August 26, 2017: Run the ATL 20K Relay

Earlier this year, several members of the Tucker Running Club ran the Mercedes Marathon Relay in Birmingham, Alabama.  They had such a great time, and when the opportunity to run the 20K relay here in Atlanta arose, we agreed that I would join three of the Mercedes veterans this August.  Brian Minor and Beverly Ford had run their first relay last year, each taking a 10K leg, and their finish line photo has featured in the promotions for this year's race.  

Brian and Beverly's finish in August 2016.  "There's no 'I' in TEAM"

The race is organized by Run Social Atlanta director Tes Sobomehin Marshall.  Run Social has arisen this year from the earlier runningnerds group.  Run the ATL has been one of Tes' signature events, possibly even her first, and 2017 is the sixth year of the race.  The route has been in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood, between downtown Atlanta and the Spelman College campus.  It has varied slightly from year to year due to road construction downtown, especially with the construction of the new Mercedes-Benz stadium.  In fact today's race happens to coincide with the opening event at Mercedes-Benz stadium, a preseason home game for the Atlanta Falcons NFL team, last season's National Football Conference champion.  We have tickets for the first Atlanta United game at Mercedes-Benz in a couple of weeks.  

A few of us discussed the relay during a group run earlier this year, and agreed to form a four-person team for the 20K relay, each person running a 5K lap.  After spending less than two minutes consulting Coach Google about the recommended order of runners in relay races, I set up our team with Myriam Fentanes going first, me second, Beverly third, and Brian running the anchor leg.  The order seemed to make sense based on our recent finishing times, especially in the Decatur-DeKalb 4 miler last month.  

We arrived in plenty of time to warm up and check out the relay transfer zone.  I didn't know exactly what to expect, being the only one in the group who had not run a relay, but the timing chip had a clip which we could pin to our clothes, and hand off to the next person.  As we warmed up for the race, I was a little nervous about my performance.   I do get anxious about many things, but normally I'm not anxious about my recreation.  

There is no "I" in TEAM.  

But, there is an "I" in TIME!  

And "I" certainly didn't want to let down the TEAM,

 with a slower-than-usual TIME!  

Fortunately I was feeling good this morning.  I arrived hoping to run my leg in less than 25 minutes.  In the past few days, the temperatures have dropped just a few degrees, but it was pleasant and partly cloudy as we gathered for the start.  

A few seconds before the start...

And they're off! 

The race began with the Mercedes-Benz stadium in the background.  There were 130 relay teams in this morning's race, as well as quite a few individuals running the entire 20K (four loops) and 10K (two loops, USATF certified).  The race began precisely at sunrise, 7:07 am.  Teammate Myriam had lined up about 25 feet behind the starting line (chip start), and as she passed me standing on the sidewalk, about 50 feet beyond the starting line, I could see her already working her way past a few other runners.  So she was off to a great start! 

Myriam is on the far left of the photo, wearing the yellow singlet. 

I had planned to move back-and-forth between the southwest and northeast parts of the route, but the first two streets that I tried were closed.  I decided just to focus on warming up near the relay transfer zone, as I certainly didn't want to miss my turn!   The first relay runner reached the transfer zone about 18 minutes into the race - and with the starting line located about 200 meters before the transfer zone, the first leg measured at about 3.22 miles.  I was hoping to see Teammate Myriam between 24 and 25 minutes, and she didn't disappoint, appearing at the top of the hill at 24 minutes elapsed.  

This man led the first leg of the relay. 

I stepped into the crowded area next to the relay transfer zone.  Volunteers were trying to keep spectators and other runners from crowding the transfer zone.  I lost sight of Myriam for a few seconds, then peered forward to see her flying down the road toward the transfer zone entrance.  I started my watch, knowing that it probably wouldn't record much elapsed time until I began moving.  Then I stepped into the zone with perfect timing, if I may say so myself.  Teammate Myriam handed me the timing chip as I began running, and I barked out "Great job" as I took off at an adrenaline-fueled pace.  Teammates Brian and Beverly were standing at the first street corner cheering me on, as I found a secure place to clip on the timing chip.  In the first half-mile, I was running at top speed, passing a few of the 20K runners.  I began to realize that was probably a mistake, as most of them were undoubtably pacing themselves to an "easy" 24 minute lap, whereas that would be my "personal record" pace. I took a quick look at my watch and saw that I was running just under a 7 minute / mile pace.  I knew that I couldn't sustain that for three miles, and decided that I had better dial my speed back a bit.  

