August 20, 2022: Atlanta's Finest 5K

This morning's race, the Atlanta's Finest 5K, has been run on the same or very similar courses ever since I first took on this race in 2014. Earlier this year, the Publix 5K and the Hotlanta 5K covered similar routes. Although I finished under 27 minutes in both races, I was dissatisfied with my positive split in the Hotlanta race, for which the final mile was identical to today's race route.  

With Bonnie around 6:15 am, with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in the foreground, and the tallest building in Atlanta (Bank of America tower) in the background.

Bonnie and I arrived early, and shortly after 6:30 am, I warmed up on that final stretch of the race route on Luckie Street. Turning around at North Avenue, I paid careful attention to how the route initially slightly dropped in elevation, then a substantial uphill section to the intersection with Ivan Allen Boulevard, followed by the reward of a downhill finish. I could see the Hyatt Place Hotel in the distance, and knew that it was exactly half a mile from North Avenue to passing that hotel, which would be close to the 3-mile marker. My legs, lungs, and spirit all felt good this morning, and while I knew that I wasn't going to run anything close to a personal best today, I felt confident in my ability to execute today's race plan. 

Spoiler alert: blue is slower than green, with red at my fastest!  
We started the race at the green marker and finished at the red marker.
I guess you can stop reading, now that you know that I ran well today.  

I decided to set my watch to kilometers, thinking that it would be preferable to break the race into five smaller pieces than three mile-long stretches. For the first kilometer, the goal was not to run faster than 5:35 min / km (about 9 min / mile), but then to gradually but cautiously pick up speed with the following kilometers, saving enough energy for the Luckie Street Hill early in the last kilometer, and then enjoy a fast downhill finish. 

Before the race, with Jocelyn Disher, Lisa Schoolcraft, Bonnie, and Emily Grossman

I lined up with wave B, more than halfway back from the front of the pack, a couple of rows behind Susie Kim (another spoiler alert: Susie won her age group today!). Ronell Blackmon was today's MC, but the airhorn was sounded by Atlanta's chief of police. I restrained the urge to run past too many others and managed to stay about 15 - 20 feet behind Susie as we worked our way north on Marietta Street. After I few minutes we both caught up to Donna Roberts, and we ran together for a moment. Donna regularly runs with the early morning Tucker Running Club events, but since I'm not training for anything big right now, I've not been motivated to get up at 5:30 am for weekday runs. (Yet one last spoiler alert: Donna won 3rd in her age group!) At 5:38 elapsed, my watch sounded the kilometer 1 alert. I gradually moved ahead of both Donna and Susie: Donna called out "Go for it, Frank!" and I shouted back "Not until the last half-mile!" which I genuinely meant. 

 After the race, with Lisa, Donna and Shawn Roberts.
Donna and Shawn both served as volunteers this morning - and I'm
particularly thankful to Shawn for giving runners ice-cold water bottles at the finish line! 

A few minutes after crossing the North Avenue overpass, the Georgia Tech campus was visible to our right. As I passed the mile 1 marker, I noticed that my watch read 9:00 flat, which was exactly where I wanted to be at this stage in the race. I was still being cautious about my pace but was no longer running with a mental "brake" on my speed. At 11:12 elapsed, the kilometer 2 alert sounded, 5:34, so I was very gradually increasing my pace. Perfect, I thought, I felt good and was very happy to be executing my plan. We soon made the sharp right turn onto Tech Parkway around 13:30 elapsed, which was close to the halfway point of the race route. I could see Susie about 100 feet behind me after I came out of the hairpin turn. 

With Joe Dean before the race. Are we twins??
It's always great to see old friends and meet new people at races.
Joe and I seem to have similar ability, so I hope to see him at many future races.  

Up ahead I noticed the yellow singlet of a man named Joe, who had introduced himself to us around 6:30 am this morning. He noticed my yellow Atlanta Track Club singlet, although his singlet had no logo. We talked for a few minutes, turns out he was formerly a police officer, and used to run a lot back in the 1980's. As we seemed to be similar ages, and he was also wearing a wave B bib, I was wondering if we had similar ability. He seemed to be running well and so I used him as a pacer for the next couple of minutes. At the water station, about 16 minutes in, Joe slowed down to take a cup of water. I heard a few cheers "Frank! Frank!" and accepted a cup of water from Stephanie Batson - thanks! I remembered in my first Atlanta's Finest race how I had skipped the water station and was extremely thirsty for the remainder of the race, so I've used the water stop ever since. 

