December 15, 2019: The 2019 Jeff Galloway Half Marathon (also d.b.a. Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute Half Marathon)

For the sixth year in a row, I completed the Jeff Galloway Half Marathon.  This is a wonderfully well-organized race on what for me is now a very familiar course.  This year, the race gained a named sponsor, the Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute.  Moreover, the organizers added a 3-person relay, with legs of 5.5 miles, 5.6 miles, and a final 2.0 mile sprint.  The "Tucker Running Club Half Sisters" entered a team with Crystal Dawson, Katie Huitt Dawson, and Lindy Liu.  This year, the biggest change was that there was no expo.  In my opinion, this was a good financial decision: the expo occasionally had a good speaker or two: Billy Mills was particularly inspirational in 2017.  But it must have been quite expensive to rent out space in a hotel for two days.  This year packet pickup was in Jeff Galloway's Phiddippides Store in Ansley Park Mall, near the location of the race, so he didn't have additional overhead.  I also bought over $100 dollars of running gear while I was at the store, more than I typically spend at a race expo.  I appreciated the convenient location and free parking at the mall, since parking is always expensive at or near the hotels. 

"TRC Half Sisters" before the race

The only problem with this race is that the number of participants decreases each year.  There is considerable competition with other events: yesterday RunSocial held the Westside 10K and 10-Miler, and this morning others ran the First Watch Locomotive Half Marathon in Kennesaw.  Each race has its loyalists within the metro Atlanta running community.  There are a few super-studs who run one of the Westside 10 races on Saturday and then either Galloway or Locomotive half marathons on Sunday.  I stick with the Galloway Half because it was my first 13.1 race back in 2014, and I know that I will have a quality experience - as long as my own preparations are up to snuff.  As I'm training for the Publix Atlanta Marathon on March 1, just 11 weeks from today, this is the last race that I will run with a time goal until the marathon. 

After achieving my long-term goal of a sub 1:55 half-marathon at the Invesco Thanksgiving Half-Marathon 17 days ago, finishing in 1:53:14 (8:38 min / mile pace), my goal for today's race was simply to show that I could do it again.  Two years ago, I set a personal record on the Galloway course at 1:56:42 on a perfect day.  I told Coach Carl Leivers that my goal for today was in the 1:52 - 1:55 range, corresponding to an average pace of 8:30 - 8:45 min / miles.  Once again, I would walk through each water stop, placed about 2 miles apart, but I planned to run straight through the rest of the race.  

At the start, wearing the Inaugural JG 13.1 shirt from 2014

The conditions were excellent for today's race, 39 degrees F at the start.  My only concern was that temperatures were forecast to rise into the upper 40s by 10 am.  I arrived wearing two layers: a short-sleeved Atlanta Track Club shirt underneath and the long-sleeved JG 13.1 2014 Inaugural race shirt on top; and running tights along with a cap.  I left the gloves in the car, but brought a couple of chemical hand warmers and carried them in my pockets in case I needed them.  If anything was missing, it might have been my mental training.  Having spent much of the week preparing a final examination, when Bonnie asked me Friday evening about my mantra for the race, all I could say was "delta G = delta H - T delta S ?"  Over breakfast this morning, I took a quick look at "Running Rewired" and happened to see a page in chapter 4 "Affirming Your Greatness" and to re-read an anectode about the Penn State cross-country team's affirmation: 

"We love hills, we love hills!" 

Among the relatively small number of runners in the first "red" wave, I lined up between the 1:45 and the 2:00 pacers.  While waiting to begin, I saw the Dean of my college a few rows ahead, Michael Elliott.  I didn't know that he was a runner until a couple of days before the 2018 New York City Marathon, when I discovered by chance that he was running as well!  He is quite fast, having finished NYC in well under 4 hours, and ran today's race in 1:43.  I didn't attempt to keep up with the Dean! 

The race course (above)
What Garmin recorded in the first 0.2 miles (below)

We started precisely at 8:00 am, and I crossed the timing mat a few seconds after the official start.  Immediately I was off on a fast pace, running downhill for two blocks, then right turn onto Juniper Street.  I nearly caught up to the 1:45 pace group when they took their first walk break, but didn't pass them before they began running again. That would have been a big mistake.  When I first checked my watch, it showed a 7:07 pace!  I slowed down a little, but the watch still showed me clocking 7:54 for the first mile.  When we actually reached the mile marker, I realized that something must have gone wrong with my tracker, and was relieved to see 8:35 elapsed, which was closer to what I had planned, 8:30 - 8:45 for mile 1.  The Garmin map later revealed that my signal must have bounced off of some of the buildings in that area.  

For much of the first five miles, I ran with Jackie Whitlock, a fellow trainee in Coach Carl's group.  She is a faster runner than me, but apparently hasn't run 13.1 miles in awhile, so she was taking it easier today.  That worked well for me, having some company for the first part of the race.  Occasional conversation kept me from going faster than I should have in the beginning.  But as we ran through miles 2, 3, and 4, notching 8:36, 8:43, and 8:55, I felt that I was putting forth more effort than I had on Thanksgiving Day.  To achieve my goal of 1:52-1:55, I couldn't afford to lose too much ground in those first miles.  I passed the 5K timing mat at 26:47, close to my plan of 27 minutes even.  Shortly before reaching the mile 4 water station, I looked above for the lead runners on the Freedom trail, and there was Michael Elliott - we waved to each other, he shouted "You look great, Frank!"  

