September 24, 2022: Refuge Coffee Run 5K

First race in my new Brooks Hyperion Tempo shoes,
but already have about 30 miles on these light shoes after today.

I've decided to train for the Publix Atlanta Marathon on February 26, 2023. That seems like a long time from now, until I count the weeks in the calendar and realize that it's 22 weeks from tomorrow, and I think that I need a 20-week build for my best preparation. So since the beginning of September, I've been in "pre-training mode". I ran my first 10-miler in several months last weekend, and wanted to cover at least that much again this weekend. So I arrived at the site for today's race a couple of hours before the start, and set out for an easy 5 to 6 miles, starting with a jog of the race route. It was a beautiful early fall morning: 48 degrees F at  7:15 am, not a cloud in the sky! I was impressed that the start-finish line was already up, and the cones marking the route were already laid out. Although I've run this race twice before on exactly the same route, it was nice to get a reminder of exactly where the uphill sections were located - and an opportunity to take some photos along the race route, although without any other runners in the photos. 

Another good showing this year from Tucker Running Club! 

After a run-walk of about an hour, I returned to the starting area at the Refuge Coffee Company, posed with Tucker Running Club (TRC) for our pre-race photos, changed into a dry singlet and put on my race bib, took a gel and drank a little Nuun, "unhydrated" at the porta-potty, and did some light stretching to keep my legs limber. Despite 5 miles and 10,000 steps on the legs by this time of the morning, I didn't feel tired or sore, so I felt that I could have a good race this morning, especially with the perfect conditions - now at 59 deg F at 9 am when we started. Several TRC runners including me took spots about 25 - 30 feet behind the starting line, and the crowd filled in around us, 367 runners in total (based on the finishing results). A group of young men dressed alike was on the starting line, perhaps the Clarkston High School track team - and my prediction that one of them would win the race was correct, so I think that I started in about the appropriate spot. 

Lisa Calas took a candid shot just a few minutes before the race was to begin. 
TRC was ready to run, where was everyone else??!!

The announcer counted down "5....4....3....2....1..." and the airhorn sounded. We crossed the starting mat and ran through a cloud of confetti - very cool! I don't think that I had experienced that before in a race! As we crossed busy Ponce de Leon Avenue, with the police holding back lines of traffic in both directions, I found myself running just behind Lisa Calas and Joe Ajitsaria. I briefly thought about drafting off of Joe and Lisa, but quickly realized that neither of them were tall enough to do the job. Nonetheless I had thought that we might run together for awhile, but on the first turn, a woman sharply cut in front of me from right-to-left, trying to avoid running into her I nearly ran into Lisa, but avoided a foul, and darted ahead to get out of the scrum. So much for running with Joe and Lisa, although I imagined for the rest of the race that they might catch up with me, especially if I pooped out in the last mile. 

We were running downhill toward the lake across the street from Milam Park. I tried to watch my speed, just letting gravity carry me along. Occasionally a fast runner who must have started well behind me dashed past, and I did my best to ignore them - my pace, my race. Just past the park entrance, my watch sounded the first kilometer alert, 5:01. I reminded myself that we had run nearly the entire distance downhill, so didn't allow myself to seriously think that I was on pace to finish in 25 minutes. I didn't seem to have any trouble maintaining pace as we ran gently uphill. At the turn onto Otello Avenue, one of the volunteers congratulated us on completing the first mile. "Already?" I said out loud, but in a moment we were passing the Mile 1 marker, about 8:10 on my watch. 

I had never before noticed the Clarkston Cemetery when racing past, 
but I stopped today during my early morning pre-race run.
These gravestones are for
William O. Van Vorst (Nov. 13, 1831 - Jan. 9, 1911) and
Sarah H. Van Vorst (March 17, 1845 - January 23, 1929).

After passing Jolly Elementary School, we turned onto Echo Woods Drive, heading downhill once again. I tried not to get too excited, because I knew from my early morning course reconnaissance that the steepest hill on the race course was just a couple of minutes ahead. The second kilometer alert sounded, 5:08, 10:09 elapsed. When we reached the hill a moment later, I was mentally prepared. I shortened my stride and passed a few people as we headed uphill. For some reason, the phrase popped into my mind "Attempt to be cool, Charlie" but that got me through that patch.

We were back on Otello Avenue, more gently uphill and finally levelling off. I was breathing pretty heavily and loudly, but I started to pass a young boy in this section who briefly sped up to keep up with me before falling behind when we finally began running downhill. Again I took full advantage of the gravity assist and the considerable momentum of my 185-pound body moving forward. The water station was at its usual spot immediately after making the left turn onto Erskine Road. I decided to skip the water since I felt well-hydrated and it wasn't warm, and I didn't want to slow down at all if I could help it. I don't think the volunteers at the water station had any takers at the moment that we passed through, although several of us including me smiled and said "Thanks!" as we passed by - and I imagine that they got busy serving lots of people within a few minutes and then for the rest of the race. The third kilometer alert sounded at that point, 5:34, 15:43 elapsed. Definitely not on a 25-minute finishing pace, but I refused to feel disappointed, knowing that we had just finished a tough uphill section. 

We headed onto the PATH trail and into the shade. This is one of the best spots of the PATH trail between Atlanta and Stone Mountain, running through a little forest, which almost hid our view of the railroad track to our right. There was one section with a little dip and then scrambling uphill, but that felt easy for me. I heard footsteps behind me, then a young man passed on my right, and moved effortlessly ahead. Not to worry, he was considerably younger. I admired his full head of curly hair for the next few minutes, which reminded me of days long past. Emerging from the forested section, we were now running alongside Church Street as the fourth kilometer alert sounded, 5:21, 21:04 elapsed. Just 5 minutes to go, if I can pick up the pace. 

We passed a Spanish-language church where someone was playing calming music on an acoustic guitar. That was a nice moment, probably also because the route was level or very gently downhill. Then the PATH trail separated from Church Street and took another gradual elevation decline. I was starting to tire, but a quick glance at my watch showed 23 minutes, and I told myself, "Just 3 more minutes and then you can take a long walk break." More footsteps approaching from behind me on my left: I took a quick glance and saw a young woman, turns out she was a 12-year-old girl, cruising along effortlessly, with perfect form. There was no way that I could keep up with her sprint, and I was left behind to admire how well she had paced herself to finish strongly.  

