December 11, 2016: The Jeff Galloway 13.1, 3rd year streak

Today was my tenth half-marathon, and the second anniversary of my first half-marathon on this course.  Having run the Galloway Half Marathon in each of the three years, I'm a "streaker" and proud to have been involved from the beginning in this very well run race, on a nice course through midtown Atlanta.  It's not a flat course, but for the distance, it's probably one of the best in metro-Atlanta in that the hills aren't too bad.  There are two difficult sections, a 75 foot net climb in mile 7, and a 65 foot net climb in mile 10.  Those are both mitigated by nice long gentle downhill sections before and after each uphill section.  

Today's race route

I broke the 2-hour mark for the first time in this race last year, and ran a nearly perfect race on a mild early winter morning, 48 deg F at the start.  This weekend the weather has been colder, with our first freeze on Friday night.  Several of the runners in half marathons today volunteered in the Westside race yesterday, and likewise some of yesterday's runners were in cheer groups for the Galloway half this morning.  I volunteered yesterday morning at a combined 10K/10-miler on Westside Atlanta, directing runners through one of the route splits in 25 deg F weather.  My fingertips and toes were nearly frozen after 3 hours, but fortunately I managed to thaw out by the afternoon.  

Thankfully the temperature was a few degrees warmer this morning, which made a big difference in terms of comfort.  I wore two layers, a short-sleeve runningnerds wicking shirt under the long-sleeve Inaugural Galloway 13.1 shirt from 2014, showing off my status from the original race.  I also wore compression sleeves under cold weather tights, the Tucker Running Club cap, my favorite pair of Balega socks, and the Brooks Launch shoes that carried me to the finish line of my first marathon.  I think that I'm not alone among runners in carefully selecting my running kit before a big race, both for comfort and for psychological meaning. 

Waving to Bonnie at the start.  13.099 miles to go!  

Before the start I saw Sheelagh O'Malley, who occasionally joins the Sunday morning run with the Tucker Running Club.  She had run the 10-miler yesterday and was getting 16 miles total today including her warmup, virtually running a marathon this weekend.  I'm impressed by people who can run two races on back-to-back days, particularly the longer distance races.  I had outrun Sheelagh in the BuHi Half in October, but noticed that she ran yesterday's 10-miler in 1:25, 3 minutes faster than my PR for that distance.   

Smiling but cold at mile 5.
Gloves on, long sleeves down.
100 feet in front of the 2-hr pace group

About five minutes before beginning, my colleague Simon Blakey showed up with the 2:00 pace group.  He was a last-minute substitute for one of the assigned pacers, who was suffering some hip issues.  He ran a 1:43 half marathon at Thanksgiving, and did a great job as a pacer today, keeping the group just ahead of the 9:09 min/mile average pace and encouraging the group throughout the race, especially on the hills.  I kept an eye on the 2-hour pace group, but was glad that I was running on a different interval, 3:30 run and 30 second walk.  They were running 2:00 and walking 0:30, but I found that the running segments were a little faster than I was comfortable running.  As a result I was leapfrogging the group for two-thirds of the race.  I managed to get a bit ahead of them on the Eastside Beltline (miles 5 and 6), hoping that Bonnie was impressed to see me just ahead of the 2-hour pacers when I passed her at ca. 5.5 miles, but they caught up with me on the hill in mile 7.  

I had carefully prepared a plan to match last year's sub 2-hour performance, and the pace group was helpful in validating my progress even though I didn't rigorously stay with the group.  Shortly before the 9-mile mark, where we turned from Monroe Drive onto 10th Street, I reached the corner at 1:21, exactly on plan and matching last year's run.   Today I had run a bit more consistently, a few seconds slower than last year on the downhill sections and a few seconds faster than last year on the uphills.  I passed Bonnie again near the 9-mile marker, a 100 feet behind the 2-hour pacers, but still on track with my plan.  After the 9-mile marker, we headed uphill on 10th Street, and I started to have trouble at that point.  I had to let the pace group go at that point, accepting that mile 10 would be tough, and just trying to stay under 10 minutes.  I passed the mile 10 marker at 1:32, and realized that I needed to run a 28 minute 5K to break the 2-hour mark, that meant a 9:00 min / mile pace for the rest of the race.  That's not difficult for me to manage in a 5K or 10K race, and I was just hoping that I would have enough gas left in my tank.  I knew that mile 11 would be a nice long downhill, and that was the fastest mile of last year's race.  Indeed I managed to speed up in mile 11, although the pace group was still well ahead of me at the turn from Piedmont Avenue onto Monroe Drive past the north end of Piedmont Park.  I had hoped to reach the corner by 1:38:40, today it was 1:39:20 when I turned the corner.  

The last good mile was the ninth mile.
Gloves off, sleeves still down.
100 feet behind the pace group.  

The last 5 miles circle and then enter Piedmont Park

Entering Piedmont Park, I resolved to run as hard as I could manage, knowing that I needed to stay at the 9:00 min / mile pace even though the stretch through the park would be slightly uphill.  Passing the 11 mile marker at 1:41 confirmed that I couldn't afford to slow down.  But try as I might, my pace was slower than 9:30 min / mile.  By the stage I was taking very few walk breaks, and keeping them short, ca. 15 - 20 seconds, just enough to give my pulse rate a short break.  It seemed that I felt a lot better in this stage of the race last year compared with today.  Approaching the 12-mile marker, I saw Bonnie cheering me on and taking photos.  I cried out as I approached her, "Oh, the pain!"  I was joking with her, as I wasn't really in pain, other than some psychological angst that the 2:00 finish might be slipping away.  