I began to relax as we ran the next couple of miles, all net downhill.  Around mile 5 on the Beltline (8:36), Crystal Dawson passed me near the end of the first leg of her relay.  She had started with a later wave, so I had at least a 2 minute headstart on her.  It would have been a mistake to try to keep up with her, given that I still had 8 more miles to run.  I walked through the water station as Bonnie took my photo, then resumed running to the end of the Beltline and up Kanuga Street to Virginia Avenue.  "I love hills" I said to myself, as I passed several people in this section.  Completing mile 6 in 8:40, I subsequently reached the 10K timing mat at 54:01, right on schedule.  "I love hills" as I continued working my way up Ponce de Leon Place.  One of my goals for today's race was to maintain focus through mile 7, because in past years, I've always slowed down in this part of the race.  There are some long uphill stretches in this part of Virginia-HIGHLANDS.  I caught up with Katie Vernon in this section, and we gave each other pep talks about how running in Tucker prepares us well for hills.  I moved just ahead of Katie before the next water stop, but as I turned the corner onto Highland Avenue, Katie was right behind me.  But I was thrilled to finish mile 7 in 8:52.  I've never run that section under 9 minutes before, so Mission Accomplished!  

Net downhill course, but with some substantial hills

Just 6.1 miles to go: I was getting warm, so I took off my cap and put it in my pocket.  What a relief it was to feel cool air on my head.  Mile 8 was an even mix of small rollers, 8:39, and mile 9 was net downhill, 8:23.  I passed Bonnie at the mile 9 marker on 10th Street around 1:18, about 45 seconds slower than I had run on Thanksgiving.  Running along the southern border of Piedmont Park, we had a long uphill stretch before reaching the 15K timing mat, which I crossed at 1:21 on the dot.  So far I had run the perfect paces, 27 minute averages for each 5K.  

Approaching the mile 9 marker.  

But the road kept going uphill.  

"I love hills, I love hills!"  

Upon turning the corner onto Piedmont Road, I was greeted by  

a big ol' mountain of love.    

That's when my old friend Fatigue leapt onto my shoulders.  Our conversation: 

Me: "I love hills!"

Fatigue: "Feel the burn!"

Me: "I love hills!"

Fatigue: "Liar!"

Me: "I love hills?"

Fatigue: "Liar, liar, lactate legs on fire!"

I lost that exchange.  

The "speed bumps" after mile 9 looked like a mountain from street level.

Struggling up the unending hill that was Piedmont Road, I gratefully took a walk break through the water station, then tried to get back up to speed.  But my legs wouldn't respond.  My legs were heavy, the tights were getting hot.  Fatigue was riding on my back and wouldn't get off.  Time for "Never ******* quit!"  That may have helped a little, but the hills didn't ******* quit either.  I thought that the mile 10 marker was at the top of the hill: I was wrong.  9:06 for mile 10, more than 1:27 elapsed by the time that I reached the marker.  I needed to run a 26 minute 5K to match my half-marathon best.  "Never ******* quit" wasn't an affirmation, in fact it was rather negative.  As I tried to remember what "Running Rewired" recommended for another positive affirmation, I lost focus and gave in to an unscheduled walk break.  Oh the shame!  Not setting a personal record today.  

Finally we reached the top of the hill.  I tried to relax and glide down the long slope to the intersection of Monroe Avenue.  In past years, this was one of my fastest miles in this race, but today I managed only 8:43 for mile 11, as I turned the corner into the north end of Piedmont Park.  Lindy Liu was waiting to take over for the final 2-mile sprint of the relay, cheering me through as I walked through the water station, around 1:36 elapsed.  Could I run 2.1 miles in 17 minutes?  Not today.  I did what I could to get up to a decent speed coming out of the water station, passing a runner who was evidently having even more trouble.  But then other runners began passing me.  I saw Bonnie before the mile 12 marker, and I smiled but said "I used up too much energy at the start, and now I'm paying for it."  9:31 for mile 12.  I had just given back everything that I had worked for back in mile 7, and with a usurious amount of interest.  

Approaching the mile 12 marker.
See those people behind me?
They all passed me in mile 13. 

1:45 elapsed, now I was just thinking about my 1:56:42 course record from 2017.  I could improve on that mark, if I just kept moving.  Once I realized that I had only 1.1 miles to go, I just had to run faster than a 10 minute mile pace for the rest of the course.  And that I managed, barely, covering mile 13 in 9:44, but not without giving in to another walk break.  A quartet of runners passed me on the road on the south side of Lake Clara Meer, then it was time to turn for the finish as I saw the mile 13 marker.  Because of my watch distance malfunction at the beginning, I knew that I had 0.2 miles to run after my watch had signaled 13 miles.  At least all of the course mile markers were in the right positions, so when I reached each mile marker, I had calculated correctly what I needed to finish with a course best.  With 1:55 showing on my watch, I found a higher gear, and pushed myself as hard as I could for the final tenth of a mile.  The finish line came into sight quickly enough, and I crossed the timing mat at 1:55:45 on the clock, 1:55:40 chip time.   

Bonnie captured my finish! 

Knowing that I had set a new course record for myself, and having completed my second-fastest half marathon, I allowed a little celebration before slowing quickly and gratefully to a full stop.  I didn't remember to stop my watch until after I had collected my medal and was wrapped in a heat blanket.  I had endured a rough time over the last half hour.  Fortunately I recovered quickly enough to cheer Lindy Liu as she ran strongly through the finish line at 1:56:42 on the clock.  Looking at Lindy's Garmin stats afterwards, she ran the last two miles 2 minutes faster than I had managed, and she would have passed me in the last stretch if her relay had been allowed to start with the first "red" wave.  I had predicted that Tucker Running Club Half Sisters would outrun me, and indeed they did on chip time, finishing in 1:54:43 - congratulations!  In fact it was a great day for women runners in this race - the first two finishers were women, crossing the finish line in 1:18 and 1:19 respectively, followed by the first man in 1:22. 

