September 27, 2014: Winship Win the Fight 5K redux

Goal:  To beat last year's time of 28:22

Today is the Winship "Win the Fight" 5K in support of the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.  This is where my serious running began, nearly one year ago (Oct. 5, 2013).  This is the first race that I have now run twice.  Last year I was not experienced at running and my hope was just to finish under 30 minutes - and I would be satisfied to finish.  Getting caught up in the exhilaration of my first 5K, I finished in 28:22 in 2013, and became a running addict at the moment that I passed under the finish banner!  Bonnie also started running a few months later, and today she joins me on the Winship course, doing her eighth 5K.  

With quite a bit more experience under my belt this year, I was confident that I could beat last year's time, but was unsure how well I might do relative to my personal record (25:23), as the Winship course is the hilliest of all of the 5Ks that I've run.  It's ironic that my first 5K was on the most difficult course! 

Altitude profile for the Winship 5K.  After a short downhill stretch at the start, we run about one mile, rising from 860 ft to 988 ft in elevation.  This is practically identical to Cardiac Hill, mile 4 of the Peachtree Road Race! 

I decided that I would identify markers along the route for a 25 minute pace, and set my race tracker on my phone to alert every 5 minutes.  Thus I hoped to clear the Emory traffic circle within 5 minutes (km 1 on the map), make the turn onto Haygood Road before 10 minutes (km 2), reach Sorority Row very soon after 15 minutes (2 mile mark), pass the Emory Bookstore / Starbucks at 20 minutes (km 4), and then try not to slow down too badly going in the last part of the third mile before the finish.  Even if I didn't finish in 25 minutes, I felt that I could at least get close to all of the markers, and that would help me to achieve my best possible time.  Although the weather was cool this morning (64 degrees F at the start) and the distance would only be 5K, I elected to wear a water belt.  Having suffered unpleasant "dry mouth" in the second half of the Atlanta's Finest 5K in August, I wasn't going to make that mistake again.  And the water belt doesn't feel like I'm carrying any extra weight. 

The race route: mile markers in magenta, kilometers in blue.  The race begins down Dickey Drive, takes a left onto Eagle Row and another left onto Oxford Road, through the Emory Village traffic circle, shortly before km 1.  The route then progresses steadily uphill on North Decatur Road past the mile 1 marker, reaching the peak after a sharp left turn onto Haygood Road, in front of Druid Hills High School.  Circling counterclockwise around campus, we run a second time on the stretch from Dickey Drive to the Emory Village traffic circle, then entering through the main gate to campus, uphill to approach the hospital, and then making a left turn heading downhill and then mostly level to the finish. 

In the weeks since the Big Peach Sizzler on September 1, the summer weather has ended and the mornings are now pleasantly cool.  When we left the house this morning, the cloud cover was heavy, and on the drive to Emory, there were fog droplets on the windshield.  We parked and walked through light drizzle to McDonough Field near the center of campus, where the runners were gathering.  As this was a fundraiser for cancer research, the pre-race speakers included several emotional and inspirational messages, reminding me of my father and maternal grandfather who had died of cancer in 2005 and 1978, respectively, as well as my mother-in-law who has not only survived but has had a complete remission and is thriving some 10 years after her bout with cancer. 

Shortly before 8:30, we made our way to the starting line.  Last year I had taken a modest position in the middle of the field and found myself behind a bunch of walkers, so this year I lined up quite a bit closer to the starting line.  The drizzle had stopped, but the announcer encouraged us to take the turns carefully as the pavement was damp.  With about one minute to go, I took a quick sip of water, and had just put away the water bottle when we got our signal to "get set", and then the gun sounded without delay.  

Mile 1:  It took less than 15 seconds to get to the starting line, and then we were off!  We made a right turn shortly after the start, and headed downhill toward Peavine Creek.  I was sailing down the street, reminding myself not to press too hard this early in the race.  The road leveled out as we reached the chemistry building.  When we made the turn onto Eagle Row, we had to work our way around a large truck that had somehow made its way onto campus before being stopped by the police guarding the race route.  On the positive side there were many volunteers and a few spectators cheering us on.  As we turned uphill toward the Emory Village traffic circle, I stole a look at my timer and saw 4 minutes elapsed.  I was pleased that I didn't hear the 5 minute alert until shortly after we had passed the traffic circle and were on North Decatur Road.  Right on track with the plan!  However the road was steadily uphill and so I definitely slowed down, as some runners passed me.  Surprisingly, this did not bother me nearly as much as it did in last year's race, now that I appreciate the value of conserving some energy early in the race.  Last year the Druid Hills High School Spirit Band was entertaining runners in front of the Schwartz Center shortly before we reached Clifton Road, but today all was quiet.  Shortly after passing the Law School, I saw the mile 1 marker.  Mile 1 in 8:14.  

Mile 2:  I didn't hear the audio alert for 10 minutes but as I made the turn onto Haygood Road, I could see that my timer was already reading 10 minutes and some seconds.  But I wasn't too disappointed to slightly miss the second mark, given that we had run uphill for the better part of a mile.  I knew that I could make up some ground on the downhill sections ahead.  The water stop was in front of Druid Hills High School, but most of us passed by the water stop.  It was a relief to reach the crest of the hill, and I knew from training runs that this would be the highest point of the race.  I was happy with my overall progress at this stage of the race.  Shortly before we reached Clifton Road, there was a speed monitor along the side of the road to inform drivers if they were adhering to or exceeding the 30 mph speed limit.  I had not expected that the monitor could detect people running, and was excited to see "7" flashing as we reached and then passed the monitor.  7 mph could translate to a 25 minute finish.  As we approached Clifton Road I could see 13 minutes elapsed on my timer.  Even though the road was downhill again, I was wondering how far I could get before we reached 15 minutes, and the alert sounded before we reached Sorority Row.  But soon after the alert we went over a small hill and around a small curve in the road, and there was a large and enthusiastic crowd of spectators in front of Sorority Row cheering us on, and the Spirit Band was playing.  There were no runners to my right so I was able to give some of the spectators hand slaps as I ran past.  The last hand slap actually gave my right shoulder a twinge (still a little muscle damage remains from the broken collarbone in April) but I also rocketed forward as I cleared the spectators.  When I checked afterwards,  I had reached 9 mph in this section!  16:19 at the 2-mile mark. 

Mile 3 began with a long downhill run toward Peavine Creek.  This would be my last chance to make up any time, and I was able to maintain a great pace in this stage of the race.  I remembered that I was quite tired by this point last year, but today I felt that I still had a bit of reserve and that I might even gain some regenerative energy heading downhill.  Turning onto Oxford Road, I saw that my timer was at 19 minutes, so indeed I had made up a little time.  The 20 minute alert sounded as I approached the Emory Bookstore / Starbuck's, so I was only a few seconds behind my "dream pace" at this stage of the race.  In the time since we had first passed through this area, several cars had parked in front of the Bookstore and we had to work past the 'obstacles' although truthfully I don't think it slowed anyone down.  Now the tough part of the race was coming: uphill into the Emory Village traffic circle, uphill through the main gate onto campus, then a right turn and more uphill behind the campus church.  As I was slowing down anyway, I took a sip from the water bottle and squirted some water on the back of my neck, to fortify myself for the steepest part of the race to come.  Left at the Rich Building and immediately right, then up the steep hill between Woodruff Library and Goizueta Business School.  Last year this stage reduced me to a walk: this year I managed to run uphill without dropping below 5 mph.  Then, the long-awaited left turn and downhill to the finish!  I didn't manage to speed up as much as I wished and actually did better when the road leveled out.  As I reached the 3 mile marker, shortly before Asbury Circle, I heard the 25 minute alert.  According to my tracker, I reached the 3-mile mark at 24:55. 