Pretty good elevation vs. pace profile, if I say so myself.
The water station walk shows up prominently! 

I only needed about 20 seconds walking to finish my cup of water, then resumed running. The kilometer 3 alert sounded at 16:40 elapsed, 5:28, and a minute later at 17:40 elapsed, passed the mile 2 marker, about an 8:40 min/mile pace. Wow, I was impressed with my pace discipline this morning! Around that time I caught up with Joe, we exchanged a brief greeting, and leapfrogged each other for a minute or two. We came up on a little hill, and at that point Joe ran by a young man who was walking, and with a word of encouragement from Joe, the younger man sprinted ahead of us. With a little climb and a gentle right curve, we were at the intersection with North Avenue. 

First glimpse of the Hyatt Place Hotel, at North Avenue (top)  
Getting a little closer at Pine Street (bottom)

I could see the Hyatt Place Hotel in the distance. "5 minutes" I thought to myself, "I can do anything for 5 minutes!" And shortly afterwards the kilometer 4 alert sounded, 21:59 elapsed, 5:19. To this stage I had been running fairly easily. Now it was time to turn up the intensity, just as the elevation began to rise. I left Joe behind as I proceeded to run strongly up the hill. The young man who had sprinted ahead slowed to a walk and I quickly passed him as well. By the way, at that stage in the Hotlanta 5K in June, I was walking, but not today! While it was tough going, every time I looked up, the Hyatt Place Hotel was closer and closer, and it was easier to read the sign with every passing minute. It was like the hotel drew me like a magnet up to the top of the hill! 

Just a few blocks from the finish line! 

Finally I had reached Ivan Allen Boulevard! 25:20 elapsed - when I ran this race in 2019, I had already finished by that time, but I put that thought aside and just returned to my positive attitude about perfectly executing today's race plan for the first 4 kilometers. And now that we were running downhill, I was able to pick up the pace. Zipping down the street past the Georgia Aquarium, I passed several other runners - and no one passed me, thank goodness. I wanted to keep it that way, so I kept my mental accelerator at maximum. My heart rate was pretty high at this time, but I also knew that the finish line was very close. Racing past the mile 3 marker around 26:10 (8:20 min / mile pace for mile 3), we had to run straight ahead to the intersection with Baker Street and then make a left turn. Not a problem, I dug as I made the right-angle turn. In front of the aquarium on Baker Street, it's a few feet uphill to the finish line, but Ronell was cheering runners into the finish. I just focused on running straight to the line, passing a young boy on my way to the finish line. I heard the kilometer 5 alert sound simultaneously with seeing 29 minutes on the clock, and then I was across the timing mat, raising both arms in celebration, stopping my watch at 27:17. The first person that I recognized after the finish line was Sam Benedict, who had finished just ahead of me but started in wave A, so he said "I think you beat me on time!" 

When I checked my Garmin results, I was delighted to see that I ran the fifth kilometer in 5:10, continuing my steady progression in speed, despite some uphill sections in the last two kilometers. Although my official time, 27:12, was a little slower than I had run earlier this year in the Publix 5K (26:41) and the Hotlanta 5K (26:35), I was much happier with today's performance, because I had perfectly executed my race plan from start-to-finish. After accepting a cold bottle of water from a volunteer, I turned around to see Joe crossing the finish line, followed shortly by Atlanta council member Alex Wan, then Susie Kim and Donna Roberts. 

This was a great start to a series of races, continuing over the next three weekends. Stay tuned! 

Official results link

August 6, 2022: Decatur DeKalb 4-Miler

When the Atlanta Track Club summer 4-mile race returned to Decatur in 2021, after a virtual race in 2020 due to the pandemic, the route was substantially different. I didn't run the 2021 race, as we were in Washington State that weekend, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I took an easy jaunt on the course earlier this week, and although I made a couple of wrong turns while taking some photographs that I'll include in this blog, I was convinced that the Track Club had added a few more hills to make the new course even more challenging! 

I was running in from the left side after my warmup run, but
I didn't quite make it into the Atlanta Track Club pre-race photo. 