I reached the 12 mile mark at 1:50:30.  With only 1.1 mile to go, I doubted that I could cover that distance in 9:30, but I wasn't ready to give up yet.  I ran through the Phidippides cheer group, feeling their positive energy but fearing that exchanging high fives would slow me down more than it would pump me up.  I took a short walk break around 12.5 mile point, then tried to get back up to speed, resolving to run the rest of the way to the finish.  I was looking for the 2-hour pace group on an out-and-back segment, and didn't see them although I couldn't believe that they were that far ahead of me.  But I was starting to lose motivation at this stage.  The thought even passed through my mind at one point about cutting one section that would have saved me a tenth of a mile, I couldn't believe that I was even thinking that, but fortunately I ran past the point of temptation and stayed on course.  

Neither cold nor smiling at mile 13.
I rolled up the sleeves around mile 10.

Now it was time to run past the south side of Lake Clara Meer.  I was pretty sure that 2:00 was completely out of reach.  I was starting to let up on my effort, when from behind me I heard a woman's voice shout loudly, "Frank, you can do it!" It was Sheelagh coming up behind me.  I think that she was surprised that she was able to catch up to me, but she was moving smoothly and still talking, whereas all I could do was to try to pump my arms a bit harder in response to her encouragement.  I think that she was going to run with me to the finish, but it probably became clear to her that I would only slow her down, so she pulled ahead at her own pace.  Fortunately that helped me to run a little faster, trying to keep her in sight.  I made the turn at the Boathouse at 1:59 even, last year I reached this point at 1:58.  As I was running along the south side of the Active Oval, I could hear the announcer saying something about 2 hours, 2 hours, and was feeling an acute sense of disappointment that I had failed to finish in 2 hours, 2 hours.  But I just kept pushing myself to the finish.  As the clock came into view, I saw 2:00:45 on the clock, and now my goal was to try to finish around 2:01:00 on the clock.  Unfortunately my vision was better than my running, meaning that I could see the clock from further than 15 seconds away from the finish, and I actually crossed the timing mat at the finish line around 2:01:01 on the clock.  I momentarily felt quite beaten up after accepting my medal, but quickly recovered as my heart rate dropped toward a more reasonable level. 

The face of disappointment, a little slower than last year.

With Anna Calcaterra and Sheelagh O'Malley.
Anna won the master's women's title in this race!
It was nice of Anna to wait around for me to finish 20 minutes later! 

I quickly recalled that my typical times have been 2:02 - 2:06, and that today's race was my third fastest half marathon out of ten 13.1 races to date, and decided that was pretty good, being only about one minute off of last year's time.  I thanked Sheelagh for encouraging me to finish strongly, in fact I think that I probably would have finished about 30 seconds slower if I had been on my own.  

With Bonnie after the race.  I'm smiling so I had obviously
gotten past the disappointment of missing the 2:00:00 goal. 

My official time was 2:00:56, 68 seconds slower than last year.  I had a feeling that I lost most of that time in mile 10.  After the race, I checked my Garmin results from 2015 and compared with today's race.  Today I lost 28 seconds in the difficult 10th mile.  And unfortunately I lost another 21 seconds in mile 11, as I was only able to speed up to 9:00, even running downhill.  So indeed it was a good run except for one tough uphill mile and an imperfect recovery.  

With Jeff Galloway, 1972 Olympian (10,000 m) and
winner of the inaugural Peachtree Road Race in 1970

Splits for today:

8:53, 9:03, 9:01, 9:18, 8:44, 9:05, 9:42, 9:13, 8:58, 9:55, 9:00, 9:44, 9:25, and 55 seconds after mile 13 on Garmin to get to 2:00:56.  

Half marathon history to date:

1) BuHi Half, October 2, 2016: 1:56:08 (12.85 miles measured), 1:58:40 (13.15 miles with a little running past the finish line)

2) JG 13.1, December 13, 2015: 1:59:48, PR on a certified course

3) JG 13.1, December 11, 2016: 2:00:56

4) Publix Georgia Half, March 20, 2016: 2:02:03

5) Teardrop Half, May 17, 2015: 2:03:09

6) Publix Georgia Half, March 22, 2015: 2:05:36

7) Hotlanta Half, August 23, 2015: 2:06:49

8) JG 13.1, December 14, 2014: 2:19:36

9) Hotlanta Half, June 12, 2016: 2:21:17

10) Thrill in the Hills (trail race), February 20, 2016: 2:26:38

When things get a little tough in a race, I should never forget that four years and 50 pounds ago: walking a few miles was a difficult workout.  I couldn't run a single mile.  

Chatting with Simon after the race.  

December 3, 2016: Eastside Beltline 10K

2013 result: 55:45, my first 10K race

2014 result: 56:48, my worst 10K race

2015 result: 51:44, 6.07 mi, est. 53 min pace

I love running on the Eastside Beltline.  I appreciate what the Beltline has done in revitalizing this part of Atlanta, and I like to support the ongoing Beltline project by running this race each year.  But my history with this race has been mixed.  My first 10K race was on the Eastside Beltline, which was only my third race overall, and I was thrilled to finish in well under an hour.  In 2014, the weather was wet and cold and miserable, I twisted an ankle on the rough and muddy trail in the third mile, and could hardly walk after the race.  The 2015 race was run on a beautiful, pleasantly cool morning, but when I finished in seemingly record time, I discovered that the route was quite short. 

This year, I waited until a few hours before the deadline, 3 days prior the race, before deciding to register.  After the November 12 marathon, I had resolved to take a full month off from running races.  But my recovery has been remarkably rapid.  I think that the quality of the training program, the emphasis on stretching after runs, and the relatively slow pace of my marathon, all contributed to my recovery.  I managed to skip the Thanksgiving 5K race in my mother's town, simply cheering Bonnie on her race (and taking a lot of photos), but once I was convinced that the weather would be dry today, I couldn't resist the urge to run a competitive race. 