The finish:  I knew that I was definitely going to smash my old time, but I probably wasn't going to set a personal record.  But given the hilliness of the course, that was nothing to be disappointed about.  I pushed myself as hard as I could toward the finish line.  As we crossed Asbury Circle, I finally saw the banner marking the finish and saw 25 minutes and 30-something seconds on the clock.  The seconds seemed to race forward, faster than I was running, but I wasn't going to let that clock pass 25:59!  I don't remember any of the other runners or seeing or hearing spectators as I put every last calorie of energy into the finish.  I was focused on watching the clock and running as fast as I could manage.  The last number I saw was 25:57 as I reached the finish line!   

I accepted a bottle of water and a banana but kept walking for two or three minutes to allow my pulse to slow a bit.  Finally I managed to open the water bottle and eat the banana as I returned to the finish line.  I walked back along the last several hundred yards of the race to wait for Bonnie at the top of the hill.  I managed to get several good photos as she worked her way up the hill - and I was really happy for her that there were a lot of people behind her!  I raced back to the finish line to get a last photo of her crossing the finish line, but was unable to get the best position and as I saw her approach the line, some guy stepped in front of me and I had to move to get a shot - hence her finishing photo was a little blurry, but the time is visible - and she also set a personal record today! 

Metric splits by kilometer:  4:48, 5:31, 4:54, 4:49, 5:32.  Km 2 and 5 had long uphill stretches, so overall that felt pretty consistent.  The mile splits were 8:14, 8:05, and 8:36. 

Goal:  To beat last year's time of 28:22:  Achieved!  Official time 25:44, third best for me in the 5K distance.  

That time may qualify me again for wave C in the Peachtree Road Race, if the same time standards are used in 2015 (under 25:54). 

Next race: Cartersville 10K, October 4.

Links:   Winship 5K       Results        Video

September 6, 2014: Preparing for the Winship Cancer Center 5K; Fundraising

Three weeks from today, I'll be running a 5K on and around the Emory University campus, in a fundraiser for the Winship Cancer Institute (WCI).  As a designated cancer center of the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, WCI activities feature a large number of clinical trials of new therapies, and an extensive ongoing program in research, prevention, and education.  I'm affiliated with the Discovery and Developmental Therapy program at WCI, and my laboratory has enjoyed several collaborations with WCI biomedical scientists over the past 15 years.

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, and you're interested in supporting research and patient care at a leading center for cancer treatment, I encourage you to consider a donation to the WCI, through the link on the right side of this page.  This will also connect you to information about the Winship Cancer Institute, including opportunities to direct your donation to the treatment of a specific type of cancer.  You will also have an opportunity to make your gift in honor of someone dear to you, if you wish.

In terms of my own health, the Winship "Win the Fight" 5K in 2013 was my first race, and the race that led to sixteen additional races over the past year.  I now run, on average, 10 - 15 miles per week, and my cardiovascular health has improved quite substantially.  A good run also does wonders for my mood.  I've enjoyed discovering many areas of metro Atlanta on foot, with the Beltline and the circuit of Stone Mountain among my favorite places to run.

This semester, I'm teaching a small graduate-level course (11 students enrolled).  I'm encouraging the students to run or walk the Winship 5K this year as a "class bonding experience".  I've offered to make a small contribution to the WCI for each student that registers.  To make things a bit more interesting, I've also promised to make an additional donation under the name of each student in the timed race that "beats the professor's best chip time", at the rate of $1 for every 10 seconds faster than my best time.  Hopefully most of them will take up the challenge, although it happens that the Winship 5K will be run three days before the first midterm exam in my class (unfortunate timing...).

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance to donors!  All gifts are welcome, large or small.

Frank McDonald

https://winshipcancer.emory.edu

September 1, 2014: The Big Peach Sizzler 10K

Goal: to run consistent splits, to have enough energy left for a strong finish.

Goal: to improve on my personal record of 55:29

The first Monday of September is Labor Day, a national holiday, and traditionally marks the end of summer and the beginning of the school year in many areas.  At Emory we started classes last week (Wednesday Aug 27) and the public schools in our area began earlier in August.  As Labor Day is still three weeks ahead of the autumn equinox, it's generally still quite warm, but in Atlanta summer temperatures will now gradually begin to drop and the next two months are often quite nice.  

In the Atlanta running community, there are a large number of athletic events on Labor Day weekend including many 5K races, some 10K distances and even one 20K race.  I decided some time ago to run the Big Peach Sizzler, a 10K race sponsored by the Big Peach Running Company and a fundraiser for a cystic fibrosis foundation, Miles for Cystic Fibrosis.  Our main research project at this time focuses on a naturally occurring compound, brevenal.  Brevenal was first discovered as an antidote for red tide toxin poisoning, but was subsequently found to improve lung function in an animal model for cystic fibrosis, by thinning the lung mucus and increasing tracheal mucus velocity, essentially helping to clear the breathing passages.  Although we are not working specifically on cystic fibrosis, but instead working toward a better way of preparing brevenal, it was interesting to realize the connection between our research project and the fundraiser for this race.

Getting back to the race, the Big Peach Sizzler offers a "super-fast" course.  I've become a little jaded about courses that are advertised as "fast", sort of like a store that offers low prices.  But from the elevation map, the hills would be gently rolling and not too severe, so I could see the basis for the advertisement.  The main concern would be the temperature (72 deg F at the start) and the humidity.  In fact the finisher's shirt from a previous year's race boasted of "Heat, Hills, and Humidity".  We were advised to hydrate thoroughly before the race.  In addition to following that advice in the day before the race, this time I wore a water belt with 16 ounces of cool water.  I calculated that I would need to maintain a pace of 8:50 per mile to finish in 55 minutes.  I would listen for alerts every 0.2 miles, aiming for an average of 1:46 per alert. 

The race route began at the Chamblee MARTA station.  We gathered on Peachtree Road (a street parallel to and a block south of Peachtree Boulevard).  Although the announced starting time was 7:30 am, we were a bit delayed in starting.  Even with the delay, this is always a fun time especially with a large field, absorbing the energy of a thousand other runners preparing for their individual races.  I took a spot about 100 feet behind the starting line, but when one of the runners around me talked about a range of finishing times from 43 minutes to 50 minutes, I realized that I would need to be careful not to try to keep up with him at the start.  I did decide not to move back, but stayed to the right side of the group.  Finally the announcement was made that we would start in 60 seconds.  I took a sip of water, poured a little on the back of my neck, and put the bottle away.  The conversation died down as everyone got ready.  Then the quiet of the morning was shattered by a shot, and we were off!  

The starting line was relatively narrow and I even bumped into a fellow runner shortly before reaching the line, although no harm was done and we made our way over the starting line without incident, for me about 15 seconds after the official start.  Once we crossed the line, everyone around me was running at a reasonable pace, even though the field was crowded.  I was pretty careful to take it easy as I didn't want to be in a fall at the start, or to accidentally cause someone else to trip over me.  It took only a few minutes to get to the main drag on Peachtree Boulevard, where we had three lanes reserved for our race.  It's always an exciting feeling to make a turn and see a mass of hundreds of other runners, all focused on the same activity.  When I think about it after the race, I realize that most of those runners finished ahead of me, but that thought never really comes up while I'm running, just the thrill of being in the mix.  We reached the mile 1 marker at 8:50, exactly as I had hoped.  From the published elevation map, I already knew that this was the highest point of the route.  I was feeling strong and running well.

The race route.

The second mile took me into familiar ground, from the Peachtree-In-Training program in the spring, where we took at least two runs to Johnson Ferry Road and back in the first few weeks.  I ran past the first water station (in fact I think that the children offering water were a little disappointed that they didn't have many takers early in the race) and after clearing the station I took my first sip of water.  There were a few hills in this area but having run here before, I had confidence that the road ahead would not be too difficult.  I was quite satisfied to see that the mile 2 marker came quickly, at 17:38, 8:48 for the second mile.  Right on schedule. 

