43 days to go until the marathon! I've had some good workouts and have stayed on track with the training. Even with a two-week trip to the Philippines from Dec 28 - Jan 10, I managed to run every other day.
For today (January 18), my schedule with Coach Carl prescribed the first 20-mile run of this cycle. The date coincided with the Livvy's Love 8K race, a fundraiser for scholarships for Tucker High School students. I've raced this event several times before, and while it's a small community event, I've enjoyed the route around Stone Mountain, and the sense of supporting the family foundation. I ran the race from 2014 - 2017, then skipped in 2018 to focus on a marathon training cycle with the Atlanta Track Club, and was out of town for a family wedding in 2019. While today's workout was simply 20 miles at a "relaxed pace and rolling hills", I was conscious of next Saturday''s workout (January 25), in which I'll speed up a bit for the final 6 - 8 miles to approach goal pace for the final miles of the marathon.
My intention was not to really race Livvy's Love this year, but I wanted to get as many miles as possible on the course prior to the start of the race at 8 am, and then practice running on tired legs for the 8K / 5-mile distance. We went to bed relatively early last night, and I set the alarm for 4:00 am. I needed a little time to get out of bed, but after a pre-race breakfast of oatmeal, a cup of cappuccino, and a cup of blueberries, I was ready for the long run. I parked the car at Stone Mountain Park around 5:25 am, and after a couple of minutes of dynamic stretching, set out for the first loop of the mountain, in the clockwise direction.
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| Today's running route, with the race accounting for one counterclockwise loop of Stone Mountain, miles 14 - 19. |
I was pleasantly surprised to see other runners and walkers on the course, even at 5:30 am. I carried a flashlight and was quite visible with a Noxgear vest, but in fact the road was fairly well lit and there was virtually no automobile traffic. About 1 mile into my run, a couple of deer crossed the road in front of me. I realized that I probably wouldn't cover 15 miles before the 8 am start unless I ran the entire route at goal marathon pace. It didn't really matter if I covered "only" 13 or 14 miles before the start of the race: the most important thing was "patience" to get in a good workout.
After the first 5-mile lap (53:30, about a 10:40 min / mile pace), I ran a loop around the Twin Oaks lot where the race would begin, and began running in the opposite direction. The counterclockwise direction tends to feel a little easier: it's the same elevation change, but perhaps the uphills aren't as steep, even though they are longer. At mile 7 elapsed, I saw a couple more deer crossing the road. Were they the same deer that I saw earlier, about 2 miles from my current spot? In any case, the relaxed pace and the peaceful nature of the park was ideal for my running and my mental state. A feeling of peace settled through my body. I finished the second 5-mile lap in about 52:30, moving just a little faster. Throughout today's run, I took a Shot Blok every 15 minutes or so, and took a 30-second walk break every 2 or 3 miles, drinking a sip of water.
It was now around 7:15 am. It wasn't realistic to run a third loop unless I tried to race it, and that wasn't on the agenda for today. Instead I ran north along Hugh Howell Road, encountering no automobile traffic at all. Approaching the north exit of the park, I returned to the start/finish area for the race via a relatively steep uphill service road. I remember how difficult that road was 5 - 6 years ago when I was first running, back when I thought that I had to run every workout as fast as possible. But today I know that there is plenty of mitochondrial-building benefit in easy effort runs. Taking the hill at an easy pace, this section was just a good workout, a valuable part of today's training run. I returned to the start/finish line with about 12-1/2 miles elapsed, and saw Bonnie who had driven separately on her own warmup loop for the 5K out-and-back race. I just kept moving doing loops around the Twin Oaks lot until the announcer asked runners to approach the starting line. This is the first time that I had run more than a half-marathon before beginning a "race", 14.28 miles to be precise!
