March 19, 2023: The Jeff Galloway Half Marathon

Four of my five fastest half-marathons have been on the Jeff Galloway course. This was my first half-marathon in 2014, and I've run all seven of the in-person races as well as the December 2020 virtual event at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately the number of participants has decreased each year, so this year they delayed by three months to hold the race in March. I was concerned about running a half-marathon just three weeks after completing a full marathon, but I was recovering well. In fact, I started thinking about trying for a 2-hour finish. I haven't run a sub-2-hour half-marathon since December 2019, and I wasn't too confident that I was in shape to finish in 2 hours. But I also wasn't certain that I couldn't do it! 

Unusually cold 30 deg F at the start, on March 19! 

Race morning was cold and windy - just like typical December weather in Atlanta, except that it was mid-March. Near the starting area, I huddled inside a small vestibule of a nearby building for about 15 - 20 minutes, until one runner entered, looked around, and said dryly "Looks like a potential super-spreader event." He stayed, while I quickly decided that it was time for me to warm up the legs with some easy strides outside in the crisp cold fresh air. 

I had a wave A bib, so I was able to start with the 2 hour pacers, which included Coach Carl trainee Allison Troxell. My plan was to keep them in front of me but in sight for as long as possible, and if things were going well near the end of the race, to pass them to finish just under 2 hours. The pace group was doing 2 minute run, 30 second walk intervals, but I knew that the running sections would be too fast for me, so I set my watch to 4:30 run, 30 second walk. After the National Anthem (it was sooooo cold to stand without a cap while they played a sloooooww version), it was finally time to start. 

Started with two layers and a heating pack in a pocket,
along with a bottle of Nuun and two UCan packets

Jeff Galloway started the race at 8:00 am sharp. I was conscious of starting cautiously even with the downhill start on 11th Street. I followed my plan to stay close to but never move ahead of the 2 hour pace group. That worked out pretty well for the first couple of miles, running consistent 9:14 splits, but the pace group began to upon a gap with me on Central Park Place. We turned onto Freedom Parkway, and the gap increased with me running another 9:14 for mile 3 (that's now 15 seconds slower than a 2 hour finish). I crossed the 5K timing mat at 28:51 elapsed clock time; my chip time was 11 seconds shorter, so 28:40. Officially 164th place at the 5K split. No problem, I could make up the time if I just kept the pacers in sight. On Freedom Parkway I caught up with another Coach Carl trainee, Jessie Abraham. I asked how she was doing, and she said "I won't be able to last if I try to keep up with the pacers." I moved ahead, still willing to try. Overconfident and undertrained? Mile 4 in 9:20, 37 minutes elapsed. 

5 miles in: I see Bonnie, I wave to her, and
then I point to the water station
on the opposite side of the path from her.

Stretching a hand to Bonnie without blocking anyone behind me.

In my right hand, I'm holding a Hot Hands heating packet,
trying desperately to stay warm.  

Having run this route seven times in races (and many parts of the route on dozens of occasions) I had a detailed course map in my mind, including the elevation profile. As we left the trail parallel to Freedom Parkway to join the Eastside Beltline, I took advantage of the short but sharp downhill to speed ahead, closing the gap just a bit - except it was time for a walk break. Not to worry, the Beltline is downhill heading north, and I pressed the pace to narrow the gap with the pace group in mile 5, 8:48 and 45:50 elapsed. Still only 15 seconds off of a 2 hour finish. Near the north end of the Beltline, I saw Bonnie in her usual location, across from the third water station. I tapped Bonnie's hand and then slowed down for the water station. The first two water stations had coincided with my scheduled walk breaks, but this one was in between, so I tried to keep it short. Jackie Whitlock, another Coach Carl trainee caught up to me at this stage, and we ran together for a short time, but I quickly lost ground to her as we began to head uphill into Virginia Highlands. Mile 6 in 9:34, 55:25 elapsed, and I crossed the 10K timing mat at 58:45, 163th place at the 10K split. Jackie moved well ahead and was soon lost in the midst of the other runners, and I could no longer spot the pace group. 

The long steady uphill half-mile on St. Charles Avenue officially ended my "Breaking Two" quest, finishing Mile 7 in 10:08 (92 feet ascent), 1:05:30 elapsed. With six miles to go, today was going to be a struggle the rest of the way. The people watching the race on Highland Avenue and Virginia Avenue were encouraging, and I tried to push myself a bit, but only managed 9:45 for mile 8. Things went better in mile 9, 9:08, thanks to a 102 foot descent. Bonnie was waiting at the 15K timing mat, 1:28:17 elapsed, 174th place at the 15K split. I gave her an enthusiastic hand slap, since I was doing so much better than last year when I was injured. I was on pace to finish under 2:05, so that became my new goal, to average 9:30 min / mile pace for the rest of the race, less than 4 miles. I could hear the announcer inside Piedmont Park calling out finishers, and could see several people about three miles ahead of me on the park path parallel to 10th Street. Unfortunately the next mile was mostly uphill (so much easier to run this in the opposite direction!) and I needed 10:38 for mile 10, so already I was not executing well with my backup plan. 1:35:05 elapsed, just 5K to go. A 30 minute 5K is normally easy for me. But today I doubted that I could manage that after 10 tough miles on my legs. I don't know if it was because I hadn't completely recovered from the marathon 3 weeks ago, or if my goals for today had been unreasonable. 

9 miles in: I'm exuberantly happy that this race, if not according to plan,
is still going so much better than the December 2021 race. 

