Goal A: To improve on my 2014 time of 43:59
Goal B: To run the hilly course with a steady effort from start to finish
Goal C: To have an injury-free run at one of my favorite places to run and to train
Stone Mountain Park has become one of my favorite places to run in metro Atlanta. One circuit of the mountain is approximately 8K or 5 miles. I've enjoyed a few dozen nice training runs circling the mountain over the past year while preparing for the Peachtree Road Race and the Atlanta 10-Miler. The route is fairly hilly and so it's an ideal place to work out in preparation for other Atlanta-area races, especially for people living in the eastern Atlanta suburbs. The Stone Mountain loop is also the only place where I feel safe running before sunrise or after sunset, as the road is well lit, and the sidewalks are very well-maintained. There is a 2-1/2 mile stretch of road around the south side of the mountain with a full lane that is off-limits to automobile traffic, although walkers and runners have to watch out for cyclists going downhill at relatively high speed. Also there are always enough people around working on their own fitness with walking or running, so with safety in numbers, I'm confident that I could get help if I ever suffered an injury.
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| The first glimpse of Stone Mountain from Hugh Howell Road, shortly before sunrise |
Last year I ran the Livvy's Love 8K, and won my first medal for my age group, albeit in a small field. Bonnie ran her first 5K on that morning and that started her own journey to improving her fitness, running a 5K in 11 of the 12 months in 2014.
After some trouble with a sprained ankle in December, I decided to take it easy for a few weeks, skipping the ATC Resolution Run on January 1. That was definitely a good move, as was the resolution to use a foam roller on my calfs and thighs on a daily basis. It's amazing how much that has helped! The roller nearly eliminates any post-run soreness from my legs, and now I also use it even on days when I haven't run at all. I had heard and read that advice from several people, but the post from Jesica blogging at rUnladylike resonated with me.
Last year's run was terribly frigid, 25 deg F at the start. Other than the temperature, my only complaint about last year's race, which was a fun run and fundraiser, was that the distances appeared to be short. For instance, there was a gap between the start and the finish line so that the 8K was actually only a 7.9K. Worse, the turnaround for the 5K race didn't seem to be far enough from the start, and Bonnie's tracker recorded only a 4K distance.
This year was only a few degrees better, 31 deg F, but those few degrees really made a difference in comfort level. When we gathered at the start, it didn't seem like a particularly large field - and I hope that the foundation sponsoring the event isn't losing money on the race. Although the finish gate was not yet in the roadway, it was right next to the starting line, and if the finish line was also at the start, that would probably make it exactly 8K. Before we began, an a cappella group from Tucker High School sang a nice rendition of the national anthem. We then gathered behind the starting line, in my case in the third row from the front line. After a few safety announcements, the DJ asked us if we were ready to begin, and then without further delay, "Ready, set, go!" and we were off!
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| The race route, with mile markers in magenta |
After the first couple of hundred feet, we were all running on the sidewalk parallel to Lee Blvd, the road that circles the mountain. I found myself behind three 20-something guys who were running around a 9-minute per mile pace, which was a good starting point, and so I 'drafted' off of them for the first 5 minutes or so, not that I was able to safely pass them. However the entire first mile was a mild but steady uphill, and when they seemed to slow a bit about 5 minutes into the race, I was able to get around them at an intersection. After passing the big parking lot at the base of the walking trail to the top of the mountain, there was plenty of room for runners as we began the protected part of the run. I was getting alerts every 5 minutes, and was delighted to hear "0.6 miles" and "1.2 miles" at 5 and 10 minutes, respectively. After the one-mile marker (8:42) I caught up to and began chatting with a runner who works with Nikki Hayes at the CDC. This was her third year running the race, and she told me the tragic story of Livvy's death (Nikki and Norman Hayes' daughter), who was struck by a security vehicle that illegally passed a school bus at the very moment that Livvy was crossing the street to get onto the bus, as her father was watching. As I mentioned in last year's account, the Livvy's Love Foundation and the 8K/5K events raise money for scholarships for Tucker High School students.
After the one-mile marker, the road went mostly downhill, and Nikki's friend gradually moved ahead of me. Nonetheless I felt that I was moving at a very good pace, and so I was regularly checking my heart rate monitor. At 15 minutes I heard "1.8 miles", which was exactly where I needed to be if I was to have a chance at my "A" goal. I passed the two-mile marker immediately after the Children's Playground, at 16:57 (8:15 for mile 2). At 20 minutes, "2.4 miles" which was nearly the halfway point. I was definitely on pace to better my time in last year's run!
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| Elevation map for the Stone Mountain circuit. Warning: hills are larger than they appear! |
Although the elevation map for the third and fourth miles may appear to indicate a net level run, with small short hills, when I'm actually running the route, the hills seem to be bigger than indicated on the elevation map. But this is also a very peaceful and pleasant part of any run at Stone Mountain, and in my opinion is the main reason to do the 8K instead of the 5K option. Somewhere in the third mile I caught up to and passed a fellow runner, but then got the sense that there was someone else that was gaining on me. Taking a quick glance behind me, indeed there was a woman about 50 feet behind me. At 25 minutes I heard "2.9 miles" which was great news, and I passed the 3-mile marker at 25:53 (8:56 for mile 3). I think that is probably the fastest that I have ever covered that stretch at Stone Mountain.