Now that we were coming back into town, I could see ahead that the PATH trail was turning into a regular street surface, but the street had been recently closed to automobile traffic, further extending the pedestrian / bicycle path for another block. The struggle was becoming real, but I also knew that I had only three blocks to reach the finish line. As the young girl passed a couple of volunteers at the Norman Road intersection, they cheered her on, and it seemed that her pace suddenly increased. Then they were cheering for me, and I hope my pace also increased! 

The final turn is just ahead! 

The last two blocks were interesting: as we passed the mile 3 marker, suddenly the young boy that I had left behind 10 minutes earlier had passed me! Where did he come from? As we reached the final turn at Market Street, the volunteers called out "Go kid!" and then as it was clear that I was accelerating to try to pass him on the turn, they shouted "Go Pops!" Despite my exhaustion, I had to laugh at that one. As we crossed the railroad tracks, I saw a policeman up ahead waving traffic through the intersection with Ponce de Leon. Then just in time, the policeman emphatically put up each hand in both directions, the auto traffic stopped, and a group of several runners including me began to stream across the road. The young boy was moving ahead, I was just behind a woman and was trying to pass her on the left, but that track was putting me squarely on a collision course with the policeman. I slowed down to tuck in behind the woman as we both passed very close to the policeman's outstretched left hand. 

The rail line looks well-maintained,
but I can't recall when I last saw a train on this route. 

Looking across Ponce de Leon Avenue toward the finish line,
an hour before the race began. 

Just as I made my move to sprint past the woman, a young man in a dark green shirt jetted by on the far left. Wow, he was moving quickly, but the young boy was going to cross the finish line before the adult man. I saw 26:30 on the clock and then I crossed the finish line. A woman was holding out medals just a few feet past the finish line. There was no way that I could slow to a walk quickly enough but I managed to accept the medal without yanking off her arm or dropping the medal, then passed a second volunteer also with medals and I was now moving slowly enough where I should have accepted the medal from her instead. As I took my first walking steps in more than 26 minutes, I reached a third volunteer with bottles of water, and only then did I finally stop my watch, 26:35. 

63rd through 68th place. My chip time was 26:28. 
What's that old man doing amongst all of the kids and young adults? 

That was tough. While I was about half a minute slower than my time in the 5K two weeks ago, I was very satisfied with my performance, and particularly happy that I didn't give in to the temptation to take a walk break. I ran fairly consistently, given the varied elevation profiles in each kilometer. When the results were posted, I had placed 3rd in my age group! I don't think that I could have quite run the time of the 2nd place age group finisher even if I had kept my warmup to a reasonable distance of just 1 - 2 miles, and have never run a 5K race fast enough to match the time of the age group winner. 

It's been a few years since I've run 25-low, and I've never run faster than 23:30. 
Congratulations to 1st and 2nd place finishers in my age group! 

I had covered 8 miles for the day, but was determined to run a couple more to get double digits for the day. After stopping at my car to drink a little Nuun, still cold even after 2-1/2 hours, I headed back to the PATH trail for 2 kilometers out on an easy run-walk pace, and then returned to total 10-1/2 miles for the day. A successful morning all around, I think! 

Link to the complete results

Next race: the PNC 10-miler on October 16! At that point, I'll be officially one week into the marathon training program! 

September 10, 2022: 60th birthday race celebration at Care for Cops 5K

Several months ago, I realized that my 60th birthday would fall on a Saturday. Since then I've watched the Run Georgia calendar for races this weekend, and about a month ago decided to run the Care for Cops 5K in Suwanee. Care for Cops provides support to families of police that have died on duty. Just a couple of days ago, two Cobb County deputies were murdered while serving an arrest warrant, tragically adding two more families to the group supported by Care for Cops. 

Frank has really turned 60 years old! 

When I awoke this morning around 5 am, walking downstairs to feed the cats, the stiffness in my legs acutely reminded me of this milestone birthday. But admittedly that's nothing unique for today. After moving around the house to make breakfast and get ready, I felt more comfortable. I had hoped that the rain that was forecast for today would stay away for a little longer, but it was raining lightly at our home when I had awakened, and we drove through a light mist / drizzle to Suwanee. Earlier this week, I had purchased new shoes as a birthday gift to myself, but decided that I would wear the 10-month-old pair of shoes that had carried me in the Labor Day 10K race. The best thing about this morning's weather is that it was cool, 66 deg F at the start! I haven't run in temperature below 70 degrees in months. Probably my last cool weather run was in May at sunrise in San José, California. 

Brian Minor joined me in our race this morning. With my new decade beginning today, we weren't competing in the same age group. I specifically took off the table the idea of us racing with each other today. While I told Brian this morning to "run your own race", I did admit that I might try to use him as my pacer. We both arrived in Suwanee around 7 am, and picked up our bibs. I decided to warm up with a few short segments, each progressively a little faster, adding up to about a mile. However Brian had not run this week since Monday's 5K race, and he wanted to save most of his steps for the race. 

I was aware that I would have an advantage in the race by moving up to a new age group, but as race day approached, I recognized that what was most important was to celebrate my health and fitness. I was going to write that today was a "celebration of life", but that's become a euphemism for "funeral". I'm hoping to run through a few more decades before my grand finale! 

Shortly before 8 am, we gathered at the start, about one hundred people in total. I pointed out to Brian that there was no timing mat at the start. The race was probably gun time only, and therefore we should start close to the front. It was clear that we were going to begin precisely at 8:00 am, and with the sound of the airhorn, we were off and running! 

I was surprised by how quickly the front of the pack took off. Quite a few people who started behind me ran past in the first minute. I stole a glance at my watch, set to kilometers once again, and saw that I was running just under 5 min / km pace, even though I thought that I was running cautiously. Amongst the 30 - 40 runners in front of us, there were quite a few older men that were moving quickly, either in Brian's age group (50 - 59) or mine (60 - 69). I decided that Bonnie's confident prediction of an age group win or place was unlikely. However I felt good, and just hoped that I wasn't moving too quickly. It was very apparent that as we moved through the streets of the Suwanee town center, we were also running downhill, and I pointed that out to Brian, who was running just in front of me. He was setting a relatively fast pace - but I was comfortable enough and I hoped that the pace would be sustainable for me! 

