July 3, 2021: The Peachtree Road Race 10K, day 1

Due to the pandemic, the Atlanta Track Club scheduled the in-person Peachtree Road Race for two days, Saturday and Sunday, July 3 - 4. When we registered in March, prior to vaccination, I wasn't sure what things would be like in mid-summer, so we signed up for the Saturday July 3 race expecting a smaller number of runners. Fortunately things have improved in this country over the past several months, although the virus slowly continues its malevolent rampage through our unvaccinated population. 

For my part I had planned to run a couple of races in May before formally beginning marathon training. My pre-training was going well, working up to a 12-mile enjoyable long run on May 1, covering the Peachtree Road Race route from finish to start and then returning to the finish. But on May 8, I struggled through an easy 3-mile shake-out run at the hilly park in our neighborhood. I thought that finishing with a set of strides on a flat stretch in front of our neighborhood elementary school might loosen any rust in the legs. But at the end of the third stride, I felt severe pain in my right gluteus. I slowly limped home, a painful quarter-mile even though it was mostly downhill. 

After a couple of trips to a chiropractor, two physical therapy sessions, and strictly following the prescribed flexibility / stretching exercise program, I had some improvement, although I couldn't run-walk more than a mile without considerable pain. I was referred to a spine specialist. After the doctor checked my reflexes, examined my posture and listened to my symptoms, including my observation that walking downhill was especially painful, whereas walking uphill almost pain-free, he diagnosed that I probably had some arthritis in the lower spine that was irritating one of the major nerves into the right leg. He was optimistic that I would recover but that it might take several weeks. He said that mild exercise would help with the recovery, as long as it didn't get too painful, and cleared me to start marathon training. In my next physical therapy session, I overheard the term "O.A." several times, from the therapist working on another middle-aged patient at the next table. I had a couple of ideas of what "O.A." stood for. When the patient asked and was told "O.A. is Osteoarthritis", that confirmed my suspicion that "O.A." and "Osteoarthritis" are euphemisms for "Old Age."

The doctor's optimism was justified: Over the past month, I've progressed from being unable to run for more than 30 seconds, to finishing a 6-mile run-walk at a 12 min/mile pace last weekend. Only after completing that 6-miler without too much pain, was I fairly confident that I would finish the Peachtree Road Race. The irritation manifests as if a small lump is deep inside my gluteus muscle. It is no longer really painful in the beginning of an easy run. Although some pain inevitably begins within a few miles, it hasn't grown worse in the 3-to-6 mile run-walk outings that I've recently completed. Brian Minor and I had originally planned for a mano-a-mano race this morning, but a few weeks ago I told him that I had to back out. Today was just for me to run for fun and hopefully build up some mileage in the early stages of marathon training. My race plan for today was to run-walk the first 5 miles (8K) at an easy pace, 4:30 run alternating with 0:30 walk breaks. If I felt good at the mile 5 sign, then I wanted to race the last two kilometers. I discussed this plan with Coach Carl Leivers, who was supportive: he just wanted to make sure that I didn't exacerbate the irritated nerve by overdoing today's run. 

The first two weeks of the marathon training plan

I had earned a wave B bib with a 6:40 am start, for runners with a projected finish time of 50 - 56 minutes. Based on my current ability, I probably should have started with wave D or E, but the irresistable advantage of wave B was that an early start would give me a better chance to finish before the temperature heated up. Happily, the weather this morning was beautiful and clear, with temperature of 68 degrees, a bit humid after yesterday's rain, but definitely pleasantly cool for an July morning in Atlanta. We had a minor fiasco getting to the start: our BreezeCards for MARTA had expired, I guess from not using them during the pandemic? In the time needed to purchase single day tickets, a train had come and gone. Fortunately another train arrived within 10 minutes. 

Incognito on the MARTA train (above);
Ready to run (below)

We arrived at the staging area at Lenox Square Mall with enough time for me to mentally relax and to loosen up my legs with some dynamic stretches. To support physical distancing, the waves were staggered by 10 minutes, with probably only half as many people per wave as in previous years. I took a position in the back and to the right side of wave B, crossing the starting line around 6:41 am. 

6:18 am, waiting for the National Anthem

6:36 am, wave B walking to the start

6:37 am, we're next! 

The first mile went well. I was running at just above a 10 minute / mile pace, and followed my resolution to walk for 30 seconds when the watch signalled 4:30 elapsed. Although most of the wave B runners were well ahead of me, I was not running alone. As the race progressed, I noticed that I was "leapfrogging" some of the same runners. I could feel the sensation of a "lump" in my gluteus by the end of the first mile, although it wasn't really painful. I finished mile 1 in 10:25, which was initially gently downhill, then gradually uphill. So far so good. Mile 2 was a gentle downhill. Although I noticed a little pain was developing, it wasn't too bad, probably only 2 on a 10-point scale. 10:27 for mile 2, 20:52 elapsed. Those were two of the fastest miles that I've run in the past eight weeks!  

Running at a relaxed pace gave me a chance to look around much more, taking in the sights and sounds, noticing some of the new construction in Buckhead since the last in-person Peachtree Road Race in 2019. There weren't too many spectators this year, but enough people were watching to make it a fun experience. If today had been my first Peachtree Road Race, I might have thought this was a fairly big crowd, both runners and spectators. As I wasn't racing and had no time goals for today - other than to avoid running too fast early in the race, I enjoyed smiling and waving back to the people watching us. This was perfect practice for the first five miles of the marathon to come in October. Even though the temperature was not that warm, fire hydrants were set to deliver a fine spray, spaced about every half-mile. I and most other runners tried to avoid the water sprays in an effort to mostly stay dry. The priests and ministers delivered blessings and sprayed holy water on the runners along the right side of the road, as we ran through "Jesus Junction" near the intersection of Peachtree Street with Wesley Road.   

The finish line is well before the downtown towers in the distance

John Wallace cheering me on! 

Mile 3 was mostly downhill with a bigger elevation drop. I had wondered before the race how the pain might feel running or walking downhill. Fortunately the sensation was constant, no worse than 2 out of 10 for pain. During walk breaks I snapped a few photos with my cellphone, starting with the first view of the high-rise towers of downtown Atlanta in the distance. Then I heard someone behind me calling "Frank, Frank!", turned around, and saw John Wallace cheering me on. He and probably many of the other spectators are scheduled to race tomorrow, so it was really great that he and others came out to cheer us on this morning. I hope to repay the favor tomorrow morning for day 2 of the race! Further along the route, a band was playing The Cure's 1980's hit "Just Like Heaven". Great song, but ... for a long moment, I pondered the irony of hearing a song from an English band on United States Independence Day weekend. 

Go Hawks!!!

Metro Atlanta population.
The city of Atlanta proper has only half-a-million people.

