April 1, 2017: Topgolf 5K

After 6 minutes and 59 seconds of overexertion in last week's Morningside Mile race, my legs were really tired.  I ran with Tucker Running Club on the track on Tuesday evening, and despite stretching before, during, and after the run, I never felt good, and was glad to leave the track even though I had not even finished 3 miles.  Things went better on a Wednesday evening 5-mile run, and finally I felt that I had recovered by Thursday evening on a 4-mile run out of Big Peach Running Company - Decatur.  On that run, I tried out a pair of Saucony Everun shoes.  They were a bit more expensive than I would normally buy, but I happened to have a coupon for a 15% discount, and decided to make the investment.

This color of shoe has to make me at least a minute per mile faster, right? 

A few days after the marathon, when I had established that my feet were still attached, I registered for the Topgolf 5K, a race sponsored by Run Social, which has developed out of runningnerds, with a broader vision to blend races with social events - although runningnerds seemed to have that as well.  The starting and finishing point for today's race was at Topgolf Atlanta, on the westside of midtown Atlanta.  I went to a runningnerds kickoff party at Topgolf about one year ago, and was really impressed with the place.  To say that it's a high-end driving range is an understatement: it's a restaurant and bar with a covered, heated driving range and game room, and seems to have become quite popular.  Sadly, I'm a much better runner than a golfer, but the post-race treat was two hours on the driving range!  

Brian Minor and I went for a 2-mile warmup run, exploring the first mile or so of the course, and then heading back to the start.  Unfortunately I felt a tiny bit of weakness on the way back - it felt like a momentary case of low blood sugar - even though I had breakfast - or was it pre-race nerves?  I've claimed not to get nervous about my recreation, but I did realize that nearly one year ago, I had set my 5K personal record at 23:52, and was wondering if I would have a chance to better that record today.  Fortunately the weak feeling was quickly remedied with a Clif Energy Bar and a small bottle of Powerade, from a gas station store one block from Topgolf.  

A circular bib - unique! 

Lining up for the start, I resolved to begin in the middle of the pack, so that I would run the first mile at a pace that I could maintain.  In the first quarter-mile, I was running at about an 8-minute / mile pace, passing several dozen people in the beginning, but then settled into a good groove for the rest of the first mile, in 7:33.  Normally I would think that 30 seconds under 8:00 was too fast for my 5K start, but today I felt that the first mile was pretty easy. Perhaps it was the 30 feet net drop in elevation, or maybe it was 52 deg F temperature at the start, a little chilly when standing around outside, but perfect running conditions. 

The race is run between the Hills Park and Underwood Hills neighborhoods.
I wonder if it will be a hilly course?  Read on...

I knew from driving the course last week that the second mile would be challenging.  It was a gentle but long hill as we ran south on Marietta Boulevard.  I had never run in this part of town before, but realized that it was part of the Westside 10-mile race, for which I had volunteered in December, the day before the Galloway half-marathon.  This is a fairly gritty, industrial part of Atlanta (see all the railroad tracks near the race route on the map) and the road wasn't in the best shape due to heavy truck traffic, but the larger potholes were painted orange, or were marked with a cone.   I slowed down momentarily to take a cup of water around the 1.8 mile mark, and that tiniest of breaks may have helped more than slowed me down.  I just kept doggedly pushing up the hill, past the 2 mile marker (7:59, 15:32 elapsed).  Near the intersection of Marietta with Huff Road, a couple of runners passed me, but they didn't gain more than about 20 feet on me.  Finally, turning the corner of Marietta and Huff (where I had served as a course marshall in the Westside 10), I could see the top of the hill.  

Pace (blue) vs. elevation (green) vs. heart rate (gray)

Pushing over the crest, then making another left turn onto Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, I was rewarded with the sight of a relatively steep downhill, a bit steeper than what we had just climbed!  I had earned every foot of that elevation running up Marietta Boulevard, and I had paced myself just right to this stage of the race, so I picked up some significant speed with the gravity assist.  I rocketed past the two runners that had passed me a couple of minutes earlier.   I remembered to just relax my body and let my legs propel me down the hill.  This stage of the race was really fun, and the downhill lasted for a good half-mile.  Before long I could see the top of the nets protecting the driving range at Topgolf!  It's always exciting to see the finish line in a race!  I kept pushing my way forward as fast as I could manage.  Occasionally I could hear footsteps behind me, and each time I fortunately found the motivation to kick a little harder, resolving not to be passed, at least not easily passed.  I was amazed to see my watch at only 20 minutes when the nets came into sight: I was definitely going to set a new personal record on this course!  

Topgolf nets in the distance (photo taken ca. 15 minutes after I had finished).
Objects are further away than they appear! 

The nets at Topgolf were so high that my progress seemed to take far too long!  But I felt strong enough to keep pushing, forward, go GO GO!  Finally I saw the number "3" on the course, and then made a hard left turn into the Topgolf parking lot.  The finish line was a little further than I had hoped, but the runners who had already completed their races were encouraging us to finish strong!  
 

A minute or so before reaching the finish line.  Look at the hill that I just raced down!

 

 

I sensed that someone was just behind me, and managed one last burst of speed to stay out in front of my competitor.  23:15 on my watch, smashing the PR set last April in the Atlanta Hawks Fast Break 5K!  I walked for a few minutes, letting myself cool down, and then checked my watch more carefully: 3.03 miles!  Arghh, the course was short.  After a few minutes in the parking lot, I realized then that the organizer probably could not extend the race route any further into the parking lot.  In all fairness, she had not advertised it as a Peachtree Road Race qualifier.  So even though it wasn't quite a full 5K, today's race pace of 7:40 was identical to my race pace in my official PR.  I was very satisfied to learn that I had not lost any ground since last year!  

The Topgolf range: the yellow flag marks a target ring about 100 yards away, and the back fence is probably 250 yards away. 

After cheering Bonnie into her finish, we enjoyed some time on the driving range, also enjoyed a light brunch and coffee while we played.  The food was average (and they confused my order, bringing me my second choice of bacon-and-egg flatbread instead of what I had ordered, buffalo chicken flatbread) but it was fine.  Bonnie and I played a round on the driving range with John Wallace.  I even managed a few fairly long drives, although a bit of a slice meant that I never quite hit the furthest target, instead landing near the right fence, but it was a fun morning all around!  

Official result, 23:18.9 clock time, no bib time reported; 4th of 10 men in age group 50 - 59; 39th out of 217 runners overall.