Around 3 minutes elapsed, we began running on a boardwalk paralleling Lawrenceville - Suwanee  Road, which gradually sloped downhill toward Suwanee Creek and the Greenway that passes through the local wetland. The surface was wet, so I was mindful of my footing. However I never slipped and didn't see anyone else having trouble with the wet surface. I had studied the elevation profile for the race route ahead of time, so I wasn't surprised by the downhill section, but really tried to hold myself back a bit, knowing that I would need the energy saved at the beginning to get back uphill from the creekbed at the end of this race. 

Shortly after we began running on the Greenway, my watch sounded the 1 km alert: 4:52. I knew that I wasn't ready to run a 25 minute 5K race, but was hoping to finish around 26 minutes if everything went well. It seemed that we were still running slightly downhill, and I said as much to Brian running just ahead of me, but when I checked the Garmin elevation profile this afternoon, it was level at 935 feet elevation for the entire second kilometer. Although we were moving quickly, I enjoyed noticing the natural beauty of the trees along the Greenway. I've only run the Suwanee Greenway once before, back in fall 2018 in one of my final runs to prepare for the New York City Marathon. 

We passed the 1 mile sign at 8:20 elapsed. "That was a little fast" I said to Brian, but he didn't slow down, and I managed to keep up with him. About this time we passed the first walker, and then a second. They both looked a little tired and not like they were taking a strategic "Galloway" walk break. The Queen song "Another One Bites The Dust" flashed through my mind as we passed each person. Wisely I kept that unsportsmanlike thought to myself. A policewoman was guarding the race route from traffic as we crossed Martins Farm Road, and we passed a water station manned by a single volunteer. I had been a little concerned about following the race route, but all of the turns were either well-marked with a large arrow sign and/or manned by volunteers guiding us in the correct direction. The 2 km alert sounded: 5:07, 9:59 elapsed. Still on pace to finish in 25 minutes?! 

Around this time, the lead runner came back in our direction, a moment later followed by an older man. I said to Brian "One of our age group competitors" and then a moment later "and there's another!" After the fourth 50+ year old man had passed us, I decided to stop commenting. Brian hadn't said anything but I thought that I was beginning to sound annoying - and I needed to save my breath for the run. Up ahead I saw a U-turn sign, and as we drew near, the volunteer warned us "Take it easy, it's slippery!" I slowed down, perhaps even walked a few steps to make the 180 degree turn, and fortunately had no trouble with footing. Getting back up to speed, it didn't take long to hear the 3 km alert: 5:17, 15:16 elapsed. For whatever reason, the race route seemed level so perhaps it was an illusion that I had thought that we were running downhill on the outboard section. We passed a couple more runners early on the return leg, and I was careful not to bump elbows in either direction as runners just a minute or two behind us came in the opposite direction.

At Martins Farm Road, Brian slowed down at the water station. I cautiously passed. It wasn't a foolhardy move to skip the water station: I had drank several sips of water after my warmup and immediately before starting the race, and with the cool temperature I didn't feel thirsty at all. I had seen the water station about 30 seconds before we reached it, so I had enough time to make a reasonable decision. As I passed the mile 2 marker, around 16:20 elapsed, I figured that Brian would soon catch up with me. Indeed I soon heard footsteps close behind me. After a moment, I took a quick glance over my left shoulder. It wasn't Brian (wearing a red singlet), but someone that was wearing blue. A moment later, that person caught up to me. I huffed out "Good job!" and he gave me a thumbs up. He was Asian, and I was trying to evaluate how much younger he was, as he had a full head of dark hair. Then thought that perhaps he was my age, but had avoided my combination of gray hair and male-pattern baldness. Perhaps we might run together, as there wasn't much outbound traffic at this point. But he ended up moving ahead of me, and then ahead of the next runner, soon out of sight and out of mind. 

I could see that we were approaching the end of the Greenway section as my watch sounded the 4 km alert, 5:14 and 20:30 elapsed. Wow, I might finish in 25:30 if I could keep up the pace! But as we headed back up the wooden boardwalk from the Suwanee Creek basin, I could feel myself slowing down. Afterwards Brian told me that he wasn't that far behind, he saw me slowing down, and expected that I was about to take a walk break. Indeed that has been my M.O. in recent races. However, I had more confidence today, having run a decent 10K race just five days earlier. I told myself, "Just five more minutes, and then you can take a walk break as soon as you cross the finish line." That helped me avoid giving into the temptation to walk. Brian told me later that he realized at that point that he was probably not going to catch up with me if I didn't walk. Nonetheless I was really slowing down. I looked at my watch: 22 minutes elapsed, but now at a 6 min / kilometer pace. "Four more minutes until your walk break" and that helped me maintain a running motion. 

Coming off of the boardwalk, the race route leveled off for a moment as we moved back into town. That was just in time: I was probably beginning to red-line with my heart rate, but wasn't looking at my watch any longer, just running, running, running. We began running a gentle uphill stretch on a residential street, where I remembered how easy it had seemed to run in the other direction in the third minute of the race. "Three minutes until your walk break", now accepting that I wasn't realistically going for a sub-26 minute time, but was still doing well relative to my mid-summer 5K races. At the top of the little hill, a volunteer called out "Two turns to go!" as we made the first of those remaining turns, a left turn onto Suwanee Avenue. That volunteer's encouragement really helped me psychologically: even though I didn't know the layout of the town center, I estimated that I had only about three blocks to go. The street went gently downhill for a moment, then leveled out and I began pumping my arms to try to maintain a fairly quick pace. A block later, I could see across a field, there was the finish line! 

Just coming into the picture, at 25:45 elapsed

25:57 elapsed

As I made the final turn, a right turn toward the finish line, I passed a couple of runners, even though we were running uphill. In the distance, I could see Bonnie just past the finish line with her cellphone camera. The uphill finish was cruel and unusual punishment, but still I persisted. I saw 25:45 on the finish line clock: now my priority was to beat 26 minutes! Despite putting on a burst of speed, the numbers on the race clock were also progressing forward rapidly. A runner in front of me crossed the line at 25:57 - oh, I'm going to miss by just a second - but I made it across the finish line without being passed, and held up both arms in a celebration of life my health and fitness! 

Bonnie's video captured me accepting a high-five from an earlier finisher, I think it was the Asian man who had passed me several minutes earlier. I turned around, didn't see Brian, and leaned over a traffic cone to catch my breath. Bonnie was cheering loudly, probably pleasantly surprised that I had outrun Brian today! And now I saw Brian working his way uphill toward the finish line. I had just enough energy to clap as he approached and then crossed the finish line. 