We crossed the bridge at Peachtree Creek, and began climbing Cardiac Hill shortly before passing the mile 3 sign, 10:29, 31:21 elapsed. I definitely wasn't expecting to run quite that fast, but felt OK for the effort so far, which was similar to my recent marathon pace. I crossed the 5K timing mat at 33 minutes flat, then pulled over to the right side of the road to pick up a bottle of water. I wasn't really thirsty, but thought it would be good to hydrate a bit when I had the opportunity, to ward off any thirst before the next (and last) water station around mile 5. Heading uphill, there was a small tent for the Atlanta Hawks and their cheerleaders, and upbeat music from their sound system. The Hawks (surprisingly!) are doing very well in the NBA playoffs this year. At this writing, they are behind 2 - 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Milwaukee Bucks. However, this evening's game 6 is in Atlanta, so there is reasonable hope that the Hawks will play well enough to force a decisive game 7 in Milwaukee on Monday evening. The winner will progress to the NBA finals. Normally the basketball season is over well before July, but ... the NBA season began late due to the pandemic. My fourth mile was 10:45, a little slower than the others, but that was simply because of more walk breaks to take photos, including a couple of short stops. Happily, I had no problem getting up and over Cardiac Hill at the easy pace. I noticed Egg Harbor Cafe on the right side of the street, wondering if we might have brunch there after the race. 

Bridge over I-85, about 4.3 miles into the race

Water spray in Midtown.
Note the orange spray paint marking road hazards! 

We crossed the Peachtree Bridge over Interstate-85, heading into midtown Atlanta. This was another uphill section, but not as steep as Cardiac Hill. I was feeling pretty good, now 100% confident that I would finish. I was even thinking "negative split," if I reached the finish line in less than 66 minutes. A negative split never happens in the Peachtree Road Race (at least not for me) but was definitely realistic for me today. I took one last photo about 49 minutes into my race, then put the phone away, because I was all business. One last walk break, then returning to running as I passed the mile 5 sign. 53:14 elapsed, 10:39 minute / mile average pace for the first five miles, with just two kilometers to go! And now it's ....

HAMMER TIME!  It felt a little unfamiliar to run faster than 10 minute / mile pac,e after so many painfully slow weeks. Then I was ecstatic when my watch showed that my pace had dipped below 9 minute / mile pace. That is close to what I can run the sixth mile of the Peachtree Road Race in a good year. Totally focused on running well, I kept up with almost everyone else on the course at this point. Passing Colony Square at the intersection with 14th Street, I heard another person call my name: it was Tommy Daniels, who I first met in Boston at the B.A.A. Half in October 2017. I barely slowed enough to say hello and shouted "See you tomorrow!" and went back to running my 2K race. 

Turning the corner at 10th Street is always a highlight of the Peachtree Road Race. That is where I try to forecast my likely finishing time. From the corner to the finish line is just over 1.0 kilometers. In a great year, I may cover that distance in about 4:30. At the turn, my elapsed time was 58:40, so I knew that I would definitely finish in less than 66 minutes, accomplishing the negative split. That last stretch along 10th Street doesn't look very long on a map, but it stretches on and on when trying to run it quickly. Right before crossing Piedmont Road, there was a smaller-than-usual overhead camera stand with a couple of photographers. As I crossed the blue ribbon marking the photographer's target, I raised my hands and smiled at the camera. At the same moment, I heard someone shout "Frank! Frank!" and it was Beverly Minor! Brian had passed before Beverly had arrived, and Beverly didn't have a chance to photograph me - I like to think because I was running so quickly at that point - but I waved and shouted "Hi Beverly!" as I passed, then turned back to business, approaching the western border of Piedmont Park. Only then did I see the mile 6 marker, so I still had 0.22 miles to go, about 2 minutes for me on a good day. I was thrilled to check my time after the race and saw that I had moved at an 8:45 min / mile pace for mile 6. 

In the last stretch, I saw a couple just ahead of me to the left: the woman was spitting into garbage cans as she passed them. Then she stopped and vomited orange liquid onto the side of the street. Her partner / friend stopped to check on her. I ran past, fortunately feeling fine myself. The finish line for the Peachtree Road Race always hides just over one final small hill, but knowing it was somewhere not to far away, I continued to run fast, even though I knew that I would still record a negative split even if I walked to the finish line. In the final hundred feet or so, I was shocked to see the same couple passing me to the left. I couldn't believe that I was outrun by someone who had just lost her breakfast on the course. I put on a surge to try to catch up, hoping to pass her. I couldn't maintain the surge, as the couple also sped up to cross the finish line a few steps ahead of me. My official time: 1:04:19; I was delighted to have run the last 0.22 miles at an 8:00 min / mile pace. 

Bonnie smiling about 1/2 mile from the finish

Having run easily for the first five miles, I didn't feel exhausted after I crossed the finish line after my two-kilometer race. I was probably more conscious in the finishing area than in previous years, since I wasn't gasping for oxygen. As we walked into the park, a volunteer told us "Pick up your shirts, then leave the park!" Normally the meadow of Piedmont Park is a huge and festive gathering site, but with concerns about the pandemic, the track club discouraged us from spending too much time together, even outdoors, in the space for which they were responsible this morning. I accepted a bottle of water, picked up my shirt, took a few minutes to chat with Bryan Greenberg while stretching, then found my way out of the park to run into Brian Minor, who was waiting for me. Beverly and their young son Brenden joined us in a moment. We circled back several blocks to get around the finish area, to wait to cheer Bonnie into the finish line. 

My right leg was pretty sore after finishing. Fortunately, between easy walking for a mile or so, and occasionally stretching when we stopped to watch the other finishers, my leg felt pretty good by the time Bonnie passed. We returned to the park exit to meet up with her, and finished up the morning with a delicious brunch at Egg Harbor Cafe! 

Brian outran me by 13 minutes. But I was very happy to achieve all of my goals:
finishing the 10K without exacerbating the irritated nerve, and 
enjoying my fastest run in months, in the last 2K! 

Official result: negative split confirmed!

April 3, 2021: The Singleton 4 Miler

I recovered quickly from the February 28 marathon, getting back to easy runs within a few days. I had intended to gradually increase my distance each week, but had little motivation to go beyond 4 - 5 miles. I haven't reached 20 weekly miles, even though I'm back on a schedule of running 4 days per week. I've been very relaxed about it, just enjoying running for running's sake. I only needed to run 4 miles in today's race, and had plenty of time to work up to 6.2 miles for the Peachtree Road Race on Independence Day weekend in July.

Then last week:   

Wow! I thought that my chances of getting in through the lottery were slim-to-none, with priority rightly given for the runners deferred from 2020. But the Chicago Marathon gave deferred runners options to run in 2021, 2022, or 2023, so that opened more slots. In addition, the COVID vaccination pace is picking up. I received my first dose 2-1/2 weeks ago when the window opened to age 55 and up, and looking forward to getting my booster dose next Wednesday, then hopefully at maximum immunity in two more weeks. Last week, Georgia announced that all adults can now get the vaccination. With new hope and optimism, the Chicago Marathon organizers "anticipate a field that's in line with what we've seen in years past." The marathon isn't until October 10, so I have plenty of time to get ready. We already have our hotel and flights reserved, albeit with insurance for everything, just in case things get bad again. But for now, I'm focusing on pre-training! 