Shortly after the two mile mark, I heard a loud curse from a man ahead of me on the sidewalk, and realized that he was a runner who had just suffered an injury of some kind.  He was walking, so for the moment he was still ambulatory, although I had a feeling that he must have realized that his injury was fairly serious and that he would not be able to finish.  We continued past, with the hope that he could get any necessary assistance from some of the volunteers along the route.  The campus of Oglethorpe University was a familiar landmark in the Peachtree training course, followed by the Town Center shopping area that was home base in our course, and also the site of the Brookhaven store for Big Peach.  The Cinebistro movie theater is also in this development.  When we reached the mile 3 marker, my time was 26:46, 9:08 for the third mile.  I was disappointed to be slowing down a bit, but I was watching my heart rate monitor and knew from experience that I wouldn't be able to push at the end if I let my heart rate rise too high earlier in the race.  But I was hoping that I could run without slowing down any further, otherwise I wouldn't be able to make up the time with a push at the end.  I was still hoping for a finish in 55 minutes or slightly less.  After passing the next water station, I took another sip from my own bottle, and poured a little more water on the back of my neck.  That definitely helped.  

The next part of the road was fairly well developed, as we approached the Brookhaven MARTA station between the intersections of Dresden Drive and North Druid Hills Road.  There were several spectators along the road to cheer us on.  But as we passed the station, I started to feel the hot sun on my back.  Afterwards when I looked at the map, I realized that the road took a turn directly to the west at this stage, so it wasn't my imagination that I was heating up.  I sipped more water and poured more on my neck whenever I needed it.  We reached Club Drive at mile 4, at 36:11 and 9:25 for the fourth mile.  I was definitely starting to feel tired, but tried to buoy my spirits by remembering the training runs in this part of town.  

At this stage, we entered Fulton County and the city of Atlanta.  Passing the last water station, I took more water from my bottle, and splashed a more generous portion on my neck.  I was so happy that I had brought my own water bottle for this race.  Even though it was probably an extra pound or two of weight when we started, on the back of a water belt it never felt like any load.  But I was very careful when I reached back behind me to put the water bottle away, concerned that I might drop it.  The sun was really starting to get to me.  Then a runner with salt-and-pepper hair caught up with us, encouraging us and even goading us to pick up the pace!  I wouldn't be surprised if he was a drill sergeant, past or present....but we picked up our pace just a bit with his motivation.  Before long he had passed over the next hill and out of sight.  In our last training run we had reached Peachtree Dunwoody Road, and I started looking for that landmark.  It seemed like it took a very long time to get there, but finally we made it and I could see Phipps Plaza where I had lined up for the Peachtree Road Race two months ago.  A bit further, the Buckhead skyscrapers were clearly in view, one of whose base was near the finish line.  We reached the five-mile marker at 45:25, 9:14 for the fifth mile.  I would really have to speed up if I was going to make a 55 minute finish.  

Just past the marker, a runner was getting attention from a policewomen and a medic.  The runner was sitting so hopefully it wasn't too bad, but that was the first time ever in a race that I had seen someone getting attention along the race route.  I took a look at my own heart rate monitor and my pulse was well over 180 beats per minute.  The elevation was increasing as we approached the overpass for GA-400.  This had seemed so easy in mile 1 of the Peachtree Road Race, but I was having trouble today when this was mile 6.  I made a decision that I had never made before in a race: I decided to take a walk break, and worked my way to the right side of the road to stay out of the way of runners.  At that moment I was deeply appreciative of some advice I had read online a few weeks ago: there's no shame in walking.  Runners passed me but I didn't care.  I drank another sip of water and poured some over my head.  It took a couple of minutes for my heart rate to drop to a safer level, but I'm fairly sure that I avoided a crisis by slowing to a walk.  Today the problem wasn't thirst, it was the sun beating down on my back.  After walking for a few blocks, I decided to try running again.  I was pleased that I could get back up to my usual 6 mph speed without difficulty, and I felt much better than I had five minutes earlier.  I even passed a few people.  As we made the turn onto Piedmont Road, I knew that we had only about half a mile to the finish.  This part of the road went gently downhill, but instead of lengthening my stride I decided to try to move my legs faster and take shorter steps.  That actually helped a lot.  I was almost comfortable again!  I started looking for the six mile marker, resolving that I would try to break into a sprint at that point.  Right before reaching the marker, another runner was down, and getting medical attention.  I heard someone behind me say "Heat stroke", and that moment confirmed for me that I had made a very good decision to take the walk break a few minutes earlier.  At the six-mile marker, my elapsed time was 54:35 and 9:10 for mile six, even with the 2-minute walk break.  That was very interesting: even though I wasn't going to beat 55 minutes, the walk break really did not cost me any time, as I was able to make up the time with renewed energy when I began running again.  And I was still moving forward while walking. 

We rounded the corner onto the Buckhead loop.  I could hear the announcer at the finish line, and broke into a sprint.  In one short block we made the final turn into Buckhead Station. The runners around me were likewise going for their strongest possible finish, and while I don't think that I passed anyone at the end, I had a respectable finish.  I was looking for Bonnie but couldn't find her in the crowd near the finish line - although she is responsible for the photos below, I just didn't see her.  I was disappointed to read 56:41 on the clock as I crossed the finish line, but with the conditions it probably was not realistic for me to finish any faster.  And given the problems that other runners had along the route, I was grateful to finish.  This was probably the most difficult race that I had run.  Amazingly, the temperature at the end was only 72 deg F, but humidity was 93%.  And I had read somewhere that you should expect to slow down substantially when the temperature is above 60 degrees. Official time, 56:26, average pace 9:05 minutes per mile.  Although it was only fourth-best out of my five 10K times, it was nearly a minute better than the Memorial Day 10K, and less than a minute slower than my best 10K time. 

Thanks to Bonnie Youn for these photos! 

with Prof. Simon Blakey.
Thanks to the organizers for the icy towel,
which is that blue thing on the back of my neck. 

Shortly after the finish, I caught up with my friend and colleague Simon Blakey, who finished just under 49 minutes.  I was quite overheated, and grateful for the well-organized finish area, with plenty of water and Gatorade.  The best touch was the industrial-strength paper towels soaked in ice water.  I kept going back for those and probably took a total of 5 or 6 ice-cold towels over the next 30 minutes, and that was really helpful in recovering.  Food was further away from the finish line and I desperately needed a banana or two, which once inhaled helped to restore depleted glycogen levels.  They also had volunteers serving delicious bagels, spreading cream cheese for us.  I don't think that I have seen that level of service at other races! 

Goal: to run consistent splits, to have enough energy left for a strong finish.  Not quite as consistent as I would like, but on the other hand the spread between the fastest and the slowest mile was less than 40 seconds.  That is a substantial improvement over my other 10K races.  

Goal: to improve on my personal record of 55:29.  Not achieved, but under the conditions that was probably not a realistic goal for today, despite the advertised "super-fast" course.   

Lessons learned:  

1) Bringing my own water bottle was the best part of my planning for today.  

2) Taking a walk break was the best spontaneous decision of my run today.  I will work that into my training as I prepare for a 10-miler in late October, a. k. a. the Jeff Galloway run-walk method.  

3) It's more important to finish healthy than to try to finish faster.  I had never seen more than one runner in trouble before today's race, when there were at least three incidents with runners in front of me.  I hope that they will be OK.