Hmm, it looks like my body had dialed back my speed well before
1/2 mile into the race, when my brain kicked in.
Water station at 2.2 miles allowed a short but badly needed walk break. 

As I made the turn toward the Spelman College campus, I heard the familiar voice of #1 cheerleader Cristal Stoutzenberger, who was serving as a bike marshall on an ElliptiGo bike.  I gave her a thumbs-up but kept running vigorously.  As I heard the 1-mile alert (7:13 elapsed) I also heard encouragement from Jennifer Butz, which whom I have occasionally run on Thursday evenings at Big Peach Decatur.  Closing the loop, we ran for about a quarter-mile in the opposite direction, facing quite a few runners on their second lap - and behind me!  After the split, my mouth began to feel a little parched.  I had begun the race well-hydrated, but heavy breathing for the past 10 minutes was taking its toll.  I was just hoping that there would be a water station somewhere ahead, as had been advertised.  Then I saw Teammates Brian and Beverly; they had found the route across to the other side of the race route.  I tried to speed up just a bit - I didn't want to let down the TEAM as I passed them - and Brian yelled "Go Frank!  THERE'S NO ONE BEHIND YOU!"  I'm sure that Brian meant to be 110% encouraging, but what I understood was "EVERYONE IS AHEAD OF YOU!  DON'T LET DOWN THE TEAM!"  With that, I began focusing on the runner ahead of me, a woman with a knotted ponytail.  I visualized an image shared by Olympian Jeff Galloway (not my idea!): I threw a giant rubber band ahead of me, pulling myself closer to the nearest runner in front of me.  Unfortunately, my imaginary rubber band had too much slack to pull me any closer.  I badly wanted to glance behind me to see if I could spot anyone at all, but I knew that would unnecessarily slow me down, so I just kept facing ahead, thinking "Don't let down the TEAM, don't let down the TEAM!"  

I reached the 2-mile mark shortly before reaching the Russell Federal Building (7:52, 15:05 elapsed).  Wow, the only other time that I had run two miles that quickly, I had set my 5K personal record (April 2016), in a race run largely in the same part of town.  Finally there was the water stop, just past Martin Luther King Drive.  I took a cup of water and a short walk break, perhaps 15 seconds.  It was a welcome break for my heart - and I knew that the last mile would be slightly uphill, as we crossed a couple of overpasses.  At the water stop, another runner caught up to me, and I resumed running, just a few feet behind him.  The intersections were well protected by Atlanta police, but a driver turned in front of us into a parking lot, making both of us slow down slightly.  I shouted "Hey!" but with no extra breath available, I got back up to speed, my newest competitor running a little faster than me for the next few blocks.  

Up ahead I could see Marietta Street, where we would make a left turn.  I stayed to the right of the lane, so that I could make the turn without slowing down, and in fact managed to close a little distance on the man in front of me.  One short block later, another identical left turn maneuver onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive put me not only closer to the man but also not far behind the woman with the knotted pony tail.  But now we were heading to an overpass crossing the MARTA tracks, as we passed the CNN Center and Philips Arena.  At this point, my pace had slowed to about 8:15 min / mile since the 2-mile alert, and I was losing some ground on the other two runners.  But as I reached the top of the overpass, the Mercedes-Benz stadium ahead of me, I knew that I didn't have much further to go, and was determined to finish strongly, hoping to record another sub-8 minute mile, for the TEAM!  I could see the man ahead passing the woman with the knotted ponytail.  Although I didn't regain the ground that I had lost a moment earlier, I didn't fall any further behind the woman.  