Celebrate every finish line.

Lessons learned for the upcoming marathon: 

1) Patience, patience, patience, for 20 miles or more.

2) Don't wear tights unless the forecast shows that the temperature will still be at 40 degrees or below at the time of my projected finish! 

3) In the week before the marathon, schedule in whatever time I need to get my mind in the right place. 

Which of these two men ran in the Munich Olympics 1972? 

TRC Half Sisters celebrating a well-run race

December 7, 2019: Eastside Beltline 10K

Today I ran the Eastside Beltline 10K for the seventh straight year.  I'll start out with what I don't like about the race, so I can be positive for the remainder of this post: 

1) The organizers claim that the race is a Peachtree Road Race qualifier, but year after year, runners finish discovering that the distance was a little short.  The race isn't on the Atlanta Track Club list of qualifying races.  Although the track club will accept other races with USATF certification, the current route isn't certified. 

2) Mile 3 of the route is on an unpaved section of the Beltline.  It's always a little risky to run through there, and the path is even more treacherous when it has rained.  I suppose that's part of the character of the race.  At the rate that the Beltline is extending completed sections, I imagine that mile will be paved within the next few years. 

On the positive side: 

1) The race is a fundraiser for several organizations, including the Atlanta Beltline Partnership. 

2) I love working out on the Beltline!  The route is protected from automobiles.  To date I've avoided a run-in with a bicycle or scooter. 

3) Mile 4 of the race winds through Piedmont Park, one of the jewels of the city of Atlanta.  

4) The runners in this race always have great camaraderie, from pre-race socializing to friendly competition during the race and post-race celebration.  Participants range from speedsters completing the race in less than 35 minutes, to casual walkers enjoying the entire morning over the race route, and hundreds of other runners and walkers in the middle of the pack.  

With Judy Tennell and Carolyn Weber before the race.  I was out of uniform. 

Race plan: I've recently begun setting my race goal times in ranges.  This basically gives some room for flexibility, so I still have a purpose to push myself later in a race, even if the faster end of the range falls out of reach.  For this morning's race, I aimed for a range of 50 to 53 minutes, approximately an 8:00 to 8:30 min / mile average pace.  I figured that I could certainly run the first two miles downhill at an 8:00 min pace.  For various reasons, it would be more challenging to run miles 3 through 6 at an 8:00 - 8:30 min / mile pace, but running those miles at the slower end of that range was realistic, albeit not guaranteed.    

A nice surprise: my colleague Khalid Salaita.
I've known that Khalid is a runner,
but this may be our first race together.
He had an excellent run,
inishing in less than 49 minutes! 

I parked in the Old 4th Ward near the Beltline, about 45 minutes before the start of the race.  An easy jog for a mile, finishing with a couple of strides, brought me to the start-finish area near Krog Street Market.  After a little pre-race socializing and photos, I lined up near the back of the first wave, ready to go.  

The race: We started on time, at 9:30 am sharp.  As usual, the first couple of blocks were slow going, and I needed about a half-mile before the crowds had thinned enough for me to run my pace.  Nonetheless, I finished mile 1 in 8:05.  Realizing that I had probably run sub 8 min / mile pace for much of the second half of mile 1, and noticing that my heart rate was already elevated despite the downhill elevation, I took care to relax as much as possible and just glide down the path for mile 2, finishing in 7:58.  

Following the plan that worked well in my last half-marathon, I slowed to a walk for the water station, downed a half-cup of water, and then returned to speed as we crossed Monroe Drive.  Now for the first tough stage of the race, on the unpaved section of the Beltline.  I took off my sunglasses so that I could see any hazards on the ground.  Although we were still heading downhill, I slowed to an 8:30 min / mile pace out of an abundance of caution, even though the route was dry.  That proved to be a good idea for two reasons: midway in mile 3, I saw a runner in front of me limping off of the course - must have fallen or twisted an ankle.  I muttered to the runner next to me: "I hate to see that."  A moment later, I stepped awkwardly on a rock, but avoided twisting an ankle with a quick adjustment.  I might not have managed that adjustment had I been moving at a faster speed.  After making a couple of left turns from the Beltline into the north end of Piedmont Park for the return trip, my watch sounded the mile 3 alert: 8:27, 24:30 elapsed.  

My heart rate was a little high today.  Was that due to the 50 deg F temperature?
Or did I start out too quickly? 

Now for the second tough stage of the race: the rolling hills of Piedmont Park.  I had hoped to speed up to an 8:00 min / mile pace, but my heart rate was still pretty high, and with a full 5K left to run, I didn't want to wear myself out too early.  Nonetheless, I ran pretty well, gradually moving up and passing some of the other runners that had been in front of me.  I caught up to Vivian Eckmann, who I had met a few years ago when we were both training for our first marathons.  She has also continued to improve, and from following her on Strava, I suspect that she runs more weekly miles than I do.  I had noticed she ran a 5-mile "Eastside 10K preview" yesterday morning at a 9 min / mile pace, whereas I last ran on Thursday morning, wanting to be fully rested for today's test. I had posted a comment on her Strava page "See you Saturday!  Looks like you ran it well in training, I think that you'll run faster on race day".  When I caught up to her and said "Hi!" and then "I took a rest day yesterday" she was running well.  I thought that we would run together for awhile, but as we approached a persistent puddle on the path where a low section of the park coincides with a water fountain, I sprinted ahead so that I could pick my own path past the puddle.  I was happy to realize that I had enough energy to manage a "stride" when I needed it.  Before we left the park, my watch sounded the mile 4 alert: 8:22, 32:52 elapsed.  Pretty good for a 4-mile race, as well as the first 4 miles of a 6.22 mile race.  

