February 14, 2015: Atlanta Track Club Spring Tune-up 15K

Goal C: To finish faster than 1:30:00
Goal B: To run the second half of the race faster than the first half
Goal A: To finish faster than 1:23:00 (old Peachtree Road Race qualifying time for wave C)

In the run-up to the Publix Georgia Half-Marathon, I've been selective in my choice of races.  Last weekend I completed a solid 13 mile training run along the actual half-marathon race route, at a slow but steady pace to finish just under 2-1/2 hours, and felt quite good afterwards.  So with the mileage training in hand, I felt that a 15K race would be a good way to work on adding some speed to the regimen.  When I had decided to run this race, I had resolved that I would try for on a negative split for this race, as good training to pace myself for the half-marathon.  Bonnie was going to try her first 8K, and she was well-trained having run the hilly circuit of Stone Mountain on at least a dozen occasions before today's races. 

The main problem for this race? This past week was really busy and rather stressful.  On Thursday afternoon, I had made a quick trip to Florida State University in Tallahassee to present a lecture on Friday afternoon, five hours driving each way.  I returned to Atlanta around 11 pm Friday evening and didn't wind down to sleep until nearly 1 am.  So my first goal was simply to wake up in time to get to the race!  That was accomplished thanks to the alarm clock and the runner's habit of waking early on Saturday mornings.  But unlike some other races, I wasn't that well-prepared mentally.  I had decided on the goals stated above several days ago, but frankly I wasn't thinking about them at all on the morning of the race, especially the most important goal B, trying for a negative split for each half of the race. 

We arrived about an hour before the race, when parking was still available near the start/finish area.  I warmed up fairly well and was feeling strong as I lined up for the start.  This week there were four waves.  Wave B was for 8:30 min/mile runners and faster - appropriate for me for a 5K, but I can't run a 10K at that pace, much less a longer distance, so I lined up with wave C (9:30 min/mile), in the second row.  We began about 4 minutes after the first wave.  Right before we started, the fellow in front of me had to retie his shoelace!  Rich Kenah, the Atlanta Track Club director, held up the start for a few seconds, which saved me from finding another position to avoid running over the shoelace guy in the first seconds.  I also started my timer about 30 seconds before the start, so that I could get my glove back on my hand before we started running.  The temperature was around freezing and so for the first time in a race, I decided to start with gloves.  

The race route, with favorite restaurants along the route! 

As we began, I found myself in second place in the wave, then out in front.  Obviously I had completely forgotten to remind myself to avoid going out too fast.  I did try to slow up my pace a bit, but covered the first 0.62 miles (1 km as it turns out) in 5:00 minutes.  Most of this section was on Edgewood Avenue in the heart of Inman Park.  At that stage I was starting to get into the back part of the wave B runners and zipped past quite a few of them, especially after turning onto Waddell Street at BoccaLupo, going downhill where I was really able to stretch my stride and let gravity do most of the work.  Shortly after turning onto Irwin Street, passing the new Krog Street Market and the southern entrance to the Eastside Beltline, we passed the mile-1 marker, at 8:14 elapsed.  I was trying to maintain a 9 minute per mile pace, but clearly had started out too quickly.  But I was feeling really strong, and so I maintained that pace.  Turning onto Randolph Street, we entered the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.  We went up a decent hill at the south end of the street, but it didn't bother me too much and I felt that I maintained good speed without letting my heartrate go up too high.  After crossing Highland Avenue, near the Highland Bakery (which prepared our wedding cake), the street changed names to Glen Iris Drive with a long downhill, which again I took at high speed.  As we approached 4th & Swift at the corner with North Avenue, I passed the mile-2 marker at 16:33 elapsed (8:19 for mile 2). 

Turning onto North Avenue, we could see ahead the first big hill rising ominously just beyond the old railroad bridge now supporting the Eastside Beltline.  I managed to maintain a steady pace and even passed quite a few runners in this stretch, as we went up a total of three hills, with the first two being the most significant challenges.  Near the top I passed Susie Kim, a veteran marathon runner and an old friend of Bonnie's, but who I had first met through my running coaches Curt and Kathie Walker.  I had a feeling that she would probably pass me later in the race, since I had probably started too quickly, but I would just see how things would go.  Shortly before we reached Highland Avenue, I slowed to a walk to accept a cup of Powerade from the volunteers in front of Manuel's Tavern.  I walked for about a full minute, crossing Highland Avenue and then returning to my previous speed shortly before passing the mile-3 marker at 26:03 elapsed (9:30 for mile 3).  That was actually a pretty good time considering the uphill rise of approximately 120 feet. 