Passing the Mercedes-Benz stadium, I saw lots of color in front of me, with hundreds of runners wearing brightly colored team uniforms, and could hear lots of cheering.  That inspired me to push a little harder.  The relay transfer zone was coming up soon, so I unclipped the timing chip and held it in my left hand, as I ran as fast as I could manage.  A volunteer reminded us that the transfer zone was on the left side of the lane.  The woman with the knotted ponytail was ahead and on the right side of the lane - so she was running the 20K individual race.  Anyway, the cheering was deafening as I neared the transfer point, and then there was Teammate Beverly ready to go!  I firmly pushed the timing chip into her hand as she took off.  Finally, I could slow down, only to realize that I was in the way of a runner just behind me who was also accelerating to begin his third leg!  Thankfully he managed to avoid crashing into me, as I staggered into the crowd and turned off my watch.  3.06 miles in 23:36!  And probably I was a few seconds faster than that, with the early watch start and then not stopping the watch until several seconds after the handoff!  With an average pace of 7:43 min / mile, having run the third mile in 7:58, I didn't let down the TEAM!  

Fortunately it didn't take too long to regain my breath.  By the time I joined Bonnie and Myriam on the other side of the road, where Bonnie was photographing the relay transfers, I was recovering fairly well.  Teammate Myriam and I compared paces: she had run her leg at a 7:40 min / mile pace, so I was very happy that I had almost kept up with the fast pace that she had established.  Once my heart rate had slowed down, I could say, "Wow, that was fun!"   After downing a couple of bottles of water and a banana, I headed back toward the Mercedes-Benz stadium to wait for Beverly to finish.  But first, the woman with the knotted ponytail passed, finishing 15K in about 72 minutes.  Then Teammate Beverly approached, running well in the final mile into the relay transfer zone, handing the timing chip to her fiancé Teammate Brian, for the anchor leg.  

Beverly near the end of her loop.  As she passed, I cheered "Go Beverly!"
The man in red shouted "What about me?"  I replied "She's on my TEAM!!"

While waiting for Teammate Brian to finish, I was able to cheer on Tucker Running Club member (and recent Boston Marathon finisher) Liz Mann past the 15K mark, as she headed into her final loop of the 20K individual race.  

Here's Liz completing the third of four loops

The woman with the knotted ponytail then passed, and reached the finish line at about 97 minutes overall.  Impressive, she ran a sub 8 minute / mile pace for that long.  

Around 100 minutes into the race, I spotted Teammate Brian coming over the top of the overpass.  I tried to take a couple of photos, then decided that I would rather try to run in with him to the finish, and put my phone away.  Brian saw me, saw the finish line, and he rapidly accelerated.  Mind you, he had just run 3 miles, whereas I had at least 50 minutes to recover.  I found high gear, but still couldn't quite keep up with him.  But all four of us on the TEAM crossed the finish line in quick succession behind Brian.  

Team Tucker Running Club  finish!  Frank, Brian, Beverly, Myriam,
and a volunteer's left hand directing us to the table to pick up our medals!

Teammate Brian had pushed himself so hard that it took him a few minutes to cool down, in fact I was a little worried for a moment, until his breathing began to get back to normal.  A few minutes later, Liz crossed the finish line! 

Liz doesn't look tired even though she just finished
20 kilometers, crossing the finish line about one minute ago! 

This is a race that I will definitely run again, although probably only as part of a relay team.  I think that I could get bored running four laps of the same route if I tried the 20K individual race.  And it will probably be difficult for me to force myself to go much slower in the first lap of a 20K, if I dwell on how much faster I had run the same street in a 5K race. 

"We are the Champions!"  maybe not really, but we felt like it at that moment!
With race organizer Tes Sobomehin Marshall

Official result: 1:41:43 TIME, 7th out of 27 mixed open TEAMS

Added on August 29: photos from race photographer

Myriam in the first 5K

This must be near the end of the second 5K.  Why are my eyes closed? 

Beverly running the third 5K

Brian finishing the fourth 5K leg

August 19, 2017: Atlanta's Finest 5K

The Atlanta's Finest 5K race involves the Atlanta Police Foundation and members of the police academy, in a race that starts and ends near the Georgia Aquarium, just north of Centennial Olympic Park.  It is advertised as one of the flattest 5K races in the area - although there is no such thing as a completely flat race route in Atlanta.  I had run this race in August 2014, near the end of my first year of running, but in 2015 I had volunteered, as I was running a half-marathon the next day, and in 2016 I skipped the race to focus on the early weeks of the marathon training program.  

