Boston Marathon winner

*******

Preparation over the past year, leading to the Peachtree Road Race:

Good form running course at Big Peach Running Company, August 2013

C25K app, completed September 2013

10K training app, completed December 2013

Eight 5K races, October 2013 – March 2014, PR 25:23

One 8K race, January 2014, 43:59

Three 10K races, December 2013 – May 2014, PR 55:29

One broken collarbone, April 2014

Three pairs of running shoes, July 2013 – June 2014

In-Training for Peachtree with the Atlanta Track Club, April – June 2014

I’m ready to run! 

*******

The US flag marks the starting line

With the big day at hand, I awoke around 3:30 am (alarm was set for 4:00) and began preparing, with my usual pre-race breakfast of oatmeal with milk, a cup of cappuccino, and a banana-blueberry smoothie.  I was out of the house at 5:30 and on the 6:00 am MARTA train from Doraville.  The excitement of the runners was palpable as we boarded the trains, and even more so three stops later, when the runners packed the escalator at Lenox Station.  Lenox Road was closed to automobile traffic, and hundreds of prospective runners were already walking to the starting area.  After finding my way to corral C by 6:30 am, I decided to walk around a bit and take some photos, and on my way to take a photo of the starting line, I saw my coaches Curt and Kathie Walker.  

This year we were quite fortunate with the weather: thanks to a hurricane on the outer banks of North Carolina, the hot air had been vacuumed out of the southeast and the temperature was quite pleasant, 63 deg F at the start, and mostly clear skies with only a few light clouds.  This is about as cool as it gets in Atlanta in July.  With the excellent conditions, I hope that the elite runners will set some course records today!  And I feel good about my own prospects for a good race.

Incredibly great weather for the start of the Peachtree Road Race! 

My strategy for today's race evolved in the course of the week.  I decided to break the race into two 5K races: the first 5K, with mostly level and downhill sections, would probably be the easiest 5K that I've ever run, whereas the second 5K, with the first two miles uphill, would undoubtably be the toughest 5K.  My goal was to stay with the middle of the pack for the first 5K or 3 miles, not aiming to pass people, and just have a comfortable jog, letting the other runners in wave C carry me along.  Then upon reaching the hills in miles 4 and 5, focus on form and take my time going uphill if I needed it.  The point was to have a decent reserve of energy for the last mile, and hopefully even a burst of speed in the homestretch. 

Selfie with the starting line one block behind me

The wave C runners in front

And a much larger group of runners behind.

As the clock passed 7:00 am, corral C quickly began to fill.  I took a spot about 25 feet from the front of the corral, and warmed up in place while waiting for the start.  While I was waiting, I felt a twinge of sadness that I had lived in Atlanta for over 15 years, yet I had never before participated in the Peachtree Road Race, not even as a spectator.  I had let my fitness level drop quite badly over those years, until getting back in shape over the past year.  But I pushed that negative thought aside with the mantra "Better late than never!"  At 7:30 sharp, we heard the announcement of the elite runners beginning their race, followed by subseeded runners and wave A.  As wave B moved up to the starting line, the fence blocking the front of our corral was removed.  The buzz of excitement in our group increased, as we were soon to be released!  It was ironic to feel an impending sense of freedom as we headed for the US flag in front of us, in our celebration of Independence Day!  After another couple of moments, the corral official gave permission to WALK the block to the starting line.  After walking a few dozen steps, everyone began jogging to the start line, we were all so excited to begin!  The announcer picked up on our energy, although I don't recall exactly what he said, but something like "Wave C can't wait to begin!"  The seconds ticked down quickly to 7:40:00 am, and the wave C runners were given the signal to start!  As I crossed the starting line, it sank in: Finally, I am now running my first Peachtree Road Race!

Elevation profile and route map completed, with approximate mile markers on both maps.  The downward spikes on the elevation map are artifacts from running over two bridges and the overpass at I-85.  The GPS apparently recorded the elevation of the lower level, possibly from a topographic map.  