4) In the coming months I will repeat several races run over the past year, starting with the Winship 5K in late September, and the Eastside Beltline 10K in December.  In those races my goal will be to improve on my 2013 times, rather than going for overall PRs. 

http://milesforcf.org/sizzler/

August 23, 2014: Atlanta's Finest 5K

Goal: aiming for consistent splits, as a strategy to set a new personal record (currently at 25:23)

Yep, that's me. 

A friend in our WeightWatchers group suggested running the Atlanta's Finest 5K, starting near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta and passing immediately south of the Georgia Institute of Technology campus.  I had been eyeing the race anyway, as it is an Atlanta Track Club event, but have been taking it easy on the running and training due to some leg pains that I wanted to improve before the fall races, possibly the beginning of shin splints in the left leg.  But then Bonnie signed up while we were sitting in the WeightWatchers meeting, and so I went ahead and did so as well.  I've been running about 5 miles each Saturday morning to keep in shape but haven't done typical mid-week runs, to give my legs a chance to heal.  This race features cadets from the Atlanta Police Academy, and the event is a fundraiser for Crimestoppers. 

In my last race (Decatur DeKalb 4-miler in mid-July) I started with the third (last) wave, and had a fun race by holding back a bit for the first 3 miles and then kicking into high gear for a strong finish.  Today I resolved to start a little faster, aiming for an 8:20 pace for miles 1 and 2, and then see if I could speed up with the aim to break the 25-minute barrier.  Our friend from WeightWatchers joined us along with her fiancee and a good friend, so there was a party of five in wave C at the start.  As we moved up to the start line, I wished Bonnie a good race and stepped up close to the starting line, on the third row.  It was exciting to actually coil up to wait for the starting horn, which blew at 7:36 am, 4 minutes after the first wave. 

Wave C starts:  I'm just to the right of center, third row, wearing fluorescent yellow shirt and lime green cap.  

Although the morning was pleasant, the temperature was in the low 70's, which is warmer than for any other race that I've run to date.  I didn't really think about that at the beginning.  We ran two blocks to the west along Baker Street and then turned right onto Marietta Street, heading north.  What did I say about starting a little slower?  I soon found myself in the front three runners for my wave, then second!  But my pace was just under 8 minutes per mile, so I wasn't doing too badly.  I felt good and decided to stay at this speed for as long as I could, as the road was fairly level.  Within a couple of blocks of turning onto Marietta Street, I caught up with the slow end of wave B, and was working my way through those runners for most of the first mile.  Wave B was for runners faster than 9 minute miles, not for walkers in the first mile.  (That's the only critical remark I will make today.)  But in fact it was fun to be passing people, a lot of people.  Probably they thought that I had arrived late to the race and was trying to catch up.  I don't know this part of town very well, although I recognized a Japanese noodle place that I had been to with friends earlier this year.  As I reached the 1-mile sign, the clock was closing in on 12 minutes, which meant that I had run an 8-minute mile (actually 7:58).  I wasn't too far off track, just a bit ahead of my planned pace of 8:20. 

The second mile continued fairly smoothly.  I deliberately slowed just a bit as the road appeared to go slightly uphill, but it wasn't too difficult.  I passed someone as he was telling his friends that the route used to turn right at the Engineer's Bookstore heading to Georgia Tech.  The race organizers advertised that this year's new route would be flatter and faster, which would eliminate a challenging hill at the end of the race.  We crossed Northside Drive, where I decided to skip the water stop, and then we took a sharp turn at about 1.5 miles in, nearly the halfway point, to head back to Centennial Park.  We were now on Tech Parkway with the Georgia Tech campus to our left, on the nicest part of the route.  We enjoyed a fairly long gentle downhill stretch, during which I passed quite a few people including two Sandy Springs policewomen.  (Does that mean that I now know that I can outrun the police?  Let's hope that I never try to test that outside of a friendly race.)  Near the end of the second mile, I reached the first noticeable hill (about 25 feet elevation) and slowed down again.  As we passed the 2-mile marker, I began to seriously regret running past the water stop.  My mouth was suddenly really dry.  Since this was a short 5K, I had deliberately left my carrier belt and water bottle at home.  The warmer start contributed to some thirst.  Oh well, nothing to do but push forward, it would only be one more mile to the end.  8:16 for the second mile, 16:14 elapsed (a little past 20 minutes on the clock at the 2-mile marker, but subtracted 4 minutes for the wave C start). 

Today's race route, with mile markers.  Note the surprise spur right before the 3-mile mark! 

There was a 60-foot rise in elevation from mile 2.2 to 2.8.  I knew that there would be a hill from looking at spot elevations (no elevation map was published ahead of time, as it was a new route), but I was expecting only about a 30 foot rise.  I had remembered that the high point would be at Ivan Allen Boulevard, but when we crossed North Avenue (and the street name changed to Luckie Street), it felt like the high point.  The road leveled out for a moment (actually about 10 feet downhill, but not that noticeable).   But there really was a 40 foot rise on the way to Ivan Allen.  I couldn't push to maintain speed.  For the first time, a few runners passed me at this stage.  Undoubtably they had been much more disciplined in their start.  Another learning experience for me.  After crossing Ivan Allen, it was supposed to be downhill to the end.  But I didn't have enough reserve energy to speed up.  

Elevation profile for today

Right before reaching the 3-mile sign, we were greeted by a cruel surprise: a spur that was not on the map!  (OK, second critical comment, "cruel".)  The organizers must have added about 50 feet going up Simpson Street to ensure that the distance was 5.0 kilometers.  And it was 50 feet uphill, not a nice level 50 feet.  One volunteer scolded another runner for cutting the spur short.  With all the police around, I wasn't going to cheat!  Then back to Luckie Street for the finish.  Here I saw the 3-mile marker, and the clock was showing 29 minutes, which meant that I was at 25 minutes with no chance of setting a personal record.  (Actually 25:05 at the 3-mile mark, which corresponded to 8:51 for the third mile.)  I decided that there was no point to pressing hard for a strong finish and was not sure that I could have done so.  As I approached the intersection with Baker Street, I could see the finish line.  I made a sweeping left turn and a steady run to the finish line.  Another runner caught up to me and although he passed me I stepped up a little faster to keep it close.  Just over 30 minutes elapsed when I crossed, which ended up corresponding to a chip time of 26:14.  That's basically my average 5K time, so it wasn't terrible, but I was hoping to have finished a bit faster. 

After re-hydrating with water and a bottle of Powerade Zero, and then replacing some lost calories with a delicious asiago cheese bagel, I headed for the finish line to watch for friends.  I walked ahead of the line to Luckie Street to watch for Bonnie.  She was wearing the dark blue shirt from the Southwest Beltline 5K in July, so I could spot her from a distance.  There was a feller in front of her as they approached, and I snapped a few photos.  About 100 feet before the final turn, the volunteer at the corner shouted "She's going to catch you!"  At that second Bonnie put on the jets and streaked ahead of the poor guy!  Then to hold him off, she found an even higher gear!  I was running along the sidewalk attempting to take a few photos and could hardly keep ahead of her.  I learned afterward that she had suffered an ankle sprain in the first half-mile, but persevered nonetheless and finished strongly! 

Bonnie approaching the finish.  She has just blazed past the poor guy about 50 feet behind her. 

Bonnie's finish! 

Back to my race:  I guess I'm probably not going to get much faster.  To finish a 5K in less than 25 minutes, I have to run each mile in 8 minutes.  Perhaps I have a chance to do that when the weather gets colder in the coming months.  However I am working on longer distances, as I've registered for a 10-miler in late October, and that may improve my endurance when I run shorter races like the 5K.  In any case it was a run race and a nice route, even with the hill in the third mile.  

Splits: 7:58, 8:16, 8:51
Overall: 26:14, 8:27 minutes per mile average pace, average speed 7.1 mph. 