Bonnie and I, shortly before sunrise at Pemberton Place

I felt that I would easily improve on my 2014 time of 26:14, and was aiming to run another sub-25 minute 5K.  Around 6:45 am, I joined a few friends including runningnerds Brian Minor, Beverly Ford, and Kristi Swartz for a warm-up run.  As my two best 5K times were set after running the race course at an easy pace in the hour before the race, I proposed the same for today's warmup, and as we all needed some extra miles for our respective half-marathon / marathon training programs, we all agreed.  One of the things I noticed along the route (and had also seen during the Peachtree Road Race) were the giant garbage trucks blocking major intersections.  I guess this is going to be the new normal, especially with two bad incidents just in the past week, with terrorists deliberately driving vehicles through crowds of pedestrians resulting in fatalities and many injuries: one last Saturday in Charlottesville, VA; the other a couple of days ago in Barcelona, Spain.  Runners are advised in pre-race materials to watch for hazards or potential trouble "see something, say something", but in the heat of competition, none of us will be thinking about outside dangers, we're just trying to avoid bumping into other runners or twisting an ankle on a pothole, so I was relieved to know ahead of time that the police were taking extra precautions for our safety

It was quite pleasant during our warmup run, 66 deg F, and other than a tiny short cut to stay on the safety of the sidewalk, we covered 3.03 miles of the race route, arriving to the start/finish area 13 minutes before the first wave was to begin.  I stretched a bit, talked with a few friends who were in wave B, listened to the National Anthem and pre-race announcements, and then wave A began their race.  I had hoped to get closer to the starting line before today's race, but at about 10 rows from the starting line, I would have had to push my way to get any closer, and it didn't seem appropriate to do so.  

Before we began our 3-mile warmup jog, around 6:45 am, with Brian Minor,
Beverly Ford, Kristi Swartz, Bonnie and me.  Brian and Beverly have a big day ahead:
this evening we're attending their engagement party! 

As we began our wave of the race with the loud toot of an air horn, the announcer shouted "Go! Go! Go!" and we were racing a few steps before we had crossed the starting line!  The Atlanta Track Club hires a fantastic announcer for its races.  He maintains a high level of enthusiasm throughout the event, beginning well before the start of the race, and continuing to the very last finisher.  I always enjoy listening to his patter!  Most impressively, he doesn't seem to repeat himself as he finds new ways to encourage runners to their best performance, especially as we approach the finish line.  

Within 50 yards of the start, the entire pack made a left turn onto Marietta.  I spotted an opening in front of me and began to rocket forward, then suddenly there was a young woman trying to cross the street, perpendicular to the fast-moving current of runners.  I managed to pull up and twist a bit to the right to avoid running her down; whew, that was a close call!  I guess she didn't know that there would be a short break between the back of our wave and the next wave of runners.  Anyway, I managed to get back up to speed, and quickly established my target pace, just under an 8:00 min / mile pace.  The warmup had been perfect.  Nothing was sore, and I was feeling strong and moving well.  At 7:57 elapsed, I passed the 1 mile marker just past Means Street, which marks mile 25 of the Georgia Marathon heading toward Centennial Olympic Park in the other direction.

It's not a picturesque route, but as a central location it's easily reached,
with plenty of parking, and permanent and clean restrooms in the park

We took a slight right turn onto Northside Drive, and then headed for a sharp right hairpin turn onto Tech Parkway, marking the southern border of the Georgia Tech campus.  I had watched the elite runners make this turn when I was volunteering a couple of years ago, and tried to hang to the left while speeding up a bit to make sure that I would have room to make the turn without cutting off anyone to my right.  Despite the "advantage" of moving a few miles per hour slower than the elite runners, I didn't manage to make a nice smooth curve going around the turn, and really had to dig to straighten out onto Tech Parkway.  At first we were going downhill under a railroad underpass, but as we started to go uphill, I began to feel the first bit of tiredness.  Funny, I had hardly noticed this when we were jogging at an easier pace 45 minutes earlier.  