Mile 1:  I started out in the middle of the left lane, and managed to stay away from the medians throughout the starting mile.  Wave C was the right wave for me, even though I had only one time that qualified me.  I had no trouble keeping up with the runners around me.  The large number of runners was not a problem given the width of the road (six lanes), and with everyone at a similar pace, the crowd was not holding me back.  But to conserve energy, I held back from deliberately passing people, even though I felt that I could run faster, but remembering that mile 1 of a 10K was only the warmup.  It was really fun to run past familiar landmarks in the first mile from the middle of the road, including the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Bistro Niko.  I had read that most fans would be at the end, but was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of spectators cheering us on at the start.  There were also a couple of bands playing upbeat music before we reached Piedmont Road.  Unfortunately as I neared the mile 1 sign, my left shoelace came untied!  I worked my way to the left of the road, pulled off to tie up quickly and resumed pace as quickly as possible.  With the cheering crowds and the sounds of my fellow runners, I could not hear the alerts from my tracking program, but I felt that I was running a proper pace.  When I checked afterwards, I had covered mile 1 in 8:01.  

Mile 2:  We proceeded through the intersection with Roswell Road and East Paces Ferry, as the road began perceptibly downhill.  Everyone was running pretty easily.  Occasionally another runner would dash by quickly but I didn't let it bother me, as I continued to keep pace with the crest of the wave.  Wave B had a five-minute headstart on us, so there was apparently still a clear gap between our waves.  When I heard a sideline announcer call out "Here comes wave C" I realized that I was still near the front of the wave!  As we worked our way towards the intersection with Wesley Road, known as "Jesus Junction" due to the proximity of three large Christian churches within a couple of blocks, I saw the famous holy water spray on the right side.  Mile 2 was completed at 16:20, 8:19 for that mile. 

Mile 3:  The downhill slope increased even more in this section, but not uncomfortably so.  I realized that I was probably on a personal record pace for a 5K.  I was just enjoying the thrill of hearing the spectators cheering for runners. We passed the metro-Atlanta population sign (now 6.2 million), sailed past the intersection with Lindbergh Road, and were quickly at the Peachtree Battle shopping center.  Then I could see the bottom at Peachtree Creek, and the beginning of Cardiac Hill.  A century ago, Peachtree Creek was a northern boundary of Atlanta, and during the Civil War, it was apparently the last natural barrier protecting the town of Atlanta, hence the name "Peachtree Battle" for a street and a shopping center just north of the creek.  We started uphill and I could definitely feel myself slowing down.  A band was playing Cuban music.  They were quite good, but why were they playing in a minor key?  I thought, why not a happy major key to encourage us as we started uphill?!  Mile 3 was completed a few hundred feet south of Peachtree Creek, at 24:33, 8:13 for that mile. 

Fortunately I didn't need to check in at
 the "Chest Pain" center, ironically placed
 at the top of Cardiac Hill.
Photo taken on July 5.

Mile 4:  As I began working my way up Cardiac Hill, that pesky left shoelace came untied, again!  I must find a better knot before my next race!  The "Ian Knot" was clearly not reliable (or I wasn't tying it properly).  But to find a safe place to pull off to retie the shoe, I first had to get past the free beer stand, which was quite popular.  This time I tied the regular knot that I learned in kindergarten, as it had mostly worked for me with only a couple of exceptions for 46 years.  Quite a few runners passed me or pulled ahead as I worked my way up the hill, but I just focused on standing tall, picking up my knees, breathing in-and-out in a six-step cadence, and pumping my arms.  All of that helped, but unfortunately I began to notice a possible blister developing on the ball of my left foot.  The pain wasn't too bad, and I felt that it wouldn't adversely affect me for the remaining miles, but something to work on avoiding as I take on longer distances.  It didn't seem to take too terribly long to reach Piedmont Hospital, and I noticed the signs for the "Chest Pain" center at the top of the hill.  I was tempted to slow down and take a photo of the "Chest Pain" sign, but decided that I was more interested in trying for my best time, so ran past.  The road leveled out - actually the elevation map showed it as downhill, although it wasn't perceptible to me - and I completed Mile 4 at 34:20.  9:47 for the critical fourth mile, a time that would have delighted me if I had known it at that moment.

