I realized early in 2024 that I was falling behind with other writing projects for work. Once I got out of the habit of blogging after races, it's been difficult to get back onto it. And going forward, I will probably blog less frequently, and shorter accounts.
Also, I was in a bit of a running funk after the challenge of the Publix Marathon relay. The good news is that I never stopped running, at least short distances with various running groups, including social runs with the Monday night Atlanta Running Meetup group, Wednesday evening with Tucker Running Club, and Thursday evening with the Atlanta Track Club-Beltline Run Club. I consistently ran a few miles on weekends, whether it was a race or an outing with Bonnie. That helped me keep in shape when I got out of the funk in mid-summer.
Here's a quick summary of 2024 from March through the end of the year:
March 9: Members' 10K in Smyrna, 56:28 landed me in Wave D for Peachtree Road Race. I ran 5 good miles, but fell off the pace at the end.
April 20: South River 15K. 1:39:35, ran the first 10K as planned in 56 minutes, but after a short walk break, couldn't pick up speed for the last 5K and walked / jogged to the finish.
May 18: Kirkwood Spring Fling 5K. 27:50. I acquired a side-stitch approaching the 3-mile marker, but still won an age group award, which was a gift card to a local bakery.
* I began working with a nutritionist in early June, to work on getting my weight down. The nutritionist pointed out that what worked a decade ago, running off the weight, would no longer work because my body was now accustomed to running. Her prescription: eat more protein, more green vegetables, less fruit. Within the first few weeks, I noticed that my clothes fit better with less overall inflammation. Weight has only dropped a few pounds, but in general I feel better. One unexpected benefit is that my sleep has improved.
June 8: Superheroes for Seniors 5K in Lilburn. 27:34. Ran more consistently, with a good finish and another age group award.
June 17: Monday Nighter at the Garage 10K, a hot evening at 92 deg F. 1:03:55, 3rd place age group.
June 29: Chuck Singleton 5K in Doraville. 27:10, another warm evening, 84 deg F. Won my age group among 5 men ages 60 - 64.
* July 1 resolution: self-wrote a training plan for The Race Half-Marathon on October 5. This was pre-training for a possible marathon at the end of 2024 or early 2025.
July 4: Peachtree Road Race 10K, 75 deg F at the start. 59:44. Big slowdown in 2nd half, with a lot of walking in mile 5.
July 20: Westside Beltline 8K, 73 deg F and very humid at the start. 45:27. Four good miles, slowed down in the last mile.
August 3: Decatur DeKalb 4 miler, 37:12. New strategy: very cautious start, progressive race. Not a particularly fast time, but it was fun to pass people in the last mile of a hilly race.
August 10: Vinings Downhill 5K, 25:37. 73 deg F. Cautious start heading downhill, but ran another progressive race, and finished with my fastest 5K time since turning age 60!
* Around this time, I reached out to Coach Carl about possibly training for the Houston Marathon on January 19, 2025. He felt that I had enough time to train, but recommended increasing my long run distance in "pre-training".
August 17: Atlanta's Finest 5K, 25:19. 72 deg F. Ran 3 miles before and 3 miles after the race, for 9 miles total - longest distance run in a day since April. And the time was a new post-age 60 personal best!
September 2: Big Peach Sizzler 10K, 53:33, 70 deg F. This was a mano-a-mano race with Brian Minor - I outran him this time!
September 7: Firefighter 5K, 25:48. 68 deg F. Ran 4 miles before and 4 miles after the race, for 11 miles total - longest distance since late February.
* Houston Marathon training officially began on Monday September 23, after a 14-mile easy run on Saturday September 21. Unfortunately I missed the first speed workout on Wednesday September 25, washed out due the advance of Hurricane Helene. Fortunately Bonnie and I escaped the worst impacts of this storm, although we discovered a leak in a door frame that required a repair, fortunately with minimal water entering the house.
September 28: Winship Cancer Institute 5K, 26:25. I challenged the students in my CHEM 203 section to run the race with me, offering to donate $1 for every student that registered and ran, and $1 per mile for every student who outran me. I did warn the students that I didn't plan to walk! I outran all but 4 students. That left me obligated to donate only $27, but I donated a little more. I'll definitely do this with the students again next year!
Oct 5: The Race Half-Marathon. See the race report, which was a letter to Coach Carl.
Oct 20: The PNC Atlanta 10-Miler. 1:34:57, however I'm most proud of my progressive race strategy. I jogged the first five miles in 49:35, then gradually increased my tempo and ran last last mile in 7:51, to finish the second half in 45:22. Someone that I passed in the final mile (who I didn't see) told me afterwards how fast I was moving as I zoomed past him. This was my second 14-mile total day
That concluded my race schedule for 2024, as I totally focused my running on marathon training, for a flat race. Normally I like to run races through a marathon-training cycle, just to benefit from a supported and protected course, however I saw little benefit to running on hilly courses when I needed to build endurance on flat tracks.
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