In the 2014 race, I had remembered feeling extremely thirsty shortly after missing the water stop, so I made sure to get to the right side of the road as I approached the water station.  Unfortunately the cup that the volunteer handed me was only 1/4 full, if that!  Fortunately I had hydrated well before this race and wasn't really thirsty, but it was nice to take a 20 second walk break.  But with the two mile marker ahead, I discovered that my overall pace had dropped to 8:09 for the second mile (16:06 elapsed).  And that was including a short burst at a 7 min/mile pace before making the hairpin turn. 

From previous experience, and this morning's warmup run, I knew that the third mile would have a gradual but relatively long uphill section.  I kept pushing myself hard, but in this section I realized that I was now being passed by as many people as I was passing myself.  For a short time I tried to keep up with a guy wearing a black shirt "El Oso Blanco" (nickname for a former Atlanta Braves baseball player), but The White Bear opened up a good lead and I eventually lost sight of him.  The long stretch up Luckie Street was familiar from the final mile of the Hotlanta Half.  This time I stayed near the cones down the middle of the street, staying far away the divider separating the bicycle lane from the roadway, over which I had nearly tripped in the half marathon earlier this summer.  In this part of the race, a runner probably around my age wearing a blue shirt passed me three times - I didn't recall passing him twice in between, but I'm sure it was the same guy.  

You can see where I took the walk break (1.8 miles),
and how I struggled near the end of the third mile.
But (spoiler alert) I fired up the jets for the last quarter-mile! 

As we crossed Ivan Allen Boulevard, on the back side of the Georgia Aquarium, I began to accelerate, and was pleased to find the higher gear.  I managed to pass a few more people as we reached the mile 3 marker (8:13, 24:19 elapsed).  I wasn't checking my time at that moment, but figured that I was close to a 25 minute finish if I had run each mile around 8 minutes.  Making the final left turn to the finish, I could hear the announcer saying "Look for the Finish Line, Look for the Finish Line!"  Someone rocketed past me on my left - amazing, I will never be able to move my legs that fast - but I was gaining ground on a couple of other runners ahead of me.  Running directly east into the sun, I couldn't see the finish line at all, but could see the silhouettes of a cluster of people not too far ahead who seemed to be standing still, and then I saw the timing mats just a few steps before I finished.  

As I stopped my watch, I was surprised and then momentarily disappointed to see 25:08 as the time (25:04 was my official time), but quickly put the disappointment aside: I ran a good race for me, I ran my best, and I was happy that I was able to finish strongly.  Looking over the stats, my fastest mile (mile 1) was 20 feet net downhill, my slowest mile (mile 3) was 25 feet net uphill, and in between (mile 2) was 4 feet net uphill, so my effort was probably fairly even throughout.  I did make the best use of the 15-foot downhill finish, covering the last 0.11 miles in only 45 seconds. 

Next weekend I will run my first relay, a 20K race with four 5K loops, as the captain of a Tucker Running Club team.  I'm looking forward to the relay, but am hoping that I can run my 5K stage in less than 25 minutes.  

Celebrating our finishes under the giant Coke bottle cap at
Pemberton Park, just outside of the World of Coca-Cola.

August 12, 2017: The Vinings Downhill 5K "Run for the Kids"

I've heard of the Vinings Downhill 5K for a few years, but have never run it until now, preferring to run a free Atlanta Track Club race typically held on the same day.  However, this year the races were on successive weekend, so a couple of weeks ago I decided to sign up. 

The race is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vinings, which is a small suburban town with the large Cumberland Mall, just across the Chattahoochee River from one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city of Atlanta.  We don't visit Vinings very often, although the town has some nice restaurants.  Notably, we bought the cupcakes for our 2010 wedding in a cupcake shop in downtown Vinings.  More recently, Bonnie worked for a short time at an office in Vinings, just downhill from the start of today's race, until the firm moved to a renovated space just west of midtown Atlanta.  