The Singleton 4 Miler was originally scheduled for later in April, in Norcross. Brian Minor and I had discussed racing each other. But when the race moved to the trails of the Georgia International Horse Park, I backed out of racing on a trail. Having fallen three times in a trail half marathon four years ago, I didn't think that a vigorous mano-a-mano competition in a trail race could end well for me. All it would take is a single tree root reaching up and grabbing my toe when I wasn't watching. Then it's hello to months of rehab, bye-bye to serious Chicago Marathon training. My only goal for today's race was just to have a fun time running 4 miles without any additional miles on the schedule. And to avoid falling. 

From the 2017 Thrill in the Hills 21K

It was unexpectedly cold this morning, 32 deg F at the start, but without a cloud in the sky, so the conditions were good. I was prepared for the temperature with two layers of clothing, including mittens. I also wore my trail shoes in the first race in over 3-1/2 years. Fortunately they were still in decent shape: I tested them a few weeks ago in a 3-mile easy run-walk on the spectacular East Palisades Trail overlooking the Chattahoochee River.

My starting time was 8:21 am.  I lined up at a cone 2/3 of the way back from the starting mat. The rest of the cones behind me filled up! So the organizers insisted that we all move up closer to the starting line. At 8:21 on the dot, the airhorn sounded. Despite taking a pretty easy pace in the beginning, I was passed by only a couple of people at the start, and passed a couple of others who had lined up in front of me. After a hundred yards or so, we joined the trail with runners who were beginning their second loop. We had a little rain earlier in the week, but other than a couple of puddles on parts of the trail, the route was in good shape. We ran on a double-track dirt roadway, so it was easy to pass safely and otherwise to stay to the right for the faster runners to pass me. 

Although the running surface was good, I still ran very carefully, but completed the first mile at a very respectable 8:47 time, on a relatively flat surface near the Yellow River. The Atlanta Track Club race map showed a big hill early in the second mile. Sure enough, we made a turn and scrambled up a gravelly slope. Unfortunately on the way up, I could feel that my left shoe was loose, and when I pulled over to check, sure enough the shoe was completely untied. Unfortunately I couldn't tie the knot while wearing mittens (I tried), so I had to remove the mittens, then tie the shoe on tight, then resume running. That cost me 30 seconds. Good thing I wasn't racing! 

Mountain biking became an Olympic sport in 1996! 

I thought we had climbed the main hill in the race, but then we made a right turn, and were confronted with a mountain at least five times as high as the first hill. I tried to keep running, but very quickly slowed to a walk, along with almost everyone else. Midway up the big hill, I tried to run again, but slowed back down to a walk within 30 seconds. (Later in the day, I listened to an interview with champion trail runner Alex Nichols that Coach Carl posted on YouTube: Alex Nichols said that most people can walk up a steep hill faster than they can run.) I didn't resume running again until I had reached the top of the hill. What goes up, must come down! And I regained some of the time as I cautiously picked up speed. The route was pretty solid, but my mantra heading downhill was "Chicago" "Chicago". That reminded me to pick up my feet, and to watch ahead to ensure good footing. We made a left turn before reaching the roadway, ran up a little hill, definitely noticeable now that I was a little winded, but it wasn't too bad. I began to hear sounds from the finish area as we emerged from the forest: "First loop to the right, second loop straight to the finish." Staying to the right, most of the group ran with me across a field, then paralleled the strip where a later wave was beginning. I passed the mile 2 marker around 10:30. That wasn't too bad, considering that I had stopped to tie a shoe and then walked up a big hill.

The second loop was in front of the starting area, marked by the white arrow.

As I felt a little winded, I took a short walk break, counting to 30, and then resumed running. As a new wave of 15 - 20 runners began every three minutes, I happened to pass the starting area at 21 minutes elapsed, rejoining the trail for my second loop at the same time that the 8:42 wave began their race. I had intended to run the second loop a little faster than the first loop, but my heart rate was pretty high, occasionally reaching 170 bpm, so I moderated my speed and even took another short walk break before reaching the mile 3 marker, which I passed around 28:20, 9:30 for mile 3. Up the small hill again, then walking up the big hill. I said to a volunteer as I passed her on the way up, "Everything to love and hate about trail running!" But this time I knew what to expect, and I began running before I had crested the hill. Now I took off down the hill, passing several people who had passed me on the climb. I definitely ran the second downhill faster than the first downhill, but remembered my mantra "Chicago" "Chicago" and I remained upright. 

Going over the last little hill, I elected to take another short walk break, about 20 seconds, then resumed running, knowing that the finish line wasn't far away. Staying to the far left of the route, almost stepping on the cones, I began to pick up speed, passing the larger and slower group that was just completing their first loop. A volunteer saw me coming and shouted "Strong finish!" I began thinking of the strides that Coach Carl strongly recommends, "The 10 Most Important Minutes of Your Week."  

I enjoy the stride workouts at the end of easy-paced 3 - 4 mile runs. It always feels good to speed up for just a 15-second burst, especially after I'm thoroughly warmed up, then jogging for about 90 seconds, then doing three more repeats. I love completing an easy run on a strong note. On Carl's advice, in the past couple of weeks I've begun doing strides twice a week, on Monday and Thursday mornings. Today, the stride workouts really paid off. I found a higher gear, caught up and quickly passed another runner in the final stretch. He looked like a young man, was probably surprised to see me passing him! A moment later, out of the corner of my right eye, I thought I saw him, or maybe it was another man, trying to keep up with me. Another kick and I was back out in front! Where did that energy come from?! Sailing across the field, reaching a top speed of 12 miles per hour - I didn't know that I could run that fast - I flew across the finish line around 9:00:15. 

What a fun race! I quickly recovered to take a few photos. 

It's been a long time since I've run a relatively short race without needing to tack on extra training miles. I know that the 20-week training cycle for Chicago will begin on May 24. I hope that I can find a road 5K or maybe a 10K while I'm still in the pre-training period. 

February 28, 2021: The Publix Atlanta Marathon at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

Late last year when the Atlanta Track Club announced that they were moving the spring marathon to the Atlanta Motor Speedway, I was pleasantly surprised! I had assumed that there would not be a spring marathon. I thought about it carefully before signing up, but I was eager for the challenge. I really hoped to improve on my personal record time from March 2020, and arranged a training plan with Coach Carl Leivers. The only problem was, my base training was not as strong at the start of this training cycle as it was a year earlier. And in the very first week of the training plan, I got a sobering reminder of that in my Thanksgiving Day 14-mile run. Although I ran all of the workouts and completed all of the distances in the plan, I struggled with the longer runs for various reasons. It wasn't until a successful 16-mile run in the second weekend in January 2021 that I regained a positive attitude about training. By that time, I was also beginning to accept that improving my personal marathon best was not a realistic goal for early 2021. So my goals for this marathon were:

Tier 3 or Bronze level goal: Faster than 4:48, which would be my second-fastest marathon

Tier 2 or Silver level goal: Run ca. 4:35, with a negative split. 