I tried to speed up going downhill on Piedmont Road, but then my heart rate hit 170 bpm, and I slowed down as soon as the road leveled out crossing a creek, before turning onto Monroe Drive. We entered Piedmont Park, and a moment later Jessie passed me during a walk break. She was now running well, and there was no way that I could keep up. Mile 11 was 9:31, but after that I was completely spent. I maintained the running motion during the 4:30 run intervals throughout, but I was not moving very quickly, trudging through Piedmont Park. A mile 12 marker was posted near the dog park, but that was a quarter-mile too early. Bonnie was posted where the mile 12 marker should have been, and we exchanged hand-slaps. Mile 12 was my slowest of the day, at 11:04, 1:55 elapsed. I fondly remembered the times that I had reached this stage in less than 1:50 elapsed, but today I just had no acceleration. I realized that a 2:05 finish had almost certainly slipped out of my hands. 

I slowed down in the last few miles, but didn't take any walk breaks other than
at 4:30 intervals or at water stations, sticking with that part of the plan.

We made a few hairpin turns in the park, then in the stretch south of Lake Clara Meer, several runners passed me and I managed to speed up a bit. A right turn at the Boathouse, just 0.2 miles to go. Another couple of runners caught up with me. Although they both moved in front of me, at least they didn't gain any significant ground, as I was gearing up to finish as strongly as possible. Around the curve of the Active Oval, passing the mile 13 marker (10:44, 2:06:25 elapsed), I deployed every last kilocalorie of energy. I heard my name after I crossed an initial timing mat. With 2:07 showing on the race clock, I could have been disappointed, but I remembered the adage "Celebrate every finish line." I gave myself a little clap after I had cleared the timing mat and before I came to a stop. 2:07:16 official chip time. 191th place overall, 6th place age group.   

My legs were sore, my energy reserves were completely depleted. At least I wasn't injured, the soreness in my legs was evenly distributed, and today I hadn't been afflicted with the difficulties today that had turned the January Red Nose Half Marathon into an ordeal. And to be realistic, this was my fastest half-marathon since the virtual half in December 2020. For my next half-marathon, I think that I ought to plan for a 2:07 pace and aim to run the distance well with that goal, before I try again to work down to a faster finish. So I guess I'm looking for a late spring half-marathon! 

With 1972 Olympian Jeff Galloway

6th in my age group

Comparing Coach Carl trainees. Jessie Abraham passed me with about two miles to go, 
look how many places she moved up and/or I moved down at the end of this race! 

March 15, 2023: West Midtown Run Club 1 point 1 race

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to the West Midtown Run Club 11-year anniversary run. It was a free event, 1.1 miles to celebrate the 11-year anniversary of the club. This was scheduled for a Wednesday night, and I wasn't sure if I could make it - but FREE so I signed up - and promptly forgot about it. 

Then the day before the event, I received another e-mail with the details. I hadn't marked this on my calendar, but I was finished with work meetings around 5 pm, so I changed into my running gear and drove from Emory to a small parking area along the Westside Beltline Connector. I've run the Beltline Connector several times since its opening a couple of years ago, but always starting at the southeastern terminus - and I had never before noticed the parking area at the crossing with Joseph Lowery Boulevard.

A unique bib / timing chip!

After checking in and jogging an easy warmup mile, it was time to begin! There were about 50 people registered to run, organized in six groups. Of course I was among the "Cat Ladies and Cat Gents": Jordan Eison, Kristi Swartz, and Jacque Hartley. We were the lead group, to be followed by the "Dog Persons". Tes Marshall sounded the bullhorn, and we took off! Jordan and Jacque moved ahead, I ran with Kristi for the first 100 feet or so, then when the route turned a little downhill, I bounded ahead. My glutes were feeling a little tight, so I didn't try to go all out with the effort. Nonetheless it was the fastest that I've ever run along the Beltline Connector. As I approached one of the road crossings, a UPS truck was heading toward the path - on a steep downhill! I thought I would have to slow down or stop, but a brave volunteer held up her hand to signal the truck to stop, the driver complied, and I sped through the intersection. 

I felt myself slowing down - only later did I realize that the outbound direction was net uphill - as Jordan disappeared into the distance and Jacque opened up a gap on me. I didn't know where Kristi was until I reached the turnaround, and saw that I had a reasonable gap on her. I was probably safely in third place amongst the cat people, as long as I didn't seriously slow down. Then at the underpass for Hollowell Parkway, I saw the lead runners in the "Dog Persons" pack approaching. Uh oh: when a dog catches up with a cat, it's never good. That thought spurred me to run a little faster, LOL.  

As I approached the parking lot for the finish, I heard my watch alert for 1 mile in 7:56. Not that fast for me, but having run the marathon 10 days ago, I wasn't pushing myself too much. I did run consistently through the timing mat, 8:29 for 1.07 miles by my watch, cheered Kristi through the finish about a minute later, and stayed to cheer for the dog people, and the remaining groups. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for the post-run party, but it was a fun little outing!  

A photographer at the race took quite a few photos.
Unfortunately I'm not tech-savvy enough to find the photos
 on Instagram, although they are apparently posted. 

February 26, 2023: Publix Atlanta Marathon

Carb-loading a couple of days
before the marathon is essential.

I've had an excellent marathon training cycle from start to finish, a 20-week plan. This was preceded by an informal 6-week training program, which fueled my hunger to try the marathon distance again, after enjoying an intentional break for the year 2022. If the training cycle wasn't 100% perfect, I learned from every struggle encountered, increasing my confidence that I was ready to run a great race today. My mantras going into today's marathon were, in order: "Patience" "Relax and glide" and "Gratitude." I definitely wanted to balance confidence with humility and respect for the distance, because so much can go wrong in the later miles. Then I listened to a podcast a couple of days before the marathon, probably from the "Marathon Training Academy", to paraphrase the speaker: 

"Your brain is lying to you! When you think you're done, most people are only actually 60% done. So there's still 40% more to tap into." 

