Year of Races

Etowah River Run 5k

I had a great time this Saturday at the Etowah River Run 5k at Cherokee High School.  It’s a well-known fact that the course is downhill and flat, so it’s a pretty popular event.  It also falls right into the conditioning period for high school cross country, so it draws a good crowd of teenage runners.  This was my first year running it, but it was one of the races I’ve been looking forward to this year.  My buddy, Jason, who ran Sawnee Mountain with me last week was running as well.

My plan was to try to hang with Jason.  Didn’t work out too well, but I still ended up with a good time.  Jason ran a 19-something (with a shoe untied the whole no less) and there was no way I could keep up with that.  I was with him through the first mile at 6:34, but he said something along the lines of “let’s go” and he went.  I didn’t.  My next mile was slower at 6:43 as we cruised the Boling Park parking lot.  The last mile was on the flat trail at Boling Park and I could only manage a 7:18.  I wish those splits were reversed so I could say I finished strong, but I was struggling at the end.

I ended up running a 21:36 to finish 5th in my age group and 11 seconds off my PR.  Not too bad for a HOT and humid summer morning in Georgia.

My good friend, Tim, also ran the race, but, unfortunately, I never saw him.  We finished less than a minute apart (he ran 22:09), but just never crossed paths.  Nate also showed up and put down a great time of 23:55.  The race was well organized and had plenty of fluids and food afterward.

Best part of the day had to be seeing Jason’s son absolutely dominate the 1K fun run.  9 years old and the kid can fly.  He won easily and ran up front the entire race.  Really cool to watch and cheer him and his sister on.

• Official Results
• Garmin stats

nice tech shirt

Last Saturday I had my second Dirty Spokes Trail race.  We were in Cumming, GA at the Sawnee Mountain Nature Preserve.  I was immediately impressed with the new visitor’s center.  Everything still seems so fresh and new.  My buddy, Jason, and I got there a little late to take advantage of the small parking area so we were directed down the street to park in a cow pasture.  I dropped the TL into 4-wheel drive, splashed through a couple of pillow-sized cow patties and got us parked.

We walked over to the visitor’s center and got checked in.  The Dirty Spokes series of trail races are so well run.  As I mentioned, this was only my second one, but, once again, I was impressed.  We not only got a quality technical shirt again, but also got our timing ankle strap to ensure quick results after the race.

Jason and I jogged around for a mile to get warmed up and then took our spots at the start.  This being the last race in the series, there seemed to be a bit larger crowd than normal.  The race was supposed to be 3.5 miles.  The first 2+ up Sawnee Mountain and the remaining back down on a different trail.  I wasn’t necessarily excited about the uphill portion of the race.  I couldn’t keep my mind from flashing back to the Boling Park trail run and the steep inclines that had me walking and on the verge of puking.  However, I was excited to get going because Jason and I had been putting in the work on the road and the track lately and I felt stronger than before.

At the start, we did a lap around the small parking lot to get a bit of spacing before we headed into the woods.  The trail up the hill was double-wide so you could pass folks if necessary.  I felt strong early on and was steadily making my way up the hill.  After about a mile, Jason was long gone ahead of me, but another friend of mine, Freddie, was nearby.  We were struggling up the hills making decent time.  About 1.6 miles in, Freddie asked how much farther we had until the top.  Another guy nearby said we were getting close, but the worst was still ahead.  Great.  Thanks pal.  At about 1.9/2 miles, I couldn’t handle it anymore and stopped to walk a couple times.  It was so steep and my calves and thighs were burning.  I’m a wuss.  What can I say?  A bunch of the guys around me were walking too.  We would pass each other over and over as one guy would start walking and another would stop walking.  Freddie pulled ahead of me at this point, but I thought I could possibly catch him on the downhill.

At the top I was actually concerned I wouldn’t be able to run the downhill.  My calves were like jelly.  After a couple minutes though, they chilled out and I was able to start chugging down the mountain.  The problem was that the trail down was so steep that you actually were out of control in a couple of places.  Everyone was forced to go down about the same pace:  breakneck speed.  I passed a few people, but never could catch Freddie.  He ran a great race.  That P90X stuff must really be working!