I placed 12th out of 42 in my age group (chip time), so I was very happy to see that I was in the top third. 

Goal: aiming for consistent splits, as a strategy to set a new personal record (currently at 25:23)  Not achieved.  But I really enjoyed leading the wave for the first mile, so the lack of running discipline was worth that experience!

Lesson learned: Always wear the water belt when the temperature is above 70 degrees, even for a short race.  Actually, probably should always wear the water belt when running, period. 

Link: 2014 Atlanta's Finest 5K

Next race: Big Peach Sizzler (10K) on Labor Day, September 1. 

July 19, 2014: Atlanta Track Club Decatur-DeKalb 4 Miler

Goal: Negative splits; to conserve enough energy so that my last mile will be my fastest. 

The Atlanta Track Club sponsors several free races for members throughout the year.  I ran the Heart and Soles 5K in Panthersville in February but had to skip the Singleton 10K in Norcross shortly after I broke my collarbone.  Today's race route began and ended at the Clairmont Avenue YMCA, and circled the neighborhoods immediately south of the Emory University campus.  I'm quite familiar with the area and have even run on most of the streets on one or more occasions over the past year. 

The major problem that I have suffered in every single race to date is that I start out far too quickly, and then I struggle in later stages of the race.  I've been able to run fairly consistent splits in training, but in races I'm always overcome by the excitement of the start.  For this race, I resolved to begin in the slowest of the three waves, even though I would normally start in the middle wave for 9 minute per mile runners.  My plan was to begin with a 10 minute mile 1, gradually increase speed in miles 2 and 3, and then hopefully rip off a fast final mile to the finish.  I would wear my heart rate monitor and hopefully that would also alert me to slow down if my pulse rate was too high early in the race.  For a change, I wasn't going to try for the fastest possible overall time.  And Atlanta Track Club events always have many really fast runners, so I already knew that my best finish time would probably be below the median for my age group. 

For the past couple of months, I've been using the Polar Beat app on my iPhone to track my runs.  This free app connects to the website polarpersonaltrainer.com where I can download not only the GPS map but also an elevation profile, and I can even analyze the data in specific sections to determine my pace or actual speed.  I had originally thought that I could download data from my Polar FT4 heart rate monitor, but it turns out that the data transfer process is manual, not wireless.  That's OK: it wasn't an expensive heart rate monitor and I'm not yet ready to spend hundreds of dollars on a Garmin watch, emphasis on the word "yet".  I'm getting plenty of information through the free app that I didn't get with the paid RunHelper app. 

When I awoke at 5 am this morning, it was raining quite hard.  Many reasonable people would conclude that it would be foolish to run on a day like today, but I decided that I would at least drive in, pick up my number, and then make a decision on whether or not it was safe to run.  When I ran the Fast Fun Phiddippides 5K last December, the rain tapered off in the minutes before the start, and perhaps we would be similarly fortunate today.  But I wore my oldest pair of racing shoes, so that if they were ruined by the water it wouldn't be a loss, and also brought a towel, an extra shirt, and an extra pair of socks, so that I could drive home in dry clothes if I got soaked. 

I arrived around 6:30 am, and was surprised to discover that the closest parking areas were already full!  Lots of other unreasonable people made the same decision!  It was still raining as I walked a couple of blocks to the YMCA, trying to keep my shoes dry, mostly successfully avoiding big puddles on the sidewalk.  Shortly after 7 am, the rain virtually stopped, at most a very light drizzle or mist.  I was able to chat for a few minutes with Curt and Kathie Walker, the head coaches from the Peachtree training course.  After a few pre-race announcements, we made our way to the starting areas.  I kept my promise to start in wave C, but lined up close to the front.  At 7:30, wave A runners had started, and we moved up to the wave B area to watch the wave B 7:32 am start.  Then it was our turn!  As we reached the starting line, I was about five rows back.  We stood still for a moment as the volunteer counted down the last seconds, the runners on the starting line coiled up in their starting positions, the airhorn sounded and we were off!

At the start! (Thanks ATC for the photo, and to Kathie Walker for finding me in the crowd!)

Mile 1:  We started on a quiet residential street behind the Westminster School, gently uphill on a long block to Scott Boulevard.  I immediately reminded myself to take it easy, and didn't try to pick up my pace as the lead runners quickly opened a gap.  Shortly after turning onto Scott, I heard the first alert for 0.2 miles at 1:43, which was much too fast, and reminded myself to slow up a bit.  We began a gentle ascent to the intersection with Coventry Road when I heard the 0.4 mile alert at 3:24.

I willed myself to slow down, and kept reminding myself that this should be like my training runs at Stone Mountain, where my goal was just to establish a comfortable pace at the beginning.  After Coventry the road turned downhill and while I didn't slow down very much in this section, I resolved to take it as easily as possible.  We quickly reached the mile 1 marker at the intersection of Scott Boulevard with Ponce De Leon Avenue, with a time of 9:04 elapsed.  Although that was quite a bit faster than the 10 minute mile in my plans, I suppose that it was a big improvement in discipline over 8-minute mile 1 (and sometimes less) in most of my previous races.  

Today's route. 

Mile 2:  We passed under the concrete railroad bridge on Ponce De Leon, after which the road became significantly uphill.  As we turned right onto Artwood Road into the Fernbank neighborhood, I could see that this would be quite a substantial hill (80 feet in 0.4 mile).  I focused on form and cadence and felt strong as I passed a few of the other runners.  I kept a close eye on the heart rate monitor and slowed down a bit when my pulse reached 160.  As we turned onto Vickers Drive, we ran past the former site of Fernbank Elementary, now completely razed except for a small sign marking the name of the school and founding year of 1957.  That building was 'only' 57 years old, about the same vintage as the 'new' elementary school building that I attended in the late 1960's in Texas.  I suppose that I now had the luxury of daydreaming because the road had leveled out.  We then went downhill toward past Dyson Drive (and I fought the temptation to take a short-cut!) and then left onto Coventry Road.  In all we would enjoy a 150 foot descent over the next mile, and a few runners took advantage of the downhill slope to pass me.  I just focused on keeping a consistent pace, looking forward to the burst of speed that I would release upon passing the mile 3 sign.  We turned left onto East Clifton Road (here I normally turn right when I'm driving this route to Emory) and I saw a volunteer at the end of Dyson Drive, guarding against anyone who might have taken that short-cut!  At the mile 2 marker, elapsed time was 18:26, for a 9:22 mile.  That was pretty good considering the hill, and I was still feeling pretty strong.  

Today's elevation map

Mile 3:  East Clifton continued straight ahead, now as Clifton Road heading toward the Emory campus.  I've run this stretch quite a few times, and always enjoy passing through this neighborhood.  But I appreciated the opportunity today to run in the street, noticing just how badly the sidewalk was cracked in sections.  As we continued to the bottom of the hill on the wet asphalt, I began to reconsider my decision to wear the older shoes, and was wondering if I had enough tread to avoid slipping when I made my move to speed up.  Oh well, I would just need to be careful when the time came.  Clifton Road is a winding two-lane street, and with one lane reserved for runners, there was a small traffic jam at the intersection with Oxford Road, with no police or volunteers to help direct traffic.  One car encroached a bit into the running lane, but I and the runners in front of me were able to stay out of the way, and as I entered the intersection, the jam appeared to clear.  From my familiarity with this area, I knew that there would be a significant uphill section from this point to North Decatur Road (50 feet in 0.3 mile) so I was prepared for that challenge, and I passed a few runners in this section.  Throughout I had been getting alerts every 0.2 miles, and I was running each 0.2 mile section between 1:45 and 1:59 minutes.  We reached the crest of the hill at the intersection with North Decatur Road, as the buildings of Emory University on the Clifton corridor came into view.  Shortly after making the right turn onto North Decatur Road, I heard the alert for 2.8 miles.  More than 2/3 done, I realized!  As we ran this section, I reflected on my first 5K last October, where we reached the 1 mile marker on this same stretch of road.  In the Winship Cancer Center 5K, we ran on the far left lane to turn back to Emory on Haygood Road at Druid Hills High School, whereas today we were in the far right lane today, and I was looking for the mile 3 marker.  There it was! near the intersection with Ridgewood Drive.  Now I would see just how much energy I had left.  27:38 elapsed, 9:12 for mile 3. 