The Atlanta Track Club had their annual breakfast and awards ceremony early this morning, beginning at 8 am.  I ran a lap around the track club office (about 1.5 miles), and enjoyed a light second breakfast with a few friends, but left before the awards ceremony so that I would arrive at Krog Street Market near the south end of the Eastside Beltline in time for the 9:30 am start.  As I lined up for the race, it seemed that the crowd was larger this year, and I began further from the front of the pack than I might have chosen.  

Before the race, I hoped that my number was not inauspicious.

After a local high school choir sang the National Anthem, the airhorn sounded with only a few seconds delay, signaling the beginning of the race.  It took at least 30 seconds to walk to the starting line.  Then it was so crowded for the first mile of the race that it was hard to get up to a decent pace.  That kept me from starting too quickly, but an 11 minute / mile pace was far too slow for a 10K race.  I ended up running a few hundred yards on the dirt shoulder so that I could make better progress past the slower runners.  Finally after about 3/4 mile, I reached a clear space so that I could run my pace and on a relatively straight line.

Even 1/2 mile into the race, the route was still quite crowded,
evidenced by the runners on the grass adjacent to the Beltline.

With the cool temperature, about 45 degrees and 60% humidity, it was an ideal day for running.  I felt strong and fast, but knowing that the northbound direction of the Beltline was downhill, I was careful not to tire myself out in the first two miles.  I didn't feel comfortable taking walk breaks in the beginning, and wasn't moving fast enough to really need them in the beginning, so I ended up running the race with only three walk breaks, about 30 seconds through each water station, near mile markers 2, 3, and 4.  I slowed down just a bit in the third mile, on the unpaved section, but made it through this rough patch without incident.  The third mile ended with an uphill jog on Westminster Drive.  This was not included in last year's route, which I had thought was nice until I had finished and had learned that the race route was too short, so this year I was happy to see that the first half of the race followed the certified route.  I covered the first three miles in 8:40, 8:26, and 8:39, and about 26:50 for the 5K split. 

The USATF certified route. 

The outbound section had been gently but steadily downhill, so the return trip would be uphill.  Fortunately I was feeling very strong and was able to slightly increase my speed in the fourth mile, winding through Piedmont Park.  To my delight, I gradually closed on many of the runners just in front of me, passing them one by one.  At the mile 4 marker at the south end of the park along 10th Street, I saw that I had covered mile 4 in 8:21, around 34 minutes elapsed.  I was on pace for a 53 minute finish.  

Throughout the race, I saw a few people running with their dogs.  I was a bit envious of the dogs.  Each of the dogs was running at an easy, relaxed pace, looking around, enjoying their four-footed jog, panting a little as dogs do, but much less exertion than revealed by my own heavy breathing.  Occasionally I passed a dog, being careful not to get caught up in the leash.  And occasionally a dog passed me, followed by their human, pulled along by a leash.   

The route that I ran.
This seems to match the certified route!

Re-entering the Beltline, I slowed for the final water station, then concentrated on speeding up.  I could feel the gentle uphill elevation, but I felt strong and was passing slower runners from time to time.   Reaching the mile 5 marker on the North Avenue bridge (8:22, 42:30 elapsed), I resolved to push as hard as possible for the rest of the race, knowing that I might cover the final 1.22 miles in 10 minutes if I could run an 8 min / mile pace to the end.  Just behind me, I heard a woman say to a friend, "Ready to go?"  I had a feeling that they had resolved to kick to the finish at that point, and sure enough, within 15 seconds or so, one woman passed me on the left, then a second woman passed on my right.  I wasn't able to match their pace, but I kept the two of them in sight for most of the rest of the race.  

I recalled in previous years feeling tired in the final mile of this race, but today I found enough energy to keep pushing myself.  Best of all, I was still passing other runners, and I was only rarely passed.  It was a shame that I was wearing a cap, so I couldn't taunt them with a view of my big, beautiful, bald spot as I increased my lead on those younger runners!  

Reaching the underpass for Freedom Parkway about 5-1/2 miles in, and then the underpass for Highland Avenue at about 5-3/4 miles, I told myself, less than 1/2 mile to go, and concentrated on running as fast as I could.  At the mile 6 marker (8:25, 51 minutes elapsed), I knew that I wouldn't set a personal record today, but I had enough reserve to finish strongly.  At the end of the Beltline, the route leveled out as I turned left onto Irwin Street, then a right turn onto Krog Street, heading downhill.  As the finish line came into view, I saw 52:40 clock time!  I had to work hard to cross the finish line before the clock ticked over to 53 minutes, but I managed it.  I nearly had a mishap after crossing the finish line, as my back foot was clipped by a dog who didn't realize that it was OK to slow down after crossing the timing mat!  But I finished the race without injury and without being too tired.  Indeed after stretching I felt completely recovered.  (The post-race Krispy Kreme donut and chocolate chip cookie from Zoë's Kitchen may have also helped.)

Coming into the finish 

The dude in the green jersey roared past me.  He looks happy!

My watch showed 52:23 and 6.19 miles elapsed.  That was a little short of 6.22 miles but I was willing to concede that my watch might not be completely accurate, and I felt that we had adhered to the certified route.  

Official result: 52:19, 284th out of 1372 finishers, and 18th out of 55 in my age group.  

Average pace, 8:25 min / mile.  That was my second-fastest 10K race! 

It's safe to say that I've recovered from the marathon!