I finished in 29:29 and the course measured 3.28 according to my Garmin.  I was kind of disappointed in the race.  I did better than Boling Park, but I hate the fact that I stopped to walk again.  Jason and I checked our times and I was surprised to see that I finished 3rd in my age group.  Sweet!  Jason finished in 26-something and 2nd in his age group.  We hung around and got our little Dirty Spokes medals.  The overall winner was in 21-something and was the same guy who won the Woodstock Freedom Run in 15-something.

3rd place 35-39 age group

I really enjoy the trail runs even though both of them have kicked my butt (I was sore until Wednesday evening probably).  I vow to run more of the races in the series next year and maybe even finish top-3 in the season ending overall point standings.  This year by just running two events (7th place & 3rd place), I finished 4th in the overall point standings.

• Official Results (don’t know why they have me at 30:00.  That’s not correct.  Everyone’s time was inflated in their results.)
• Garmin stats
• Photos of me (courtesy of Defiant Photography): #1, #2, #3

This Saturday I’ll be at Cherokee High School for the Etowah River Run.  A notoriously fast course, I’m hoping to really put down a good time.  We’ll see…

Shirt

Alysia and I hit a big milestone this past week — 10 years of marriage.  We got out of town without the kids and spent a nice long weekend on St. Simon’s Island.  As the wonderful, supportive wife that she is, Alysia agreed to run the Tidelands Turtle Trot 5k on Jekyll Island the Sunday of our little getaway.  It was a small, small, small scale event, but still part of the Run & See Georgia Grand Prix Series.  In fact, the two guys who put on the race basically do it just to collect some easy points in the series.  Last year, there were 19 participants (yes, 19).  This year though, the race exploded onto the scene with 43 runners!

The race is held at the Jekyll Island 4-H Center.  It’s mostly asphalt sidewalk, but there is about a half mile of beach/boardwalk running at the end.  As we stood around in the parking lot chatting, I kind of took in the other runners.  There were a lot of Masters age group participants.  For a couple weeks I had been thinking that maybe I could actually win this race outright.  Crazy talk, I know, but, at the same time, I had improved a great deal and the competition didn’t look too tough (especially with so few runners).  Maybe this was my morning…

At the starting line, we went over the course.  It was an out and back on the sidewalk.  Pass the dead snake, turn around at the cone, pass the 2-mile mark and turn into the Jekyll Island Soccer Complex, go down the boardwalk, run down the beach, come up the boardwalk at the 4-H center and finish line.  Very flat obviously.  First come, first serve on the sea shell awards table.

The first mile into the race we broke off into a lead group of 4 runners:  Bo (the race director & Grand Prix Series points fiend), 30-something white guy, 50-something black guy, and myself.  We had a nice steady pace going.  I stayed in 4th, and was perfectly happy following the other guys.  I figured it would come down to the end and I would see if I could make my move (or something like that) and maybe win.  We passed the dead snake and it was gross.

At the turnaround we were all still in a line.  I felt strong even though the air was thick from high humidity.  It was a hot morning and the sweat was just collecting on my body.  Everybody was breathing hard trying to get that precious oxygen.

At the 2 mile mark is when things started to shake out.  Bo had placed a bucket of bottled water there and the 30-something guy, who had been leading our pack the whole race, slowed to grab one and started drinking.  Bo also started fading back at about the same time, so, all of a sudden, it’s me and the black guy.  I had some momentum going so I decided “what the heck” let’s take the lead and see what happens.  I moved ahead and kept the pace going down through the soccer complex and onto the beach.  It was really a two person race at this point and I could hear him breathing behind me.