Tier 1 or Gold level goal: Faster than 4:30, perhaps make an attempt in the second-half of the race for 4:24 if I felt unexpectedly strong in the final 10K. 

The nice thing about the silver level goal, which I built my plan around, was that I could get there with a comfortable easy 20-mile jog, and then rnu a 10K race. And in the final days before the marathon, I was talking about an easy 23-mile jog, and then finish with a 5K race. 

The weather is usually pleasantly cool in the early mornings in late February. But as race day approached, the temperature forecast for February 28 kept increasing, with a prediction of 55 deg F at the start, rising to 70 deg F by 12:00 pm, around the time of my projected finish. I had never run a marathon in temperatures that warm. To prepare myself as best as I could, I hydrated thoroughly on Friday and Saturday before the race. I must have gone to the bathroom every hour or two during the day. But I was confident that preparation would help me especially as the temperatures warmed. 

We drove to McDonough, Georgia to stay in a hotel overnight, so that Bonnie ran the 5K on Saturday evening, then we spared ourselves two long nighttime drives from our home in Tucker. We stayed at the Tru hotel by Hilton, in a modern building near Interstate 75, about 7 miles from the racetrack. Bonnie had a good race, finishing under the lights at the racetrack. I watched from the stands, and got a good sense of the huge size of the racetrack. The runners looked like ants as they entered the from the west, although watching carefully, I could see Bonnie when she entered and in the first part of her lap until she went onto the backstretch. Fortunately I could estimate when Bonnie would reach the halfway point, and her finish time, so I was able to watch her finish even though she was very far away. 

Dramatic photos shortly after sundown,
facing southeast (above),
south (middle), and southwest (bottom)

I had a restful night of sleep, woke up around 4:30 am, and prepared a breakfast of oatmeal that I had brought with me. The hotel had a microwave oven in the lobby, so I went downstairs to heat up my breakfast, and was delighted to see that they already had a continental breakfast arranged at 5 am! So I added coffee and juice to my morning meal. 

Foggy pre-dawn photo with fellow Tucker runners
Rebecca Ludwig (kneeling) and Robin Mitchell (standing).
They both ran the half-marathon.

We only needed about 15 minutes to get to the racetrack and to park. In another 10 - 15 minutes, I had check-in through health screening, picked up the race bib, and emptied the bladder. 15 minutes before my 7:20 am starting time, I checked in at the first staging area, then in 5 minutes moved up to a second area where I found a yellow circle 6-feet away from others. In that zone, Nick Varvel, a young professor in the Emory School of Medicine, said hello! We both use the Blomeyer gym at Emory, but since the gym has been closed for nearly a full year, I haven't seen him since, except in a seminar on Zoom in summer 2020, introducing members of the Biological Discovery through Chemical Innovation initiative at Emory. It was nice to catch up with Nick for a few minutes. Then it was our turn to line up! I strategically took a place near the back of the pack, so that I could start very conservatively. The master of ceremonies, Ronell, set a great mood for our start in the morning mist. My attitude was positive, but calm. As the last minute ticked down, then with 30 seconds to go, we were allowed to remove our masks, which I tucked away in an empty pocket on a running belt. Then the airhorn sounded and we were on our way! 

I was one of the last people out of the starting area.
But that was OK, for a conservative start! 

I hadn't gone more than 100 yards when I heard the sounds of runners coming up behind me! It turns out that it was the Kyle Pease Foundation wheelchair racers in teams of five: the racer in the wheelchair, and four other team members taking turns pushing along the route. I managed to stay out of the way, and after a few miles, had separated from the bunch. I was committed to a 4:30 run / 0:30 walk interval. In the first walk break, my watch showed that I had run a 7 min / mile pace! Surely there was a glitch with the Garmin signal, and indeed when I checked my result after the race, it looks like I ran at least a quarter-mile across an airport runway to get to the start! So my watch consistently signalled about 2/10 of a mile before each mile marker on the course. That wasn't a problem, as the course was well-marked, so I was nearly 11 minutes into my run when I passed the mile 1 mark. Perfect! 

The first loop was a couple of out-and-back sections, the first one heading toward the speedway very flat, the second one away from the speedway a little hilly, but nothing difficult. It was great seeing the other runners on the out-and-back sections, including my Dean, Michael Elliott, and Tommy Daniels, both of whom started ahead of me, and one of the older runners, John Wallace who started shortly after me. In mile 4, we were alerted to keep to the right as an "Olympic runner!" was coming back at a rapid clip, on his second loop. There was a water station at mile 4 which I skipped, since I was carrying my own water bottle of Nuun, but said hello to Kristi Swartz as I passed. 

We ran past a small airport adjacent to the racetrack, then continued southbound on Speedway Boulevard. My plan was to take a gel every 50 minutes or so, carrying 5 gels to get through the race distance. After mile 5, we made a gentle turn onto Richard Petty Boulevard. This was a five-lane road, with the left three lanes reserved for runners. The sixth mile felt like a long haul, as I thought I saw the turnaround point a couple of times before we actually reached it! After we made a rather sharp return, we left the roadway at mile 7, passing the second water station. This time I took a bottle of Dasani, and managed to top off my water bottle without dropping the lid or anything else while running. Probably I should have just carried the water bottle until my next walk break! 

Shortly afterwards, we approached the speedway. The path to the left was for the final (third) lap, which no one seemed to take on this round. This was the only Atlanta-esque steep hill, but it was short, and then we could overlook the speedway. As we passed mile 8, we went back downhill onto the roadway. That was actually tougher for me than running uphill, as I could feel my toes braking against the front of my shoes. 

We ran another mile on the roads surrounding the race track. At the mile 9 marker, Tes Sobomehin Marshall was cheering us on as a course monitor! We turned onto a road immediately adjacent to the outer wall of the speedway. There were three pedestrian overpasses where I was looking for Bonnie. I was due for a walk break and my second gel, but I didn't want to walk or eat when Bonnie could photograph me. So vain! But it was great to see Bonnie as I passed. After I knew that I was out of sight, I took my delayed walk break and the gel. 

Still feeling good at mile 9. The fog finally dispersed,
but fortunately it remained mostly cloudy overhead.

Passing mile 10, we began our second lap. I was still running very easily, enjoying the run and the experience. Somehow the out-and-back sections seemed just a little shorter the second time around! As I approached the half-marathon mark, I checked my time: 2:17:40 as I crossed the 13.1 mile timing mat. Perfect timing for a 4:35 finish! As the temperature gradually increased, I made sure to drink a little during most walk breaks, so I needed to fill up again at the mile 4 / mile 14 water stop, this time pouring some Powerade into my water bottle, and taking another gel around this point. 