But the third and longest tough stage of the race was to come.  After we crossed Monroe Drive to re-enter the Beltline, I took another walk break through a water station.  Vivian passed me, drinking on the run.  Putting my mental training into action, I told myself "I've already run this race six times, I've run this uphill direction countless times in workouts." and then "I know this route, I own this route."  I focused on form, running strongly even though we were going uphill.  I had started mile 5 quite slowly, and really had to work to drop my pace for that mile below 9:00.  "C'mon Frank, you can run faster!"  Here is where I recalled a new podcast that I discovered earlier this week: "Running on Purpose" by Steve Sisson, formerly the more profane half of the "Running Rogue" podcast.  About a year ago, Steve Sisson split off to begin his own coaching venture, Telos Running, and also launched a podcast of his own.  Episode #5 on September 26, 2019 had an attention-getting title: 

Very gradually I would gain some ground on Vivian, then she would speed up (or maybe I would slow down).  On occasion another runner passed me: that spurred me to pick up the cadence and surge forward, drawing on my experience with running strides.  "Never ******* Quit!"  I don't recall if I caught up with anyone that had passed me, but I certainly passed others with every 15 - 30 second stride.  Then inevitably I would slow down, someone would pass: the same person? someone else?  "Never ******* Quit!" and I threw in another surge.  With every surge, I would feel the exertion countered by the exuberance of knowing that I could momentarily run a little faster!  On the left side of the path, I saw Lindy Liu walking her dog, cheering runners on.  Lindy and Vivian saw each other first, then a few seconds later Lindy saw me and we waved to each other.  Mile 5 alert: 8:34.  That was the first mile that I had fallen below my goal of an 8:30 mile.  "Never ******* Quit!"  With another surge, I passed Vivian.  But now I had to stay ahead of her.  Was I slowing down?  "Never ******* Quit!" 

As we approached the underpass for Freedom Parkway, a woman held a sign saying "Mile 5".  I knew that we were well past that, but fortunately she was calling out again and again "5.4 miles!"  That seemed right, just 0.8 miles to go.  "Never ******* Quit!" and I surged again.  Once we had passed the next underpass for Highland Avenue, I could see the water tower just south of Irwin Street, nearly even latitude with the finish line.  That alone spurred me forward with another surge.  Now Irwin Street was coming into view.  My legs were burning, but I kept moving forward, "Never ******* Quit!"  I could now see the finish line in the distance.  Mile 6: 8:36, my slowest mile of the day, but - my second fastest mile 6 in seven tries.  50 minutes even. 

My two walk breaks are obvious on the pace chart.
Hopefully my surges after the second walk break are also easily seen. 

After crossing Irwin Street, I picked up the pace all the way through the finish line.  Cheerleaders and spectators encouraged us forward.  I surged again, and again, crossing the finish line with one last burst of speed, 50:58 on my watch, 51:13 gun time, 6.12 miles on my watch.  Official chip time: 50:51, which is my fastest time on this course. 

Strava splits show the elevations for each mile.
GAP = grade-adjusted pace

That was a little more exertion than I had expected.  Perhaps I should have taken it easier with another half-marathon coming up in 8 days from now.  Khalid greeted me with a high five after I picked up a bottle of Powerade, then Brian Halter from Coach Carl's training group asked me "Did you crush it today?"  I was not yet recovered and not sure what I said before I asked "Do I know you?"  How embarrassing, when he said his name and I focused on his face, then I realized, of course.  I definitely ran harder than I should have for today.  Fortunately I regained my equilibrium after a few minutes, but I was particularly careful to alternate stretching and walking until my legs felt good again.   

The good news is that I discovered that I can bang out two consecutive sub-9 minute miles even while running uphill.  If I manage that in next weekend's half marathon, I'll have another excellent race. 

I like the simple design of this year's race shirt.

November 28, 2019: The Atlanta Thanksgiving Half Marathon

Training has gone very well in this cycle, and I'm feeling great.  I ran the route twice in long easy runs over the past month, to get a feel for the hills and to practice visualizing what I might experience in the race.  I told Coach Carl Leivers that I was trying for a range of 1:55 - 1:58, although I was pretty confident that I could cover the distance faster than 1:57.  I knew that I had a good shot of improving on my half-marathon personal best of 1:56:42, run in December 2017.  

In addition to my excellent physical preparation for today's race, I also spent considerable time mentally preparing myself.  My watchword for this marathon training cycle has been "patience".  When running fast, I tell myself to "glide", which helps me maintain good running form.  Coach Carl reminds us to run without straining, and to stay relaxed while running, advice that is also mirrored in the outstanding book on mental training that he recommended, "Running Within" by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott. 

The weather was cool and dry this morning, 44 degrees F at the start.  The only downside was a fairly strong wind out of the north, 10 - 15 miles per hour, so I decided to wear a cap with a liner over the ears, two shirts, and running tights.  Sunny Youn, Bonnie's sister, is joining us for Thanksgiving this year, and ran the 5K race with Bonnie, following on her recent experience watching a friend run the Amsterdam Marathon in October, and cheering me on near the finish of the New York City Marathon in November 2018.  

