September 26, 2015: Beat the Badge 5K

Goal B: to run steady paces in the first two miles, then speed up in the third mile

Goal A: to break a long-standing goal of 25 minutes for the 5K distance

Quite a few races were held in metro Atlanta this weekend.  I was originally planning to run a free Atlanta Track Club cross-country race in Cartersville, but then several members of the Tucker Running Club registered to do a local race, the Beat the Badge 5K in the Tucker-Northlake area, so earlier in the week I decided to register for the local race.  It began raining late this week and the drizzle has only periodically stopped since Thursday afternoon.  I realized that I would much rather run a local race in the rain than drive back from Cartersville by myself (one hour plus) after getting soaked, so I felt good about my last-minute change of plan.   

The race didn't begin until 9 am and so we were able to sleep in a bit later and didn't leave the house until shortly after 8 am.  When we were in line to pick up our race bibs, I saw a sign honoring the memory of DeKalb County policeman Kevin Toatley, who was tragically killed just last weekend in a collision with another car driving in the wrong direction.  I was glad to see a direct connection to where the funds raised in the race would be going for this year, although it was a shame that this needless accident happened. 

with Kathie Walker, Malisa Anderson-Strait, Eric Strait, Bonnie Youn, yours truly, and Curt Walker.
A second or two before the photo was snapped, I realized that we were standing in front of a local
9-11 memorial, and the smile faded from my face in that moment. 

Six of us arrived with Tucker Running Club shirts and posted for a pre-race photo while we were still relatively dry, having endured only light drizzle to that point.  After warming up a bit on my own by jogging while most of the other runners did calisthenic exercises to warm up, it was time to line up for the race.  There wasn't a timing strip at the start so I missed out on the advantages of starting closer to the line, but I didn't want to move in front of a group of SWAT officers before we began.  At 9:00 am sharp, an airhorn sounded and the mass of runners started without delay.  It was a bit crowded in the beginning and I ended up running through/past the SWAT group in the first block, but that helped me set a sustainable pace from the beginning.  I was aiming for about 8:15 minute / mile for the first two miles, and then was hoping that I could speed up to finish very strongly.  The first few blocks were slightly uphill, but then we turned onto Lavista Road and the road was relatively flat as it stretched ahead of us.  

The drizzle really didn't bother me, as the first mile passed quickly, in 8:03.  That was a tiny bit faster than planned, but I felt strong and so decided to try to maintain that pace.  

A few residents living along Lavista Road were in their front yards to watch us, and I tried to give them a smile and a wave as I passed them.  Curt Walker, who has 16 years on me as well as a pace at least 1 minute / mile faster than me, was up ahead but was still in sight.  In fact the lead runners didn't pass me on the return leg until shortly before the turnaround point came into view, so perhaps there were only 2 - 3 minutes ahead of me, which I felt good about.  I had passed quite a few people on Northlake Parkway and a few more on Lavista Road, but now was running at the same pace as most of the people around me. 

As we neared the turnaround point, I stretched out my right hand to Curt Walker, but we weren't close enough to slap hands.  I saw a table with water and stacks of paper cups which could have been the water stop at the beginning of the return leg, but no one was manning this station.  Fortunately the weather was cool and damp and so I had no need for water at this point.  Now that we had turned around, we were running to the west on Lavista Road.  This reminded me of the early Sunday morning runs with Tucker Running Club, where this stretch is the last mile, and I tried to keep up my speed with that thought in mind.  Malisa Anderson-Strait and her husband Eric Strait were running together, and I managed to exchange a hand slap with Malisa as we passed.  That spurred me forward a bit, and while I was slightly slower completing the second mile (8:13), it seemed like I sped up as I was approaching the 2-mile marker.  

Unfortunately, I was beginning to tire.  I had heard footsteps behind me for awhile, and finally he passed me.  He looked strong, and most importantly, looked younger than me, so that was OK.  Despite wearing a cap, rain mixed with sweat was pouring into my eyes.  I found myself running with my eyes closed on a few occasions, then realized what a bad idea that was if I were to encounter a pot hole and so I tried to force them open again.  Then my heart rate monitor started beeping indicating that my pulse was over 170 bp.  To heck with it, I was going to keep pushing for that last mile.  Bonnie and I passed although she didn't move close enough to the middle of the road for us to hand slap, so I settled for giving her a wave and a thumbs-up.  

From that point, the rest of the race was a blur.  I hardly remember making the turn onto Northlake Parkway, but I recall that the closest runner was only about 50 feet in front of me.  I didn't think that I could catch him, but I would be happy if he didn't open any ground on me, and if no one else passed me in the final stage.  I tried to gauge how close the person behind me was based on the course monitors' encouraging words as we passed, I decided less than 5 seconds, so that forced me to go a little faster despite the pain of exertion.  As we turned into the parking lot to LA Fitness and the police station, I could hardly focus my vision as I just tried to keep running in the middle of the lane, but a cluster of people holding signs and calling out the names of their friends had me running even faster.  I didn't want to get passed by any of those people.  With the last turn, the race ended in a downhill finish.  I was disappointed - but not surprised - to see 25 minutes on the clock as I approached, but I don't think that I could have run faster.  As I entered the finish chute, the race director congratulated me by number, "great job 184!"  

(Sept 30 update: Official time, 25:30)

The volunteers handed each runner a card to fill out with our name, number, and time of finish.  I could hardly write my name due to racing heartbeat, and then the card got wet so that the ink didn't adhere to the paper, but I think that I got enough info on the card, plus volunteers manning the finish line would be able to confirm at least the order of finish.  

(Sept 30 update: 2nd in age group, 19th out of 244 finishers!)

Eric, the runner with a beard, is trying to chase down a policeman
 while avoiding getting run down himself by a baby stroller. 

Malisa Anderson-Strait wins the award for the most fun leggings!

I was able to take photos of some of the other Tucker Running Club members.  Shortly after I finished, Eric Strait came running, right behind a policeman that he was trying to catch.  Within a minute, Eric's wife Malisa Anderson-Strait appeared, running strongly in her fun-looking leggings.  Bonnie caught up to and passed a couple of runners in the final yards, finishing strongly as well.  

Bonnie makes her move with 20 meters to go, and...

... a little girl and her father are left to wonder,
just how did that woman in the yellow shirt pass them so quickly?!

Goal B: to run steady paces in the first two miles, then speed up in the third mile; not quite achieved, but not too bad. I ran mile splits of 8:03, 8:13, and 8:16, followed by the final 0.13 miles in 1:01 corresponding to a 7:48 pace.  I sped up a bit at the very end, but not for most of mile 3.  Nonetheless I was pleased that my mile splits were pretty close together, so I didn't slow down too badly.  

Goal A: to break a long-standing goal of 25 minutes for a 5K distance; not achieved. I've come to realize that I can drink beet juice and eat ginseng root all I want, but if I'm really going to speed up, perhaps I should try ... exercise?  Bonnie and I recently won, in a silent auction fundraiser, a "gait analysis" and running clinic with an Emory physical therapist.  Remembering how much my running improved 2+ years ago with the Good Form Running course at Big Peach Running Company, I'm hoping to pick up a few tips on form or technique that may help me speed up with the same considerable effort that I'm currently making.  I do feel like I am not gliding as efficiently as the other runners that are passing me, so that might be a relatively easy way to improve.