I added "Your brain is lying!" to my mantras. 

I enjoyed the expo on Saturday, starting with Bob Wells giving an 11 am presentation on the challenges of the course. My unsolicited critique after running the marathon: Bob gave too many scores of "1" for easy, and too few scores of "5" for very difficult. At 12 pm, Carrie Tollefson introduced five of the professional runners for the half-marathon competition. After I finished lunch (probably should not have eaten everything on my plate) I returned to the expo at 2 pm for India Cook's interview of Alison Mariella Désir, the author of "Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us." I had read the book a few months ago, after hearing a podcast interview with "Ali On the Run". The book is a powerful reminder of the work we all need to do, to ultimately dismantle structural white supremacy. I actually briefly met Ms. Désir on Thursday evening at the Ahmaud Arbery Run Day, sponsored by South Fulton Running Partners, with several hundred runners and walkers covering 2.23 miles on the Westside Beltline, to memorialize February 23, 2020 when Mr. Arbery went out for a midday run only to be murdered by white people who didn't want a young Black man to run in their neighborhood. This was one of the motivators for Ms. Désir to write about her life and experiences to date. At the expo, I also met Jinghuan Liu Tervalon, a friend of a friend living in California. Jinghuan was in town for the USATF masters 5K championship yesterday morning, in her first year of eligibility, recording an incredibly fast 22:00 minute finish! 

India Cook and Alison Désir

Requesting an autograph

With Jinghuan Liu Tervalon

I actually managed to fall asleep around 8:30 pm, dreaming about the marathon but also sleeping quite soundly until the 4:00 am alarm. I tried moving around the house as much as possible, feeding the cats, making and drinking coffee with a light breakfast, doing a few yoga stretches, anything to help with "number 2". I wasn't going to let that ruin my race (learning from my last half-marathon), but I really wanted to get that out of the way on a clean toilet at home instead of a porta-potty near the start at Centennial Olympic Park. It was 5 am and I still couldn't go! I had told Bonnie to plan to be in the car before 5:30 am, but as the minutes ticked away, I was getting desperate. I decided to run-walk an easy mile in my hilly neighborhood to see if that would do the trick. No one, and I mean NO ONE, was out that early in the morning. I wasn't sure if the 12 minutes on the street would do the trick - but when I returned to the house, after a couple of minutes I had success! Now we could leave for the race. First timed result of the day: from alarm to waking up + pooping until we were in the car: 1:37:00. Needs improvement.  

Ass o'clock in the car

Thanks to Bonnie's willingness to drive and to pay for parking downtown, we arrived at the Georgia Aquarium parking garage just a few blocks from the start, before 6:15 am. I had plenty of time to catch up with friends, a couple of porta-potty visits for "number 1", some dynamic stretches, and to find my way into the corral for wave D. The 4:30 pace group was assigned to the front of wave D, led by experienced marathon Jacque Hartley. Following Coach Carl's advice, I positioned myself slightly behind and to the side of the pace group, to "give them a chance to settle in". 

ca. 6:30 am with Susie Hill and Jennifer Butz

With Caroline Dunn and pacer Jacque Hartley, in wave D corral

David Bloomquist makes it into the blog!

At 7:27 am, wave D got the signal to begin. I crossed the timing mat about a minute later. It was pretty crowded and I just tried to focus on running with "patience". By the time I saw the pace group, they were well ahead of me, but I was on a low 11-minute mile pace. That was a little slow, but that was the point. This year my Garmin appeared to function normally. I noticed that the Walgreen's at the intersection with Piedmont Road was the 4-minute mark, a useful landmark to remember when returning this way in mile 26. I found myself in the middle of an undivided road when the first walk break sounded at 4:30. I tried to run more slowly but could never safely take that first walk break. I cautiously made the left turn onto Piedmont Road. A moment later a woman running about 30 feet ahead of me fell! Fortunately she popped up right away, and was running again before I caught up to her. I continued running carefully, passing the mile 1 marker just after my watch had sounded at 10:57. Well, that was exactly as planned, despite running downhill for much of that initial distance. 

A grand tour of Intown Atlanta

We continued running up Piedmont, right turn onto North Avenue for some wonderful downhill running, then a right turn onto Central Park Drive, with its undulating hills. I was running a little faster, but mile 2 in 10:18 and mile 3 in 10:14 was still slower than goal marathon pace - ultimately hoping to average 10 min / mile, but I remembered my "patience" and remained calm. I took deliberate walk breaks at every water station, and accepted hydration at every station, even though I was also carrying a bottle of Nuun on the back of my race belt. Midway through mile 4, I saw Bonnie up ahead in front of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church at the corner of Jackson Street and Auburn Avenue. I waved, and then she lost me in a crowd of people. Our plan was that Bonnie would make the direct 2-mile dash to the corner, to take photos of friends as they passed. When I popped up in front of her, I think she was looking for me in a slightly different direction, so she was slow to pull up her camera. I slowed a little (but wasn't gonna stop!), and gradually did a pirouette to face Bonnie, while still making progress. I heard behind me "Did you get him" and realized that was probably Jinghuan with Bonnie. Indeed Jinghuan dashed up alongside me, taking a short video of me running. I said "Feeling good, just finished 5K, must be done pretty soon!" We ran together up a small hill, which Jinghuan commented on, even though I think that Los Angeles is probably nearly as hilly. As we approached the mile 4 water station, Jinghuan offered to get water for me. I didn't want to accept assistance that other runners weren't getting, so I hope that Jinghuan understood. I took water and Powerade, and after drinking both over about 30 seconds, returned to running. Mile 4 in 10:08, mile 5 in 9:51. By this point, about 52 minutes in, my average pace was down to 10:24 min / mile, but I still didn't see the pacer. At the 54:30 walk break, I took my first UCAN packet. It was difficult to wrench out of the pocket on my fuel belt, considering there were five packets total along with my phone. But it was nice to re-fuel with a product that didn't require washing it down with water. 