The Rotary Club of Vinings supports an amazing number of organizations and projects, with the Vinings Downhill 5K as their main annual fund-raising event.  While it's nice to support such an organization, I'll be frankly honest that it was the downhill course and the prospect of a gravity-assisted personal record that drew me, and perhaps many of the other participants.  In the words of the organizers: 

"This fast 5K course begins at the top of Mt. Wilkinson in Vinings, winds around the Cumberland Mall area, and ends at the Lovett School (280-foot net drop).  The first mile is downhill, but in the second mile before Cumberland Mall there is an uphill.  It is a fast course, but not all downhill."

Duly warned, I paid my registration fee, and carefully studied the race route and elevation map the night before the race, to pick out various points to gauge my time.  I found a number of "checkpoints" at turns where I could compare my progress based on a 24 minute projected finishing time.  That was an ambitious goal (my 5K PR is 23:52 from April 2016) but I felt that this was the course to try for a new PR.  

We arrived around 6:45 am, in plenty of time to park, and just a few minutes before traffic began to build in the area.  There were a few members of the Tucker Running Club, as well as Daniel a.k.a. Kurokitty, who writes a fantastic blog "The Running Cat" documenting a daily running streak more than 10 years at this point.  I had plenty of time to run through dynamic stretches and a short warm up, probably no more than a mile, but my legs felt good and so I was ready at the start.  

As usual for most 5K races, the start was crowded, but fortunately I seemed to have started in the "right" place, based on the speed of the majority of the other runners around me.  The first half-mile was a relatively steep downhill, 150 foot drop, although I never felt that it was so steep that I couldn't run well or safely.  At one point a runner bumped into me from behind before going around - I wasn't going that slowly myself - but no harm, no foul.  Fortunately it was crowded only for the first 1/4 mile or so, then I was running at my own pace.  

We had been warned of a steep uphill before the end of the first mile, and while it was a challenge, I was prepared and made my way fairly strongly, taking care to run a rapid cadence with shorter steps, so I passed a fairly large number of people in this zone.  I had hoped to make the right turn onto Cumberland Boulevard by 5:45, but it was 6:15 elapsed when I made the turn.  Oh well, I was running my best and was hoping that I had not measured carefully enough from the race map that had been posted on mapmyrun.com.  7:43 recorded for mile 1.   

Making a left turn onto Akers Mill Road at 9:15 elapsed, I was closer to the projected time of 9:00, and was encouraged to push hard as this road was fairly short.  But in one block, at the right turn onto Cobb Parkway at 11:00 elapsed (projection 10:30), and I was pretty sure that my projections were just not going to be that helpful.  Fortunately I knew that a long, gentle downhill was coming up ahead, beginning around 1.75 miles.  There was a water station at the top of that hill, where I took a short walk break, and then got back up to speed, enjoying the downhill section of the race.  My heart rate monitor had sounded a couple of times on uphill sections, but was now blissfully silent, staying just under 170 bpm.  I had not checked my time as I passed the mile 2 marker, but when I thought to check a moment later at 16 minutes elapsed, I realized that was doing OK (actually 7:53 for mile 2).  

The road began to flatten out as we reached the flat bridge across the Chattahoochee River, crossing from Cobb County into Fulton County and from Vinings to City of Atlanta.  My goal was the Chattahoochee River bridge at 20 minutes, and I had made it at 20:02 when I checked!  But, was my projection at the start of the bridge, or at the middle?  It took nearly a full minute to cross the bridge, so I estimated that I was probably still off the 24 minute pace by about 30 seconds.  And the downhill part of the race was now over.  I was going to have to gut it out to the finish line. 

A new contender for worst race photo ever.
The expression on my face looks like
I must have passed an open sewer, although
I don't recall any bad odors approaching the finish line.   

