Over the past year, I've run fairly regularly on Thursday evenings with a group out of the Big Peach Running Company in downtown Decatur. Most of the participants are MUCH faster than me, but it's a good workout for me to try to keep up, and I think that it's making me a better runner. A couple of weeks ago, a few of us formed a team to get a discounted rate to the Possum Trot, a 10K race along the Chattahoochee in north metro Atlanta. I was not completely sure if I would be in shape to run a race 6 days after completing the Hotlanta Half Marathon. Although I was game to join the group, I suggested our team name might be Hotlanta Roadkill, or Decatur Roadkill. After some discussion we agreed on the team name "Fried Roadkill." After I realized that the race was a fundraiser for the Chattahoochee Nature Center, which cares for injured birds of prey (eagles, owls, hawks), I felt that the Roadkill name wasn't really appropriate, but it was already done.
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| A lake at the Chattahoochee Nature Center |
The organizers advised the runners to arrive by 6 am (an hour in advance of the 7 am start). I had to leave the house before 5:30 am, and pulled into the parking lot at 6:00 am on the dot. The lot was nearly full! But the parking volunteers were very organized and guided me to one of the last parking places. Carl, having the longest drive, had arrived shortly after 5 am. Jennifer's friend dropped her off at the Nature Center, but Chester had to run in from the remote parking site and made it just a minute or two before we started the race.
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| About 10 minutes before the start, on Willeo Road |
After picking up the bib at the Nature Center, it was about 1/2 mile to the start, on Willeo Road. I went back to the car to pick up sunglasses, apply some sunscreen, and thoroughly stretch. Most people were walking, but I chose to warm up by running at an easy pace. I was pretty sore with the first steps, but I made my way down the road and the blood circulated into my muscles, the soreness dissipated. After walking past the starting line, I continued running a bit further to the end of the route, where a police car was blocking the road to protect the route from traffic. That was where we would make the second U-turn to head back to the finish line. There was a noticeable hill in that sector, approximately 30 feet high and then back downhill to the U-turn, and I actually triggered the heart rate warning (170 bpm) on the way back. At least I knew in advance that one hill would be coming near the end of the race. And my heart rate rapidly dropped as soon as I stopped running.
I was at the start area around 15 minutes ahead of time, and met up with Steve Freedman, who had been in the marathon training program last fall, and we had run the Chickamauga Marathon last November. Then Carl joined us, followed by Jennifer. Finally, as pre-race announcements were concluding, Chester made it, just as we started to walk closer to the start. I was hoping to use Carl as a pacer, although I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep up with him! Shortly after 7:00 am, the starter gun sounded! I got a bit ahead of our team and crossed the starting line about 20 seconds after the gun start.
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| Carl, Jennifer, and me, about 5 minutes before the start |
My goal for this race was to run another negative split. I decided that meant that I would run the first mile in 8:30 or so, and then try to speed up a bit in the subsequent miles, trying to run the last couple of miles at sub 8:00 min/mile pace. In my PR race in April, I ran the first mile in 7:20 and the second in 7:45, before slowing to run the remaining miles at about an 8:25 min / mile pace. Today I managed a more disciplined start, running the first mile in 8:26, as we turned onto Azalea Drive. I had actually crossed the starting line ahead of Carl and the other teammates, but before we finished the first mile, Carl had caught up and passed me, although I was able to keep him in sight. The route was really beautiful, with the Chattahoochee River on our right and lush foliage on the left, with the occasional home along the drive. On Azalea Drive, I sped up a bit to cover the second mile in 8:07, even walking through the first water stop shortly before the 2-mile marker. Around that time, I caught up to a fairly tall man who was running about the same pace, and decided to experiment with drafting, having watched the 2 hour marathon attempt last month. I tried to be subtle about it so that he wouldn't notice, but I was running just 6 feet behind him, careful not to get any closer so that I wouldn't trip him up. It seemed to work, and I felt that I wasn't really having to work with someone else breaking the wind resistance.
After a couple of minutes of drafting, I heard Carl cheer - he was about 15 - 20 feet ahead of me, running near the middle of the road, whereas I was in the middle of the lane - and saw a group of three runners sharing the lead, coming in the other direction. I moved from behind the other runner - no longer drafting - and said "They must be about 3-1/2 miles in!" Turns out they were only at the 3 mile mark, but still running at a 6 min / mile pace, I estimated. Before long, we were approaching the first U-turn of the race, before the intersection with Roswell Road. I was running even with a woman on the inside, and sped up a bit to get a few steps ahead so that we wouldn't make the turn at the same time, but decided that it would be better for me to take the turn a few steps wide to avoid any blocking or collision. My heart rate monitor sounded for the first time in the race as I made the turn, but then went silent again as I settled back into an 8 min / mile pace. Shortly after making the U-turn, I nearly stepped on a fried roadkill pancake, but fortunately managed to side step. Anyway, it didn't take long to pass the 3-mile marker, 24:38 elapsed, 8:05 minutes for mile 3.