Mile 4:  My conditioning has really improved since the Winship 5K, when I couldn't imagine having enough breathing capacity to say anything while running.  Today I was able to smile and say thanks to the volunteers, wave to cars in traffic, and enjoy the experience without feeling too tired to do anything but run.  I gradually began to accelerate.  There was a mild rise as we passed Haygood Road, and a few runners had to stop and walk.  I flew past!  One walker must have felt my footsteps behind her and she began running again, but she wasn't able to hold me off for long!  But to be sporting, I tried to shout out encouragement along the way, "This is the last hill!"  I passed a few more walkers at Princeton Way "We're at the top, it's downhill the rest of the way!"  I was now moving at a pretty good speed, which later I learned was 7 mph.  That's my typical speed when starting out too fast in mile 1.  To avoid the busy intersection of North Decatur with Clairmont Road, we were routed through the McDonald's parking lot.  I put on another burst of speed (showing off now, as I heard the 3.6 mile alert) and dashed by a few other runners as we turned into the lot.  I was momentarily overcome by the odor of fry grease as I turned the corner past the drive-through window, but quickly recovered and turned right onto Clairmont Road.  Now I was beginning to feel a little tired, but I knew that the finish line wasn't far away.  Some of the early finishers were returning along the sidewalk, which helped me regain a tiny bit of humility (they were all MUCH faster than me) but I was determined not to be passed by anyone today.  As we turned right onto Maediris Drive, a young feller dared to move ahead of me.  I kicked into warp speed and ran past him.  Ha!  I didn't see him again.  And I just kept progressing past runner after runner, turning up the speed as best as I could.  (Definitely showing off for those watching the finish.)  As I saw the finish line ahead, I determined that I might be able to pass three more runners if I pressed, and one, two, and then with a mighty final effort, I blew past the third, into the finish chute, and across the line at 39:55 on the clock.  Accounting for the four-minute delay by starting in wave C, I had beaten the 36 minute mark.  My official time was 35:49, covering the last mile in 8:11.  

Epilogue:  In the Beltline Southwest 5K last week, I wrote that I was passed by two runners at warp speed as I approached the finish line.  Today, I was that warp speed runner.  The strategy of starting out slowly (or at least not starting at high speed) worked beautifully.  Most importantly, I had more fun finishing today than in any of the previous 14 races to date, because I had that reserve of energy to finish strongly.  Not that I had anything left after the finish line, but at least I didn't struggle to finish.  According to the GPS tracker, I reached a speed of 10.1 mph as I crossed the finish line.   

To be more modest about my results in comparison to the others, today's winner finished in 22:11.  Therefore his average speed was 10.8 mph.  In that light it seems silly to be overly proud of reaching 10 mph for a few seconds, but I probably couldn't run half that speed one year ago.  I was impressed to learn that the winner in my age group (Male 50 - 54) finished in 24:23.  As I scrolled down the list of runners in my age group, I first thought that somehow my results had not been posted.  It was sobering to find my name on page 2 of the age group results, 25th out of 42 finishers.  

As they were calling out the names of awardees, I heard the name of one of my former students: he won his age group, and finished 7th overall.  Coaches Curt and Kathie had great races, and Kathie won her age group, completing the course in less than 34 minutes.  

It's always exciting to be in the same event as some really fast runners.  And despite (or because of) my slow start, my average pace of 8:58 per mile was virtually identical to my average pace in my three fastest 10K races, so despite beginning the race with no expectations of a fast time, I did quite well.  I certainly didn't expect to finish in less than 36 minutes! 

Goal: negative splits: 9:04 (~level), 9:22 (hill), 9:12 (hill), 8:11 (~level), Achieved! 

Goal: to conserve enough energy so that my last mile will be my fastest: ACHIEVED!!! 

http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/events/view/2014-decatur-dekalb-4m

July 12, 2014: Atlanta Beltline Southwest 5K

Goal: To challenge my 5K PR of 25:23; to get through a race without a shoelace becoming untied!


This morning's race was held in the West End of Atlanta, along the first completed section of the Beltline project, which opened in 2008.  Bonnie and I had not previously been on this part of the trail, and I was limited to studying the course and elevation map posted by the organizers when we registered a few weeks ago.  When I picked up our race packets last night, I learned that more than 450 runners had already registered, so it promised to be a fairly big crowd.  

My endurance has improved over the past few months.  Although I didn't break my PR in the Peachtree Road Race, I now have more confidence that I can run a faster 5K, which now seems a relatively short distance for me.  I feel that a sub-25 minute race is possible for me in the near future, but I must prove it! 

About an hour before the start, upon arrival
at Gordon White Park

We gathered in Gordon White Park along the Beltline, and by 7:15 am the park was fairly full.  Shortly before the race began, we warmed up to "Hey Ya!" by OutKast (a great warmup song, it turns out) and then we made our way across the street to an unfinished, unpaved part of the BeltLine corridor.  I estimated that I was about 100 feet behind the starting line and probably in the front quarter of the runners.  One of the local residents was carrying a sign expressing concern about commercial trucks being driven through the neighborhood.  I was standing close to him and was listening to him instead of the official announcement, but suddenly the people in front of me began moving forward.  Someone next to me said "Are we starting?" and shortly after we began moving, we passed between two signs marking the starting line. 

Mile 1:  The race announcement had "featured" a 3/4 mile off-road jaunt, which started off on grass.  In spots it was a little muddy from occasional afternoon rains during the past week, and after we passed through the first narrow underpass at Abernathy Boulevard, I took off my sunglasses so that I could watch carefully where I was running.  I didn't have a sense of my own speed but I was keeping up with the other runners in my pack.  We crossed under a second narrow underpass at Lucile Avenue, where the grass and mud was mixed in with some stray gravel.  I was thinking that it would have been good to have some cleats for this first part of the race, although of course that wouldn't work once we got onto the paved path.  We reached a larger underpass at Interstate-20, then scrambled up a little hill culminating in (for me) a three-foot vertical leap onto the paved path, as we turned back south on the Beltline paralleling Langhorn Street.  Shortly after passing under the interstate, we reached the mile 1 marker, in 7:41. Once again, a little too fast at the start, although perhaps that was the pace that I would need to have a chance to break 25 minutes. 

The race route, and elevation map; distance in miles

Mile 2:  The path took a sharp turn away from Langhorn Street and then resumed southward for a short distance.  At Oak Street, we left the Beltline and entered the West End neighborhood.  The streets were lined with cars (probably mostly those of other runners) and the neighborhood was mildly hilly, although no more than my usual running routes in metro Atlanta.  A few of the residents turned out to cheer us on as we made our way due east along Oak Street.  I felt that I was still running at a ca. 8 minute per mile pace, and shortly before making the right turn onto Lawton Street, we reached a nice downhill section.  However, as we turned onto Lawton Street to head due south, the elevation began to increase, and for the first time, I was starting to feel tired.  We passed the mile 2 marker, at 15:50 total elapsed time, and 8:09 for the second mile.  