Frank's finish line video (above); Brian's finish line video (below)

After I could breathe again, we very slowly walked back toward the Town Center Park, just one short block away, as I basked in Brian's and Bonnie's congratulations! When I checked the race results, which were posted almost immediately after each person finished, I excitedly showed my phone to Bonnie: 1st place age group! 17th overall! I realized that since the chip time = gun time today, no one finishing later was going to end up ahead of me! 

First indication of my age group win, posted 8:33 am!
And beat 26 minutes by 0.44 seconds!! 
That's a substantial gap in a 100 meter race, but a step or two in a 5K.

As we cooled down while eating a banana and rehydrating, we noticed a 50-something man who we recognized as having finished several minutes ahead of us. His name was Norman, the 6th overall finisher, and he shared that he had multiple sclerosis. He was diagnosed 17 years ago, began running 7 years ago, and has kept the progression of the disease in check by a heavy dose of running, completing a race nearly every weekend. Norman's story was very inspiring. 

Norman (age 54), Brian (age 51), and Frank (age 60)

I checked Brian's result, and even though he finished less than a minute behind me, I was disappointed to see that he was only 6th in the 50 - 59 age group. Nonetheless he was a great pacer for me for the first two miles, doing the job perfectly! If the race had been held yesterday, on the last day that I was 59 years old, I would have been 6th in age group and Brian would have been 7th. What a difference it makes to move up in age groups! 

In the full results, I noticed that none of the 16 runners in front of me were younger than me.
That's a big win in my opinion! 

I was getting cold after the race, so switched to a dry shirt before the awards ceremony.

After the race, Brian gave me a Big Peach Running Company gift card! What a nice surprise!! I immediately cashed it in at the Suwanee store to stock up on running socks, as I haven't purchased new socks in several months. We had brunch together at Cafe Amico in the Suwanee Town Center. As we parted, Brian told me "You'll have to come back next year, to defend your title!"

Thanks to Brian, Beverly and Brenden!!

September 5, 2022: The Big Peach Sizzler 10K

My Labor Day tradition is to run the Big Peach Sizzler 10K. Summer 2022 in Atlanta has been warm but also very rainy. The main question for any run this summer has been whether you'll get broiled, fried, or steamed. Yesterday the weather forecast looked like it might be the Big Peach Drizzler, with a 70% chance of rain at 7 am. I laid out a race kit for a rainy run, including a cap to keep the raindrops out of my eyes, as well as my #3 pair of shoes, Brooks Launch, which were new at the time of the Chicago Marathon last year. What a nice surprise to wake up around 5 am this morning, to discover that last night's "30% chance of not rain" was now "cloudy and not rain" through 11 am this morning. I decided instead to wear the #2 pair, Brooks Hyperion, which might get wet in a puddle but were unlikely to get ruined.

Shoes #1, #2, and #3. It's nearly time to add a new pair to the rotation. 

I planned to take it fairly easy today, to save my legs for a 5K race this coming weekend, so my goal was to finish just under 60 minutes, which would be about a 9:30 min / mile average pace. I set my watch to kilometers to make my pace goal an even 6 min / km. After warming up with an easy 1 km up and down Peachtree Road, a trace of morning soreness in one of my Achilles tendons had dissipated, and I was ready for a solid run. One of the Tucker Running Club highlights today was Liz Mann running her first race with son Luke in the stroller, to prepare for the Alpharetta Women's Half Marathon in late October. Luke's father Josh Mann was running support, and a few other TRC members had planned to try to keep up with Liz and Luke. I can sometimes barely keep up with Liz when I'm having a great day. While a stroller will slow anyone down, I had a feeling that Liz has been training hard and that it wouldn't be easy to keep up. I decided to try to use Liz as a pacer, if I could keep her in sight. 

Wonder Woman and Superman with Luke, also known as the Mann Family

After my warmup, I had a few minutes to socialize while hanging around the 10 min / mile pace sign, catching up with Sheelagh O'Malley, who I hadn't seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Then I saw Sue Landa enter the pack, and walked over to say hello. Sue was in the midst of sharing the details of her final stages of marathon training, when suddenly we heard the shot of the starter's pistol. "Oh! We're starting!!" I immediately dropped my conversation with Sue (how rude of me - sorry!) to keep up with the crowd as we surged forward. About half a minute later, I was crossing the starting mat and had started my watch. 

Pre-race photo with Kim Harrell, Dan from Chamblee Runners, Curt Walker,
Susie Hill, Lisa Calas, and Rebecca Ludwig in front of the author.

The crowd was pretty dense at the beginning, so that worked perfectly for my 6 minute per kilometer plan. After a few blocks, we turned right onto Malone Drive. I saw Liz and the stroller about 100 feet ahead of me before I made the left turn onto Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. The 1 kilometer alert sounded, 5:38, so a little fast, but not unsustainable, about a 9 min / mile pace. I was also pleased how quickly the alert had sounded, thinking that the race would tick off pretty quickly in kilometers, even though there would be 10 klicks rather than 6 mile alerts. The pack of runners was still dense enough after 1 kilometer that we couldn't all fit into our allotted lane on Peachtree Industrial, but then we hit the first uphill section to the Clairmont Road intersection and I found a gap. Oh right, I'm not racing today, so I pulled back a bit on my speed once I was in the clear. 

Up ahead I saw Sheelagh, and very gradually pulled up even with her. I didn't say anything, not sure that I wanted to catch her attention, as she could definitely quickly pull ahead if she chose to do so. We ran together for awhile, then I would pull a bit ahead, she would catch up and move ahead, then I would catch up. Although we weren't really racing each other, we seemed to have a similar pace in mind, although I slowed down for a water station about 11 minutes into the race, just past the 2 kilometer alert, walking for 15 - 20 seconds so that I didn't choke on the water. Plus it felt good to take a short walk break. Once I got back up to speed, I began to focus on the Mann family who were running alongside Bryan Greenberg, about 100 feet in front of me. Bryan always wears a distinctive Maryland Terrapins kit on race day. I was wondering if all those clothes felt warm, while I was enjoying a light mist that kept me relatively cool. Very gradually I began to close a gap with Bryan, while the Manns were still about 100 feet ahead. I caught up to Bryan just as he called out something to encourage the runners at the mile 2 marker. I said hello to Bryan, thought that I might try to run with him for a bit, since I was trying to keep my pace relatively easy. But sadly I ended up moving ahead of him. 