November 12, 2016: The Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon

37 months ago, I finished my first 5K.  I trained nearly six months for that first race, using a couch-to-5K program to improve my fitness from barely able to run for 60 seconds straight to running 3.11 miles in less than 30 minutes.  

This weekend was the culmination of four months of intense training, to complete my first marathon.  I chose the Chickamauga marathon for several reasons:

1) it was close to home, only a 2-hour drive;

2) the route was not too hilly, at most gently rolling terrain; 

3) a few friends have run Chickamauga for their first marathon, and have had good experiences; and

4) runners completing their first marathon receive a framed bib!

Two of the pacers at bib pickup the night before the marathon.
Bonnie noted, "There are two ways to run a marathon!"
Their choice of shirts was completely uncoordinated. 

The weather was forecast to be in the mid-40's on race day, but in fact it was 52 deg F at the 7:30 am start.  The race began with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem, followed by a loud cannon shot, to send off more than 1200 runners in the half and full marathons combined.  We began with a loop around Barnhardt Circle, with residents of the town of Fort Oglethorpe cheering us from their homes.  The loop was a nice way to spread us out before getting onto the smaller roads of the race.  The second mile was on an unused road, with quite a few potholes.  A runner about 25 feet ahead of me slipped and fell into the gravel along the side, but fortunately he popped back up immediately and had resumed running before I caught up to him.  At the 2-mile mark, we turned onto the paved roads of the park, and the surface was quite good for virtually the rest of the race.  Marathon runners wore light blue bibs, whereas half-marathon runners wore yellow bibs.  It seemed like I saw mostly yellow bibs on the runners around me in the first half, but the final results showed 350 marathon finishers to 898 half-marathon finishers.  

My primary goals for the race were to finish without injury, and wanting to do another marathon in the future.  Secondary goals included running a negative split race, and I hoped to finish somewhere in the 4:30 - 5:00 range, although that was a very soft goal.  It appeared from the beginning that some of the pacers went out much too quickly.  I couldn't find the 4:45 pacer before the race began and so had lined up near the 2:30 half-marathon pace group.  I covered the first mile in 10:06 and managed to slow down after that, running most miles closer to 11 minutes, at least for the first 21 miles.       

In the first mile

There were aid stations every two miles or so, which were stocked with Powerade and water, with enthusiastic volunteers at each station.  On the second round, the aid stations also offered orange slices, banana portions, gels, and around mile 22, a Twix bar.  I carried two bottles of slightly diluted lime Powerade and four packs of Shot Bloks, taking one approximately every mile beginning with mile 3, per the advice of the Atlanta Track Club training coach, Amy Begley.  I also took at least one cup of liquid at each aid station, generally alternating between Powerade and water.  That was just enough to carry me to the end of the race, as I drank my last water and took the last Shot Blok somewhere in mile 25. 

I wasn't sure if I wanted to carry an extra bottle for the first 13 miles, but that was definitely the right call!
From the first week in the marathon training program to the last, our coach kept reminding us of the importance of hydration and nutrition during our runs.  

There weren't too many spectators along the route, except where we crossed Lafayette Road, the main north-south road through the park.  Around mile 6, and on the second loop in mile 18, two women dressed in hoop skirts helped to direct runners through the first split, where the half-marathon runners ran a few hundred yards out-and-back whereas the marathon runners made a right turn.  There were two more splits where the marathon runners took longer routes.  At the marathon out-and-back in the tenth mile, I saw the 4:15 pace group followed closely by the 4:30 pace group, ahead of me by a few minutes, followed by the solitary 4:45 pacer, still several minutes ahead of me.  There were spotters at the end of each turn manually recording bib numbers.  Several years ago, the first woman to cross the finish line was found to have cheated - and was detected after race officials realized that she would have set a world record by running the second 13.1 miles of the marathon in 47:30.  Around mile 11, the marathon runners took a left turn, crossing a railroad track to leave the park for about one-half mile, passing by several private residences before re-entering the park and rejoining the half marathon route after one full mile.  As we crossed a timing mat at the 13.1 mile mark, I was pleased to see exactly 2:22:30 on the clock - my slowest half-marathon time just under an 11 min/mile pace, but right on track for a realistic 4:45 finish if I could maintain that easy pace.    

Mile 8

The park was quite nice, with fall colors in the foliage.  I even spotted a few deer as we ran, and occasionally heard animal rustling sounds in the woods.  There were monuments along the roadway along with signs marking the location of various units on specific days of the Battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, 1863.  There was a horrendous loss of life in this key battle of the Civil War, with thousands of soldiers killed on both sides and over 30,000 total casualties.  At the time it was considered a Confederate Army victory, delaying the Union Army advance into Georgia until the summer of 1864, but with such terrible losses for the soldiers, it is difficult today to imagine this as a victory for anyone involved.  It was a bit eerie to be running through a battlefield, but the race officials preserved some solemnity by asking runners to throw their cups and any other trash into the garbage boxes instead of littering along the road.  

Shortly after the marathon runners had crossed the 13.1 mile mark, the half-marathon runners returned toward the start-finish line, at a point where they had covered about 11-1/2 miles.  I looked back at them for a moment before focusing forward on our second loop.  For the first few miles of the second loop, I felt that I was maintaining a similar pace to what I had managed the first time around - and the Garmin stats showed that I was no more than a few seconds slower for the first few miles of the second loop.  Mile 17 was my last sub-11 minute mile, but I was still going fairly well until somewhere in mile 22, when the pain in my legs began to overwhelm the endorphins accumulated to that point of the race.  In the 23rd mile on the stretch just outside of the park, I was in a group of seven runners, and we were all limping at that stage of the race.   For a moment I thought to myself, here are the walking wounded retreating from the battlefield, then putting that thought aside, remembering that we were on a recreational run, vs. the soldiers 150 years ago just trying to stay alive after enduring a terrible battle.  