Mile 3:  Lawton Street continued uphill until we passed Abernathy Boulevard, where it leveled out.  I remember thinking at this stage that was the last difficult section, and tried to will myself to resume a faster pace.  Only one mile to go!  But we still had a few blocks before we could turn back onto the Beltline at White Street, for the final dash to the end.  I thought that surely the 2.5 mile alert should already have sounded, but in fact it wasn't until we were entering the Beltline that I heard the alert.  However I had not slowed too badly, and was at an 8:30 pace for the past half-mile.  We turned left and circled downhill, where we regained the Beltline as a broad sidewalk along the north side of White Street.  At this stage the runners had thinned out and I started with my strategy of picking a runner 20 feet ahead of me, and trying to catch up with him or her.  I passed a few runners in that way, although at least one fellow picked up his pace keep up with me, and we ran together for several hundred feet before he fell behind.  The published elevation map had shown a small uphill rise shortly before the 3-mile mark, although at this stage in the race, that "small" hill felt more significant.  But as we crested the hill, I could see the finish line in the distance, and I attempted to kick into a higher gear.  Mile 3 completed at 24:26, 8:36 for the third mile. 

The finish:  When I could finally read the clock hanging over the finish line, I thought I saw a number beginning with 24, then I wasn't sure if it was 24 or 25, because my vision was partially obscured by sweat in my eyes and on the inside of my sunglasses.  As we drew closer, I realized that the clock had passed 25:00 minutes as I was watching.  Several of the advance runners were doing their cool down run in the opposite direction along White Street, encouraging us to a strong finish.  I passed between two men holding signs urging the Beltline not to pave over their community garden, as well as encountering again the man demonstrating against commercial trucking in the neighborhood.  Shortly before entering the finish chute, two men passed me at warp speed, one on each side - where did they come from?  I passed over the finish line just after 25:30, seemingly without a bit more energy to spare.  I slowed down to allow the volunteer to remove the timing strip from the bottom of my bib, then walked into the park (none too steadily, although trying not to show it!) as I picked up Powerade, a banana, and the finisher's shirt.  After walking a lap around the park, I started to feel better.  Later I checked the official time on a monitor near the finish line, and my time was 25:33, and 10th in my age group.  

At first I was disappointed that I failed to break the 25-minute barrier, especially since I had spared no effort throughout the race.  But afterwards I realized that I just needed to find a way to shave about 15 seconds off of the second and third miles, and that would do it.  I also recognized that in the warmer weather (about 72 degrees at the start, and relatively humid), I was probably a bit limited in my speed.  I'm motivated to keep up the training through the summer, expecting that my times will probably improve when the temperature drops in the fall.  To be fair to myself, this was my second-best time ever for the 5K distance. 

Best of all, no problem with shoelaces this time!  Thanks to the internet, I learned that I've been tying my shoes with a slipknot for the better part of a half-century.  That has now been corrected! 

Goal: To challenge my 5K PR of 25:23: challenged although not yet surpassed 
Goal: to get through a race without a shoelace becoming untied: Achieved!!

http://beltline.org/event/2014-southwest-5k

July 4, 2014: The Peachtree Road Race 10K

Goals: To have a memorable race; to finish in less than 60 minutes; to challenge my personal record of 55:29 for the 10K distance

*******

“Winning doesn’t always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.”  Meb Keflezighi, 2014 men’s Boston Marathon winner

*******

Preparation over the past year, leading to the Peachtree Road Race:

Good form running course at Big Peach Running Company, August 2013

C25K app, completed September 2013

10K training app, completed December 2013

Eight 5K races, October 2013 – March 2014, PR 25:23

One 8K race, January 2014, 43:59

Three 10K races, December 2013 – May 2014, PR 55:29

One broken collarbone, April 2014

Three pairs of running shoes, July 2013 – June 2014

In-Training for Peachtree with the Atlanta Track Club, April – June 2014

I’m ready to run! 

*******

The US flag marks the starting line

With the big day at hand, I awoke around 3:30 am (alarm was set for 4:00) and began preparing, with my usual pre-race breakfast of oatmeal with milk, a cup of cappuccino, and a banana-blueberry smoothie.  I was out of the house at 5:30 and on the 6:00 am MARTA train from Doraville.  The excitement of the runners was palpable as we boarded the trains, and even more so three stops later, when the runners packed the escalator at Lenox Station.  Lenox Road was closed to automobile traffic, and hundreds of prospective runners were already walking to the starting area.  After finding my way to corral C by 6:30 am, I decided to walk around a bit and take some photos, and on my way to take a photo of the starting line, I saw my coaches Curt and Kathie Walker.  

This year we were quite fortunate with the weather: thanks to a hurricane on the outer banks of North Carolina, the hot air had been vacuumed out of the southeast and the temperature was quite pleasant, 63 deg F at the start, and mostly clear skies with only a few light clouds.  This is about as cool as it gets in Atlanta in July.  With the excellent conditions, I hope that the elite runners will set some course records today!  And I feel good about my own prospects for a good race.

Incredibly great weather for the start of the Peachtree Road Race! 

My strategy for today's race evolved in the course of the week.  I decided to break the race into two 5K races: the first 5K, with mostly level and downhill sections, would probably be the easiest 5K that I've ever run, whereas the second 5K, with the first two miles uphill, would undoubtably be the toughest 5K.  My goal was to stay with the middle of the pack for the first 5K or 3 miles, not aiming to pass people, and just have a comfortable jog, letting the other runners in wave C carry me along.  Then upon reaching the hills in miles 4 and 5, focus on form and take my time going uphill if I needed it.  The point was to have a decent reserve of energy for the last mile, and hopefully even a burst of speed in the homestretch. 

Selfie with the starting line one block behind me

The wave C runners in front

And a much larger group of runners behind.

As the clock passed 7:00 am, corral C quickly began to fill.  I took a spot about 25 feet from the front of the corral, and warmed up in place while waiting for the start.  While I was waiting, I felt a twinge of sadness that I had lived in Atlanta for over 15 years, yet I had never before participated in the Peachtree Road Race, not even as a spectator.  I had let my fitness level drop quite badly over those years, until getting back in shape over the past year.  But I pushed that negative thought aside with the mantra "Better late than never!"  At 7:30 sharp, we heard the announcement of the elite runners beginning their race, followed by subseeded runners and wave A.  As wave B moved up to the starting line, the fence blocking the front of our corral was removed.  The buzz of excitement in our group increased, as we were soon to be released!  It was ironic to feel an impending sense of freedom as we headed for the US flag in front of us, in our celebration of Independence Day!  After another couple of moments, the corral official gave permission to WALK the block to the starting line.  After walking a few dozen steps, everyone began jogging to the start line, we were all so excited to begin!  The announcer picked up on our energy, although I don't recall exactly what he said, but something like "Wave C can't wait to begin!"  The seconds ticked down quickly to 7:40:00 am, and the wave C runners were given the signal to start!  As I crossed the starting line, it sank in: Finally, I am now running my first Peachtree Road Race!

Elevation profile and route map completed, with approximate mile markers on both maps.  The downward spikes on the elevation map are artifacts from running over two bridges and the overpass at I-85.  The GPS apparently recorded the elevation of the lower level, possibly from a topographic map.  

Mile 1:  I started out in the middle of the left lane, and managed to stay away from the medians throughout the starting mile.  Wave C was the right wave for me, even though I had only one time that qualified me.  I had no trouble keeping up with the runners around me.  The large number of runners was not a problem given the width of the road (six lanes), and with everyone at a similar pace, the crowd was not holding me back.  But to conserve energy, I held back from deliberately passing people, even though I felt that I could run faster, but remembering that mile 1 of a 10K was only the warmup.  It was really fun to run past familiar landmarks in the first mile from the middle of the road, including the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Bistro Niko.  I had read that most fans would be at the end, but was pleasantly surprised to see plenty of spectators cheering us on at the start.  There were also a couple of bands playing upbeat music before we reached Piedmont Road.  Unfortunately as I neared the mile 1 sign, my left shoelace came untied!  I worked my way to the left of the road, pulled off to tie up quickly and resumed pace as quickly as possible.  With the cheering crowds and the sounds of my fellow runners, I could not hear the alerts from my tracking program, but I felt that I was running a proper pace.  When I checked afterwards, I had covered mile 1 in 8:01.  