I was having fun passing people who had started well ahead of me, but wondering if I was going a little too fast. However, around 4 kilometers into the race, I was now about 50 feet behind the Mann family. Lisa Calas was the only other TRC member who was still close to the Manns, perhaps 20 feet behind them. I didn't really intend to catch up to Lisa that early in the race, but I guess some inner competitiveness caused me to close the gap, possibly while running downhill, where I had the mass momentum advantage. I tried to encourage Lisa to keep up, even said "Let's work together" but Lisa wasn't too sure at that point, having felt like she had started out too quickly. I looked back a few times, Lisa was 10 feet behind, I tried to wave her forward and even slowed down a tad. I thought that Lisa was catching up, then looked to my right and it was another woman wearing a reddish magenta singlet, not Lisa, who seemed to be further back. Meanwhile the Mann family was about 20 feet in front of me. I thought about trying to stay behind them, but shortly before reaching the mile 3 marker, the elevation increased just a tad and the next thing I knew, I was running alongside Liz and Luke. 

They were running well, although from their conversation it was clear that they were looking for a porta-potty along the route. At one point we thought we saw a blue rectangular structure ahead, and Liz darted ahead while Josh jogged along with the stroller. I thought about Shalane Flanagan taking a 14-second bathroom break in the frigid 2018 Boston Marathon while her friend Des Linden slightly slowed her pace. And we know that worked out very well for Des! In fact with the red singlet and blond hair, from the back Liz Mann looks a lot like Shalane Flanagan. (I checked with Liz and she accepted that my comment was a compliment.) Unfortunately the blue structure was simply a clothing donation bin, so Liz returned to pushing the stroller. Perhaps Liz picked up the pace at that stage so that she could finish the race more quickly; I know the feeling. 

Shalane Flanagan in the 2017 New York City Marathon

We finished 5 km in about 28 minutes, not bad for having planned on a 60 minute 10K. I took another walk break for a water stop, this time it was red Gatorade, and after 20 seconds I was running again. I decided to try to stick with the Mann family for the rest of the race. Although it never really rained during the race, there were a couple of times that we ran through some fine mist, which actually felt quite refreshing. Liz didn't seem to have trouble on the uphill sections despite pushing the stroller. For my part, I maintained decent speed on the gentle uphills, and inevitably seemed to pass someone on each hill. Around 7.5 km, I took a 30 second walk break at the last water station, about 42 minutes in. And then somehow I had gotten ahead of the Manns. As I reached the 5 mile marker, shortly after the 8 km alert, I was beginning to tire. I knew that I only had 1.2 miles to go, which should take less than 12 minutes. But I think that the initial effort of trying to catch up to Liz Mann was finally catching up with me. Approaching the GA-400 highway overpass, I noticed that my heart rate was well over 170 beats per minute. Remembering that I wanted to save some energy for a 5K race in five days from now, I decided to take another walk break. Sheelagh O'Malley told me later that she passed me for good at that point. While I counted to 30, I don't know how many other people streamed past me, but I recognized quite a few that I had passed in the previous mile. As I began to feel a little better, I sensed Liz catching up with me to my left, and recovered enough to resume running, staying about 8 - 10 feet behind. 

My watch signaled 9 kilometers, and I called out "One kilometer to go!" and then added "Like turning the corner at Peachtree", referring to the turn from Peachtree Street to 10th Street in the Peachtree Road Race, exactly 1 kilometer from the finish. Of course Liz knew exactly what I meant, and retorted "I don't remember running uphill at that point." Nonetheless Liz didn't seem to slow down. She and Josh pointed out the traffic light at the intersection where we would turn onto Piedmont Road, and sure enough they were right. I was able to make a tighter turn and found that I was even with them at the beginning of Piedmont, even though we were still running slightly uphill. At that point, I resolved that whatever happened, I wasn't going to get in front of Liz and Josh and Luke, as I didn't want to spoil their family finish line photo. Turns out that no one needed to worry about me getting in the way: Liz sped up and it was all that I could do to stay within 10 - 20 feet behind them. 

Once we have crested and are running gently downhill, this last stretch is always my favorite part of this particular race. The energy of the runners is high knowing that the finish line is near, most years it takes less than 4 minutes for me. Speaking of high, I thought I smelled cannabis (second race in a row) and inhaled deeply a couple of times, not that it seemed to help. Perhaps it was a phantom odor. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, racing three blocks on Piedmont Road. We passed the mile 6 marker: 2 minutes to go. Liz sped up some more, as we made the tight right turn onto Lenox Road, while Kristi Swartz and Natalie Witt were cheering me by name at the corner; Kristi had run the 5K. Possibly I caught up a bit, as we passed the mile 3 sign for the 5K race: 1 minute to go. Liz was steering the stroller through a bit of traffic, Josh providing a guard on one side, I was bringing up the rear. At the final turn, Robin Mitchell was ringing a cowbell. Liz had to steer the stroller around an orange cone in the middle of the runners' lane, then aimed for the left side of the finish line, with Josh to her right. A couple of other runners dashed in front of me for the finish, but neither one got in front of Liz or Josh as they crossed together at 57:15 on the clock. I heard the announcer call out "Tucker Running Club in the House!" and then I crossed at 57:19 on the clock, 56:50 official chip time. 

That was a little faster than I had intended, although at least my first few kilometers were relatively cautious. While my finish was seven minutes off of my personal best from five years ago, today's race was my best 10K time since late 2019, excluding a couple of virtual races in summer 2020. 

After the race, I went to the local Flying Biscuit restaurant for the traditional post-race brunch, with Bonnie and Brian Minor, who had run the 5K. And a few minutes later, Sue Landa and her husband Scott walked in, so we were able to finish the conversation that I had rudely abandoned a couple of hours earlier! 

Fortunately for me, Bonnie had a dry shirt in her car,
as I was soaked with sweat from head to toe. 

August 27, 2022: The REI Run the ATL 20K Relay

A post-race interview with the team Frank & Bees

FRANK: In late March, Brian and Beverly Minor and Bonnie and I agreed to run the REI Run the ATL 20K relay. Three of us ran the relay in 2017, and we had a blast! Sadly, this year's edition was announced to be the last time this race would be held. 