To this stage, I had run the race on a fairly rigorous run-walk plan, 3:30 run with 30 second walk breaks.  In the final miles, every walk break was a relief, but then it was quite painful in the first few steps transitioning back to the slow run.  In fact somewhere in the 25th mile, I decided that the transition back to running was so difficult that I was better just maintaining a slow jog for the rest of the way.  The mile back along the broken road was lonely and difficult, but remembering that I had seen a runner fall in mile 2, I watched the ground carefully as I plodded along, and managed to get to the main road without incident.  Mile 25 was the slowest mile of my race.  But midway through mile 26, I could hear the announcer in the distance, with Barnhardt Circle just a few hundred yards away, although the race route was not a direct line to the finish, far from it!  A young woman came up behind me in the second half of the 26th mile and passed me, but I was in no condition to try to keep up with her.   Turning right onto Barnhardt Circle, I soon spotted the sign for mile 26.  Although I wasn't able to move too quickly at this stage, I was excited to see the finish line banner across the field, only 0.2 miles to go!  I've heard other marathoners say that the extra 0.2 miles can be the worst, but for me I think that it was helpful that I had the hope of the finish line in sight for the entire distance.  As I turned the corner, spectators were lining the road cheering me in.  I was wearing sunglasses and so no one could tell but I felt tears welling up in my eyes, realizing that I was about to become a marathoner!  The announcer called my name about 100 feet before the finish line, I raised my left hand to acknowledge the announcement, and then heard the announcer call out another name.  I knew that meant that someone else was hot on my heels!  I managed to speed up just a little bit, crossing the finish line at 5:01:58 on the clock, just a second ahead of a younger man. 

Thanks to Bonnie for taking these incredible photos! 

I heard Bonnie call my name from the right side of the finish area, as I bowed my head to accept the finisher's medal from the first volunteer.  Then a second volunteer on my left handed me the framed bib.  I smiled and told her "I will treasure this!" then continued on to accept a bottle of water from the third volunteer, and a hug from Bonnie.  My chip time was 5:01:28, just missing the five-hour mark.  But I couldn't be disappointed, I had just accomplished something that I would never have dreamed of doing a couple of years ago!  I kept walking for another couple of minutes to maintain some equilibrium.  I actually forgot to turn off my watch but the battery must have expired within a minute of finishing!  My legs were really tired, but I remembered from training runs how good it felt to stretch afterwards.   After the "big-five" stretches, I felt much better, no worse than after a long training run.  

Stretching after a run is incredibly rehabilatative!

There is a lot of good news here:

1) The Atlanta Track Club training program prepared me very well for this challenge.  Thanks Coach Amy Begley and the many run leaders who encouraged us through Saturday morning long runs and Thursday evening speed workouts!

2) The Brooks Launch shoes and Balega socks provided great protection for my feet!  After the race I was amazed to find only one very small blister on a toe, and no new damage to toenails. 

3) Body Glide liberally applied completely saved me from chafing.  Nipple guards, purchased after suffering my first bloody nipples on a 15-mile training run, protected those areas on every subsequent long run, and this weekend as well. 

4) Although the last five miles were really tough due to sore legs, I never felt like I hit the dreaded marathon "wall".  Taking a Shot Blok at every mile marker as well as a cup of water or Powerade at every aid station was the key, in addition to the two liters of liquid that I carried at the start. 
5) No significant injuries to report.  My left Achilles tendon is a little sore and so I will take good care of that over the coming weeks, to ensure that doesn't develop into a more serious injury.  That probably means no races until the Galloway Half Marathon in mid-December, and only easy and relatively short runs for the next couple of weeks.   

6) I was able to walk normally on Sunday, enjoying a two mile walk in the caverns to see Ruby Falls, and another two miles walking at a relaxed pace in Chattanooga.  

Bonnie made a fun video of some highlights (link)

October 23, 2016: The PNC Atlanta 10-Miler

The Atlanta 10-Miler is one of my favorite races of the year.  In 2014, it was the longest race that I had run to that stage, and I was so pleased with my finish of 1:31:13 that I had signed up for my first half-marathon before the end of the day.  Unfortunately in 2015, I started too quickly, wore myself out in the hills in the first four miles, and struggled through the six remaining miles to finish in 1:33:11.  But whether I've run well or not, I've thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the enthusiastic cheer groups along the route.  

Marathon training has gone well.  I've definitely grown stronger, both physically and mentally.  My first marathon is in 20 days, and I am confident that I am now ready for the challenge.  Our training group completed a 22 mile run last weekend on a very hilly route.  Although I had some anxiety about the distance in the day before the run, I finished the morning in good shape.  However I was so tired afterwards that I could drag myself out for only two runs this past week covering only 13 miles, after several weeks of 25 to 30 midweek miles between long runs on the weekends.  Perhaps my legs needed the rest.  

The temperature has finally dropped to seasonal norms: this morning the temperature was around 40 deg F when we gathered for the start of the race at Atlantic Station.  For the first time in months, I dressed in a long-sleeved running shirt (but only one layer) and running tights.  I also wore compression sleeves under the tights, which relieved some of the unpleasant sensation of "perpetually tired legs".  The Tucker Running Club (TRC) had a fairly large group of about 20 runners at today's event.  

After moderate carbo-loading on Saturday night, at Bambinelli's Northlake

We had a great group of TRC runners in this race at the 7 am photo-op.
Curt Walker (fuzzy fellow at lower left) had just settled into place as the 10-second timer expired. 