The beach was tough!  The packed sand wasn’t too bad, but you could still feel it shift under your foot with each strike.  I think it slowed me down a tiny bit.  My rival pulled up beside me just as we came to the sign drawn in the sand for our turn to the 4-H boardwalk.  Here is where the race finally changed.  We had a stretch of deep, loose sand to run through.  It was so difficult to maintain any kind of pace, but I plowed through it fast and furious.  My heart rate peaked into the 190s as I put just enough distance behind me and 2nd place.  Once we got through the deep sand there was a long stretch of boardwalk.  I tried to push as hard as my heart would allow.  I could hear him breathing still, but he was much farther back.  I knew I had it if I could just keep moving!  I rounded the corner and turned into the volleyball pit and crossed the line at 22:39.  1st place overall!  The crowd (one dude maintaining the clock and handing out finishing cards) went wild (“nice run. Don’t forget your card”).  Most likely the only time in my life I’ll outright win an event.

I walked over to the awards table and grabbed a seashell trophy.  I left a nice glass case full of seashells and sand for the 2nd place guy.  I just didn’t want anything that big.  I love my little trophy and it may be my prize possession now, kind of like the sexy leg lamp from A Christmas Story.

My trophy

It was a small but fun event.  Even though the race only had 43 runners, it was tougher than usual with the heat, humidity and sand.  I’m proud of my 22:39 and absolutely loved the experience of running with the lead pack.  It was great following along in 4th waiting to pounce, but it was really stressful leading and not knowing what those guys behind you were plotting.  Either strategy though gave me valuable experience for future races when I’m battling a pack of elite runners for 137th place.

Alysia also ran the race and did fantastic!  She came within 5 seconds of a new 5k PR.  Without the sand she would have had it for sure.  I’m seeing a sub-30 5k in her near future…

Maybe I’ll have to make the trip down to Jekyll Island again next year to defend my title (man, it’s cool saying that).  I guess we’ll see how it’s going next year, but, for now, I’m thrilled to sit here as the 2010 Tidelands Turtle Trot 5k Champion.  hahahahaha.  I’ve come a long way from an anonymous finish in 27:35 on New Years Day.

• Official Results
• Garmin Stats

Peachtree Shirt

There are certain races I have mentally marked on my calendar as “premiere” events.  The Peachtree Road Race is definitely one of them.  I moved to Atlanta in 1979 when I was 5 years old.  I’ve lived here (with some years in Athens) for 31 years and I’ve never ran the world’s largest 10k.  Quite a shame really.  It was fantastic and I wish I could have been a part of it sooner.

My biggest concern going into the race wasn’t the course or the distance; it was getting to the starting line.  With 50,000+ runners, it’s no small task getting downtown Atlanta.  I woke up at 5 AM, had my coffee and was out the door by 5:40.  My plan was to take MARTA from North Springs down to Buckhead.  Initially, Alysia was going to go with me and hold my stuff, but I talked her out of it the night before.  I just didn’t want her walking from the Midtown MARTA station to Piedmont Park on her own at 6:30 in the morning.

I crowded onto the train along with a crowd of other eager runners and we started the ride into downtown.  We picked up more runners at each stop and all of us exited at Lenox Mall.  Emerging from the train tunnel, I couldn’t believe the spectacle that was the Peachtree Road Race.  The Lenox Mall parking lot was just full of people milling about.  One section of the lot was roped off and runners were actually running warm-up laps in a continuous loop.  There were probably 50+ just running around and around.  Hundreds of port-a-potties were available, so I hit one early on to get it out of the way.

I was in wave B because I didn’t get my sub-50 time in until after registration closed.  I was pretty bummed about this because I knew that it meant I’d have to pass a lot more folks than I should have to.  I decided to head over to the corral and wait until the start.  I immediately ran into Nate and we hung out in the back of the wave B group until it was time to start.  We had the national anthem and a cool flyover.  Helicopters hovered in the air above us and there was this sense of excitement that could be felt as we waited for the gun.

Wave B started about 5 minutes after the elites took off.  The first mile was TOUGH.  I side-stepped onto uneven sidewalks, lunged through tiny cracks in the moving human wall, jumped off curbs, sprinted, slowed and dodged my way to an 8:06 mile.  Nate and I were trying to stay together, but it was pretty tough.  We found that hugging the left side seemed to give us the best path, so that’s where we lived for the first mile.