As we made our way on Richard Petty Boulevard for the second time, there seemed to be some confusion about the route. Some runners were turning left toward the speedway. I was pretty sure that was mile 10 for the half-marathon runners, although I had not paid that much attention to that route. One of the course monitors asked me what mile I was in: I replied "14 or 15, I'm not sure." What I did know was that my answer would assure him that I was running the marathon and not the half-marathon. 

Unfortunately, I was beginning to feel the number of miles, 16, then 17 miles at the second water station. One of Coach Carl's 10 Commandments for marathon running: 

Uh oh. Last year at this stage, I felt great, even exhilarated! Today, my legs were beginning to tire, despite my very easy pacing. Nine miles to go. I tried to remind myself: "Just run the next mile", the advice that Dick Beardsley kept telling himself in the epic 1982 Boston Marathon, the duel-in-the-sun with Alberto Salazar. Another dash up the steep hill to overlook the speedway: that wasn't bad. But the return downhill was even tougher. Fortunately the next mile was very level. I took a gel while running that stretch. And as I passed the mile 19 marker, I saw Bonnie on the overpass. "Gotta look good for Bonnie" I told myself. She was excited that I was so far along, and I guess I looked OK to her. 

At 19 miles

As I moved out of sight again, I assessed how I was doing. I was still on track for my Silver goal, but I would need to increase my effort perception if I was going to maintain the same speed for the rest of the race. 

The final loop was shorter. Once again we passed the exit point for the half-marathon route, and I kept running straight, passing the mile 20 marker. The subsequent stretch along Richard Petty Boulevard was tougher than the previous loop. Up ahead, I heard a scream of pain: it was a runner lying in the road suffering a leg cramp. Wow, that looked really bad. Someone had stopped to help him, and a policeman was running down the road to assist as well. I've never felt anything like that on a run. I hope I never do. As we came back on the return leg, there was a small vehicle on the side of the road. I don't know if they were picking him up or if they were treating him in an attempt to help him resume the run and get to the finish line. 

At that point, I was entering my own crisis zone, but not as serious. I had completed 22 quality miles, but my legs were really, really tired. I began to think, "I'm never running another marathon." That's going to be my new standard for judging the toughness of the marathon: at what mile does that thought come up? In March 2020, it didn't happen until I was past the mile 25 marker. A line from the 1980's movie "Something Wild" came to mind: "Charlie, attempt to be cool." I think that's from the scene where the Jeff Bridges character is changing clothes inside the convenience store at a gas station. Coach Carl's 7th commandment: 

I thought I was ready for this. But when I checked my heart rate, I was above 170 beats per mile. With 4 miles to go, and nothing to gain by pushing myself harder, I took a long walk break through the last water station. Bob Wells was working the station, and gave me a concerned look - I could see it in his eyes, even though the rest of his face was covered by his mask. I assured him, "I'm OK, I just need to slow down so I can run when I get on the race track." Once I cleared the water station, approaching the speedway, I began running again. At the fork in the route, I was grateful to take the path to the left toward the entrance to the speedway. Unfortunately I could not continue running for 4-1/2 minutes at a stretch. I hated taking the extra walk breaks, but I was still on a sub-4:40 pace. I let the negative split goal slip away, just wanting to get onto the speedway race track and then run well. 

The path went downhill on a curve, then onto the Speedway grounds, into a tunnel, and onto the infield! I had arrived, with about 3 miles remaining. But sadly, I was moving very slowly. I had to take a walk break every couple of minutes, and wasn't running very fast when I was running. Despite my struggle, I was absorbing the experience of running on the race track. It was really cool to see the banked walls rising to my right as we ran the curve. In the lane next to me, I saw Susie Kim on her final lap. I tried to say hi, but I don't think she heard me. Probably I was hardly getting the words out. Anyway she moved ahead as I slowed to a walk. Most people around me were walking. I only remember one person passing me while I was running, although it certainly happened when I was walking. Around the next curve, a course monitor was guiding us: first lap to the left, second lap to the right for the finish. I toyed with the idea of taking the right lane, but knew that I would be disappointed with myself, and had no doubt that my short-cut would be detected. Plus, I paid for 26.2 miles, so I was gonna get my money's worth! 

On the straightaway, the song "Happy" was playing. I wasn't happy, but was moving along, envious of the runners in the lane to my right that were approaching the finish line. The straightaway was really, really long. From running on 400 meter tracks, I'm accustomed to the straightaway being less than 100 meters, but this must have been a half-mile. Bonnie told me afterwards that she saw me on the straightaway, looking like I was heading for a 4:28 - 4:29 finish. She shouted to the people around her, "My husband is ahead of his goal pace!!" Then she saw me pass the finish line and continue running. And that's when she realized that I had one more lap. 1.5 miles to go.

Bonnie's video of my first lap

At this point, I knew that if I gave up and just walked the rest of the way, I would lose my Bronze goal of breaking 4:48. Determined to run my second-best marathon time, I pushed myself to run. I took short walk breaks when I needed it, counted to 30, then resumed running for as long as I could, which was a minute or two. When I approached the course monitor again, I was so happy to pass him to his right. Where was the mile 26 marker? I don't recall seeing it. But I just needed to get onto the straightaway and then I would finish, going for sub-4:45. 

Onto the straightaway, I could see the finish area. But it was really far away. I tried to pick up my pace, checking my watch: 4:44:40 elapsed. Run, run, run. But the finish line wasn't getting much closer. It was as if the finish line was trying to run away from me. Some other runners picked up their pace. I tried to run faster, but just didn't have that extra gear. 4:45:00 elapsed on my watch.  Finally I was closing in on the finish line. Finally, finally, I was through the line. 

Bonnie's video of my finish

I remember putting up both arms in victory. But in Bonnie's video, my hands didn't make it above my head. Nonetheless I had enough wits about me to remember the pre-race instruction to put my mask back on immediately after crossing the finish line. It took me a minute or two to fish it out of my running belt. And only then did I think to stop my watch, at 4:47 and change, so my finish is less impressive on Strava. Fortunately the Atlanta Track Club recorded my official time. 

Although I wish that I had run closer to my Silver level goal, realistically today's result was the best that I could achieve with the training that I completed. Fortunately I've recovered quickly, both physically and mentally. I'm looking forward to running another marathon, but only upon committing to a better training cycle, and better preparation in the months before beginning the marathon build. 

Smiling behind the mask

Cruelty: we had to climb a set of stairs to make our way out of the speedway.
It was difficult, but at least it didn't hurt (much), which was a promising sign.