Bonnie and I arrived early to beat the traffic, parking at around 6 am, which gave me plenty of time to stretch, and then warm up with nearly three easy miles on much of the 5K route.  As the time approached 7 am, I had to make a decision to stand in a long line for porta-potties or join the TRC for the group photo.  By joining the group photo, I ended up running the race needing "to go" for the next two hours!  About half-a-dozen TRC regulars started together in wave B, including Curt and Kathie Walker, Brian Minor and Beverly Ford, Richard Wilson, and Katie  Vernon.  Curt tried to keep us relaxed while we awaited the start, by telling a succession of porta-potty horror stories, apparently all true!   We began our race about 2-1/2 minutes after wave A.   My goal was to run the race with 3:30 run / 0:30 walk intervals, and try not to start too fast, aiming for a 9 minute pace for mile 1.  

I've discovered the key to the run-walk strategy: don't run through the first walk break!  That is often difficult, because the start of the race is often crowded, and one worries about being run down by those immediately behind you if you suddenly slow to a walk, even if you are signaling with your hand up in the air.  But shortly after the first walk alert sounded, I found an opening between two parked cars to pull over for a short walk break.  That allowed for me to recalibrate my pace, before maxing out on heart rate or becoming in the least bit tired.  I was leapfrogging Curt for most of the first few miles, doing my run-walk intervals while Curt was running straight ahead.  Near the two mile mark, I saw Brian Minor bolt out of a porta-potty and resume the race.  He was moving quickly!  (Brian finished in 1:21:33, even with the short break.)

At the five-mile mark, we crossed a timing mat, 43:45 on my watch (also confirmed in official result).  I was in good enough shape to do arithmetic in my head, 8:45 min / mile average, with miles 1 through 5 completed at 8:41, 8:45, 8:45, 8:58, and 9:05, and the prospect of a 1:27:30 finish if I could hold onto that pace.  Unfortunately I was beginning to tire a bit, which showed with the gradual decrease in pace, although I definitely felt better than last year at this stage of the race.  The key was concentration, remembering the benefits of a quick turnover (three steps per second), and pumping with the arms while running uphill.  That carried me along Northside Drive and Peachtree Battle Avenue, continuing with the run-walk strategy through miles 6 and 7 at 9:07 and 8:48.  

As we neared the intersection of Peachtree Battle with Peachtree Road, I took one more short walk break, then turned the corner to begin the "Conquer Cardiac Hill" challenge.  I had practiced a couple of Cardiac Hill repeats with the Atlanta Track Club one morning earlier this month, but now this was for real.  I had no illusions that I would finish in the top-100 (and win a special coffee mug!) but I had decided ahead of time that I would test myself to see what I could manage.  And with Curt Walker 100 feet ahead of me as my "rabbit", I began pushing uphill.  The cheers of the fans helped to propel me for the first half-mile, and when I felt that I could not go on at this pace, I remembered the "humiliation" of 2015 when Curt and Kathie Walker passed me on their way up Cardiac Hill.  Not this year!  Although Curt looked strong, I could sense that I was closing on him ever so gradually.  Skipping walk breaks, I drew closer and closer, then as we neared the top, gave a great surge forward and caught up to him!  He may have been surprised to see me, but as we approached the timing mat, he sped up slightly and crossed the timing mat a few steps ahead of me.  But no worries, my chip time up Cardiac Hill today would definitely be faster! 

The only problem was, now I was exhausted!  I had ignored the continuous beeping of my heart rate monitor for most of the last mile, so I took a walk break as soon as I passed the timing strip.  Curt moved well ahead of me, and while I didn't lose sight of him in the straight sections, I began to accept that I wouldn't catch up with him again today. But as I passed the mile 8 marker at 1:11 elapsed (8:54 for mile 8), I realized that I would break my goal of 1:30 if I could maintain a 9:30 pace for the remainder of the race.  In fact I was a little faster than that for mile 9 (9:02).  

I wasn't imagining that I heard other runners hot on my heels!

I was passed by the fellow to my right coming into the finish.
But I'm not complaining after setting a new PR!  

Now for my favorite part of the race, climbing the final hill to overlook downtown Atlanta, as we turned onto 17th Street. Several people passed me in this section, but somehow I found the energy to keep moving at a decent pace.  I took a couple of short walk breaks in the final mile, but was able to accelerate each time when I resumed running. I looked at my watch at the 9.49 mile mark, at 1:24:30, and was thrilled to realize that I could jog in at 11 min / mile pace and still finish in 1:30. But I decided to run as fast as I could for that last half mile. Running past the majestic Millennium Gate and then turning the corner at State Street, the sidewalks were lined with people cheering us into the finish.  There was a fairly large gap between me and the people in front of me, but I could hear the footsteps and breathing of more runners just behind me, so I kept racing for my life! Turning right to the finish line, I could see 1:30 on the clock! People were cheering as I approached the finish line with a cluster of runners right behind or beside me. I think I heard Brian cheer for me from the left side of the walk (and his girlfriend Beverly photographed me from that side).  I crossed the finish line just as the clock ticked over to 1:31 - and knowing that I had begun the race 2 or 3 minutes after the "gun" start for the first wave, allowed myself a huge fist pump of personal victory after crossing the finish line!  

Official time 1:28:40!  Once again, the marathon training has given me some additional speed and quite a bit of strength, demonstrated in a shorter distance!  I was tired but felt good as my pulse quickly dropped and my breathing began to return to normal.  And 10 minutes of stretching really helped with recovery.  What a fantastic race, what a great day!