We arrived shortly after 6 am, in plenty of time to get a great parking spot.  The early arrival also allowed for multiple porta-potty visits, which I needed to get comfortable.  The 5K runners started first, at 7:30 am, and then the half-marathon followed with a projected start time of 7:45 am.  I was assigned to run with wave C out of five waves.  I didn't recall what projected finishing time I had submitted with my registration, but I was fine with that assignment, until I noticed that the 2:00 and 2:15 pace groups were beginning in wave B!  I made sure that I found a spot near the front of wave C, so that I could run relatively unhindered at the beginning.  But I would have to bring my own pace discipline, as I couldn't rely on the other runners for a reasonable pace. 

The 2:15 pace team at the back of wave B. 

Walking toward the starting line at the front of wave C

I started just a few people behind the front line of wave C. 

We stepped up to the starting line around 7:55 am, and with the sound of an airhorn, we took off!  After a minute, I realized that I was running much too fast, and dialed back my speed a bit.  But I felt so good, even though we were mostly running uphill, that I covered the first mile in 8:31, running north on Capitol Avenue, then turning northwest onto Decatur Street.  By this time, I was working my way through the slower runners in wave B.  I reined things in a little better in mile 2 as we continued running through downtown Atlanta on Marietta Street, at 8:37, but both of those miles were faster than my plan of 9:20 and 9:00 for miles 1 and 2.  I had passed the 2:15 pace group by the middle of mile 2.  

Shortly after the start

Shortly after the mile 2 marker, I reached the first water station.  Although I was no longer following the Galloway run-walk method, my plan was to take water and to walk through every water station.  That gave me about a 30 second break every couple of miles.  With the excellent organization of Atlanta Track Club races, I knew that I could count on the water stations being well-run, and that was the case for all six water stations today.  The 2:15 pace group passed me while I was walking through the water station, and I had to work my way around them again, as we ran mile 3 past the Georgia Tech campus, covered in 8:43.  Finally I had slowed down more-or-less to the goal pace of 8:45 miles.  

Then we turned onto Northside Drive for mile 4, a steady net drop of 95 feet, and I banked some time by letting gravity do the work, all the way through a left turn onto 15th Street into Atlantic Station, 8:06 and 34 minutes elapsed, a full minute faster than the plan.  I took my first Shot Block at this point, knowing that a water station was coming soon.  Amazingly, I didn't feel tired at all, but I remembered the importance of taking in some sugar before noticing that I would need it.  After walking through the next water station, washing down the sweet taste of the Shot Blok, I took off again, turning onto 17th Street.  Passing the beautiful little park next to the Millenium Gate,  there were a few spectators in this area, but I hardly noticed as I motored on past.  Comparing today's race with more leisurely long runs through Atlantic Station, this part of the race passed in a blur, crossing the overpass over the I-75/I-85 Connector, finishing mile 5 in 8:22.  

Leading a pack of runners,
but unsure where this photo was taken.

I had made a huge gamble to this stage, running an 8:30 average pace for the first five miles.  This was the northernmost end of the race route, but I also knew from my recent course runs that this was also the lowest part of the course.  Could I hold on for the uphill sections to come?  The first test came with the right turn onto Spring Street.  Just stay calm and relaxed, I told myself, trust your training.  And smile like I'm running like Eliud Kipchoge!  I glided uphill for three blocks, turning left onto 14th Street, continuing uphill.  My heart rate was now above 160 beats per minute, yet I was maintaining a sub-9 minute pace.  A group of young women were just ahead of me, running strongly while maintaining a conversation.  I settled in next to them until we reached the top of the hill at the intersection with Peachtree Street.  Up and over the crest, I sped up again as I approached and then flew past the pack of runners escorting the 2:00 pacer.  The mile 6 marker was just outside of the 14th Street Gate to Piedmont Park, 8:29 and about 51 minutes elapsed.  

Elevation chart

I took another short walk break through the water station inside the park, took another Shot Blok, as the 2-hour pace team passed me.  Moving clockwise around the Active Oval, on very familiar ground, I made my way around the pace team and left them behind, for good.  I crossed the 10K timing mat at 53:15 elapsed.  I remembered when my 10K personal record was stuck on 54 minutes just a few years ago, but today's run seemed easy in comparison.  Running near Lake Clara Meer, I passed Crystal Dawson, a Tucker Running Club member who seemed surprised to see me.  She is normally faster than me, and that's when it began to sink in that I was having the race of my life!  I started looking for Coach Carl, as he told us on Tuesday evening that he would watch from near the Park Avenue entrance.  And there he was!  I called out to him, he looked up and we waved to each other, I also said hi to a little girl that I think was Carl's daughter, and then I continued racing.  Piedmont Park was another blur until we reached the southern exit at the Charles Allen Gate, and made a right turn onto 10th Street.

My walk breaks through six evenly spaced water stations are pretty evident. 

Uphill.  But I knew this section of the road very well, from the identical portion of the spring Publix Atlanta Half Marathon, and having conquered this hill in the Jeff Galloway Half Marathon for several Decembers in a row.  Smile!  The mile 7 alert sounded, 8:39.  And my watch showed 1 hour flat, with just 6.1 miles to go!  I was definitely on a pace to smash the 2-hour barrier.  As we ran along 10th Street, I felt the first challenge of the race in my legs, and applied a lesson from "Running Within":

"Oh, hello!  It's my old friend, Fatigue.  But I'm busy right now, 

because I'm running the race of my life.  

Can you come back in an hour or so?"   