Elevation map for the 15K race.  When I was running the race, it felt like the hill at mile 8
was at least one hundred feet higher than that same hill had been at mile 3. 

We ran downhill along North Avenue parallel to Freedom Park, which was created from a planned interstate highway that was blocked by neighborhood associations in the 1970's.  It's a nice park, and I definitely understand the problems with having another interstate highway pass through the heart of the city, but as I ran through this section, I also wondered what Atlanta traffic might be like today if the interstate highway had been built.  Upon reaching Oakdale Road, we turned right to head southward, to begin closing the loop for the first 8K.  This is one of the few streets in the area that I've never run, although I've driven it a few times.  The houses are brightly painted and it looks like a pleasant middle-class neighborhood, known as Candler Park.  As we crossed McLendon Avenue, I recognized the Flying Biscuit, where I treated my groomsmen and my Mom to brunch on my wedding day.  Before long, we had passed the mile-4 marker at 34:55 (8:52 for mile 4), about 1 minute ahead of the original plan of a 9 min/mile pace.  Around this time, I removed the gloves, and that helped me to stay a bit cooler. 

Turning onto DeKalb Avenue, a busy thoroughfare that I have never run (and probably will never run outside of a protected race), I had to be careful of many potholes and drainage portals along the right side of the protected lane, but all of us in my area seemed to get through that section without mishap, as we passed Fox Brothers BBQ.  It wasn't clear if the place was open yet, and there were only a few cars in the lot, but I was thinking that some barbecue would taste really good right about now.  Anyway, crossing Moreland Avenue, we began receiving instructions as the 8K runners were nearing their finish line and the 15K runners would continue to the left.  I started to wonder if there was any chance that the 15K winner could pass me before we passed the split, and if he was running a 5 minute mile, that could potentially happen!  Just then a speedster zipped past me on my left.  Could that be the 15K winner?  To my relief, he moved over to the right lane for the 8K finish. I guess he must have arrived to the start a few minutes late.  

Immediately after passing the split 8K/15K split, we came to the next water stop.  They didn't have Powerade so I accepted a cup of water.  It was too cold to drink, in fact I choked a bit on the first sip!  That was an unfortunate and needless error on my part, as I was carrying a water bottle on my belt that was still nearly full.  But I managed to clear my throat after a couple of minutes.  Shortly after passing the mile-5 marker (44:02, 9:07 for mile 5), I spotted Ray Ganga, the volunteer crew chief.  He recognized me as well, and we exchanged high-fives as I crossed the intersection with Edgewood Avenue.  I felt that I was running at a really good 10K pace of about 55 minutes as we turned down Euclid Avenue.  Passing again through the Old Fourth Ward, I passed the mile-6 marker at 52:57 (8:55 for mile 6), and calculated that I might just achieve my 'dream' Goal A time of 1:23:00. 

But somewhere along Randolph Street, I began to feel some pain in my right knee.  It wasn't terrible, definitely not a major injury, but it was more than a minor passing twinge.  I had no choice but to slow down.  As I ran down Randolph and Glen Iris, taking a couple of short walk breaks (and swigs from my water bottle), I realized that the only important goal that I could afford would be to finish without making the injury worse.  After all, my principal running goal is to prepare myself to have the best possible half-marathon experience in five weeks from now.  For the rest of the race, I was steadily passed by other runners, many of whom I had undoubtably passed earlier in the race.  I was grateful that none of them taunted me as they passed, and my negative self-talk was more than making up for their silence! Mile-7 marker at 1:02:39 elapsed, 9:42 for mile 7.  