Somewhere during the second mile we started to free up a bit.  With so many runners, you’re never really completely clear of people, but we did have some more breathing room and could get into a rhythm a bit.  Mile 2 is downhill, so it’s one of the easier miles and I was able to significantly speed up to the tune of 7:04.  I think this is where Nate and I got separated.  He ran fantastic though and set a new PR.

By the third mile, I was feeling great.  The temps that morning were in the high 60s to low 70s and it just felt fantastic out.  Mile 3 is downhill as well, and I knew I needed to make up more time from the first mile’s problems, so I jetted to a 6:58.

Miles 4, 5 & 6 are where the majority of folks struggle.  After a few downhill miles, the second half of the race is uphill.  The famed Cardiac Hill is here.  For whatever reason, I cruised up the hills.  I passed hundreds of runners going up the hills.  They didn’t bother me in the least and I gained more and more confidence as I climbed.  My splits were 7:33, 7:26 & 7:10.

As I rounded the turn to head to the finish, I knew I was on pace for a near-PR.  As I came into view of the race clock, I checked my watch and decided to finish as strong as possible.  I came in officially at 46:09 and subsequently set a new 10k PR!  I felt great and I’m really looking forward to running it again next year.  Next time I’ll be in Wave A and won’t suffer so much on that first mile.

I walked over to Piedmont Park to get the famous Peachtree Road Race shirt and was in awe at the number of people already standing around.  Lots of them were family and friends, but I can only imagine what that park would look like in another hour.  I finished in 1,808th place and the park already seemed crowded.  I didn’t stick around for long.  I started to walk back to the Midtown MARTA station.  I was surprised at how long the walk was.  I was thankful that Alysia hadn’t come with me because I would have worried about her making that walk alone.  She’ll be there next year though…running.

The experience of running the Peachtree was incredible.  I’ve never run a more relaxing, easy-going 10k.  Time just seemed to fly by.  There was so much to look at.  From costumed runners to sidewalk bands, the entertainment for the entire 10k is great.  I only wish I would have paid more attention to some of the more historic landmarks.  I have a tendency to not really notice my surroundings and just focus on the run.  Maybe next year I’ll pick up on more of the scenery and tradition.

• Official Results
• Garmin Stats
• Photos of me (You can see in the first photo that I’ve caught up to a lot of the wave A runners.  Next year…)

Tomorrow (July 8th) is my 10-year wedding anniversary.  Alysia and I will be heading to St. Simon’s Island for a weekend getaway, but, don’t worry, we’ve found a little 5k to run while we’re there…

Woodstock Freedom Run Shirt

I decided at the last minute to go ahead and run the Woodstock Freedom Run 5k on Saturday.  I had originally planned to take the day off to rest up for my first Peachtree, but the lure of a close race and a relatively flat course sucked me in.  So, there I was again, 7:30 AM, toeing the line for another race.

The weather was cooler than it had been and the humidity was much lower as well.  My body wasn’t feeling too great though.  I’ve got a few nagging pains going on that I’m trying to work through, so I used most of the pre-race time jogging around to get loose.

The Woodstock Freedom Run is set in Downtown Woodstock.  It’s an out-and-back style course.  It draws a pretty big crowd because a) it offers cash prizes to the top 3 men, women, masters men, and masters women b) it’s on a holiday weekend and c) it’s really flat.  So, there were quite a few folks lined up ready to roll.  I knew that in order to place in my age group and win one of the coveted coffee mugs, I’d have to run like never before.

I lined up about 4 rows deep, just behind the elite runners.  At the gun (really just the Mayor saying “Go”), we all took off at a crazy breakneck pace.  I tried to hang with some of the elites, but eventually I settled into a pace I could handle.  My first mile came in at 6:33.  I was really moving.  I was just hoping I could hang on, but I felt pretty good.  Somewhere in that first mile, I got passed by a group of women who were just flying.  I tried not to let it bother me, but, jeez, how fast were they going?  6:00?  5:45?  Yikes.