That little trick worked!  Fatigue disappeared, replaced by Smile!  Dashing through the rainbow intersection at Piedmont Road, turning left onto Juniper Street, I wasn't fazed at all by the next uphill section to come over the next half-mile.  This was my worst mile in last month's 10-Miler race, mile 8 where I lost focus and accordingly lost a chance at a personal record.  But today, I just relaxed, glided up the familiar hill, moving ahead of quite a few runners.  I heard a woman behind me say, "That man is running so fast!"  Was she referring to me?  No one else was passing me.  Not wanting to disappoint her, whoever she was, I kept running strongly as the road leveled out.  Smile!  The mile 8 alert sounded, 8:59.  This was my slowest mile of today's race, but completely acceptable with 60 feet net uphill.  Most importantly, I had stayed in control and focused for that tough mile.  I even remembered to take another Shot Blok before the water station came into sight.  

The road took a little jog to the right as we crossed Ponce de Leon Avenue and then North Avenue, as the street changed names to Courtland Avenue.  I walked through the fourth water station.  Another mile of gently rolling hills, the mile 9 alert sounded, 8:51 for 27 feet net uphill.  Just as I told myself that I needed to pick up a little speed to stay on the overall pace, we turned left onto John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, racing downhill.  I passed a runner who said "Frank?  It's Brian, and Chrissie, from Track."  "Oh, hi!" as I recalled that he ran the Philadelphia Marathon last weekend.  He said something complimentary about my run, and I replied "The training is really paying off today!"  We passed under the I-75/I-85 Connector, and then, faced the steep climb into the Inman Park neighborhood.  This is a hill that slows many runners to a walk, and in the past on the Hotlanta Half course, has also slowed me down.  I just remembered my hill training, taking shorter steps, and fortunately in both of the recent course runs, I had pushed myself up the hill, and I had that memory to sustain me.  Moreover, a volunteer called out "This is the toughest hill of the race; you've got this; keep your heads up!"  Those last four words came just in time, right before I started looking down at my feet.  I concentrated on looking up and ahead of me, and then I was over the hill, and running down Irwin Street.  Smile!

Right before we turned onto Randolph Street, the mile 10 alert sounded: 8:37, and 1:26 elapsed.  1:26!  I've just run a personal record for a 10-mile distance, beating my old time of 1:27:25 (2017)!!  A young man passed me, shouting "10 miles!" and I replied "Just a 5K to go!"  I only needed a 30-minute 5K to break my current half-marathon personal best.  And with the way that I felt, I knew that I could run faster than that for the duration.  We ran south for a few blocks, made a quick right turn onto Edgewood Road and a left onto Bradley.  I popped another Shot Blok as I approached the fifth water station, taking another walk break.  Then we turned onto Decatur Street, running down the middle reversible "Suicide Lane".  I was still occasionally passing people, but was also having to work to maintain a sub-9 minute pace.  Smile!  As we turned left at the King Memorial MARTA Station, the mile 11 alert sounded: 8:53, approaching 1:35 elapsed.  If I could maintain that pace, I was going after a 1:54 finish!

We turned right onto Martin Luther King Junior Drive.  I kept my head up, looking for the first glimpse of the gold dome of the State Capitol building, where my planned mantra was "HammerTime!"  Unfortunately I didn't speed up very much.  But I suppose the mantra kept me from slowing down, which was just as important.  

Fatigue knocked on the door again.  

I bargained with her, "Just let me run for 15 more minutes, 

then we can spend some quality time together."     

Fatigue stepped away.  After crossing the Connector once more, we ran past the Capitol, then turned left onto Washington Street for a quick downhill dash to another left turn onto Mitchell Street.  But before I reached the corner, I saw a few runners and a policewoman helping a runner who had fallen.  I don't know if he stumbled on a pothole or had fallen from exhaustion.  Fortunately he was up and walking to the sidewalk as I passed.  Hopefully he wasn't injured too badly.  Back to my own run, I slowed down for the final water station, drinking a cup of Gatorade.  The mile 12 alert had sounded, 8:51, and then I got back up to speed as we turned right onto Capitol Avenue heading south toward the finish line.  1:44 elapsed! 

In the last mile

We ran uphill for a couple of blocks to cross the I-20 overpass.  Then ahead, I saw a long downhill track to the Georgia State Stadium, originally the 1996 Olympic Stadium. The road changed its name to Hank Aaron Drive.  Channeling my childhood memory of "Hammerin' Hank" setting the career home run record back in 1974, I sped up.  Everyone around me also sped up, as the allure of the finish line drew us in.  Faster and faster we all ran, under the Olympic Rings.  I heard people calling my name and saw Sheelagh O'Malley and Bob Wells, and someone else that I should have recognized if I wasn't so focused on running fast.  Smile!  That one came naturally.  Now we drew even with the stadium.  I took a quick look at my watch, 12.9 miles elapsed, but I estimated that I probably had about 0.3 miles to go.  1:51 elapsed!  If my estimate was correct, I would definitely finish in less than 1:54.  Don't slow down!!  We raced downhill past the stadium, then a right turn onto the street just south of the stadium, and another quick right on the entrance road into the stadium.  As we ran through the open gate, a volunteer shouted, "200 meters to go!"  It took my tired mind more than a few seconds to recall that 200 meters is just 1/2 lap on the track, i.e. less than 60 seconds for me!  We ran into the Stadium, made a couple of little turns in which I passed a couple of other runners, then ran onto the field!  All the training with strides at the end of mid-week runs paid off: I stamped down on the accelerator and my engine responded, as I raced fast past several other runners along the left side of the finishing chute.  The race clock read 2:02:xx, but I knew that my chip time was 1:53:xx.  I crossed the timing mat, threw up both hands in celebration, even leaped into the air several times, finally slowed down and stopped my watch, to see 1:53:21!  Smile!  Smile!  SMILE!  Wow, indeed that was the run of my life! 