BRIAN: Excited about running the relay, I was trying to think of a creative team name. While in the shower the name Frank & Bees (Bonnie, Beverly, Brian, Brenden) a play on “Frank & Beans” came to me. I immediately asked my wife Beverly what she thought about the name, and she agreed it was a cool name. A few minutes later I texted Frank & Bonnie my suggestion for the team’s name.

FRANK: And within minutes, we were registered! 

 

BONNIE: Unfortunately, in the days before the race, I came down with a bad cold - fortunately it wasn't COVID. 

 

FRANK: So I decided to run Bonnie's first leg of the relay. 

 

BRIAN: I agreed to pick up the team’s bibs and shirts on Friday, August 26 at 4 pm. When I arrived, I saw race organizer Tes Marshall and notified her that Bonnie was under the weather and was unable to run. Frank agreed to run her leg of the race along with his leg. If I recall correctly, Tes said it wasn’t a problem but would be disqualified for any potential team awards. And jokingly said, “Frank needs to slow down because he goes all out.”

 

FRANK: We had agreed in advance to wear the Atlanta Track Club 2022 member singlet. The night before the race, I searched all over the house, and unfortunately never found it. I ended up wearing a Peachtree Road Race singlet that was at least the correct shade of red. 

BEVERLY: Brian and I were up at 4:15 am the morning of the race. I went downstairs to make sure I had all of Brenden’s items packed. Once we were dressed to run and packed everything in the car, I got Brenden up and ready for the race. Brenden was extremely excited because he loves races and seeing “the people” as he likes to say. 

 

BRENDEN: Mommy and Daddy had told me about the race the night before so as soon as I got up, I was ready to go to the race. I was thinking I would see Freddy the Falcon at the race also, but Mommy told me that he might not be at the race. I enjoyed my ride in the “dark” to the city. When we arrived and parked the car, I was ready to get in my stroller. Shortly after we arrived. Uncle Frank pulled up and I immediately asked where Pancake was. I was a little sad about it at first, but I got over it quickly.

FRANK: Our cat Pancake doesn't like riding in cars. But Brenden got over his disappointment, and we walked together to the start. 

BEVERLY: Brenden and I walked down to the start line to cheer on Uncle Frank. Brian joined us shortly after. We took a few photos together and told Frank to have a great race. 

FRANK: As the time approached 7 am, I took a position in the middle of the pack. Tes was making a bunch of undoubtably really important announcements that I couldn't hear, but I figured that I wouldn't be up front so I would just follow the others. At 7:06 am, the airhorn sounded. We were funneled over the rather narrow timing mat, then we were free to run south on Walker Street. 

BEVERLY: When the race started Brenden wanted to run also so we let him run about 100m with the races at the end of the start line. He was excited about that.

FRANK: Knowing that I was running two laps today, I was determined not to start too quickly. I had told Beverly that I was aiming for about 30 minutes, not any faster. Well, I found myself running a 9 minute / mile pace, as the first part of the route was mostly a gentle downhill. 

BEVERLY: After the start, we walked back to the exchange area so I could start preparing for my leg of the race. 

FRANK: A minute or so into the race, a rooster crowed, perfectly coinciding with the official sunrise time! By the time we entered Peters Street, about 3 minutes into the race, I felt that I was running a sustainable pace. Mile 1, 9:13 elapsed. Perfect as far as I was concerned. I decided that I could speed up just a tad as we turned east on Peters Street to return toward downtown Atlanta, paralleling the railroad that runs through the center of town. 

BEVERLY: Brian and I was trying to time it out perfect so I would be at the exchange when Frank was coming down the hill. 

 

FRANK: Eventually we ran up a small overpass to cross over the railway, then back down to cross Ted Turner Drive. Last year when I ran the 20K, I nearly made a left turn prematurely, but this time I just followed the other runners ahead of me. The intersection was well protected by police, and thanked them as I crossed, especially as they had made the drivers pause for me to cross. 

Looking to the north on Forsyth Street. The MARTA building is in the foreground -
running under the building messed up Garmin recording. 
The Westin Hotel is the tall cylindrical building in the background. 

 

One block later, we turned left onto Forsyth Street, now running north toward the very center of town. The road had quite a few potholes but I managed to avoid any mishap. Mile 2, 9:00 flat, 18:13 elapsed. Well, I just hope that Beverly wasn't going to be too surprised when I arrived a couple of minutes early. There was a water station on the left but I decided that I could safely skip this time around.  I caught up to Kristi Swartz in this section. She was running the 10K. I had thought that I would run with Kristi but I found myself moving ahead. I guess she was playing it smart whereas I was recklessly charging ahead on my short 5K leg, maintaining the 9 minute / mile pace.

Kristi Swartz on her second lap

BEVERLY: About 26 minutes into the race, I saw a man in a red shirt at the top of the hill, I was thinking it was Frank but then realized that it was another runner. 

  

FRANK: Left on Marietta, then three blocks to the left turn onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive. A woman was cheering us on with a cowbell and calling out "Run strong up that hill to the finish!" Fortunately I knew exactly what was coming, and I shortened my stride and passed a couple of people running past State Farm Arena, and up and over the railroad (again). Up ahead I could see Mercedes Benz Stadium. 

BEVERLY: While waiting to see Frank at the top of the hill coming in for the relay exchange, I was just hoping that I could have a strong run. 

Frank, about 15 seconds before he reached the relay exchange zone

FRANK: I knew once I passed the second stadium, then it was downhill to the finish, or in this case, the relay exchange zone. As I kicked into high gear, I unclipped the relay tag from my running belt, and was looking ahead for Beverly's red Atlanta Track Club singlet. Fortunately there weren't too many other runners wearing that shade of red today. 

BEVERLY: As I saw Frank hit the top of the hill, I was ready to go and entered the exchange area. Frank looked strong coming in and I was ready when he arrived for the exchange. 

 

BRIAN: Once Beverly and I realized Frank was in bird eye view of the relay exchange we started strategizing the best positioning for Beverly to receive passage of the relay tag. As Frank was gliding into the exchange area, he gently passed the relay tag to Beverly as to almost fumbling the pass. Afterwards, we jokingly laughed about it and said if the relay tag dropped, we would have been disqualified from the race.