Feeling good in mile 4

At 1 hour elapsed, I was on Moreland Avenue, between Euclid Avenue and Freedom Parkway, pretty much exactly where I was at the 1 hour mark in my personal best marathon on this course early in 2020. That was promising for taking a crack at my personal best, if I could just maintain "patience", and for the hills, "relax and glide." There was a substantial hill on North Avenue, which a policeman was encouraging us to "push, push!" I complied and pushed my way up the hill with some strong arm swings, tapping the policeman's outstretched hand as I passed. I just hoped that I wouldn't regret that little extra effort in a couple of hours. Cresting the top of the hill, then turning onto North Highland Avenue, we mostly ran level or slightly downhill for the next couple of miles. There was a fairly large and loud cheering section at the intersection with Virginia Avenue. I ran miles 6, 7, and 8 in 10:02, 10:09, 9:56, faithfully staying with the run-walk plan and walking through every hydration station.

The 4:30 pace group in Little Five Points, just past the mile 5 marker.
Can you find Frank? 
(I can't either.)

Mile 9 was dubbed "The Mimosa Mile" although I didn't see anyone drinking or serving up mimosas today. There was a bubble machine and good crowd support. This is one of my favorite miles of the marathon, at the west entrance to Piedmont Park. Mile 9 in 9:51. I didn't know it then, but that was going to be my last sub-10 minute mile today. Before leaving the park, we crossed the 15K timing mat, 1:35:16. To that stage, I had run a 10:13 min / mile average pace, and I should have caught up to the 4:30 pacer by then. It turns out that she was never more than 2 minutes ahead of me in the first half of the race, but I never saw her. A woman wearing a 2:15 half marathon pace bib on her back seemed to be perfectly on pace on her own, so I followed her for the rest of the first 13 miles. Mile 10 was uphill on 10th Street, but I was running fairly well, 10:21 for mile 10. I took the second UCAN packet around this time, again on a walk break. Mile 11 began with the Juniper Street hill, and after the right turn onto 5th Street we had a short climb up to Peachtree Street, then back downhill as I passed the Big Peach Running Company tent. Crossing the I-75/I-85 interstate connector, the water station was preceded by oranges! I received a disappointingly small piece of orange, but it was easily eaten in one bite, and I guess that was the point. Turning onto Techwood Drive on the Georgia Tech campus, the students were playing music and cheering. Mile 11 in 11:31 - hmmm. From a fraternity house I heard the AC/DC classic "Highway to Hell". At this point in the race I still felt good, but perhaps there was some foreshadowing in the song. But the energy was high amongst some of the half-marathoners, knowing that they were within 5K of finishing their runs. Turning right at Bobby Dodd stadium, I started to pick up the pace, then reminded myself of "patience." 

Still doing well in mile 13

Along the way, I recognized running buddies cheering me on, Robin Mitchell, Daniel Yee, Vivian Eckmann, to recall a few, apologies for those I've missed! On Tech Parkway, I approached the 2 hour mark. In 2020, my 2 hour mark coincided with a water station on Tech Parkway. This year I ran another minute past the 1:59:30 walk break to reach the water station, but still that wasn't too far off from my progress in 2020. Turning onto Means Street, then left onto Marietta Street, I closed out mile 12 in 10:32. Marietta Street was the last stretch of the race for the half-marathon runners. I tried to stay to the right side of the lane, knowing that I would turn right at mile 13, and I didn't want to get in the way of anyone strongly accelerating into the half-marathon finish. The woman with the 2:15 bib gradually pulled ahead, taking advantage of her own "patience" to save enough energy to finish strongly. I kept looking over at the half-marathoners, specifically encouraging runners to finish strongly as they passed me (or as I passed them). Then I saw Bonnie on the right, near the College Football Hall of Fame. I smiled and gave her two thumbs up, passing her around 2:13 elapsed, 10:14 for mile 13. By this point my watch was sounding about a minute before I reached the mile markers, so I guess I had not run the tangents very well. Some of it was probably pulling over to one side or another with each walk break. Otherwise I think that I was fairly close to running tangents, considering I always knew where the next turn would be. 

Looking to my left, I called out: "Congratulations half-marathoners!"

I made the right turn on Andrew Young International Boulevard, between the Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena. I crossed the 13.11 mile timing mat at 2:15:13. My goal for the first half had been 2:12 - 2:15. I was very pleased that I had run with enough "patience" at the slow end of that range. If I could run just a tad faster for the second half, I would achieve both goals, a finish within the 4:20 - 4:30 range and a negative split! To my surprise, I passed a couple of men who were walking over the timing mat. It didn't seem like they were taking a strategic walk break. I felt badly for them, having such a long way to go. I covered mile 14 in 10:12, which was a good start to the second half. I took another UCAN as planned just after passing the mile 14 marker, at the 2:24:30 walk break. I thought that the nutrition would help me maintain the pace, "relax and glide." But well into mile 15, I saw that I was running at only a 11:30 min / mile pace (gulp!). I managed to speed up a little bit to finish mile 15 in 10:58. According to Bob Wells' course preview, that was supposed to be one of the easier miles. 