February 6, 2021: Hearts and Soles 5K, + 19 more miles

The marathon is 22 days from today! On the schedule today was the longest run of the training plan, which coincided with the Hearts and Soles 5K race sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. In the first half of the training plan, I was struggling to get into the groove. Although I completed all of the mileage and didn't miss a workout, my attitude was not that positive. I had a couple of bad runs mostly because I tried to do too much in the beginning of the workout and then had trouble finishing the workout in a quality fashion. For instance, I did an 18-mile long run on December 26, where I ran 9 easy paced miles outbound on the Silver Comet Trail at a few seconds slower than 10 min / mile pace, then tried to run a few seconds faster than 10 min / mile pace on the way back. That lasted for only 3 miles. Then I suffered through a long slow slog for the final 6 miles, talking myself out of calling a Lyft to pick me up at one of the few road intersections. 

With the new calendar year, my running took a turn for the better. I finally had a strong long run, 16 miles on January 9, first mile slowest - last mile fastest. The 20-mile long run on January 16 was solid from start to finish. I also nailed all of the mid-week workouts, including a nearly perfect 2 x 3 mile repeat workout on the Tucker Middle School track earlier this week. 

The last 4 weeks of the personalized 14-week training plan, prepared by Coach Carl Leivers. 
The Monday and Thursday workouts are consistent easy days in my plan, 

as well as the Tuesday and Friday recovery days, and the Sunday recovery walk. 

On occasion I've moved up the Wednesday morning speed workout to Tuesday evening, 

if the weather forecast for Wednesday looks ominous, or if I had an early morning commitment

 on Wednesday, which was the case this week.    

On several occasions, I've raced the Hearts & Soles 5K race hard. The traditional out-and-back course in the Panthersville neighborhood in south DeKalb County has one hill near the start - and near the finish, but I've run some of my fastest 5K races there, including 24:00 in 2016, which at the time was my 5K personal best, and then 23:35 in 2019, which was my second-fastest 5K ever. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta Track Club has had difficulty obtaining permits for most of its traditional routes, but apparently the City of Tucker was willing to allow the race this year. Hopefully it's because the track club has developed a strict and effective protocol for physical distancing in the scaled-down races that I've joined in the past 6 months. 

The 8:00 wave has just begun. 

As the start of the race at the Tucker Recreation Center on Lavista Road was just a few minutes drive from our home, I didn't need to leave for my 8:15 am starting appointment until 7:45 am. Instead of parking at Tucker High School, I decided to park a couple of blocks further away, on Main Street. This was so that I could freely come and go from my car if I needed to pick up anything before or in the middle of the long run to follow the race. My plan for today was: race course, Tucker to Scottdale to Clarkston and back, then pick up the remaining miles, either heading to the east for Lilburn, or running a loop around city of Tucker, depending on how many miles I had left to run.

After showing my completed health questionaire to a volunteer, and another volunteer recording a temperature reading on my face that was low enough to indicate that I had no fever, I was cleared to pick up my bib. The temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, so I wore double layers, and the mask was an additional facewarmer! Fortunately it wasn't windy today. Although it was difficult to recognize people behind the masks (which everyone wore, without exception), I spotted Carol Gsell as she was attaching her bib. And Tucker Running Club original member Linda Bode Phinney was one of the volunteers distributing bibs! It was great to see her: I've done all of my workouts absolutely alone since mid-March 2020, but we used to run together a lot in my early years in Tucker Running Club. 

I'm not too good at the selfie technique, but on the second try,
 I managed to get both me and Ellen Ausley in the photo,
along with a nice view of the trees in the background. 

I found a tree to balance against. As I did a few leg swings to loosen up the muscles, and Rhonda Moore-Kelly from TRC came over to say hello! She's another TRC member that I haven't seen for a year, since I've been running on my own. And then I saw Ellen Ausley, who is a speedster but was always kind enough to slow down for me during some TRC Monday evening runs. By this time I made sure to pull out my phone to take some photos. It seemed that there were more people around today, probably because no one had to travel halfway to Alabama for this race. 

After checking in for my wave, right after the 8:05 am wave has begun,
with the 8:10 am runners gathering ahead of me. 

The 8:15 wave, one person next to each cone. 

When it was time for our wave to line up, I took possesion of the area around a cone about 2/3 of the way back from the starting line. I had no intention of running this race fast, with 22 total miles prescribed for today. This was my opportunity to practice my conservative marathon start. In the previous Atlanta Track Club events, we've been allowed to remove our masks when we line up a few minutes before the starting horn. But today, the volunteer at the front line was very firm that we were required to keep our masks on until after we had crossed the starting mat. That makes sense, given that there are some more infectious strains of SARS-Cov-2 beginning to circulate around the country. And afterwards, I realized that this might have been a strict condition for the City of Tucker to grant a permit. 

At 8:15:00, the airhorn sounded, I started my watch, and began running very slowly. I didn't remove my mask until I was nearly out of the parking lot turning onto Lavista Road. I checked my watch, and saw 10:27 min / mile. That was fine for a conservative start, although I felt like I was running much more slowly. I had deliberately not warmed up other than some dynamic stretches, intending to use the 3.1 mile race course as my warmup jog. I also set my watch to 4:30 run / 0:30 walk, and activated autopause, as I knew that I would stop at many traffic lights once I had completed the short race distance. Within a couple of blocks on Lavista Road, we turned right onto Henderson Road.  

New sidewalks on Henderson Road! 

I have never run any distance on Henderson Road, because until recently, there were no sidewalks on this narrow winding two-lane road cutting through the heart of residential Tucker. A few of the Tucker Running Club routes have had short, one-block sections on Henderson Road, connecting to quieter streets on either side, and those sections are always challenging. I now remembered hearing something about sidewalks on the Tucker Running Club Facebook site. Thanks City of Tucker! One of the reasons for Tucker's incorporation in 2015 was a sense of insufficient services provided by DeKalb County. The recent (since 2005) cityhood movement has been controversial, and not all of the referenda in metro-Atlanta have succeeded. But Tucker had already long enjoyed a sense of a community, so it was a more natural step to take. In fact I did not know that Tucker was not an incorporated city when I moved here in 2010, until the talk of cityhood for Tucker dominated the local news in 2015. Our neighborhood is still a half-mile outside of the city limits. 

Before we reached the mile 1 marker, we turned right onto Tipperary Trail, a quiet residential street. We climbed our first hill, although I was moving so slowly and taking walk breaks every 5 minutes, so it didn't bother me. Then there was another, shorter and steeper hill. Welcome to Tucker, I thought! For people expecting a fast flat Hearts & Soles course like the route in Panthersville, this may have been a rude surprise. And after cresting the hill, the downhill direction was an even steeper elevation drop. I felt my toes braking against the front of my shoes as I slowly moved downhill. This might have even been hazardous for an uncoordinated runner such as myself if I had been racing the course. 

Going uphill (above),
and then even more steeply downhill (below).

