I first ran this race 10 years ago, and won my first athletic award at the tender age of 51 years old. This was about 3 months after I had completed my first 5K race, and a month after my first 10K. Since then I've run dozens of 5-mile loops around the base of Stone Mountain, including 6 previous editions of this race. Although it's been several months since I last worked out at Stone Mountain Park, I know every hill and valley on this route.
Brian Minor and I have registered for the Publix Atlanta marathon relay on February 25. Our plan is for me to run the first half, then Brian will take on the second half. Last weekend we did our first training run together in quite a while, on the Suwanee Greenway, and it was great to catch up over an hour-plus of easy run-walk intervals covering nearly 7 miles. This week we resolved to total 8 miles, so our first mile was a warmup shortly before the race. At the temperature of 30 degrees F, I felt like a 61-year-old icicle, but by the end of a mile, I was a little warmer and ready enough to run. My plan was to settle in at half-marathon race pace, around a 9 minute mile.
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| Bonnie has returned as our race photographer! |
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| Who's taking this race more seriously? |
I thought that Brian and I might run together for awhile, but within a half-mile or so, I was out in front of him. We were running due west into the wind. Thank goodness I was wearing two layers: the Chicago Marathon shirt under the New York Marathon jersey, with gloves and holding a large heating packet, occasionally passing back and forth between my hands. I looked back once in the first mile, and he wasn't far behind. We ran net uphill to the large parking lot for the walk-up mountain trail, 8:54 elapsed. By this stage, I had finally warmed up.
Mile 2 was a long downhill to the Children's Playground. Another runner had caught up with me and we ran together for awhile. Behind me I heard the sound of a car horn beeping. I thought it was Bonnie, and I raised my right hand containing the handwarmer to wave - and the heating packet flew out of my hand. I thought about stopping to pick it up, but decided that I didn't want to break my rhythm and I would just have to go without for the rest of the race. Anyway it wasn't Bonnie, but a man driving a black pickup truck. Midway downhill, the 5K turnaround was well-marked. A young man wearing a singlet and shorts was the lead runner for both races, and he came back in our direction (on his way to a 22:23 winning time). At the turnaround, the man who had been running with me turned back - so one less competitor in my 8K race!
A few minutes later, I heard another car horn beeping, and this time it was Bonnie. Another runner had caught up to me and we ran together for a moment. But as Bonnie drew near, the other runner sprinted ahead, taking advantage of the last bit of downhill running. I managed to stay within 20 - 30 feet behind him. When we reached the bottom of the hill and began climbing a short uphill section, I jokingly asked Bonnie if I could hitch a ride. The runner in front heard me and asked if he could join, and I replied "There's only room for one passenger in this car!"
On a curve, I took a quick look behind me. Brian was 20 - 30 seconds behind me, easy to spot in a fluoresence green-yellow hoodie. Bonnie slowed down and I continued forward. On a little uphill section, I pulled even with and then passed the other runner. I didn't manage to open a big lead, I could hear him breathing, so I kept running as well as I could. Mile 2 in 8:44, 17:38 elapsed. Now we entered the most remote part of the route, along the lake to our right, the mountain to our left. I thought I heard a deer rustling in the forest, and took a look but didn't see anything. I have often seen deer in this area on easier-paced runs, but today I was working too hard to really take in the surroundings. About 2-1/2 miles into the race route, Bonnie caught up to me again. She told me "Brian gave me his hoodie, as he was overheating." I responded "How am I going to see him coming? I was watching out for the green hoodie!"
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| Brian immediately before he handed his hoodie to Bonnie |
I was working pretty hard as I approached the 3-mile mark, but I felt that I had just enough energy in reserve to complete two more hilly miles. I continued to hear footsteps close behind me. It wasn't Brian but surely Brian wasn't far behind, and I didn't want to be passed by anyone. At the 3-mile mark, my watch recorded 8:49, 26:27 elapsed. On a left curve in the road, I had the opportunity to look behind me, and while there was a runner 20 - 30 feet behind me, I couldn't spot Brian.