My dream pace was to reach the roundabout leading to the covered bridge to Indian Island, in 30 minutes. I didn't quite make it but the roundabout was at least in view as the 30 minute alert sounded "3.5 miles". There was a water station at the roundabout, but I was carrying my own water bottle and had taken a couple of sips around the 3-mile marker. At this point there were a few people around who were not part of the race. I heard someone ask the woman running behind me what the event was about, and the runner, in a strong voice and in a complete sentence or two, told the other person about the Foundation and the race. In contrast, I don't think that I could have managed more than a couple of words! Knowing that the next stretch would be mostly uphill, I figured that the woman would probably catch up to me and pass me on the hills. But as I headed uphill to the 4-mile marker at 35:00 even (9:07 for mile 4), I was still about 50 feet ahead of her. I would beat my time in last year's Livvy's Love if I could finish the final stretch in less than 9 minutes. In the ATC Decatur-DeKalb 4-miler and the Cartersville 10K, I had reached the 4-mile points at 35:49 and 35:25 respectively (and I set my 10K PR in Cartersville), so I was ecstatic to be on such a great pace, especially because I knew that the next stretch would be the hardest part of the race.
The final mile began with a fairly steep uphill section. If I had not been familiar with the route, I might have expected the route to level out after a curve in the road, but I kept going up and up as I passed the entrance to the parking lot for the Skylift. I gasped to the policeman protecting the intersection "Not much further" and he responded "That's right!" My heartrate had risen into the 170's and I slowed down a bit, because I knew from experience that if I stayed at that level I wouldn't be able to recover for a strong finish. Finally I crested the hill across the street from the Stone Mountain Inn, and was rewarded with a beautiful view of a long downhill stretch to intersect with the main entrance road to the park. I gradually picked up speed, while willing my body to relax and let gravity do most of the work. My heartrate dropped to a safer zone (high 150's) and I sped up some more, as the 40 minute alert sounded as I passed through the big intersection (4.6 miles). I was just a bit short of my dream pace at that stage but I knew that I could finish strongly. Indeed I sped up even more as I reached the intersection to turn left onto Hugh Howell Road for the finish.
At this stage we rejoined the 5K route, but I passed only one 5K runner in this first stretch. I had to step onto the sidewalk to avoid a barrier in the road (protecting the finish and start area of our race) just as a group of kids were cheering as I approached "Almost there! You can do it!" I raised my right hand and gave a few of the kids high-fives, which helped me pick up my knees and push a bit harder. From the breaks in the cheers, it sounded like the woman who had been behind me earlier had, somehow, fallen a little further behind, so I guess she had a little more trouble maintaining speed on the hill. The road curved to the right and gently uphill, and I could see the start line in the distance. Last year the finish line was just ahead of the final turn, but this year I couldn't even make out the FINISH line sign at first (it was much smaller than the START sign). But I was glad that this would indeed probably be a true 8K distance. Another cheering group was at the intersection more-or-less where last year's finish line had been, I gave a few more high-fives, and then began chugging up the hill to the finish. I passed another 5K runner and tried to keep up my speed as much as I could. The crowds were cheering as I drew closer to the finish line, and I could see 43 minutes on the clock. Immediately before crossing the finish line, the last number that I saw was 43:27 (8:27 for the fifth mile). Definitely bettered last year's time, and on a slightly longer course! The tracker recorded 5.03 miles (8.10 km) which was about right for a true 8K, considering that I never manage to run the shortest possible path. After cooling off for a few minutes, I walked back down the route a short distance to watch for Bonnie's finish. I took a few photos as she was heading to the finish but unfortunately my phone discharged about 10 seconds before she crossed the finish line :(
In the awards ceremony, Bonnie won second in her age group! This was her first medal ever in an athletic event! Likewise when I won my age group last year, it was my first medal, not counting science fair or piano competition, and I was hoping that I could defend my title, LOL. And when they announced second place in my age group in a slower time, I knew that we were both taking home some bling! As I accepted my medal and posed for a photo with Norman and Nikki Hayes, I told them how much I enjoyed the race, and promised that I would join them next year.
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| What a great day for us both! |
Goal A: To improve on my 2014 time of 43:59; Achieved! 43:27
Goal B: To run the hilly course with a steady effort from start to finish; Achieved! mile splits 8:42, 8:15 (downhill), 8:56, 9:07, 8:27 - negative split!
Goal C: To have an injury-free run at one of my favorite places to run and to train; Achieved! no pain or real difficulty after the race; foam roller treatment at home before I began writing today's race report!
When the official results appeared on Sunday, I was disappointed to see that only 29 runners completed the 8K, and 37 runners in the 5K. I hope that the foundation isn't losing money on this event. Although the races aren't Peachtree Road Race qualifiers, it's a nice course for a great cause, and I hope that some of the local readers of this blog will join the race next year.
1 comment:
Congrats! Stone Mountain is a hard and hilly course.
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