Here are my stats for today and comparisons vs. 2015 and 2014:

Overall time 1:28:40 (2016), vs. 1:33:11 (2015) and 1:31:13 (2014)
Splits for first 5 and last 5 miles: 43:45 and 44:55 (2016), vs. 44:52 and 48:19 (2015) and 44:14 and 47:00 (2014)
Conquer Cardiac Hill 8:08 (2016), vs. 9:20 (2015) and 9:22 (2014)
Relative finish for 2016: 870 / 4212 finishers, 643 / 1954 males, 279 / 1111 male masters, 68 / 243 age group, and 112 / 528 male grandmasters.  
Relative Conquer Cardiac Hill for 2016: 578 / 4105 entries, 44 / 238 age group. 

October 2, 2016: The BuHi Half Marathon

Although I've avoided signing up for most races in the middle of marathon training, a new half-marathon, the "Buford Hwy Int'l Half-Marathon" was postponed several months from May to the first Sunday in October, to avoid a conflict with an airshow at nearby DeKalb-Peachtree airport.  It turns out that probably worked out well in terms of weather, now that we're beginning to enjoy cooler mornings after one of the warmest summers ever.  Nonetheless I was concerned about interrupting a disciplined marathon training program with a race that wasn't in the plan, but then one of the bloggers that I regularly follow, Jesica at runladylike, posted an entry on running a tune-up half-marathon about a month and a half out from race day - my marathon is in six weeks.  She suggested that it would be helpful to run at marathon pace on tired legs - to simulate what it might feel like for the second-half of the marathon; or to run the half marathon as a fitness test, very gradually increasing pace with the passing miles, and if all was well at mile 9, work for a fast finish.  In training, I've returned to the run-walk strategy, which led to my half-marathon PR last December, and decided to try the 3:30 run / 0:30 walk intervals that I'm planning to follow in the marathon.  I also ran 10 miles yesterday at an easy 11 min / mile pace, so there was no real taper going into today's race, although I didn't do the 20 miles that other marathon training participants did yesterday, I guess I will try to get twenty miles next Saturday.  

The BuHi Half Marathon celebrates the diversity of cultures represented along Buford Highway, Georgia State Route 13 (for today, GA 13.1).  Buford Highway begins at the northeast edge of Atlanta at Lenox Road, and passes through the heart of the northeast suburbs of Atlanta, beginning with Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, Norcross, Duluth, Suwanee, and Buford, a small town at the south end of Lake Lanier.  Unlike many other "ethnic" areas, Buford Highway is an interesting mix of many cultures.  You will see Supercarniceria and Halal shops amidst a variety of restaurants ranging from Mexican and Colombian to Korean and Malaysian, with a Waffle House doing brisk business in the middle of it all.  There are ongoing problems with speedy automobile traffic vs. pedestrians in a corridor with discontinuous sidewalks.  When I tried to do a warmup run early this morning, I experienced what many living in the corridor must navigate every day.  But I hope that it's clear that Buford Highway is one of the most interesting parts of metro Atlanta, and popular with Atlantans of all races and national origins. 

Bonnie Youn, Carolyn Weber, Roberto Chalon, Myriam Fentanes, Layne Preau, and me
after a delicious and filling meal at Dominick's in downtown Norcross

The night before the race, several of us in Tucker Running Club (TRC) got together for some modest carbo-loading, at Dominick's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Norcross, just a couple of blocks from Buford Highway.  I had not really carbo-loaded before a race, but in a nutrition seminar as part of the marathon training, the nutritionist advised that it was OK as long as one didn't overdo it.  I enjoyed a garlic chicken dish with a side dish of pasta marinara - even though it was only a half-order, it was quite a generous serving, and I took half of the chicken home for lunch today. 

To encourage the broadest possible participation, there were four events today: the half-marathon, followed by 10K and 5K starts, and a 2-mile stroll.  Bonnie and several other TRC runners were doing the 10K, with Layne Preau and Myriam Fentanes among the carbo-loaders who joined me for the half-marathon.  I also met up with Carl Line, another mid 50-something runner with whom I've done several Thursday evening group runs out of Big Peach Decatur.  Carl is an experienced marathon runner and has run several sub-2 hour half marathons. 

I ran about 1-1/2 miles to warmup at an easy pace, then met up with friends and we found our way to the start in front of Plaza Fiesta, a shopping mall in Chamblee catering primarily but not exclusively to Latino culture - there is also a Planet Fitness and Ross Department Store.  The start was delayed almost 15 minutes after the scheduled 7 am start, but it was probably helpful to wait until there was a little dawn light before we began.  The temperature was quite pleasant, around 55 deg F at the start, and I was optimistic that I was going to have a good run.  It looked like there were a few hundred participants, spread out across three lanes of the road.  There did not appear to be a timing strip at the start line, but I was only about 10 seconds behind the starting line.  We received a few short announcements about staying within the coned lanes - in the middle of the Highway - and then it was time to start.  With a short blast of an airhorn, we were off! 

Plaza Fiesta, el rinconcito de nuestro pueblo

Buford Highway is fairly hilly, so I've been concerned that the hills may be a challenge.  In the marathon training course, the person mapping our routes gets a lot of good-natured teasing about finding all of the biggest hills in Atlanta - but we all know that the hill running makes us stronger.  I started out a little too quickly (low 8 minute / mile pace) and forced myself to slow down a bit.  The good thing about run-walk - when executed from the beginning - was that I could recalibrate after the first running interval, and get back on track with a sustainable pace well before any tiredness had set in.  I was fairly disciplined with walk breaks, except if I saw a water station ahead I would wait until I reached the water station, and then walk through while drinking.  

video of the start, taken by Bonnie

The first miles passed from Chamblee into Brookhaven heading toward Atlanta.  This section was net 125 feet downhill, although the route was actually rolling, so there were some short uphill sections as well.  After the 2-mile mark, I could see the towers of midtown Atlanta rising ahead in the pre-dawn twilight.  About 2-1/2 miles in, we reached the first turn-around point.  We could judge our progress seeing the runners ahead and behind us.  Carl was about 1 minute ahead of me so I felt fairly good that I was not too far behind his pace.  Best of all, I was running a steady 9-minute / mile pace and feeling very comfortable doing so.  