Here I told myself, "I've run two marathons, this is only a 5K!  I can dig deep and finish strongly."  I pushed myself to the last turn onto Northgate Drive.  Checking my watch, seeing 22:20, I had estimated last night that I would be two minutes from the finish line.  I kept running as fast as my legs would move, occasionally passing another runner, but mostly keeping up with the others.  As we approached the grounds of the Lovett School, I was looking for the mile 3 marker, surely it must be ahead, no? did I miss it?   Then a curve in the road led to where I thought that finish line would be, and there was the mile 3 marker!  0.11 miles to go?  I had not looked at my watch (7:53 for mile 3, 23:29 elapsed) but knew that there wouldn't be a PR today.  Nonetheless I kept running as fast as I could, even over a few little uphills - oh, those were big speed bumps - and finally the finish line came into sight.  It seemed a long way away!  Then I thought I heard footsteps behind me and to my right, and heard someone cheering for a runner just behind me.  I accelerated a bit, and thought I heard a groan from the runner behind me.  Ha!  Then I started hearing the footsteps again, but determined that I wasn't going to be passed.  I found one last burst of speed - and was rewarded with another groan from behind!  Don't slow down, I told myself, drive through the finish line with every last bit of energy, the race clock had not yet changed from 24 to 25 minutes - and FINISHED!  

I've cleared the last hill and have seen the Promised Land, a k a the Finish Line.

I checked my watch and was pleased to see 24:31 (official time 24:26) and 3.14 miles elapsed, so the course length was accurate, considering that I had done a decent job running the tangents, i.e. covering the shortest possible race route.  But, that run was hard.  Really hard.  I walked for a full block to cool down, then realized that I hadn't actually stopped my watch until over 26 minutes had elapsed.  No problem, I would be able to figure out my time from when I slowed down.  In fact the race organizers had posted all of the official results by the time that I checked in the evening.  

No PR for me today, but when I checked results on Athlinks, it was my 4th fastest 5K time (disregarding a couple of races that were clearly less than 3.11 miles), and possibly my best time in a race run at a temperature above 70 deg F.  I'm not sure how much the downhill sections really helped, as I didn't feel that I was able to move my legs any faster, but they probably helped keep my heart rate down for much of the race, so that I had enough energy to push in the last quarter mile.  

After a breakfast / early lunch at the Oy! Cafe on Cumberland Parkway, we headed home to clean up and get dressed for the memorial service for Janet Pickney.  It was an emotional experience, given the tragic circumstances of her death, but I appreciated that the minister acknowledged the difficulty of mourning such an unexpected tragedy, and provided some practical advice for grieving and supporting each other.  I was glad that the church was filled, probably 200 people present, including a good showing from the Tucker Running Club.  Hopefully the large number of attendees was of some comfort for her husband and the large number of family members and close friends that were also there.  It was wonderful to hear anecdotes of Janet's life from several members of her family and friends, some of whom had known her for 60 years, and I learned many more dimensions of Janet that I had missed by just seeing her on Sunday morning runs.  In addition to showing a photo of Janet with her dog at the table where we signed the condolences book, and sharing a couple of photo albums with family and her foster and adoptive children, her husband / family also displayed a pair of her running shoes, along with a 1st place age group medal that she had won a few months ago.  

August 5, 2017: 680 The Fan Tailgate 1-miler

In early August each summer, the Atlanta Track Club hosts a 5K at Chastain Park.  It's one of the hilliest courses in town, held on one of the hottest days of the year.  I've run it only once (in 2015), but registered for it this year, as one of the free races for Atlanta Track Club members.  I hoped that I would be ready for the challenge, trying to improve on my previous time of 26:04, when the possibility of a "reprieve" arose in an e-mail sent by the track club on Wednesday evening:

I was joking that they could fill the sinkhole with water and make it a steeplechase race, but by Friday morning, the switch to the one-mile race was official: 

and a race route was posted: 

Although I don't know the area that well, surely it couldn't be as hilly as the 5K route, given that the difficult was climbing a hill from the south to the start/finish area, around which the 1-mile was routed.  

Bonnie and I arrived around 6:30 am, in plenty of time to pick up our bibs, say hi to a few friends, and stretch.  I wanted to warm up carefully, and also reconnoiter the race route. The beginning was a nice downhill, then the route along Wieuca Road seemed to be mostly level.  There was a sharp left turn onto Dudley Lane that was a steep uphill, but it was a fairly short stretch, only about 100 meters.  Another left turn continued at a gentler uphill, but then the race concluded with a gentle downhill into the finish line.  