Turning left on James Brawley Drive, we then faced a substantial uphill stretch. But I knew that we were approaching the Atlanta University pedestrian walkway, another favorite section of this course. I heard the announcement "Welcome to water station number 8!" I declined the peanut butter-stuffed pretzels (nothing new on race day!) but I enjoyed the spirited cheering, slowing only for 30 seconds as I passed through the water station. 

Cheering group at Clark Atlanta University

At that moment, the sun appeared in the southeast! That was uncomfortable: the forecast had promised to be cloudy all morning! I had decided not to wear sunglasses, but I wore a cap with a brim to keep any sun out of my eyes. But the temperature definitely increased at that moment. Now it was time to think of "gratitude", for the enthusiastic cheering that continued for blocks as we worked past Clark Atlanta University to Morehouse College, then turning left to pass Spelman College. Mile 16 was only 10:53. But we were approaching Peters Street and that was familiar turf from running the Run the ATL 20K relay in August 2022. 

Despite the familiar street, I could not speed up! I felt fine, a little tired, but my heart rate was never higher than the low 150 beats per minute whenever I checked, and was often in the 140s. My legs were sore, and I felt a little chafing between my legs, despite what I thought was a liberal application of Squirrel's Nut Butter at home. Then my nipples were getting sore! At home I had applied a couple of pieces of surgical tape, as recommended by Chris McClung in a Running Rogue podcast. I looked down the top of my singlet, only to get an eyefull of both nipples. Where did the surgical tape go? I did not want to finish with bloody nipples! I pulled the front of my singlet away from my chest and that seemed to help, doing that every few minutes. Mile 17 in 11:03. 

Thanks Chris for the photo, 
while you were running?!

In mile 18, we worked our way back through downtown on Mitchell Street. We were running downhill and I tried to take advantage of the gravity assist, in 10:27. After passing the mile 18 sign, I took a 4th UCAN packet. I felt a little embarrassed to be eating expensive nutrition as I passed a semi-permanent tent city under the interstate. A few of the residents were cheering, and I smiled and thanked them for supporting us. And I thought of "gratitude" that I've never had to experience being unhoused. Heading south toward Centre Parc Stadium (formerly the Olympic Stadium in 1996, then Turner Field from 1997 - ca. 2017) we climbed a ramp over the I-75/I-85 connector. As we made a left turn to work around the Georgia State Convocation Center, we were running parallel to the faster runners in mile 25. Chris Carino called out to me. It was 3:15 elapsed for me so I had a good feeling that Chris would achieve his 3:45 goal - although I forgot in the moment that he probably started a couple of waves and several minutes ahead of me. 11:01 for mile 19. I tried to pick up a little speed running downhill. At the mile 19 marker, I clicked the lap button, as I was off by 1:30 at that point, and wanted to have a better predictor for the rest of the miles. Passing in front of the stadium, then turning right onto Hank Aaron Drive. That section was longer than I expected. Eventually we made our way up a big hill, which fortunately coincided with the 3:29:30 walk break. Turning left onto Atlanta Avenue, I saw the mile 20 sign, 11:23 for mile 20, 3:30:30 elapsed. 

With only 10K to go, I could still achieve the 4:30 time goal - and a negative split, if I knocked out a 59 minute 10K. Normally that's not difficult - as long as I haven't already run 32 kilometers. I just couldn't get my legs to move faster. I'm sure that the temperature was definitely rising on the "Highway to Hell"  "Your brain is lying!" I commanded my brain to direct the legs to resume the running motion after every 30-second walk break, but my brain was not effectively ordering the legs to move faster. Maybe the legs were rebelling. "Your brain is lying! Your brain is lying! Gratitude! Your brain is lying! Gratitude!!" I had been concerned before the race that I might militarize "Gratitude" if things got tough today, and indeed that is exactly what happened. 

Turning left onto Cherokee Street, with Grant Park across the street to our right, I heard one of my favorite songs from The Cure dating from my grad school days, "Just Like Heaven". I heard the middle verse as I passed: 

"Spinning on that dizzy edge, kissed her face and kissed her head,

Dreamed of all the different ways I had to make her glow,

Why are you so far away? she said, Why won't you ever know

That I'm in love with you, that I'm in love with you?" 

Although I didn't speed up (mile 21, 11:31), the upbeat song seemed to knock my psyche off of the "Highway to Hell". Turning left onto Georgia Avenue, heading uphill, I really had to hold on with "gratitude" to the thought of heaven. The hill was so big! "Your brain is lying!" I learned later that Michelle Panneton was course monitor at the corner. Either I could not see her through my tears, or I have amnesia about that moment. "Your brain is lying!" That kept me from just throwing in the towel with an unplanned walk break. A 4:45 finish was still well within reach. But despite my best efforts, I kept slowing down. My nipples were still painful. I thought about taking off my shirt altogether, like the young man who was running near me. But I don't have the body art to compare with him, so I decided to spare the crowds and kept my singlet on my top. When we crossed the flat field onto the Cheney Stadium track, I tried to pick up the speed, recalling recent successful speed workouts, but my legs simply wouldn't respond. 12:28 for mile 22. I took my last UCAN at that time, during the 3:54:30 walk break. 

Thanks Robin! This was earlier
in the race when I still felt good. 