Mile 5:  Shortly after beginning mile 5, we crossed Interstate Highway 85.  I looked to both sides but traffic below was seemingly oblivious to our race.  I also noticed for the first time that some runners with wave D bibs were passing me.  Looking ahead, there seemed to be a solid mass of runners heading uphill, as we entered midtown Atlanta, so any gaps from the beginning were completely closed by this point of the race. The landmarks of Rhodes Hall and the intersection with 17th Street came up fairly soon; only seven blocks to the turn onto 10th Street!  I was slowing down again but was determined not to stop running, even as I passed a couple of walkers none too quickly.  The median strip divided the street in parts of Midtown, and I decided to run to the right of the median, as the runners on the left side of the median were running quite a bit faster.  This was a good decision, as the few walkers in this area stayed well to the right.  Then, disaster struck once again, with that left shoelace!  I had to work my way to the right side this time, and tied it down really tightly, then resumed my run.  There was another fairly steep uphill as we approached the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center.  Some bloggers claim that this is the high point and it's downhill from here, but in fact there are still a few more blocks uphill, although not the slope is not severe, except for people who have already run 4-3/4 miles to that point.  I was able to take a glimpse at my phone shortly before reaching the mile 5 marker, and was delighted to see 42 minutes and some seconds.  Finally I knew that I was truly on a good pace and might match or slightly beat my 10K personal record, if I could maintain or exceed a 10-minute per mile pace.  I completed mile 5 at 44:15, 9:55 for the fifth mile.  

Mile 6:  Upon reaching 12th Street, I knew, finally, that it would be mostly downhill the rest of the way. I wasn't able to pick up speed at first, but after making a sweeping left turn onto 10th Street, the descent was perceptible.  Upon passing Juniper Street, I was able to force myself to go a little faster, then we reached Piedmont Road.  Three long blocks to go?  I was so happy to see the green expanses of Piedmont Park to my left, and that spurred me to press even faster.  We passed under the overhead photographers, and I raised my hands with two thumbs up as I approached their station.  Although I didn't see a sign for the 6-mile mark, it would be at Argonne Street, which I crossed at 53:40, 9:25 for mile 6.

Bonnie photographed me racing to the finish!

The final 0.22 mile:  I was determined to give the finish my best, and was going to use every last available calorie.  But I couldn't see the finish line for the longest time!  It wasn't until we turned downhill that I could see the blue bar marking the finish line, just past the Charles Allen gate to Piedmont Park.  I expended every bit of energy into running as fast as I could, even passing a few runners that were flagging at the end.  I raised my arms in victory as I crossed the finish line.  My official time: 55:36, a few seconds slower than my PR in February, but nearly two minutes faster than the Memorial Day 10K in Marietta.  And now I'm optimistic that I can do better when the weather cools again, and running easier courses such as the Eastside Beltline and Charles Harris 10K races. 

We continued jogging for about 100 feet along 10th Street to clear the finish area before turning into Piedmont Park, where volunteers gave us water, and then the official finisher's T-shirt.  After checking in at the Atlanta Track Club, I saw a few friends from the Emory and Georgia Tech chemistry faculties.  The Georgia Tech prof was wearing a sub-seeded runner bib, although I shouldn't have been surprised, as he won his 30-something age group in the Phidippides 5K back in December.  Best of all, the Emory prof, who is a very good friend, had successfully recovered from an Achilles tendon injury while training for a marathon in March, had a pain-free race today, and finished just under 50 minutes!  I  then found three of the In-Training for Peachtree coachers, Curt, Kathie, and Chuck.  The free food was grits from Waffle House (I was hoping for a breakfast burrito) so I skipped the food and accepted a cold Powerade.  It took me a few minutes to find Bonnie and her parents but it was great to celebrate with them!  We had lunch at Jason's Deli at a curbside table on 10th Street after watching Meb Keflezighi dash by on his quest to start as the last runner and pass 22,500 runners in a fundraiser for Kilometer Kids, a children's running support group sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. 

Goals: To have a memorable race: Achieved! 

To finish in less than 60 minutes: Achieved! 

To challenge my personal record of 55:29 for the 10K distance: 55:36, I'll take it! 

Item to work on: tying my shoelaces in secure fashion! 

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