I ran one more mile to the car and back to get thoroughly warmed up.  I decided to run without my cellphone, to avoid having any weight jostling around my waist.  Since it was only a mile and would be largely shaded, I also decided to run without a cap or sunglasses.  I also deliberately left the heart monitor strap in the car: in a 1-mile race, the alarm was going to sound after 1/2 mile, and I was going to ignore it for the last 1/2 mile, so why bother?  I joined the Tucker Running Club for a quick group photo, and then caught up with the wave aiming to run under an 8 min/mile pace as they headed to the starting line.  My goal was to run under 7:00 minutes.  Although I didn't know if it would be possible, my legs felt good this morning, and I felt that I would have a good run.  On the other hand, the temperature was 72 deg F, and humidity 88%, due to rain that had fallen overnight. 

While we waited for the fastest wave to begin (faster than 6 min/mile), I tried to keep moving, to keep my legs warmed up.  I noticed that the number of runners appeared to be much smaller than I remembered from the 5K two years ago (actual numbers: 489 finishers today; 1008 finishers for the 5K in 2015).  I was in the second wave.  With the announcement "Runners set; GO!" the airhorn sounded and we took off.  

0:00, 901 ft elevation: Everyone around me seemed to begin running around the same pace, which was good.  After a slight downhill start, the road turned more steeply downhill within 100 feet of the start, and I rocketed forward to the first turn.  

1:00, 858 ft elevation: I made the left turn onto Wieuca Road, crossing the lowest point of the course at 1:15 (0.21 mile).  During my easy jog 30 minutes earlier, I had not noticed that Wieuca Road was slightly uphill, but certainly felt it as my pace began to slow.  Nonetheless I was moving well, not falling behind, and passing the occasional runner that had sprinted faster than he/she could maintain.  

4:35, 900 ft elevation (0.63 mi): I made a sharp left turn onto Dudley Lane and looked up the steep uphill, but I was ready for it!  Pumping my arms vigorously, I made good time up the hill.  

5:00, 930 ft elevation (0.70 mi): Having conquered Dudley Lane, after turning onto Chastain Memorial Parkway, I started to feel a bit tired.  My average pace was measuring slower than 7 min/mi.  

5:50, 956 ft elevation (0.78 mi): Upon nearing the highest point of the race route, I forced myself to speed up.  I knew that I didn't have much further to go.  As the road leveled out, my breathing became easier, and then I picked up the pace again.  

6:50, 951 ft elevation (0.90 mi):  I caught the first glimpse of the finish area through the trees.  Not much further!  I found a faster gear and began to accelerate.  Now into the downhill part of the finish area, I saw Curt Walker and Brian Minor cheering me on!  And then I thought I heard footsteps behind me.  I wasn't going to be passed if I could help it!  Encouraged by my friends and spurred by the fear of being passed at the finish line, I rocketed ahead with one last sprint, crossing the timing mat just ahead of the unseen competitor.  

7:16, 942 ft finish (1.00 mi):  I was a little disappointed to finish more slowly than in any other 1-mile race run in the past few years (6:52, 6:59, 7:03, 7:07), despite feeling that I had run pretty well.  But I joined Curt and Brian just short of the finish line to cheer on other friends as they finished the race.  As a result, I missed the drama of a runner collapsing after the finish.  An ambulance came down the hill through the finish line just a few minutes after I had finished, with runners that had begun with the 10 min/mile group.  I learned that he was approximately my age (although for his privacy I won't share more about his identity on this site).  Fortunately I heard that he was revived, but it was certainly a sobering conclusion to the race.  

It wasn't until I checked the Garmin data at home that I discovered that the race was 41 feet net uphill!  The Morningside Mile route was steeper but was 20 feet net downhill.  With that information, I was very satisfied with today's run.  In fact I enjoyed the route and wonder if in future years the 1-miler might be an attractive alternative option for participants not wanting to run a 5K in summer heat and humidity.  

After the race, about 20 of Beverly Ford's friends joined a small party
to celebrate her birthday!  I'll post a larger group photo when received,
but here is Bonnie, me, Brian, and Beverly.