Exiting the stadium, we were directed to run south a couple of hundred meters, then take a sharp U-turn to return north toward Georgia Avenue. A runner ahead of me was limping quite badly, it looked like a twisted ankle. A volunteer called out "It will work out soon!" I wasn't sure about that advice but I suppose it was intended to be encouraging. Heading into the Summerhill neighborhood, we then took a right turn, uphill to Heritage Founders' Park. The runner who had been limping had now stopped, was talking to police, and I heard the words "Sag wagon". At the top of the hill, there was an Atlanta Track Club truck coming slowly in the other direction. I felt "gratitude" that it wasn't me having to stop. But it seemed that my running was hardly faster than those walking around me. "Your brain is lying! Your brain is lying!" 13:26 for mile 23?! My watch wasn't lying. 4:08 elapsed. Just over a 5K to do, surely I could finish within 37 minutes, to beat 4:45 for my second-fastest marathon. But, not if I was running slower than 12 minute miles. (I guess I was OK healthwise since I could still divide numbers in my head.) I tried to pick up the pace when we returned to Hank Aaron Drive heading north. I looked up and saw the Olympic Rings in the distance, a sight that I had missed when I ran this route in 2020. I walked through a water station, then resumed slowly running. It took a long time to get over the I-20 interchange. Traffic was on either side of our lane. I was nervous, because I wasn't too confident that I could run in a straight line, but I just tried to stay in the center of the lane. The right lane of cars turned onto Memorial Drive heading east, and then we had the right-most lane to ourselves. Turning onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, at the mile 24 sign, I had run that mile in 13:13. For the race to this stage, 4:21 elapsed: in 2020 I was three minutes away from finishing. Today I still had 2.2 miles to go. On a good day, I would cover that distance in 22 minutes, to get over the finish line in 4:43. But I couldn't run 10 minute miles any more. Maybe 11 minutes per mile? I began to fantasize about accepting a cooldown jacket after crossing the finish line and just lying down on the lawn, oh that would feel so heavenly good. Gratitude! Your brain is lying! Gratitude! 

Up ahead I saw the last water station of the marathon. I knew that my colleague James Kindt was working the station, and heard from Michael Reid at the Ahmaud Arbery run that he would also be there. As I approached the beginning of the water station, Michael was on the left, James on the right. It was great to see them both, "gratitude." I accepted two cups from James, thinking that one was Powerade and the other was water, but in fact they were both Powerade. No problem, I needed both cups, and accepted a cup of water from another volunteer 30 seconds later. After draining the cups, I returned to a running motion. But I was soooo slow! "Your brain is lying!" No, I just had to focus on "gratitude" that I was certain to finish as long as I didn't fall, and retrieved "patience" from my bag of mantras. Turning left at the gate to Oakland Cemetery, then a couple of turns took us onto Decatur Street. Mile 25, 12:04, 4:33 elapsed. Hmm, 1.22 miles would require 14 - 15 minutes at this pace. C'mon Frank, "your brain is lying!!" "Patience!" "Your brain is lying!!" I tried to pick up the pace, but going uphill over the interstate meant that I couldn't run very fast at all. I had intended to skip the walk breaks at 4:34:30 and 4:39:30, but my legs were screaming for the relief of the walk break. At least I resumed running after each 30 second walk break. 

A policewoman or maybe a volunteer, I'm not sure, said to me "See that white building up ahead? That's your goal!" I thanked her and tried to pick up the pace, but we were still running uphill and that was really tough. Nonetheless, people on the street were clapping and cheering us on. Even the people with the signs advertising "Free Bible Course" were clapping for us! We reached the Walgreen's at the intersection with Peachtree Street, that was 4 minutes in at 7:30 am, now it was 4:43 and change. I was checking my watch but didn't notice the 26 mile alert nor did I see a sign. I could not remember how many streets to cross to reach the finish line: but reached 4:45 elapsed at Forsyth, 4:46 at Cone, 4:46:30 at Ted Turner, 4:47:20 at Centennial Olympic Park. One more block to the final right turn? I desperately wanted to finish with a time that began with 4:47, that would be my third best marathon time, slower than the Atlanta Marathon at the Speedway in Hampton in February 2021, 4:45:22, but faster than a string of 4:48 times that I recorded in 2017 - 2018. I could see the fence ahead that would guide us into the final turn, took a quick look at my watch as I made the turn: 4:48:00. And the finish line was much further away than it had looked when I had walked by yesterday on my way to the expo. Nonetheless it was exciting, thanks to the crowds lining the finish line. To the left I saw Tes Marshall, then Bonnie and a couple of other people in Tucker Running Club were cheering me on although I missed registering Stephanie Batson, Kim and Elizabeth Harrell as I passed them. I wasn't running the victorious final sprint of my race in March 2020, but I was about to finish. About 20 - 30 feet in front of the finish line, there was a timing mat. I almost let up at that point, then realized just in time that the mat was to alert the announcer to my name. Sure enough, as I finally crossed the final timing mat, the announcer called out "Frank from Tucker!" I looked up to my left, gave the announcer a wave or a thumbs up, and gratefully slowed to a very slow walk. A few people gave congratulations, including a fist bump with Atlanta Track Club Director Rich Kenah. I think he was trying to assess if I was alright, I gave him a smile (I think) and mumbled something like "At least I finished." Gratitude! 4:48:20 official time, my fifth best out of nine marathons, landing in between the Atlanta Marathon in spring 2017 (4:48:13) and the New York City Marathon in fall 2018 (4:44:23). 

I can finally see the finish line

Completing marathon #9. 10 years ago, 
who would have thought that I could do this?!

After collecting and putting on a cool-down jacket (which took forever), I accepted water, sports drink, chocolate milk, a banana and a bag of pretzels from volunteers before exiting into the park, onto the lawn. I found an open spot, dropped everything in my hands to the ground, then slowly eased myself down onto the soft grass. Ahhh, what a relief. It only took me a couple of minutes to regain enough equilibrium to sit up, to start drinking the milk and water. Eventually Bonnie found me (my phone battery had discharged). 