I lined up close to the starting line with about 20 runners ahead of me. Norman Hayes gave the runners instructions on the course, and then we started! The group ahead of me took off at a swift clip. I began to follow, then quickly remembered that I wasn't racing. Actually my legs were already a little sore from the accumulated mileage on the morning, so they reminded me to take it easy. Nonetheless, I was running at a 9:00 min / mile pace, without too much exertion. After completing the first mile of the race, we started on a long downhill on the southwest side of the mountain. I just took it easy, maintaining the 9:00 min / mile pace. I must have been in the back of the first pack, and no one was passing me. Before reaching the mile 2 marker, I saw a cheer group holding a sign marking the 5K turnaround point.
In the third mile, I began to slow down, once the elevation profile of the hills evened out along the south side of the mountain. I guess I wasn't ready to run too many miles at a 9 min / mile pace after the 14 mile "warmup", but a 9:40 min pace for mile 3 felt pretty comfortable, in line with Coach Carl's suggestion for next week's workout to run the final 6 - 8 miles of an 18-miler at a 9:45 min / mile pace. In the middle of mile 3, I heard a lot of honking behind me. A man driving a big black pickup truck was cheering us on!
Mile 4 also went pretty smoothly at a 9:50 min / mile average pace. Near the end of the fourth mile, we started going uphill, coming away from the lake. Now for the toughest part of the race, heading uphill toward the old Stone Mountain Inn. I was huffing and puffing as I ascended the hill. It seemed ridiculous to think that the counterclockwise direction was easier! As my energy faded near the top of the hill, a woman offered me a cup of water. Consistent with my marathon training plan, I slowed to a walk and gratefully accepted the water. I smiled and called out to the volunteers at the water station as I walked past, "You're located in the perfect place!" Rejuvenated by the water and the 30-second walk break, I returned to running as I crested the hill.
Now to pick up the pace: I had run the first four miles at a sub-10 minute / mile pace. My watch to that point was showing a 10:30 min / mile pace for mile 5 of the race course, so I wondered if could I drop the pace for the final half mile. Heading downhill, I cautiously sped up a bit, the legs responded as expected. Turning the corner for the last quarter-mile, I passed a few 5K runners entering the finish area from the opposite direction. I could see the finish line up ahead in the distance, also a few dozen feet uphill, but I dug deep to maintain a good pace. It helped that some cheerleaders were encouraging me all the way into the finish line, crossing the mat at about 46:30 elapsed, about a 9:20 min / mile average pace for the race.
I was really pleased that I managed to speed up for the entire 5 miles of the race. Accepting a banana and a bottle of Powerade from a volunteer, I resumed running at an easy pace, to finish off the last fraction of a mile to complete 20 miles for the day. My legs were sore from the effort, but I felt that this was one of my most successful 20-mile training runs, and a very good omen for the marathon to come.
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| Bonnie in the middle of mile 3 of the 5K race (above); approaching the 5K finish line (below). |
After the race, I ducked into the tent to warm up, and discovered that Quinn Porter was offering post-run stretch therapy. I had a hard time relaxing enough, but Quinn was patient, and quick breathing helped me to relax so that he could contort my legs into some surprising positions. That really helped my legs feel better!
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| "Oh what a relief!" |
As the stretching session concluded, the awards ceremony began just outside of the tent. Although I've won age group awards in this race in the past, I didn't expect anything with a 46:30 finish, at least 5 minutes slower than my course best when I was just running 5 miles for the day. When they called out second place for the men's 50 - 59 age group, the announcer was teasing the man for looking too young. Then I was shocked when they announced that first place went to "Frank McDonald"! I guess the faster 50 - 59 men ran the 5K, or did something else today besides this race. I gently pushed through the crowd to accept the medal from Nikki Hayes, then posed for photos with Olivia Hayes' siblings.
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| Bonnie was front-and-center taking photographs. Then she asked me to bite the medal, which caused the crowd to laugh! |
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| The announcer said "This is what a real 50-year-old man looks like", then I abruptly pulled off my cap. For the first time in my life, I felt proud to show off my balding, grey head! |
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