A step before the finish line (above);
celebration immediately upon crossing the finish (below)

A volunteer gave me my medal, another handed me a bottle of water, a third volunteer held a big stack of cooldown jackets.  Fatigue joined me for a slow walk around the stadium, with nothing to say other than Congratulations, you did it!  I caught up with a few friends from various training programs, then found Bonnie and Sunny under the goalposts.   

I quickly sent a thank you text and my estimated finish time to Coach Carl, then joined Bonnie and Sunny for a celebration of our successful races.  I hadn't realized that today's race was Sunny's first 5K!  Before the race, she was anxious about running more than 2 miles.  In fact she ran very well this morning, finishing just under 50 minutes.  When the Atlanta Track Club text arrived a few minutes later with my official time, 1:53:14, this confirmed that I set a new personal record by almost 3-1/2 minutes! 

Training with Coach Carl has definitely paid off, in a very big way!  In addition to the training plans and the Tuesday evening track sessions, Carl set me up with a chiropractor, Dr. Josh Glass of Georgia Sports Chiropractic, who wrote a prescription for physical therapy with Chip Hewgley at Emory.  All of this has helped me to remain healthy.  I've also learned to trust the coach and the training plan: Run as close as possible to what is prescribed for a workout.  It doesn't help to run more or run faster than prescribed, without discussing it first with the coach, as there is always a good reason for the prescribed distance and/or pace.  Finally I understand that the easy long runs are about building the strength of the cardiovascular engine and building endurance in the legs.  The speed work sessions are about giving the body a taste of what is needed to run fast, but it's not about "winning" the session.  And the mental training, which was formerly the "missing link" in the formula, is now firmly in place.  

November 9, 2019: Mercedes-Benz Stadium 5K / Walk Like MADD

I had not intended to sign up for this race, as I'm now focusing on training for a couple of half marathons later this year, with training culminating in the Publix Atlanta Marathon on March 1.  But when the following e-mail landed in my in-box: 

$40 later, I had registered for the race, and in the lottery to win the free tickets.  I went to bed that night thinking of which three friends would make the cut to join me in the suite ... and waited and waited through the morning of the game for the e-mail informing me that I had won.  The e-mail never came.  Fortunately, Atlanta United won the game, 2 - 0, and hosted Toronto F.C. in the following week for the Eastern Conference Championship.  If Atlanta had won, we would have hosted the MLS Cup Championship on November 10, and at the end of the 5K race, I would have joyfully run onto the field the day before the big game.  Sadly, Atlanta United was outplayed by a scrappy and experienced Toronto side, losing 1 - 2.  Tomorrow's championship will be played at the opposite corner of the country, in Seattle, the home of the Western Conference Champion.  

But regarding my running: after an unusually long summer of training through the heat, the temperature has suddenly dropped.  With the cooler weather, a reserve of speed and endurance has emerged.  Training is going well.  Coach Carl Leivers gave me the green light for today's race: 

"Up to you how hard to push this one, but have fun with it either way!"

Carl has emphasized with his runners the importance of staying in control when running fast, to maintain good form and avoiding straining.  I realize that when I've run fast with a breakdown in form, that's when I've strained muscles.  That ruined a marathon in spring 2018, and interrupted my training for a half-marathon PR attempt in spring 2019.  I'm determined not to do anything that will injure me in this round of training.  

After I struggled in mile 8 of the 10-miler, I asked Carl for some guidance on mental training.  He recommended the following book: "Running Within: A guide to mastering the body-mind-spirit connection for ultimate training and racing" by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott.  So far, I've only read the first few chapters, but have already gained an appreciation for a positive mind-set and self-talk.  For this marathon training cycle, the mantra is "Patience", and when it's time for speed work, the mantra is "Glide."  I've put those into practice in the last two track workouts with Carl's group, and he's noticed that I'm running well.  I realize that means that I'm running the workout as prescribed and with consistency from start to finish.  The section that I'm currently reading describes a "Warrior" mind-set. 

Shortly before the race, in wave B

For today's race, I arrived about an hour ahead of time, with plenty of time to pick up my bib, walk a bit and dynamically stretch before setting out on a warmup run.  At first, with 35 degree temperatures and 10 mile per hour wind, I was concerned that I might not have a good race.  But by the end of the first mile, I had warmed up and my mind-set was shifting in a positive direction.  And by the time that I had returned to the starting area, after about 2.3 miles, I was ready to run a good race!  I started with wave B, a little further back from the front of the wave than I would have liked, but I had adjusted one of my shoelaces that hadn't felt quite right during the warm up, and the corral was quite full.  I shouldn't have been surprised: nearly 4000 people completed today's race.  

I had three goals for today's race: 

1) don't get hurt, 

2) have fun wearing my Atlanta United jersey into the stadium, and 

3) aim for a progression, running the first mile in about 8 minutes even, then try to go a little faster for the second mile, and even faster for the third mile, and then near the end, run as fast as possible for a strong finish.  

