June 12, 2022: The Hotlanta 5K

Race plan: 

0 - 5 minutes: Uphill to corner with Marietta, level to turn in park (walk break in park)

5 - 10 minutes: Level past mile 1 marker & cross Ivan Allen (walk break on Marietta)

10 - 15 minutes: Gentle downhill on Marietta over North Avenue (walk break at water station)

15 - 20 minutes: Tight on Means, right on Tech Parkway past mile 2 marker, gentle downhill to North Avenue (walk break)

20 - 25 minutes: Due south on Luckie, gently uphill. This will hurt. Chase fatigue away for just 6 minutes

25 minutes to the end: Cross Ivan Allen "You know where the finish line is!" Downhill and fast strides across the line!

__________

The training cycle wasn't great, due to life-work stresses. It didn't help that I was carrying at least 15 extra pounds, although I was back on the Weight Watchers plan so at least was tracking food, even when I was stress eating. I felt bad that I quit on a couple of the speed workouts and one of the long runs, partly due to early summer heat, and totally skipped a recovery run about 10 days ago, in favor of staying at the office to finish an advanced draft of a grant proposal. I made the right decision for me in all of those cases, but knew that it wasn't ideal for training. But as someone advised me, when there is too much going on, it all doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be good enough. 

One place where I can improve is with my weight. It's crept up about 5 pounds per year since 2017 - 2018 when I was running 5K and 10K races really well. I had a good season in late 2019 - early 2020 running about 10 pounds overweight, so I thought it didn't really matter. But 20 pounds is a lot to be hauling up the hills of metro Atlanta. About a month ago, I got back onto the Weight Watchers plan, rigorously tracking everything, even attending a couple of meetings when my schedule allowed. I've lost about 5 pounds since then, which is pretty good. Weight Watchers is a lifestyle plan, which recommends very very gradual weight loss, which is the healthiest way to do it. When the thoughtful eating is combined with regular exercise, the pounds lost are mostly fat, while losing little or no muscle weight. Of course it will take most of the rest of 2022 to get back down to the top end of my ideal weight, 172 pounds, but I'm patient, I just hope that I can remain diligent. 

5 am this morning

This bag of cat food is what I'm carrying on my body
when I'm struggling running uphill.

Imagine how fast I can run if I can shed this bag of cat food.
Especially after the additional training load that I've carried!

The weather was 70 degrees and at least 80% humidity when the half-marathon runners took off at 7:00 am. Brian and I surveyed the small group that remained for the 5K (239 finishers), and decided that we would begin near the front. As the minutes ticked down, 1 minute to go, we were in the second or third row of runners, all of whom were hanging back at least 5, maybe 10 yards behind the starting line. I definitely understand the wisdom of not wanting to have one's chip register prematurely, but with seconds to go, and no instructors from the announcer or a course monitor, I said out loud "Shouldn't we all move up?!" and the crowd began to walk forward. The airhorn sounded precisely 15 minutes after the start of the half-marathon, and within a couple of seconds, Brian and I crossed the timing mat. 

Brian was immediately in front of me, which was fine. Being realistic about my training, I didn't expect to win today, so my only goal was to execute the race plan described above. We turned the first corner heading south on Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Before long, we were definitely running uphill, but having studied the elevations ahead of time, I was ready for it. 8:30 min / mile pace felt OK. Although I was already breathing heavily, my pulse rate was in the 140s so I figured that was alright. At the top of the hill, I had caught up to Brian as we turned right onto Marietta Street. At the intersection at Andrew Young International Blvd, I looked to my right into the park, remembering fondly many finishes at the spring Publix Marathon / Half Marathon / 5K races over the years. As we made a right turn on Park Drive in front of the Embassy Suites Hotel, my watch signaled the 4:30 walk break. I threw up a hand, slowed to a walk according to plan, let Brian pull ahead, and a few other runners dashed ahead of me. Before my watch had signaled 5:00, I was running again, but grateful for the short break. I soon caught up with a couple of the people that had just passed me. I heard Beverly and Brenden Minor cheering for us "Go Uncle Frank!" and managed to wave and blurt out "Thank you!"

Spoiler alert: everyone in these mile 1 photos finished ahead of me. 

Turning the corner at Baker Street, then in a short block, another right turn onto Marietta Street, I settled into a good pace. Brian was up ahead; after he passed a landmark, I counted seconds until I reached the same landmark, about 15 seconds. Shortly before the intersection with Ivan Allen Blvd, the mile 1 marker signaled 8:08. Not bad, I thought. Just as I was beginning to tire, my watch signaled for the 9:30 walk break, then at 10:00 I resumed running. That was a good plan, I thought, definitely sustainable for another 16 minutes. Brian opened up a bigger lead, but that was OK, I was running my own race. We crossed the overpass at North Avenue, then up in the distance I saw a small group of people on the side of the street. Was that the water stop? Indeed it was. I had planned on taking the 14:30 walk break through the water station, but arrived at 14:00 elapsed, literally 30 seconds "ahead of schedule". I was very pleased with that. I accepted a cup from the very last volunteer, slowed to a walk while I drank the water, then resumed running. Unfortunately I had already walked past the one garbage can for used water cups, so I crumpled it in my right hand as I continued running. The crumpled cup actually seemed to help me hold my hand in the "ideal" "cupped" posture. 

After the big hill at the beginning, the race route was downhill
for the rest of mile 1, and for virtually all of mile 2. 