Turning onto North Avenue, the hill ahead was now truly intimidating.  That hill had grown at least 100 feet higher than it had been 45 minutes ago!  I took my time on this mile, taking several walk breaks when needed.  Shortly before reaching the summit, I realized that I had made yet another error: I had forgotten to eat a gel in mile 7, as I had originally planned. I moved to the far right side of the road and pulled out a raspberry caffeinated gel, squeezed the contents into my mouth, and washed it down with a few swigs from my water bottle.  Amazingly, I began to feel a little better.  The knee pain didn't seem that bad!  So while the knee pain was real, it had been exacerbated by a bit of hypoglycemia!  As I began running again, I admitted my error to another runner sharing my pace, and he mentioned that he had had some pain that had all but disappeared after he had taken some jellybeans a mile earlier (which is when I should have eaten the gel!)  Feeling a bit better, I took another cup of Powerade at the water station at Highland Avenue, and passed the mile-8 marker at 1:14:06 elapsed (11:27 for mile 8).  

For the final stage of the race, we turned onto Moreland Avenue, shaving a kilometer from the first loop.  After climbing another modest hill (which I walked more than ran), we entered Little Five Points, Atlanta's attempted imitation of Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.  I was amused by the contrast between Sevananda Organic Vegan Coop Market on the left, and The Vortex on the right, home to the Triple Coronary Bypass Burger.  As we crossed Euclid Avenue, I resolved to at least jog the rest of the way in.  (In the original plan, this is where I had hoped to shift into high gear for a fast finish, but that wasn't going to happen today.)  Earlier on Moreland Avenue, Philip Limoncello had passed me - even though he has two decades on me, he was running at a good consistent pace, about what I had hoped to be running all along.  Then Susie Kim passed me as we approached the entrance ramp to DeKalb Avenue, just as I had predicted an hour earlier.  It just goes to show that a successful race comes from consistency.  I basically had run the first half of the 15K race at my 8K - 10K pace: big mistake! 

After turning right onto DeKalb Avenue, I recognized Bonnie's friend James by his Korean flag bandanna.  I sped up to chat with him for a minute but then had to fall back as he glided toward an easy finish (at least it looked that way!)  Passing the mile-9 marker at 1:24:56 (10:50 for mile 9), I resolved to speed up a bit more for the final 1/3-mile.  The pain wasn't too bad although I found myself biting my bottom lip at times.  As I passed the first entrance to the MARTA parking lot, I heard the loud pealing of bells, and then realized that it was 9:00 am on the dot.  After I turned right onto Hurt Street (ironic name to finish the race), I could see the finish banner about 100 yards ahead.  To the right, a large group of runners who had already finished were waiting for the awards ceremony.  I passed an 8K runner and then there was no one else at all between me and the finish line, still 50 yards ahead.  Knowing that I was the front runner in whatever group I was in, I sped up a bit more.  I was looking for Bonnie but didn't see her, and then heard Susie Kim shout something encouraging to me as I was about 10 - 20 yards from the finish (thanks, Susie!).  Finally I crossed the line to cheers, with 1:31 and some seconds on the clock.  Subtracting 4 minutes for the wave C start, I had finished in less than 1:28:00, which I was pretty happy with considering my struggles in the final miles.  Indeed my official time was 1:27:38, at an average pace of 9:25 minutes / mile.  And if I've calculated correctly, I covered that last 1/3 mile at an 8:11 minute/mile pace. 

Whew, that was more challenging than I had expected!  But the good news was that the knee pain was virtually gone once I stopped running.  I turned to walk back to the main gathering area near the start, when I saw Bonnie coming up the finish.  I pulled out my camera to take a few photos and was relieved that I could actually jog back to the finish line without pain.  So fortunately I think that I will be good to go as soon as next weekend.  We wound down our Valentine's Day morning with second breakfast at Parish, one of our favorite Highland Avenue / Eastside Beltline hangouts. 

Bonnie's finish - better than her best time around Stone Mountain (same distance)

This race was an important learning experience for me: 

1) I should never begin a race without reviewing my plan for the race while I wait for the start.  It's probably even more important at my age, to minimize the chance of injury. 
2) I still need to find a good way to run the first half-mile at a slow pace, when a pace group is not available.  I wonder if I might have done better if I had started into the middle of wave B and just kept pace with some steady runners in the middle of that wave.  

Goal C: To finish faster than 1:30:00   Achieved! 
Goal B: To run the second half of the race faster than the first half  Nope, and this is really the most important thing that I need to work on to improve my running and my running experiences.  
Goal A: To finish faster than 1:23:00 (old Peachtree Road Race qualifying time for wave C)  Nope, although that was a "dream" pace and probably not realistic until I've mastered goal B 

http://atlantatrackclub.org/events/view/2015-spring-tune-up-8K-15K