Mile 2:  We proceeded through the intersection with Roswell Road and East Paces Ferry, as the road began perceptibly downhill.  Everyone was running pretty easily.  Occasionally another runner would dash by quickly but I didn't let it bother me, as I continued to keep pace with the crest of the wave.  Wave B had a five-minute headstart on us, so there was apparently still a clear gap between our waves.  When I heard a sideline announcer call out "Here comes wave C" I realized that I was still near the front of the wave!  As we worked our way towards the intersection with Wesley Road, known as "Jesus Junction" due to the proximity of three large Christian churches within a couple of blocks, I saw the famous holy water spray on the right side.  Mile 2 was completed at 16:20, 8:19 for that mile. 

Mile 3:  The downhill slope increased even more in this section, but not uncomfortably so.  I realized that I was probably on a personal record pace for a 5K.  I was just enjoying the thrill of hearing the spectators cheering for runners. We passed the metro-Atlanta population sign (now 6.2 million), sailed past the intersection with Lindbergh Road, and were quickly at the Peachtree Battle shopping center.  Then I could see the bottom at Peachtree Creek, and the beginning of Cardiac Hill.  A century ago, Peachtree Creek was a northern boundary of Atlanta, and during the Civil War, it was apparently the last natural barrier protecting the town of Atlanta, hence the name "Peachtree Battle" for a street and a shopping center just north of the creek.  We started uphill and I could definitely feel myself slowing down.  A band was playing Cuban music.  They were quite good, but why were they playing in a minor key?  I thought, why not a happy major key to encourage us as we started uphill?!  Mile 3 was completed a few hundred feet south of Peachtree Creek, at 24:33, 8:13 for that mile. 

Fortunately I didn't need to check in at
 the "Chest Pain" center, ironically placed
 at the top of Cardiac Hill.
Photo taken on July 5.

Mile 4:  As I began working my way up Cardiac Hill, that pesky left shoelace came untied, again!  I must find a better knot before my next race!  The "Ian Knot" was clearly not reliable (or I wasn't tying it properly).  But to find a safe place to pull off to retie the shoe, I first had to get past the free beer stand, which was quite popular.  This time I tied the regular knot that I learned in kindergarten, as it had mostly worked for me with only a couple of exceptions for 46 years.  Quite a few runners passed me or pulled ahead as I worked my way up the hill, but I just focused on standing tall, picking up my knees, breathing in-and-out in a six-step cadence, and pumping my arms.  All of that helped, but unfortunately I began to notice a possible blister developing on the ball of my left foot.  The pain wasn't too bad, and I felt that it wouldn't adversely affect me for the remaining miles, but something to work on avoiding as I take on longer distances.  It didn't seem to take too terribly long to reach Piedmont Hospital, and I noticed the signs for the "Chest Pain" center at the top of the hill.  I was tempted to slow down and take a photo of the "Chest Pain" sign, but decided that I was more interested in trying for my best time, so ran past.  The road leveled out - actually the elevation map showed it as downhill, although it wasn't perceptible to me - and I completed Mile 4 at 34:20.  9:47 for the critical fourth mile, a time that would have delighted me if I had known it at that moment.

Mile 5:  Shortly after beginning mile 5, we crossed Interstate Highway 85.  I looked to both sides but traffic below was seemingly oblivious to our race.  I also noticed for the first time that some runners with wave D bibs were passing me.  Looking ahead, there seemed to be a solid mass of runners heading uphill, as we entered midtown Atlanta, so any gaps from the beginning were completely closed by this point of the race. The landmarks of Rhodes Hall and the intersection with 17th Street came up fairly soon; only seven blocks to the turn onto 10th Street!  I was slowing down again but was determined not to stop running, even as I passed a couple of walkers none too quickly.  The median strip divided the street in parts of Midtown, and I decided to run to the right of the median, as the runners on the left side of the median were running quite a bit faster.  This was a good decision, as the few walkers in this area stayed well to the right.  Then, disaster struck once again, with that left shoelace!  I had to work my way to the right side this time, and tied it down really tightly, then resumed my run.  There was another fairly steep uphill as we approached the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center.  Some bloggers claim that this is the high point and it's downhill from here, but in fact there are still a few more blocks uphill, although not the slope is not severe, except for people who have already run 4-3/4 miles to that point.  I was able to take a glimpse at my phone shortly before reaching the mile 5 marker, and was delighted to see 42 minutes and some seconds.  Finally I knew that I was truly on a good pace and might match or slightly beat my 10K personal record, if I could maintain or exceed a 10-minute per mile pace.  I completed mile 5 at 44:15, 9:55 for the fifth mile.  

Mile 6:  Upon reaching 12th Street, I knew, finally, that it would be mostly downhill the rest of the way. I wasn't able to pick up speed at first, but after making a sweeping left turn onto 10th Street, the descent was perceptible.  Upon passing Juniper Street, I was able to force myself to go a little faster, then we reached Piedmont Road.  Three long blocks to go?  I was so happy to see the green expanses of Piedmont Park to my left, and that spurred me to press even faster.  We passed under the overhead photographers, and I raised my hands with two thumbs up as I approached their station.  Although I didn't see a sign for the 6-mile mark, it would be at Argonne Street, which I crossed at 53:40, 9:25 for mile 6.

Bonnie photographed me racing to the finish!

The final 0.22 mile:  I was determined to give the finish my best, and was going to use every last available calorie.  But I couldn't see the finish line for the longest time!  It wasn't until we turned downhill that I could see the blue bar marking the finish line, just past the Charles Allen gate to Piedmont Park.  I expended every bit of energy into running as fast as I could, even passing a few runners that were flagging at the end.  I raised my arms in victory as I crossed the finish line.  My official time: 55:36, a few seconds slower than my PR in February, but nearly two minutes faster than the Memorial Day 10K in Marietta.  And now I'm optimistic that I can do better when the weather cools again, and running easier courses such as the Eastside Beltline and Charles Harris 10K races. 

We continued jogging for about 100 feet along 10th Street to clear the finish area before turning into Piedmont Park, where volunteers gave us water, and then the official finisher's T-shirt.  After checking in at the Atlanta Track Club, I saw a few friends from the Emory and Georgia Tech chemistry faculties.  The Georgia Tech prof was wearing a sub-seeded runner bib, although I shouldn't have been surprised, as he won his 30-something age group in the Phidippides 5K back in December.  Best of all, the Emory prof, who is a very good friend, had successfully recovered from an Achilles tendon injury while training for a marathon in March, had a pain-free race today, and finished just under 50 minutes!  I  then found three of the In-Training for Peachtree coachers, Curt, Kathie, and Chuck.  The free food was grits from Waffle House (I was hoping for a breakfast burrito) so I skipped the food and accepted a cold Powerade.  It took me a few minutes to find Bonnie and her parents but it was great to celebrate with them!  We had lunch at Jason's Deli at a curbside table on 10th Street after watching Meb Keflezighi dash by on his quest to start as the last runner and pass 22,500 runners in a fundraiser for Kilometer Kids, a children's running support group sponsored by the Atlanta Track Club. 

Goals: To have a memorable race: Achieved! 

To finish in less than 60 minutes: Achieved! 

To challenge my personal record of 55:29 for the 10K distance: 55:36, I'll take it! 

Item to work on: tying my shoelaces in secure fashion! 

http://www.peachtreeroadrace.org