January 1, 2024: Resolution Run 5K

My resolution for 2024 is very simple: live more healthily. 

After a week of eating rich foods, I woke up a couple of nights ago with an upset stomach:

Fortunately I made it to the bathroom in time, and felt better once my stomach was completely empty. Yesterday I mostly rested, primarily eating the BRAT recovery diet (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) and hydrating. I enjoyed a 45-minute walk yesterday afternoon. I tried to run easily, but after a couple of minutes, I gave up and just walked, close to 3 miles. It was hardly a raucous New Year's Eve - I was in bed shortly after 9 pm. The extra sleep was helpful. 

This morning I was able to eat a normal pre-race breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries, washed down with a cup of hot coffee. After driving to Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta, I managed about 1.5 miles warming up between the Piedmont Park parking deck and the start-finish area of the race. I was probably at least 90% recovered, but was still going to take things conversatively. This year I managed to catch up with a few people before the race, including Joe Dean, in his first race since having knee surgery a few months ago. It was good to see him standing and ready to power-walk. 

Happy New Year with the Minor family! 

Sporting the A bib

Joe's back! 

Brenden Minor raced well in the 50 meter dash!

Somehow I was assigned a wave A bib. I don't recall what time or pace I had submitted when I had registered for this race some months ago, but I don't think that it was anything unrealistic. I wasn't sure about starting with wave A, but since I wasn't racing anyone, I decided to line up in the back of the wave, and see what I could do. I felt some nervousness when MC Ronnel Blackmon announced that we were starting in 20 seconds. Then the airhorn sounded, and it was time for business, as I crossed the starting mat. 

The view from the back of wave A: not that much different
than that of wave E approaching the starting line.

I began running, keeping up with the others around me. The pace seemed reasonable. I avoided looking at my watch, just looked for others that seemed to be running well and followed them. I wasn't going to aggressively pass anyone in the beginning, hoping to save some energy for the last mile. We made a sharp right turn around the Boathouse, then an easy climb along the Active Oval, and out of the park through the 14th Street gate onto Piedmont Road. At this point, I was running about 8:30 min / mile pace. That's certainly sustainable if I'm in good shape. We ran uphill for a few blocks until passing the entrance to the Botanical Gardens. Then there was nice, long downhill. "Relax and glide" I kept telling myself. Mile 1 in 8:47. 

The race route this year was a little different from 2023,
due to rebuilding the path to the north portion of Piedmont Park.

Turning right onto Winchester Drive, Kimberly Harrell cheered me on at the water stop. I decided to skip the water stop, as I felt adequately hydrated. I could see faster runners in the distance some 50 feet below me, seeming to run perpendicular to my path. Interesting what you can see ahead of you in a race on a hilly course. Around the traffic circle at the bottom of the hill, then we headed toward the pedestrian entrance/exit on Monroe Drive. I've run this section in the other direction many times, including mile 11 of the Jeff Galloway Half Marathon, and never appreciated that it was downhill for the Galloway race, but uphill for us today. I checked my watch and saw that my pulse rate was 160 beats per minute, a little bit high - even though I had abstained from the blood pressure medication this morning. Maybe it's just that I'm a little out of shape. Or the BRAT diet the day before the race did not provide enough calories. I certainly didn't use all of my WeightWatchers points yesterday, which is very rare.  

Running south on Monroe Drive, heading uphill, I began passing some people. I wasn't running aggressively, just shortened my stride and kept moving. I was looking ahead for the right turn into the park, thought that it was at a traffic light in the distance, but oops, that was Amsterdam Avenue; two more blocks to the right turn at Park Drive. Mile 2 in 8:50. Now it was time to start pressing forward. I love the section of the Publix Half Marathon when we're running west on Park Drive, over the classical bridge into the Park. 

A wave B runner catching up with me,
so they were ~2 minutes faster than me to this point.

Waving to Daniel Yee, aka "The Running Cat" 
Thanks to Daniel and family for cheering us on! 

At that point, I began to struggle, about 2.3 miles into the race route. I checked my watch, and saw 186 beats per minute for my pulse. I thought, "Is my watch working?" I quickly decided that it was accurate, and that I had better slow down soon, even though I was less than a mile from the finish line. 20 minutes elapsed, so only 7 - 8 minutes to go. I told myself, "You can do anything for 7 minutes, Frank!" Around this time, Erin McGerald passed me on the right, saying "Hi Frank! You've been running so consistently, I've been trying to catch you for the past two miles!" I replied with a smile, "Well, you've done it!" I thought about trying to keep up with Erin as we turned left into the park. But even though we were going downhill toward the Piedmont Park Meadow, I just could not find the higher gear. I saw Erin pass a landmark ahead, then began counting seconds until I reached the landmark. 25 seconds. That can't be right - trying again with a second landmark - 25 seconds. (Erin finished more than a full minute ahead of me!)

video of my finish, thanks to Beverly Minor

Quite a few other runners were passing me by this point. I desperately wanted to take a walk break, but with less than a kilometer to go, within a distance where I could hear Ronnel cheering the finishers, I kept running, but slowly. I guess I had two good miles in me today, but I had not recovered enough to run the full 5K distance well. Mile 3 in 9:22. I was definitely going "backwards." I should have been able to dash to the finish line, but in fact I needed over a minute to get there. Shortly before the finish line, I saw Beverly Minor taking video - I tried to wave as I slogged past, but the video doesn't show my hand rising, I guess I was too tired. 

28:01 finish. As an overall time, that isn't bad, but slowing down with every mile wasn't a quality performance. Oh well, I was fortunate to have recovered from my stomach ailment in time to run this morning. 

So far I've registered for the following 2024 races: 

January 13: Livvy's Love 8K

January 20: Jerome Scales Southside 5M

February 25: Publix Atlanta Marathon Relay (with Brian Minor)

March 17: Jeff Galloway Half Marathon (their registration is on pause, but I plan to maintain my streak)

April 20: South River 15K

Hmm, those are all longer distances than the 5K. I had better get into shape! Ronnel was asking for New Year's resolutions from the front line of today's race, and the best one was "Take care of my health, and the times will come."