I was delighted to have stayed with my plan to this stage, and decided to see if I could speed up a bit more. In fact I ran most of the fourth mile just under 8 min / mile pace, but took another water break before the mile 4 marker, finishing in 8:11, just under 33 minutes elapsed. As my PR for a four-mile race is 33:30, I was really happy with that. Turning back onto Willeo Road, I tried to close the small gap on Carl, but he was also running strongly and I didn't manage to catch up. Nonetheless I was maintaining the same pace as in mile 4. There was a water station as we approached the finish line shortly before the mile 5 marker, and it was amazing to see quite a few speedsters in this race finishing in 40 minutes.
Even with the walk break through the water station, I finished mile 5 in 8:08 and with 41 minutes elapsed. I was on pace for a 51 minute finish, but now I was starting to tire. My heart rate alert had been sounding for most of the last mile and I was "running hot", despite wearing the lightest possible singlet and no cap. If the route had remained level, I probably would have been able to hold on with another low 8 minute pace, but there was the challenge of the hill. Despite being ready for it, "it's just a 30 foot hill," I really slowed down. I thought about taking a walk break - a woman up ahead was doing so - and one of the spectators standing near the top shouted "Walking isn't allowed! Walking isn't allowed!" so I couldn't exactly take a walk break in front of that dude. Over the hill, I regained some speed, heading down to the second U-turn. Carl made the turn, and as we passed, I started counting seconds until I reached the turn, about 10 seconds, meaning that I was 20 seconds behind Carl. That's a gap that I might have closed, except that Carl was not flagging, and I had to run back up that hill. Jennifer was coming in the other direction, not too far behind, and she called out "You can't let Carl beat you!" All I could do was shrug my shoulders, as I was struggling. A few runners passed me on the hill, but I reminded myself that my goal was not to beat them up the hill, or to catch up to Carl, it was simply to have a strong finish and have an even or slightly negative split. Once we made it over the hill, I was able to extend my legs a bit and speed up on the downhill section.
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| The elevation line (green) looks like the course was small rolling hills, but in fact the only hill that I remember was the one noted with the arrows. You can see by the blue line that I took a short walk break right before the 2-mile mark, a longer break before the 4-mile mark, another long break before the 5-mile mark, and then really slowed down uphill stretches near the end of the race. |
The road leveled out, and I slowed a bit without the gravity assist. Now I was starting to hurt with the prolonged exertion, but my watch read 5.73 miles. I could hold on for half a mile, couldn't I? I stopped following my pace and simply tracked distance for the rest of the way, watch read 5.85 miles, then I missed the 6 mile alert (but it was 8:28, 49:25 elapsed), I passed the mile 6 sign, my watch read 6.1 miles, where was the finish?! I could hear footsteps behind me and would then be passed, and it happened again, and once more at least. I didn't pass anyone at all, and was nearly out of gas, but still gamely working hard. Then the road made a curve to the right and I could see the finish chute far ahead. I could hear the announcer encouraging us as we drew closer: "That's the way to finish!" I thought he was speaking to me but then a young woman jetted past me on the right. As I entered the chute, the clock was still on 51 minutes, I crossed the timing mat, stopped my watch, 51:27, official chip time 51:23! That was my third fastest time (26 10K races to date), and just 17 seconds behind Carl. But sweat was pouring off of me, my clothes were completely soaked! After a couple of cups of water, I started to recover. I went back onto the road to walk a bit and to cheer in Jennifer and Chester, and we were able to get a team photo with the Possum mascot.
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| Team Fried Roadkill: Chester, Carl, Possum, me, Jennifer |
According to Garmin, I ran the final 0.29 miles in 2:02, a 7:06 min / mile pace, so I was happy to have sped up at the end, even though it didn't feel like I was running that fast. With 24:38 for the first three miles and 24:47 for miles 4 - 6, I ran a pretty even pace throughout. I don't know exactly where the 5K point was, but it appears that I ran to 3.14 miles in about 25:45, and given that I sped up in the final stretch, I ran about the same time for the last 3.15 miles, so I met the goal of running the race with an even split.
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| After the race I saw Daniel Yee, a k a Kurokitty of The Running Cat blog |
This is definitely a race that I will run again. It was well-organized (at least for those of us arriving earlier) with plenty of volunteers and a nicely protected route. It is one of the flattest race routes in Atlanta, and despite the temperature I was able to run quite fast and consistently.
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| Two owls at the Chattahoochee Nature Center. All of their captive birds are rescue birds, and have suffered permanent injuries that make it impossible for them to survive for long in the wild. |
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