My plan for today was to run very conservatively for the first three miles (I really mean it this time!) and hopefully turn up the speed at the end for a fast finish. That meant letting go of what I had accomplished on the old course, 33:09 personal best in 2019. As we gathered for the start, it was about 70 degrees and humid but cloudy or perhaps foggy, and I was wondering if it had been a mistake to wear sunglasses. However, I had my trusty small towel wrapping a large handful of ice, and mopped my head with the cool towel as we waited to begin. Wave A started as scheduled at 7:15 am, but instead of starting wave B two minutes earlier, the announcer mentioned that we would have a 4 - 5 minute interval to allow more space between waves, as the roads ahead were narrow. I deliberately took a position near the back of the wave, hoping that would help me start slowly. In front of me, I saw Atlanta Track Club regulars Sam Benedict and Jackie Whitlock. I started with Susie Hill, and just behind me were Kim Harrell and Alice Pate. These five runners are similar to me in ability, although I've lost to every one of them on some occasion, and probably to all of them in a single race when I've executed poorly. I resolved not to race anyone until after I had passed the mile 3 marker. 

It was fairly crowded as I crossed the timing mat, and so I just settled in directly behind another runner as we headed up Commerce Drive and made the first turn onto Howard Avenue, trying not to step on her heels. We ran on Howard Avenue for no more than a few hundred feet when we turned into the neighborhood. Alice Pate passed me as we made the turn. I didn't try to keep up with Alice at first, following my cautious plan for the start, but at some point in this loop I did catch up to and then passed Alice, probably while running downhill, while I had the weight-momentum advantage. I also saw Susie Kim near the end of this loop and after saying hello, I passed her as well. Not that I was racing anyone. 

In front of the Quaker church on Howard Avenue

Re-emerging onto Howard Avenue, I sped up a bit. As we approached the 1-mile marker, my watch alert sounded 9:25. That was too slow to set a personal best, but hopefully not too fast for me to maintain for three more miles. As we took another turn into the neighborhood, I picked up the pace a bit while we were running downhill. No faster than 9 minute / mile pace at this stage, I reminded myself. So far I was feeling good, heart rate was in the 150 beat per minute range so not high enough to be a concern at this moment. I naturally slowed down a bit as we headed uphill to return to Howard Avenue, and another quick right turn. Now the East Lake MARTA station came into view. Around that stage in the race, I passed Sam Benedict. I called out "Sam, don't let me pass you!" but I didn't see Sam again in today's race. Not that I was racing anyone. 

Mural in front of the pedestrian bridge over Howard Avenue
to the East Lake MARTA station

Mural facing Howard Street on the East Lake MARTA station wall

From East Lake Road, we turned onto Parkwood Road where the elevation was definitely a gradual downhill. I just let momentum carry me along, watching my heart rate more than my pace. I was really happy to have some ice left in my towel, which I would rub on my face and forehead for some relief from the heat. My watch sounded as we approached the 2-mile marker, 9:02 and 18:27 elapsed. Definitely not on personal best pace, but I was on track with my race plan. Running down West Parkwood Road was one of the nicest parts of the race. When I was being recruited to join Emory a quarter-century ago, I was told that Atlanta was "a city in the forest". That's certainly true in the older residential neighborhoods. Running in the shade makes Hotlanta summers so much more bearable. So far I had not taken any walk breaks, and had not felt that I needed one, but with the water station up ahead, I decided to accept a cup of water from a volunteer. I walked for probably no more than 30 seconds, and the break did wonders for my heart rate, down to 130 bpm for a moment. I didn't worry about the people who passed me, among them being Jackie Whitlock, because I wasn't racing anyone. 

Parkwood Park between West and East Parkwood Roads

We emerged onto West Ponce de Leon Avenue for just a few steps, before running south on East Parkwood Road. I hadn't fully appreciated running downhill on the west side of the park, but definitely slowed down heading uphill on the east side. I briefly glanced at my watch and saw a 10 min / mile reading, then reminded myself that my goal was not to burn myself out on the hills in the middle of the course. I just shortened my stride, relaxed as much as possible, dabbed my face and head with the cool towel, and let the course play itself out. Turning left on the appropriately named Upland Road, I almost took a walk break, but it had been only about 5 minutes since my water stop walk break, so I managed to keep running even though it was slower going with the shorter stride. Finally we crested the hill and I picked up some speed heading downhill toward West Ponce. For awhile, I had seen Kim Harrell just a few seconds in front of me, now I pulled up even with her. I thought perhaps that I would run with Kim for awhile. I certainly had no intention of passing her, at least not before the 3-mile marker, but somehow today I just glided by. Not that I was racing anyone. 