I was disappointed that I didn't achieve any of my time goals. But when the results appeared in mid-afternoon, I was thrilled to see that my standing improved at every timing point. I count that as a win. And I have empathy for the people that I passed, because they were having a tougher day than I had. I also had the right gear for the day, including nutrition and my own hydration. I suppose that 2:15 may have been too fast for the first 13.1 miles based on my current fitness combined with the conditions, but the pace strategy that I successfully followed for the first half was carefully planned. I needed to know if that was practical, and now I know the answer. So that information is another win. 

Not a negative split, 
but a positive progression.

Very importantly, I finished the marathon without injury. Not even a blister. Nipples were sore but no blood. I never needed to interrupt my race with a porta-potty stop. "Gratitude!" Moreover, I'm recovering quickly. I'm confident that I will continue to build on the fitness that I've gained over the past year and especially over the 20-week training cycle. 

Finally, my psyche about running remains positive. I'm excited at how I may improve as the year progresses, and the key is to remain uninjured. Today's marathon experience will be a mid-point in a continuing building process, rather than a finish line. Although I mentioned above that today's race was my 5th best time out of 9 marathons, I consider it my 3rd best quality marathon. That's mostly because today I never gave into the temptation for unplanned long stretches of walking. Psychologically, today's race was a big win.  

February 4, 2023: Atlanta Track Club Grand Prix Hearts and Soles 10K

Three weeks to go until the marathon! Last Sunday I completed a 22-miler, the longest run of this training cycle building fitness and endurance. This run was better than both of my 20-milers: I patiently managed a very consistent easy pace from start to finish, and my heart rate stayed consistent and within the aerobic zone throughout as I relaxed and glided along the Stone Mountain PATH trail. My hydration / nutrition / clothing race day plan is set, from new shoes and good wool socks to a collection of caps for a variety of weather conditions. My attitude was quite positive, except for the last couple of miles, as I leaned on a "fight" mantra to get through the last 23 minutes or so. 

That means that taper starts as soon as I cross the finish line today! 

On my drive to this morning's race, I listened to the second half of the Running Rogue podcast, Episode #303.  The host, Chris McClung, interviewed his sister Lori Smiley, who candidly described her ups and downs through several marathon training cycles. She shared 10 keys to her progress toward recently qualifying for the Boston Marathon, 5 physical and 5 mental keys. The episode really resonated with me. As one of the mental keys to success: Lori shared that during her best marathon, she had no negative thoughts. As the miles progressed, she told herself "I get to do this.... It's all centered around the gratitude I have for a healthy body." 

The line for Summit Coffee Company
(taken after the race)

The race began at Smyrna Town Center just northwest of Atlanta, where there was plenty of parking and room for pre-race gathering. Although it was quite cold this morning, 27 deg F, the skies were clear, the roads were dry, and I was well-protected from the elements with two comfortable layers, including mittens and a chemical Handwarmer. I warmed up my stomach with a half-cup of free coffee from the Summit Coffee Company, then I warmed up my legs with a very easy mile on the sidewalks near the race route, finishing with a couple of strides in an empty parking lot. My legs felt good, and I was physically and mentally ready for a good race. I walked into wave B, giving myself plenty of distance from the front of the wave so that I could run a controlled start. It was great to begin the race with some familiar people: Bryan Greenberg was ahead of me in his distinctive Maryland Terrapins kit, and I talked for a minute with Linda Bode Phinney from Tucker Running Club. To my surprise, Emory professor and speedster Nick Varvel was starting in wave B, with this race as part of an 18-mile easy pace long run. After the push assist wheelchair division started at 7:30 am sharp, and then wave A began, wave B stepped forward and I crossed the starting mat at 7:36 am. 

Wave B runners ready to begin! 
(From Bryan Greenberg's Strava page)

Red is higher elevation, 
blue is lower elevation.

We had an uphill start: it was nice to get that out of the way at the beginning! As we turned onto Atlanta Road, the route was gently downhill. The sun was rising over the horizon - and happily I was wearing sunglasses - and I enjoyed looking at the beautiful dawn sky. Quite a few runners streamed past in the first few minutes, but I just used my mantra "Patience" as I practiced a conservative start. I was running near Nick and Linda, then I recognized Chelsea Carnes to my right, and we caught up with Jessie Abraham, both fellow trainees in Coach Carl's Tuesday track workouts. Jessie and Chelsea have similar paces and abilities to mine, and it was nice to run with them for much of the first half of the race. I was chatting with Linda, Jessie, and Chelsea as we ran that first mile - the "conversational pace" was perfect for my start, and hopefully the three women didn't mind my chatter. My plan was to see how a 9-minute first mile felt, and then gauge what I would do for the rest of the race. It wasn't long before the mile 1 marker came into view, 8:54 elapsed on the watch and probably 9-minutes-flat as I passed the actual marker. There was a water station ahead, and while I didn't really need water, it was good to take the 30-second walk break and take in a little hydration. 

The route was a gently rolling hilly race, typical of anything in metro Atlanta. Although running downhill was nice, I knew that we would return the same way, so I celebrated every uphill section on this stage as well. "Some of the faster wave C people are passing us" I said to Jessie. To myself, I focused on "Patience" in order to run my race, my pace. Mile 2 was 9:19, my heart rate was around 150 bpm, about right for this type of effort, and probably lowered a few points by the crisp temperature. The only hiccup in this race is that as the lead group approached us on their return, the police or volunteers were telling us to "Stay right". I was wondering why the woman on the bike in front of the lead runner was waving and shouting "No! No! No!" After the first couple of runners had passed, we were then directed into a middle southbound lane, as the other speedy returners came back in the right-most lane, from our perspective. I wonder when the leaders eventually safely made a crossover. 