The second mile came and went without incident.  I was still moving along, but definitely feeling the pace.  I was able to put down a 6:40.  I did get passed by some dude wearing knee-length plaid shorts and Vibram Five-Finger shoes.  I think he ended up finishing at 19-something.  Amazing.  When he passed me, I actually looked over in shock because I initially thought I was being passed by some ponytail-dude in flip-flops.  I also saw the leader come by me in the opposite direction on the way to the finish.  My God.  This guy was FLYING.  He finished at 15:13 – almost a minute ahead of 2nd place.  Crazy.  He was the defending champ.  I guess it’s an easy $300 for him.

The third mile was tough.  I was struggling to maintain my pace.  The crowd had spaced out and I had less people to pace myself by.  It was just me and my thoughts of dying.  I knew I was on pace for a record time, so I pushed through to my happy place and trudged on.  My split was 7:00.  As I approached and passed the 3-mile mark, I knew a PR was in sight.  I used up whatever I had left in the tank and finished strong.  21:25 official time, new PR, and my first sub-7 minute mile 5k!

I figured I was still probably not good enough for the coffee mug, but I stuck around for the awards ceremony just in case.  In the end, I didn’t come home with the prize, but I still left feeling really great about my performance.  I can’t help but think that the speedwork I’ve been doing with Jason has maybe started to pay some dividends.  Time will tell if Saturday was just a combination of good weather and a flat course or if my training is making a difference.  Either way, I’m going to continue to hit the track once a week to try to get faster.

• Official results (I finished 5th in my age group and 53rd overall)
• The shirt’s not my favorite.  White cotton that looks like something you’d get at a used car super blowout sales weekend.
• Timing antenna inside the race bib.  Yay for electronic timing!  Booo for having an antenna in the race bib that makes the bib about the size of a poster board!
• Garmin Stats — is anyone else fascinated with looking at their Garmin stats?  I really can’t imagine running without this anymore.
• Anyone reading this that lives in or near Woodstock will be happy to know that the downtown J. Christopher’s is FINALLY open.  Sweet!

My first Peachtree Road Race was on Sunday.  I had a great time!  I’ll try to get a recap of that one up here in the next day or two.  Stay tuned…

Shirt

On Sunday morning I was down in the heart of Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park.  The event was the Adventist Race for Health 5k/10k.  In these type of events where you choose between a 5 or a 10k run, I normally choose the 10k.  This morning though, still sore from a Saturday tennis match, I elected to do the 5k.  I didn’t really expect too much from the race.  It seemed to be a small-scale affair.  I was surprised to see though that they had around 300+ participants and electronic timing.

The course was a loop with the 10k folks doing the loop twice.  It was again hot and humid as has been the norm here in Atlanta.  We got started at around 7:10.  I took off pretty well and ran a sub-7 mile the first mile as the adrenaline was flowing as usual.  I did slow down a bit in the second mile and then the last mile was mostly uphill.  I ran pretty strong on the uphills and passed quite a few other runners (probably mostly 10k folks).  I didn’t quite get to my Big Peach 5k or Holly Springs Memorial Day 5k pace of 7:01, but I did average 7:05 for a finish time of 22:10.  Not a PR, but still a solid run, especially on stiff, sore legs.

I stuck around for the awards because I had a feeling I had placed in my age group.  It seemed, as is usually the case, most of the stronger runners were doing the 10k.  This ended up being the only downside of the event.  It took over an hour (even with electronic timing) to get the awards ceremony underway.  It was worth the wait though.  I finally won my age group.  I’ve had a few seconds and thirds, but that first place trophy had been eluding me.  It feels good to get the monkey off my back.  Please don’t worry about how many people were actually in my age group.  {cough}5{cough} That doesn’t matter.  Forget about it.  The official results are on the Adventist Race for Health website.  I finished 8th overall.

My first age group win

I decided at the last minute to run the Woodstock Freedom Run 5k on Saturday, so that will be my next race.  It was right down the street from me, so I just couldn’t pass it up.  I’ll be doing the Peachtree Road Race on Sunday.  I’m really looking forward to it.  It’s such a tradition here in Atlanta and I’m loving the opportunity to finally be a part of it.