FRANK:  The left lane was to the finish, the right lane was for 10K and 20K runners, and there was the relay exchange area. I crossed a timing mat, then I saw Beverly just in time, handed the relay tag to her and said "Go for it!" The volunteer directing traffic through the exchange area called out "Don't forget to stop your watch!" And my watch read 27:39. I had covered mile 3 in 8:58, perfect! I felt pretty good having run well and yet staying within what was comfortable. 

Nick Varvel is training for Berlin and Chicago Marathons, and
raising funds for CURE Epilepsy Foundation

Alice Pate

followed a moment later by Thomas Pate

and Sue Landa

BEVERLY: When I started my run, I felt strong. I had set my peloton outdoor app for a 45-minute walk + run on with my favorite instructors Jess Sims. This helps me push during my runs and keeps me entertained. As I was running, I was thinking about the other 2 times I ran this race and how much fun I had each time. I always make sure I say good morning to all the police officers and volunteers and thank them for helping. As I was running, I remembered how much I enjoyed running this course in the past because the hill is not that bad. That excited me even more. 

 

BRIAN: While Beverly was running the second leg of the 20k Brenden and Daddy enjoyed some father and son time. Brenden especially enjoyed running through the mist station. He must have done it a dozen times. Eventually, he had to potty, and I took him to the porta-potty. He gets a kick going to the potty with Daddy because it is those rare moments he gets to stand up and pee. (maybe too much information, LOL)

Eric Williams, about 15K into his 20K run. We chatted before the race began, 
and shared with him that many years ago, I was able to grow nearly as much hair. 

I'm glad that I enjoyed my hair to the fullest,
long before male pattern baldness set in. 
This photo is from 1980. 

FRANK: After I had cooled down, drank some Nuun, and used the porta-potty, I jogged over the Ted Turner Drive to watch the other runners, cheering on those that I knew. 

BEVERLY: As I got to the 2^nd part of the race the sun was shining more and it was feeling warmer outside. I was determined to push as much as I could to get to the finish line. 

FRANK: As I neared the railroad overpass on Peters Street, I saw Beverly coming down the overpass. She didn't see me at first, I realized afterwards she was probably running into the direction of the rising sun, but smiled when she saw me and heard me cheering her on. Beverly was running well, so I knew that I had better get back to the start-finish area if I wanted to do it at an easy walking pace. 

By the second lap, the runners were directly facing the sun on Trinity Avenue

BEVERLY: I was surprised and happy to see Frank towards the end of Peters Street cheering me on. It was even more motivation to keep me running. 

BRIAN: Prior to Beverly running her leg she told me her estimated time will be about 40 minutes. Brenden loves Daddy but started asking where was Mommy? I replied, “Mommy is running.” I can tell he was beginning to get irritated/tired, so I offer him something to eat. He did not want any of the snacks we brought but wanted gummies. I said, “Brenden we didn’t bring any gummies.” He gently took my hand and guided me to a table that had Gatorade gummies for runners. I took two packs and Brenden ate them all. Now, he was full of energy and ready to play, dance and as he says speak to the “people.” 

BEVERLY: I was so happy when I was passing the Mercedes Benz Stadium because I knew that it would be down hill from that point. I reached in my pocket and grabbed our relay tag so I would have it ready to pass to Frank. 

FRANK: And as I had hoped, about 40 minutes after she started, here was Beverly coming down Walker Street to the relay exchange area. I got into the area, tried to stay to the right side so that Beverly could easily move out of the way. 

BEVERLY: When I arrived in the relay exchange area Frank was ready to run his 2^nd leg of the race. After passing off the relay tag, I stopped my watch at 41:52 and was happy about my performance. Brian and Brenden were waiting for me at the exchange and congratulated me.

 

FRANK: We managed a smooth handoff, and I took off. The volunteer reminded Beverly "Don't forget to stop your watch!" and only then did I realize that I needed to start my watch! Now I was running quite a bit faster, but I felt good. Same route as before, but at first I was running an 8 min / mile pace. I gradually curbed my enthusiasm but still knocked out the first mile in 8:22. 

BEVERLY: After my lap, I was feeling good. I walked over to our area and pulled out an ice-cold water from the cooler and enjoyed sips of water. 

FRANK: I wondered if I could sustain that fast pace. After all, I used to be a sub-25 minute 5K runner, so perhaps being nice and warmed up, I could keep up the fast pace for two more miles. 

BEVERLY: Brian came over and told me that he planned on running while pushing Brenden so we started to clean out the stroller so it would be as light as possible. 

 

FRANK: Turns out that I was wrong about sustaining the 8 min / mile pace. About 11 minute in, my heart rate was redlining in the 170s, and I had to take a walk break. I counted to 20, then started running again. But I couldn't keep running. Within a couple of minutes, I had to take another walk break. And that was how it was for the rest of the second lap, run a minute or two, then walk, 20 seconds at first, then 30 seconds. Brian was waiting for me, probably expecting me to run another 27 minute lap. Sorry Brian, you will have to wait a little longer, I thought. 

BRIAN: At first, the plan was for me to watch Brenden while Beverly ran and vice versa. That plan changed because Brenden decided he wanted to run (ride in the stroller) with Daddy. 

 

FRANK: The lactate was burning inside my legs. Somewhere on Peters Street I smelled burning cannabis. I hadn't noticed it on the first lap but it was pretty strong this time around. Hoping for some momentary pain relief, I inhaled deeply. But there wasn't enough THC or CBD vapor in the air to ease the pain. Mile 2, 9:49, which wasn't too bad. That was going to average out to a 9 min / mile pace for the first two miles, 18:12 elapsed. Maybe I could finish within 30 minutes after all. 

BRIAN: Now, I’m getting nervous because I haven’t run a single mile since July 31, 2022 (26 Days). I have not been training due to the demands of work and had to cut ties with my running coach. Without training I felt confident I can complete my leg under 30 minutes but not so sure how I would far pushing a stroller. 

 

FRANK: I was beginning to accept that I wasn't going to finish the lap in 30 minutes. At the water station, I slowed to a walk and also accepted a bottle of cold water from volunteer David Henry. Thanks, that really helped me feel a little better, especially after I poured a bit on top of my head and the back of my neck. Then a man in a yellow Adidas singlet passed me, calling out "Frank, don't walk! You can make it!!"  Who was that man? I sped up just enough to catch up for a moment and realized it was Jordan Eison, another really fast runner, running his last lap in the 20K. I shouted back "Jordan I'll blame you for my heart attack" and he simply replied "Don't let me beat you in my last lap!" I settled in behind him for another 15 - 20 seconds. When Jordan was no longer looking, I slowed down to a walk. Jordan quickly moved out of sight. 