I now knew that the toughest part of the race was ahead. There was a big hill ahead as we approached the old highway 78 road, now just a short spur inside the park. I thought of David Bloomquist's advice from the fall half-marathon training program about hill running: shorten your stride, keep your cadence high. I typically run about 180 steps per minute. At that moment, the runner who had been behind me for awhile caught up to me and passed me - but it was another runner! After the race, Brian told me that he had been running with that man for awhile, before he moved ahead of Brian, so that guy now caught up with me. The hill was tough, but - having plenty of memory about the route - I knew that the first hill was hiding the view of much larger hill. Mile 4 in 8:55, 35:22 elapsed.
I was pleased that I had run so consistently to this stage. As we began to climb the biggest, baddest hill on the way to the Old Stone Mountain Inn, my newest competitor began to run with his hands on his waist. Hmm, I thought, he is struggling, maybe more than I am. "Just stay calm" I told myself. "I can't win the race going up this hill, but I can certainly lose it if I push too hard and then blow up." I inevitably slowed down on the steepest part of the hill, but I did not give into the tremendous temptation to give myself a walk break. I could see that my pace was slowing, slowing, now even slower than 10:00 min / mile. The runner ahead of me began walking. "Just keep running Frank" even though my pace was slow. My competitor began running again, undoubtably wanting to stay in front of me. Hands on his waist, again. "You've got this, Frank" as he slowed to a quick walk. I kept running, almost caught up to him. He began running again to stay in front of me.
At this point, we were nearly at the top of that big hill. 39 minutes elapsed, I guessed that we were about 1/2-mile from the finish. I knew that once we crested that hill, we would enjoy a long downhill for at least 1/4 mile. A few steps before reaching the top, I threw in a surge, and passed my competitor, while his hands were on his waist. I don't know if he tried to keep up with me, I just kept moving ahead. Now I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the road ahead of and below me. With the momentum of crossing the top of the hill and the onset of a gravity assist, I began to accelerate. At that moment, a car pulled out of a parking lot a block ahead, coming in our direction in the right lane of the four-lane road. I frantically waved the driver into the left lane, and fortunately they complied before I had to adjust my run. I sensed that the other runner was close behind me. Once the car had passed, I threw in another surge, flying downhill and around the curve into the major intersection on the north side of the park.
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| The route was very well-marked this year, including mile markers closely corresponding to my watch alerts! |
41 minutes elapsed. I dug hard into the left turn, determined to finish strongly. I knew the rest of the route: level for 1/10 of a mile, then a slight but noticeable uphill straightaway for 2/10 of a mile into the finish. I had just enough energy in reserve to cover that distance. At the last turn I took a quick peek behind me: I was at least 100 feet ahead of my nearest competitor. I didn't think that I was in danger of being passed but I wasn't going to take any chances. I probably slowed down a bit in the final block, it was tough going, but I could see Bonnie ahead in the distance just behind the finish line, and could hear people cheering for me. That encouragement spurred me to push hard all the way through the finish!
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| Good thing I didn't slow down too much: over my right shoulder, you may be able to see the next runner. |
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| ...and further back but within 100 yards, there's another runner. |
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| Celebrating successfully running a tough course according to plan! |
44:22! Not my fastest time on this course, but I was very pleased to run consistently, having accurately assessed my current ability when I started the race this morning.
Brian came through a few minutes later. We shared a finish line with the 5K runners, but I think that both of the next two finishers were men that I had raced in the middle and later parts of this 8K race route.
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| 6th finisher according to these results |
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| and "2nd fastest" with regard to "age grading"! |
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| With Brian "incognito" dressed all in black |
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| "We're all winners!" But seriously, we each won our age groups! |
Coming next weekend: The Jerome Scales 5-mile race in College Park. I've issued a "mano-a-mano" challenge, which Brian has accepted!
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