Right before making the turn onto West Ponce, I shook out the towel. A couple of tiny ice chips flew out onto the side of the road. I then worked the cool towel around my neck, just under the top of the singlet. I passed the 3-mile marker, 9:16 recorded. That was slower than a progressive run pace, but there were hills so I gave myself a break. As we made the turn into one more neighborhood, I realized that 27:45 elapsed = three miles averaging 9:15 min / mile pace, and I probably had enough energy remaining in the battery to pick up the pace for the final mile. I even had sufficient mental capacity for a simple division problem in my head. But my positivity quickly began to diminish as we headed uphill. The left turn onto Emerson Avenue revealed more uphill. I may have audibly groaned at this moment. Several people in front of me were walking. Although my heart rate was now in the low 170s, I fought off the temptation to walk and somehow powered through. "If this was a 5K, I'd be done by now!" but then I cast aside that negative thought as another left turn revealed that we were soon to be running downhill toward West Ponce. Whew! I didn't pick up the pace immediately, but used the gravity assist for a little cardiovascular recovery.  

Parks are so much nicer today! When I was a kid, the local park
had a straight metal slide that was scorching hot in the summer, 
and a few swings on a rusty swing stand. 

Now it was HAMMER TIME! We turned onto West Trinity Place for a straight shot to downtown Decatur. A volunteer called out "Downhill to the finish!" I asked "All the way?" and heard the truthful response "one more small hill but mostly downhill." Of course I knew this not only from my reconnaissance run a few days ago, but I also used to regularly run this section when the Big Peach Running Company store was downtown. As the road headed under the MARTA tracks, I picked up my pace and passed several people in one go. Inevitably we had to run uphill from the underpass, but at this point I knew that I had only two blocks to the turn at Commerce Drive followed by the finish line. I was fighting off the sensation of tiredness; afterwards I saw that I had nearly maxxed out my heart rate monitor. Bob Wells was standing near the Electric Avenue intersection cheering us on by name. I was thinking, just one block to the turn, but then Bob called out "400 meters to finish, Frank!" 

The MARTA underpass on West Trinity Place

400 meters? That's a quarter-mile. That's further than I thought. Fortunately it was probably more like 300 meters. Anyway, I made the right turn onto Commerce Drive. There was a long block ahead to the finish line, but at least I could see the finish line as soon as I made the turn. And I began to speed up, because NOW, I was racing. I didn't sense anyone close behind me, and avoided the temptation to look behind me, knowing that would only slow me down. There was a pretty big gap between me and a cluster of four or five other runners ahead of me. But then I found another gear and accelerated. As the finish line drew near, I thought "I might be able to pass this last fellow" and my inner cheetah took over. I crossed the timing mat a step or two ahead of him, a couple of seconds after my watch had sounded the mile 4 alert. 

I wish that I had ranked a little higher within my age group .....
but I finished mile 4 in 9:00 so the last mile was my fastest,
which was my main goal for today.  

I took the liberty of throwing up both arms in a small celebration before stopping my watch. 36:46 is much slower than my usual time on the Decatur DeKalb course, but I was happy with how I had executed today's race plan. I was absolutely exhausted, but that didn't hit me until after I had crossed the finish line, so I had rationed out my energy perfectly for the conditions. I told Kim Harrell afterward "I couldn't have run a fifth mile like that today." Thankfully the Atlanta Track Club had a cooler of ice-cold towels just past the finish line, even before we reached the volunteers handing out ice-cold water bottles. Even though the cold towel on my head was initially a shock, it felt so good as I wrung out a little ice-cold water to run down all sides of my head and down my body. 

I also missed the pre-race Tucker Running Club photo,
as I was warming up, but made it into the post-race photo,
before I went for a cool-down run.

After I compared Garmin data from today's run with the 2019 race on the old course, it turns out that the new course is actually very slightly less hilly: 279 feet net ascent, 292 feet net descent, whereas the old course was 307 feet net ascent and 309 feet net descent. It didn't feel that way, but as a scientist, I know that I must trust the data! Of course the experiment still needs to be replicated ....