Shortly after the ginormous speed bump, I heard people calling my name, "Frank! Frank!" It was the Tucker Running Club cheer group, who had gathered in the driveway of Katie and Mark Vernon's home! I stopped to take a photo, below - and on Facebook there is a photo of me taking their photo. And a couple of houses further down the street, Rebecca Ludwig was cheering us on. 

I couldn't recognize anyone for certain as I passed, but now that I look at the photo,
I think that Lisa Calas is in the middle of the driveway holding a green cowbell, and
definitely Katie Vernon sitting in a lawn chair behind Lisa. (above)
Rebecca Ludwig posted this photo of me on Facebook - thanks! (below) 

We had a long straight gradual uphill on Livsey Road, heading past the elementary school. Then we made a right turn onto Chamblee-Tucker Road in the direction of downtown Tucker, to the start-finish area. This is a four-lane winding hilly road, with a 40 mile-per-hour speed limit, routinely exceeded by most drivers. I almost never drive this road as it simply doesn't connect where I need to go, in part because there is a semi-parallel road about a half-mile to the east and closer to my house. And I try not to run long distances here, although for some of my local routes, it's unavoidable to get between neighborhoods without running a few blocks on Chamblee-Tucker, which at least has sidewalks on both sides. As I approached the mile 2 sign, I remembered falling on the broken sidewalk somewhere in this area several years ago, when I was a volunteer for the Eric's FitLab 5K. This was at the mile 1 marker in that race, which basically ran a similar loop in the opposite direction. I'm the only person that I know who has injured himself volunteering at a race. I can't find any mention of it in my blog, but I think that it was in 2016 or 2017. At the time, I was probably too embarrassed to share that information. 

On Livsey Road (above);
on Chamblee-Tucker Road (below)

A DeKalb County policeman was up ahead, protecting the race route and signaling vigorously and shouting to the drivers to slow down. I appreciated that and shouted out "Thank you very much!" to the policeman as I passed. Whenever I run on Chamblee-Tucker Road, I always think of Janet Pickney, a Tucker Running Club member who was fatally injured in summer 2017 on her morning run, hit by a car moving at nearly twice the speed limit, ironically driven by another DeKalb County policeman. She was hit at the intersection of Brown Road with Chamblee-Tucker Road. 

As the parking lot for Tucker High School came into view on the left side of Chamblee-Tucker Road, it was time for our dash to the finish line on Morgan Road. We turned onto a little access road winding through the woods to the back of the Tucker Recreation Center. Normally I would have turned up the speed, but today, I maintained pace discipline and just continued jogging until I had crossed the finish line, at 8:48 am on the clock. I wasn't sure of my race time until the results were posted later today, but my official time was 33:21, a 10:45 min / mile average pace. So that was a perfectly successful start to my day! I had stopped to take a few photos along the way, so that artificially increased my finish time by a minute or so, but the point was just an easy warmup.  

Hearts and Soles 5K race route (above)
and elevation map (below)

Following the pre-race instructions to the letter, I put on my mask within seconds of crossing the finish line. Of course I had not exerted myself at all, so I didn't need to catch my breath. I scooped up a bottle of water and a protein bar, then resumed running around the side of the building to get back onto Lavista Road, heading to my car less than a half-mile away. I quickly picked up my water bottle and belt along with three gels, and resumed running with what I estimate was no longer than a 30-second break. Is that what they call "transition" in triathlons? At least I didn't have to peel off a wetsuit or change shoes.  

22 miles of work

I ran southbound on Main Street, then turned right onto Lawrenceville Highway, following the route of the Charles Harris 10K that I ran for five consecutive years, from 2014 - 2018. This was a popular race, both for the overall downhill elevation profile from Tucker to North Decatur, and for being held in the weeks before the window for Peachtree Road Race qualifying. I learned a lot about 10K strategy on this course, setting new personal bests each of my first four years (2014) (2015) (2016) (2017), until running it cautiously a week before a marathon in 2018 - and while injured, although in serious denial at the time (2018). I was sorry to see this race close down in 2019, but I do understand why the family wanted to stop hosting the race after nearly 40 years. I took my first gel around 50 minutes in. I stopped taking photos, because it was challenging to repeatedly remove and then replace my phone every few minutes, plus my fingers would freeze when I removed a finger from the glove to swipe up to activate the phone.

My plan was to run miles 2, 3, and 4 of the old Charles Harris race route on Lawrenceville Highway, while also running a virtual 5K that began at 9:00 am, using the Charge Running app. My time in the virtual 5K was 33:24, which was just three seconds slower than the in-person 5K that I had completed at 8:15 am. Talk about consistency! I then turned onto McLendon Road to explore a new route through Scottdale. On my most common route driving to work, the Stone Mountain Freeway passes under McLendon Road. I've always wondered what's on top. It's a middle-class residential suburban community, with some apartments close to the freeway. Fortunately it had a sidewalk on the east side of the roadway, which meant that I was facing oncoming traffic, not that there was much to speak of - perfect! Second gel consumed at 1:30 elapsed.

With 9 total miles complete, I turned onto East Ponce de Leon Avenue and within a block, found the Stone Mountain PATH trail. This is a pedestrian - bike path that connects Stone Mountain Park to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. I've never run the entire distance, but had previously run this section through Clarkston on a few occasions during spring and summer 2020. After passing back over interstate 285, the PATH trail separated by a half-block from the adjacent street, for even more protection from auto traffic. There were hardly any other pedestrians or bikers out this morning, so while I carried my mask in a pocket, I never felt that I needed to put it on, as long as I just moved to the far side of the path. Clarkston is always an interesting place to run through, for its incredibly diversity of international cultures. In addition to English and Spanish signs, there are businesses and places of worship with script in several different south Asian and possibly east African scripts. I thought that I could distinguish Arabic from Hindi script, or maybe it's Urdu that was substantially different from Nepali or Thai or Burmese. And one of the scripts was likely Amharic. Without an additional clue in English such as "Ethiopian restaurant", or perhaps a national flag, I guess I really don't know after all.  

Anyway, I was feeling really good with 11 miles down, precisely at 2 hours elapsed, half the mileage for the day completed. 5-1/2 miles per hour seemed about right for a long run pace. At one point, I thought I saw Michael Reid, who I used to occasionally see on group runs at Big Peach Running Company in Decatur - and later on Strava, we confirmed that we had a "fly-by". I was trying to figure out where to get off the trail and to cross the railroad tracks to look for Idlewood Road. I had looked up some street names on a map yesterday, but I couldn't remember what I was looking for (it turns out it was Erskine Road, right before completing mile 12) and in any case I didn't see any road signs. I knew that there were rail crossings every few blocks, so I didn't worry about this. And then I was on "Brer Rabbit Road", and there were no more rail crossings. At 2:15 elapsed, I took my third and last gel. I had two more gels waiting for me along with another water bottle of Nuun in my car, back in Tucker. When I saw a cemetery across the tracks on the other side of East Ponce de Leon, at the end of 13 miles, I finally took a long walk break to check my phone. Uh oh, I was far beyond Idlewood Road. I could backtrack, or just keep going. I wasn't concerned about being a little bit lost, because I still had 9 miles to run, but I didn't want to find myself on a busy road without a sidewalk. Brer Rabbit Road left the railroad tracks and passed a couple of large auto repair shops. I was a little concerned that the road might come to a dead-end, but when a car came from the other direction to turn into one of the shops, I figured that there must be an outlet. And sure enough, turning left onto Kelton Drive, I made my way back to East Ponce de Leon. No sidewalk on Kelton Drive, but at least there were only a few cars that passed in the quarter-mile or so. 