 

BEVERLY: We kept a close eye on the time because we wanted to make sure Brian and Brenden would be ready to run when Frank made it to the exchange point. 

 

FRANK: The rest of the lap was a blur. As soon as I passed the woman with the cowbell and started working my way up the hill, I slowed to a walk. A loooong walk break. Hopefully the woman wasn't looking at me. 

I missed this billboard on my first lap, but running / walking
more slowly on the second lap, I couldn't miss it. 

BEVERLY: Brenden was extremely excited about riding in the stroller with Daddy. About 28 minutes into Frank's run I told Brian to get Brenden in the stroller and head over to the exchange area. 

FRANK: The mile 3 alert sounded, 11:01!  29:13 elapsed.  I knew that the way the course was laid out, the first and last laps would be a little shorter than 5K, Beverly's lap and mine were a little longer, 3.21 miles to be exact. With the downhill assist for most of the last part, I picked up the pace, redlining the heart rate the entire way, 8:14 min / mile pace. 

BEVERLY: Not long after we got Brenden ready, I looked up and saw Frank coming down the hill. 

Frank handing off to Brian

FRANK: And in the exchange area, there was Brian who was going to run with the stroller with his son Brenden. Brian was ready to accept the relay tag, I had it in my hand, and somehow I kept missing Brian's hand. I basically had to completely stop to have enough coordination to make the exchange. And then, thankfully, I was done for the day. "Don't forget to stop your watch" I heard, and saw 30:58. 

 

BRIAN: Frank and I made the exchange and off I were pushing Brenden in the stroller. As I started running it felt awkward but then found a rhythm. It felt more comfortable for me to run beside the stroller rather than behind it. As I ran there was no one in front or behind me. I thought to myself, I must be the last contestant. As I passed each police officer that was securing the road for the race, I thanked them. They obliged, “great job!” I ran Mile 1, 10:07. Brenden was quiet, so I blurted out “Brenden are you good?” No answer. Oh well, so I kept running and pushing the stroller. I started feeling fatigue, so I took 30 seconds walk break and grabbed a sip of water. 

FRANK: Once Beverly had established that I was going to live, she said "I'm going to run to the other side to watch for Brian". 

BEVERLY: I walked down a few blocks to Haynes street to hopefully see Brian and Brenden coming down the hill at Peters Street. It was a quick walk so I had to wait on them to arrive. 

BRIAN: Mile 2, I implemented the run/walk strategy which slowed my pace to 10:41. 

FRANK: I leaned against a wall and tried to rehydrate and recover. It seemed to take 10 - 15 minutes to recover. It helped that I could walk through the mist station. I did that several times, very slowly. 

BEVERLY: Once I saw Brian and Brenden coming I was trying to get a good video but Brian was running at a quick pace so I could only get a few short videos before he was further down the road. Brian was looking strong and said he felt good. Brenden was knocked out sleep and enjoying his ride.

Brian running the final lap, on Trinity Avenue

BRIAN: Right when I needed it, I saw Beverly cheering us on and she said, “you moving pretty fast” at the same time in her motherly voice said “Brenden’s face is in the sun, put down the shade.” So, I did and kept on running. As I approached the Mercedes Benz Stadium, David Henry (Atlanta Truck Club Elite) was volunteering and breaking down the water station. He saw me and handed me a bottle of water. You can always catch David taking selfies with the running community and sharing his wonderful energy. 

David Henry working the water station - thanks!!

FRANK: I began to walk very slowly, passing the finish line and stopping around 100 meters from the finish, so that I could run in with Brian, Brenden, and Beverly. Around 9:10 am, Beverly returned. 

BEVERLY: When I returned, I saw Frank headed up to the finish line. I meet him and tell him that Brian was running at a good pace, and he should not take that long to get to the finish. I also mentioned that Brenden was taking a much-needed nap during the run. 

BRIAN: It was good to finally see the final stretch of the race. As I approached Mile 3 at 10:50 I saw Frank and Beverly awaiting to run the last one hundred meters with Brenden and me to the finish line. 

FRANK: And there was Brian coming over the overpass. As he drew nearer, Beverly began running with him, I was running along the sidewalk. I was grateful that Brian wasn't running at full speed with the stroller, that was the only way that I could keep up with them. 

BRIAN: Frank was recording our last dash to the finish and jokingly said “this footage is going to be shaky” from trying to run and record at the same time. 

 

FRANK: As we neared the finish line I had to get off of the sidewalk and onto the roadway. With the narrow finish chute coming up, I slowed down and following Brian, Beverly, and Brenden through the finish line. 

BRIAN: We crossed the timing mat, and my watch recorded a total time of 32:52.

Team Frank & Bees relay finish

FRANK: Brian thought that we were the last relay team to finish. Our official results: 2:13:45 chip time, 2:14:00 gun time. Turns out that our team was 27th out of 31 teams in the Mixed Open group, and 43rd out of 55 teams total, so I guess we weren't last. 

 

BEVERLY: We decided to go to brunch after walking to the car. Brian and Frank thought about the restaurant Le Petit Marche in Kirkwood. We had visited the restaurant back in May and really enjoyed the food and figured it would be a wonderful place to visit again. 

FRANK: I called Bonnie at the beginning of my drive to the restaurant, and was happy to hear that she felt well enough to join us for lunch. 

BONNIE: After sleeping in, I was feeling better, and was happy that Frank called me before heading to brunch with Brian and Beverly. 

BEVERLY: We ate outside on the patio. Brenden had fun meeting new dogs (especially Jedi) and a little 15-month-old girl name Gia. 

BONNIE: It's always great to see Brian, Beverly, and especially their lovely son Brenden! 

BRIAN: While having brunch, to my surprise I ran into a childhood friend from my hometown, Brooklyn, NY who came to dine with a friend. During our conversation said she always wanted to run a 5K but only managed to run 2 miles. I encouraged her if she can run two miles, she can run a 5K (not the best advice). I joined Tucker Running Club in 2015, started running five miles around Stone Mountain Park to a 10K, then 13.1 miles and eventually 26.2 miles. If I can do it, you can!