I tried to keep moving around in the cold air as we waited in the corral for wave A to begin.  Before we started, one of Bonnie's friends asked me, "Are you trying for a PR today?" I laughed and said "Probably not, although I do run well in this part of town."      Finally, wave A moved out, and wave B walked up to the starting mat.  I couldn't really hear the starting instructions in the back of the wave, but I did hear when the airhorn sounded.  It was probably a full minute before I reached the starting line, but then we all moved at a good pace to begin the race.  Running next to the Georgia World Congress Center on Andrew Young International Boulevard, we made a right turn at the corner of the CNN Center, onto Marietta Street.  I quickly established a quick but relatively easy pace, about an 8:15 minute / mile.  The first few blocks were a little crowded, but I just followed another man that was blazing a route, and avoided trampling over anyone as I moved forward through the wave.   With another right turn onto Forsyth Street, running due south, there was a little more room in the runner's lane.  I fondly recalled running in the other direction on Forsyth Street in the ATL 20 K in late August - and then also recalled how many potholes and divots were on Forsyth Street.  None of the road hazards had departed in the past two months.  I carefully watched my path as I raced ahead.  A fall could certainly ruin this training cycle.  (I learned after the race that another Tucker Running Club participant, starting just after me in wave C, had fallen due to a road hazard, although she completed the race.)  Patrons stepping outside of a McDonald's cheered us as we ran by.  

Passing the mile 1 marker in 7:58, we made a slight right turn onto Peters Avenue, and over a railroad bridge.  For me, this was the first noticeable uphill section, but I just trusted my training and relative familiarity with the route.  I was thankful to cross the bridge earlier in the race, while my legs were still fresh.  Now I began consciously telling myself to speed up, on occasion finding people ahead of me that were moving more slowly, and then "gliding" past them.   We ran down Peters Avenue for a full mile.  Although I was trying to drop my pace to 7:30, today I finished mile 2 in 7:47, 15:45 elapsed.  Not to worry, that was still faster than my first mile. 

We turned onto Chapel Street, which merged into Northside Drive.  There was the steepest little hill at this point, but I just relaxed and glided to the top of the hill.  Before I knew it, I had crested the hill, at 17 minutes elapsed.  Wasn't that easy?  Here I first glimpsed the gleaming silvery roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the distance.  7 minutes to go? or 8 minutes? I picked up my speed - and yes, I had a higher gear to work with today.  Just one mile to go - "you can do anything for 1 mile" I told myself.  Then for the first time in at least a mile, a runner passed me, on my right, a man in dreadlocks.  I picked up my pace to keep him from opening too much of a gap.  Then a younger man passed, wearing the race shirt.  I remembered Chris McClung's advice from the Running Rogue podcast: "In a 5K, if people are passing you after the first mile, that means that you're slowing down."  With his words ringing in my ears, I sped up some more.  The young man passed Mr. Dreadlocks but I drew nearly even, but didn't get ahead of him.  Then a young woman running in a pink padded jacket passed on my left.  She was running easily, and I didn't try to catch up to her.  However I noted with satisfaction that all three people who had passed me were still in sight - oops, then another man passed me on the right.  

In the meantime, the stadium had drawn much closer.  At 21 minutes elapsed, I began looking ahead to see where people were entering the stadium.  Acckkkk - we weren't going to run directly into the stadium, but would run past a corner of the stadium.  At the time, it looked like it was all the way around on the other side of the stadium.  Then the word "Warrior" came to mind.  My inner "Warrior" side kicked in - I didn't know that I really had a warrior within me - but I sped up a little more.  Finally I saw ahead where the runners were entering the stadium, next to the 3 mile marker!  23 minutes flat on my watch at that point, 23:20 before 3 miles recorded on my watch - but mile 3 had taken only 7:35.  Again, I had hoped to run just a little faster than that, but my mile 3 was faster than mile 2, so I definitely successfully executed today's race plan. 

Running into the stadium, I raised my sunglasses onto my head, and then accelerated some more.  Volunteers and spectators encouraged us forward.  I tapped my inner Josef Martínez.  Or maybe he was the just-retired defender Michael Parkhurst, still a pretty fast runner, I'm sure.  I had no idea how far we would run inside the building before reaching the field, but it may have been only 50 - 60 yards.  Then we ran through an inflated tunnel - just like the other athletes that play for the superb Atlanta United team (and the disappointing Falcons, currently in last place with a 1 - 7 won - loss record) and onto the field.  As we ran along a sideline on the NFL-chalked field, I was surprised by the softness of the turf.  I should have changed into cleats!  Nevertheless, I zipped past a young woman in a blue shirt who had passed me a moment earlier, and glided across the finish line at the distal 40-yard line.  As I reached across my body to turn off my watch, I took a second to mimic Josef Martínez's penalty kick: an annoying little skip, followed by pretending to strike a ball into a net. 

Just a few seconds before crossing the finish line.
I've eclipsed the woman in blue that I just passed. 

23:59.7 on my watch!  That's among my five fastest 5K runs!  Official time was 23:57! 

Best of all, I wasn't exhausted!  Yes, I had just completed a challenging workout, but I had remained in control from start to finish.  In contrast to most previous races, my heart rate did not spike near the finish, even though I continued to speed up in the final fraction of a mile.  

23:57 is just 27 seconds slower than my personal best, which I ran a couple of years ago, in sub-freezing weather.  Even if I wasn't faster, I ran today's race better, according to a plan and under control from start to finish, maintaining good form, thus diminishing the risk of injury.  I certainly had fun running this race, and the months of training with Carl Leivers are now showing results!  With continued training, I believe that I can shave at least 10 seconds from each mile in next year's race, if it's run on the same course.  This warrior is "calling his shot", but with some patience: I will set a new personal record for the 5K distance in the year 2020.  

A bunch of happy Tucker Running Club athletes,
celebrating Tiffany's birthday after the race!