As I crossed East Ponce to get back onto the PATH trail, I was almost down to Mountain Industrial Boulevard / Hairston Road. I really wanted to avoid Mountain Industrial. It goes back to Tucker, but it's a really busy road, and I wasn't at all sure of the sidewalk situation. But I remembered that if I returned west on the PATH trail, there was a pathway through an industrial park that eventually connected with Idlewood Road. 14 miles done, only 8 miles to go for the day. The map had indicated about 3 miles to downtown Tucker. I just had to make sure that I didn't make a wrong turn. But there was really only one apparent way through the park, north on Roadhaven Drive past the TOPCU tile and stone company, the House of Cheatham, which is a hair products company, and DeKalb County Watershed Management. Then a left on Greer Circle, which fortunately connected to Saar Parkway, parallel to Stone Mountain Freeway, and now I knew exactly where I was. Mile 15. Now past a Macy's warehouse, and then Stone Mountain Middle School. 

I had planned to take my fourth gel at 3:00 elapsed, but I was at 2:50 elapsed before I reached Idlewood Road. I couldn't remember how far I needed to run on Idlewood Road to get back to downtown Tucker, but I was pretty sure that it was further than 1 mile, so that gel was more than 10 minutes away. Fortunately I still had some Nuun from my first water bottle, so I wasn't going to suffer from thirst. When I reached the intersection with Fellowship Road, I knew that I had no more than 1 mile to go. Turns out it was 0.8 mile. 

I was a little tired, but happy that I elected to run the later miles in an area well-known to me. It had been mentally taxing to get a little lost. My body felt pretty good, until I stopped for a traffic light at Lawrenceville Road, just a couple of blocks from my car. And the light took forever to change. I tried to stay loose by moving my legs and some butt kicks. But when the pedestrian crossing light finally switched from red to white, I felt incredible stiffness in both legs as I resumed running. That two-minute stop was not good for me. But I reached the car, tried not to stop for more than a few seconds, threw my gloves into the car, grabbed the two remaining gels and swapped water bottles, and resumed running. 

Slowly. As I reached Lavista Road and the intersection with Fellowship Road / Chamblee-Tucker Road, where I had begun my day, the mile 17 alert sounded. So only 5 more miles for the day. I knew of a loop approaching 6 miles that took Lavista to Northlake Parkway to Henderson Mill Road (different from Henderson Road) and then returning on Midvale Road. That's the route for the Tucker Running Club 7:15 am Sunday morning run. So that was too long. Plus ... I wasn't up to running the long Midvale Hill, totally unnecessary torture for today. 

Instead I decided to run east on Lavista Road, intending to run 2-1/2 miles, then return. I ate the fourth and last gel of the day. The route was fine until I approached I-285 and heavy traffic in the Northlake area. I had to wait for more than a minute at a couple of intersections, and my legs stiffened up again. At 19 miles completed, I didn't want to just turn around and run back, as that would probably cause me to quit after 21 miles. So I turned right on Parklake Drive, past the Doubletree Hotel and Marlow's Tavern. Bonnie and I spent the first night of our marriage at the Doubletree, before flying the next day to Prague for the rest of our honeymoon. Unfortunately that pleasant memory didn't erase the pain in my legs. And as I hoped, that little loop around Northlake put me at 20 miles complete as I passed Einstein's Bagels and Coffee. 

I had averaged 10:58 minutes / mile for the first 20 miles. But now my legs were so sore, I couldn't move any faster than 12 minute miles. And I took walk breaks about every 2-1/2 minutes. Tears came to my eyes at one point. Everything from the tips of my toes to the depths of my psyche hurt. Then I remembered the advice to force a smile as broad as what Eliud Kipchoge flashes when he has completed 20 miles. That is how he holds on to get to the finish line before everyone else, again and again and again, excepting the London Marathon a few months ago, but blame the pandemic. The smile trick also helped Frank McDonald, a little, although it's debatable if I was showing a smile or a grimace. I was still in pain, but the tears stopped. Then I had to wait again at a light at Midvale Road, at Henderson Road - at least I was past 21 miles - and at Chamblee-Tucker Road. The break felt good for the moment, but then moving again was excruciatingly painful. 

Finally, I was back in the center of Tucker. I approached the intersection with Main Street, and my car was only two very short blocks away. But that wasn't going to get me the full 22 miles on the schedule. I remembered what Coach Carl had said a couple of years ago, when I had cut a 20 mile run short at only 17 miles completed. I had confessed to him and described the six minor logistical issues that derailed my resolve, plus two more excuses (see the link!). He simply responded, "Too many exit ramps."

Those words stuck in my mind. And as I reached Main Street, instead of turning right toward my car, the pedestrian light was white! So I had no excuse, and I ran straight through the intersection. Adding just one more block on Lavista also required a second additional block to get back to Main Street. Checking my watch, I had just 1/3 of a mile to run, to complete the total distance. I wasn't moving very fast, but the goal was mileage and perhaps more importantly, time on my feet. As I returned to Main Street, my car was on the other side of the street. My watch read 21.97 miles, then, then, 22.00 miles! Instead of jaywalking directly to the car, I ran slowly the rest of the way to First Avenue before turning off my watch, because I knew that Strava would steal 0.01 mile. Garmin registered 22.03 miles, indeed Strava registered only 22.02 miles, but I did it. 4:04:43 total moving time, about 4:15 total elapsed, mostly due to unavoidable stops at traffic lights. 

Unfortunately, that effort was much tougher than I remembered from last year's longest run, on February 8, 2020. When I checked my records at home, I actually ran 23 miles a year ago, in 4:00 flat, and ran consistently from start to finish. I looked at my comments on Strava to see if I had complained, but only left a comment about some big hills in the second half of the course. That was more about sharing information on the route and perhaps just a little bragging about my fitness at that time. 

Today's long run was good information, and confirmed what I had suspected, that I'm not currently capable of improving my personal record time of 4:24:07. This will guide me to set a realistic goal for the marathon on February 28. I don't want to push for a super-ambitious goal of breaking 4:24, only to crash and burn before I've even completed 20 miles. But I can probably realistically run a second-best time, i.e. sub-4:48, if I run intelligently. So for the moment, my A goal or tier 1 goal is to run another negative-split marathon. If I have a quality run, then I'll have a good experience. And really, that's what should always be my goal.