As we approached Means Street for the right turn, I thought about jumping onto the sidewalk to drop the cup in a garbage can, but decided it was too much of a deviation from the race route, and just made the right turn toward the Georgia Tech campus, crumpled cup in hand, then another right turn immediately onto Tech Parkway. The reverse direction is the final mile of the Publix Half-Marathon.  Fortunately we were running on what seemed to be a fairly level route. Kacy Seynders, a fast runner and physical therapist who also works closely with Coach Carl Leivers, was riding alongside on a bike, giving me encouragement, which I really appreciated. A father-son pair, who I had "leapfrogged" after my first two walk breaks, had passed me during the water stop, and were a few seconds in front of me. Now I passed them once again, as I wondered if I should have saved some of that energy for later. I didn't hear the alert for mile 2, nor did I see a sign, but that was at 16:28 elapsed, 8:20 for mile 2. Following the 4:30 run / 0:30 walk alerts, I had taken two walk breaks in the second mile, so I was probably running at a consistent speed. 

There was an unexpected right turn and a short out-and-back, I guess that was required to get the distance to 3.11 miles. Brian was coming the other way, perhaps 30 - 40 seconds ahead of me. I forget what Brian waid when he saw me, but I called out "I'm comin' for you!" Then I made the U-turn, with the father-son duo immediately behind me. Tech Parkway began to gently climb uphill, I felt myself slow down, the father-son pair passed me. I took a quick look at my watch, 19 minutes elapsed. Just 30 more seconds, then I was given a 30-second reprieve at 19:30 to walk across the intersection at North Street, which was my last planned walk break. The street name changed to Luckie Street. 

I remembered the difficulty of Luckie Street from previous Hotlanta Half Marathons. I was very happy that today I had only paid for 3.11 miles, not 13.11. I had run this final section of the race route during my warmup earlier in the morning, so I was mentally prepared. Luckie Street flattened out, and I increased my pace a bit, trying to drive the pace number on my watch for the third mile further below 9:00, to compensate for the last walk break. Then, we began running uphill again. "I'm ready for this" I said to myself "Chase fatigue away for just 6 minutes," or maybe even less. 

Mile 3 had a substantial uphill section

That positive self-talk carried me uphill for no more than 30 seconds! I was out of breath, soaked in sweat from too humidity and exertion. I gave in to the need for a unscheduled walk break around 22:30 elapsed, just at the moment that Kacy passed on the bike. Thank you, Kacy, for not saying anything at that moment, that's assuming that you noticed me struggling! I was weaving on the road, for a second I actually found myself on the wrong side of the cones, in the auto traffic lane. When I realized that, I quickly moved over to the runners' lane, and resumed running. But the weight of the cat food bag that I was carrying kept me from picking up speed. After just a minute or so, I slowed to another walk. Definitely not in the race plan. 

The first four walk breaks were planned. 

A man passed on my right, "Not much further, just a quarter-mile" he said. He was right, and I resumed running as we approached Ivan Allen Blvd. I quickly gained ground on the kind and encouraging runner. I really didn't want to pass him, but he was now slowing down, while I finally gained a second wind. So sorry kind sir, you didn't deserve for me to blow past you, but it wasn't personal. By the way, Brian was nowhere in view. My watch signaled 24:30, but I wasn't taking another walk break. "Brian must be very close to the finish line by now," I thought. I had a little further to go as we passed the Georgia Aquarium, but as I had recalled from a previous Hotlanta Half Marathon, five years ago (!), this is where bike monitor Cristal Stoutzenberger had encouraged me by shouting: "Frank! You know where the finish line is!" And that memory spurred me to run faster. For some reason, first I felt compelled to toss the crumpled cup into a garbage can next to the road. Two points. 

My form was pretty good running into the finish chute

I had been leapfrogging a young boy in a red shirt for much of the race. My watch signaled 25:00 as I passed him for good, taking advsntage of the downhill. I heard my watch signal mile 3 (which was 25:24) and I tried to accelerate again, making the gentle turn onto Baker Street. Then I remembered (because I knew where the finish line was) that there was one last little speed bump to cross, before the start-finish line banner would come fully into view. There it was! Downhill to the finish, I heard Beverly and Brenden cheering for "Uncle Frank", was that Brian up ahead? I couldn't really tell because of the sweat in my eyes, I managed to pick up the pace for a quick stride into the finish chute, over the finish line, two arms up in celebration! 26:40 on my watch, 26:35 chip time. 

I've just crossed the finish line, arms in the air to celebrate
my victory over the young boy in the red shirt (at least for 2022).
After race results were posted, I learned that based on chip time,
the boy started 4 seconds behind me, and finished 4 seconds after me, 
and won by a hair (that's only because I've lost too much of my hair).
Brian is to the right of the fence walking back from the finish line.

Wow, that was really hard. I accepted a bottle of water and medal from two volunteers, managed to thank them out loud, then just stopped, putting my hands on my legs until I could regain my equilibrium. Eventually I walked very very slowly to where Brian and Beverly were cheering on the other finishers. I didn't have the energy to say much for a few minutes, but gradually recovered enough to cross the street to head into the park for a possible award ceremony.  

Brian pointed out that with a small field, we had a good chance of winning something. Indeed when the race results came in, Brian was 10th finisher overall, I was 21st. During the awards ceremony, Brian won 2nd place male masters! When they called out age groups, I won 1st place for the 55 - 59 men. All of the times were (in my opinion) relatively slow. I think that many of us were adversely affected by the warm temperature and humidity, so I left the race satisfied with my result. 

On the medal stand

It won't be too many years before Brenden is outrunning
the man wearing the yellow singlet. And maybe
also outrunning the man in the blue singlet! 

I won a slate coaster!