As we headed back to the northeast on Buford Highway, now we had to climb the 125 feet to get back to Plaza Fiesta.  Now the run-walk strategy was really paying off - I was strong going up the hills, and just as I started to feel the first bit of tiredness, my watch would sound, I transitioned to a comfortable walk for 30 seconds, and then got back up to speed, catching up with the people who had passed me during my walk break. Before long we were back at Plaza Fiesta, having covered the first five miles in just over 45 minutes.  As I approached the water stop, I recognized Aparna Bhattacharyya, the executive director of Raksha, a local organization providing resources for the protection of battered women.  Bonnie and Aparna are good friends, and we registered in support of Raksha.  She was cheering me as I approached the water station, where I took a short walk break to drink, and then got back up to speed. 

Aparna Bhattacharyya (center) and the volunteers from Raksha - thanks!!

At this point my legs were feeling really good, and I felt that I could maintain the current pace for many miles, as long as I continued with run-walk.  We passed many favorite and/or memorable restaurants along the way: Bismillah Bangladeshi restaurant, a tiny little cafe next to a larger market; Los Rayos taqueria, which offers the very best guacamole ever; and then the restaurants of Asian Square, including Barbecue Corner II (Chinese) on one corner and Sweet Hut on the other.  Around nine miles in, we reached a section where we ran two loops on the Doraville section.  The lead runner was finishing his second loop just as I approached the first loop, so he was about three miles ahead of me, and had a very long lead on the second place runner.  At the north end, I saw Carl make the turn, we waved as we passed, and I made note of the spot where we passed, so I could see if I was gaining, maintaining, or losing ground when I came back in a couple of miles.  Indeed on the way back, I saw that I was getting closer. 

In the last mile of the loop, I caught up with Carl.  I think he was a little surprised to see me!  We chatted for a couple of minutes, I remember mentioning that my race was going very well and I had set a 10-mile PR "back there", just over 1:30, and that I would have a half-marathon PR as long as I didn't "bonk" in the last miles.  I had never felt this strong 10 miles into a race in the past, and I started to speed up a bit, getting ahead of Carl.  After I came out of the second loop, and well past the 11 mile signal on my watch, there was a sign for mile 10.  I said out loud, "That can't be right!"  As I caught up with some early finishers that were cooling down, I approached a mile 11 marker, and I asked them if the signage was correct.  They assured me that it was not, and that I didn't have far to go to the finish, which was consistent with my watch, indicating that I was well past the 12-mile mark.  Although we were going uphill on the approach to Dresden Drive, I maintained a 9 min / mile pace, and felt like I had a little energy in reserve.  Turning onto Dresden Drive required cutting across a lane of traffic, guided by two police giving us clear instructions and trying to keep the drivers from cutting us off.  Once I was on Dresden, I sped up a bit, passing a couple of other runners.  As we turned into the back lot of Plaza Fiesta, I took a look at my watch and saw that we were not yet at 13 miles.  Apparently this route was going to be short.  

Best guacamole ever.  And open until 4 or 5 am on weekends!

As I approached the finish line, Carolyn Weber was cheering on the sidelines (temporarily out of running due to a broken bone in the foot) as I passed another runner in the final steps.  I saw 1:56 on the clock as I crossed the line, a personal record on paper, but saw 12.85 miles on my watch.  I wanted to see what my time would be if I ran the full 13.1.  As soon as I could get past the volunteers at the finish chute, I began running again at a slower pace, doing a cooldown jog through the parking lot, stopping the watch only after 13.15 miles came up for the distance, 1:58:40.  Still a PR pace. 

Despite some disappointment with the race organizers for a short route (confirmed upon chatting with some other finishers), I was very happy with my performance.  I managed my overall goal of a negative split and maintained average pace of 9:02 min / mile, with a fairly narrow range of fastest mile at 8:32 (mile 11) to slowest at 9:17 (mile 8), that one being 87 feet uphill.  Best of all, my heart rate never exceeded 170 bpm, touching 170 bpm near the finish line when I was running fairly fast.  I didn't really expect to break 2 hours today given that I was running on tired legs, but they didn't feel tired while I was running, and I wasn't out of breath when I finished the race.  I don't know how much of this was due to lower temperature vs. improved conditioning, but not only was this my best time, this was also the best that I've felt upon completing 13.1 miles.  Certainly today's race is a great confidence-builder in preparing for my first marathon in mid-November. 

Splits (elevation gain / loss) [total elapsed]

Mile 1, 9:00 (-30)

Mile 2, 9:02 (-13)   [18:02]

Mile 3, 8:50 (-58)   [26:52]

Mile 4, 9:10 (+53)   [36:02]

Mile 5, 9:10 (+80)   [45:12]

Mile 6, 8:47 (-61)   [53:59]

Mile 7, 9:15 (+38)   [1:03:14]

Mile 8: 9:17 (+81)   [1:12:31]

Mile 9: 8:58 (-48)   [1:21:29]

Mile 10: 8:57 (+15)   [1:30:26]

Mile 11: 8:32 (-32)   [1:38:58]

Mile 12: 8:55 (-73)   [1:47:52]

Mile 13: 9:08 (+72)   [1:57:01]

13.15, 1:58:40

Postscript, October 3: official time 1:56:08, 59th out of 202 finishers, 8th out of 21 in the male 50 - 59 age group