With Bryan Greenberg before the race. 

Once that was sorted out, I enjoyed looking out for speedsters that I knew, and cheered them on by name if I recognized them in time. There was another water stop midway through mile 3, where I took a few icy sips of water and another 30-second walk break. Mile 3 was 9:04, 27:17 elapsed; at 3.11 miles I had 28 minutes on the watch. Chelsea and I made the turnaround at about 29 minutes, about 3.2 miles in, as we carefully worked our way around one of the push assist teams making the turn at the same moment. 

28 minutes at the 5K mark predicted 56 minutes for the race. I didn't have a time goal for today, but my intention was to negative split, even though the return trip would be about 30 feet net uphill. I felt like I would manage that today as long as I was smart about my effort. And while I scrambled up the hill at the turnaround with short quick steps, upon cresting the hill I called on my mid-race mantra, "Relax and glide." That had carried me through miles 12 - 20 in last weekend's long run. I was mostly running with the pack, accepting greetings and encouragement from the runners in the other lane as they worked toward the turnaround. I took water and another short walk break shortly before reaching the mile 4 marker. Mile 4 was 9:07, 36:24 elapsed. 

Three short walk breaks enabled a strong and progressive race pace! 

I began to think of the marker as "Mile 24." At this state, Coach Carl's advises finishing the 26.2 mile marathon thinking of "9 laps to go on the track" in order to cover the final 2.2 miles. But for me, 9 laps seemed a little long. I just focused on "relax and glide." I was occasionally passing people, which was nice. I think only one person passed me after mile 4, and while I thought about trying to keep up with him, I remembered "My race, my pace" and just stayed with "relax and glide." One of the other things that Lori Smiley mentioned in the podcast was that she was smiling throughout the race. She had no negative thoughts to drag her down. I let my face relax into a natural smile, and every time I thought to do that, I gained a little pep in my pace. I expected to pass the mile 5 marker sometime in the 46th minute, but to my surprise the alert sounded at 44:50 - I had just run 8:27 for mile 5, without thinking too much about it. Afterwards I realized that I had benefited from a net 25 foot descent. But that was the right direction to be going for a negative split race, which was the only negative thing happening in this race for me! 

My heart rate was at 160 bpm, close to my the threshold, but at the imaginary "Mile 25" marker, with just 1.2 miles to go - or 5 laps on the track - I was in control and could maintain that pace for another 10 - 12 minutes. To avoid any chance of overheating when I increased my effort, I tucked the handwarmer in my running belt, then slowly pulled off each mitten and put them away in the belt as well, just as I was passing a couple of people. I thought about myself, "Was that a little overly dramatic? I'm about to make a mad dash to the finish - what a %#&@in' badass I am!" ... Then my attitude turned more humbly to "Gratitude". "Gratitude that I am healthy and can do this." That thought was particularly poignant as I remembered a great friend from graduate school who recently passed away from cancer, and thinking about my father-in-law's recent cardiac problems, and my mother's ongoing sciatica. Those weren't negative thoughts, they were part of my "Gratitude" mantra as I continued to run strongly. "Humility" is extremely important, respecting the challenge of the marathon ahead in three weeks. 

I'm very satisfied that this
checkpoint race accurately shows
what I can currently do! 

Around 48 minutes, we reached the initial water stop. A volunteer announced "About one mile to go!" I decided that I could skip the water and the walk break, but I felt "Gratitude" for hearing the encouragement. The thoughts rocketing through my mind were "Four quick laps on the track - and taper will begin in less than 8 minutes!" Around 51 minutes in, we approached a normally busy intersection that was safely blocked for our race by a couple of police cars. As I caught up with a push assist team, I called out in encouragement for us all: 

"WE   ARE   ALMOST  DONE!!" 

and then sped on ahead. One more block and we made a left turn, greeted by the mile 6 marker. 8:16 for mile 6, even with 25 feet net uphill, just over 53 minutes elapsed. "Gratitude" I told myself again as I passed several runners on Church Street, knowing that I was on track for a 55 minute finish, therefore accomplishing the negative split. 

Then we made a right turn. In the distance I could see the finish line, at the end of a nice gradual downhill. I picked up my pace. So did everyone else. I was amazed to see Nick Varvel still running in the distance and only about 20 seconds of me. There was another runner about 5 seconds in front of me. I decided not to attempt a move, it was probably impossible to pass anyone else in the short distance remaining, but I continued to run quickly and consistently past the finish line timing mat, just a step or two ahead of someone that I had passed a moment earlier when we were both making the last turn. 

I held up both arms in a little celebration before stopping my watch. Official chip time time, 54:47! That was the fastest 10K race that I've run in more than three years! (Dec 2019 Eastside Beltline 10K, Sept 2019 Big Peach Sizzler 10K).

I like where I ran near the median in all four ranked categories:
"Right in the meaty part of the curve: not showing off, not falling behind."
(That's a favorite quote from Seinfeld's George Costanza,
describing the qualities of his candidate's 2.0 GPA)

I exchanged congratulations with a few others in the finish area. I felt good, not too tired, brimming with happiness at achieving my goal for today! I accepted a bottle of water and a small bag of blueberry Fig Newtons, but didn't stop walking in the cold. Within a couple of minutes I had resumed an easy jog as my warmdown, completing about 8.4 high-quality miles for the day. That was the perfect check-point race: Negative split, strong finish, mission accomplished!