Year of Races

UPDATE:  Official results here.  (6th overall but I’m 36 years old, not 35.  I’m happy my sub-23 came through on the official times — 22:59.6)

Wow!  What a beautiful day in Atlanta today.  I was in Powder Springs, GA running in the Fallen Officer 5k.  This was going to be a small-scale event, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Turned out to be a nice run for a great cause.

Fallen Officer 5k

The morning didn’t start off too spectacularly.  I’m not too familiar with the Powder Springs area, so I was relying on my ol’ Garmin to get me to the race on time.  Apparently my ol’ Garmin can be a real jerk sometimes.  After driving around for about 20 minutes, I finally pulled over, pulled out my phone and used Google Maps to get me to where I needed to be.  I arrived later than planned, but still with plenty of time to register, hit the bathroom, and stop thinking destructive thoughts on what I was going to do to my Garmin when I got home.

It was a small crowd with, not surprisingly, a lot of off-duty law enforcement professionals running.  We started off from Lost Mountain Baptist Church and wound our way through some back roads, finishing back where we started.  It was a nice loop course.  We passed some farms, and, with so few participants, I was kind of running on my own most of the race.  The toughest part of the course was a huge, long hill right near the end.  This was a killer, and I got passed by one guy who, unfortunately, ended up being in my age group.

Fallen Officer 5k - killer hill

I knew I had made fairly decent time, so rounding the corner to head to the finish line, the clock said 22:14.  I pushed just enough to cross (according to my watch) at 22:59.  I’m psyched about breaking 23 minutes for the first time and setting a new PR.  Here are my stats from my Garmin Forerunner.  The course measured out at 3.08 miles, so it was just a hair short, but still longer than the Polar Bear 5k that I had gotten my previous PR in.

I stuck around for the awards ceremony.  I knew that I had probably placed in the top 3 for my age group.  I think I finished 7th overall, so the odds were good that 4 of the 7 wouldn’t have been in the 30-39 age group.  Luckily, I was right and I got a nice little 3rd place medal for my efforts.  The post-race food was good:  sausage biscuits, bagels, bananas.

Fallen Officer 5k - 3rd place 30-39 Age Group

Fallen Officer 5k - Shirt

One of the reasons I chose this race was because is was organized by a Sequoyah High School student as her senior project.  My kids will be Sequoyah students one day, so, in a way, I was supporting the Chiefs too.  Besides, the race was for a great cause…

Officer James Fredrick (Freddie) Norman was part of the Cobb County Police Department until his death on February 14, 2009. Officer Freddie Norman succumbed to injuries sustained 21 years earlier when his patrol car was struck by a teenage drunk driver as he responded to an emergency call. The accident left him as a quadriplegic. His death was determined to be a direct result of the injuries sustained in the crash.

In May 2010 the Cobb County Police Department Honor Guard as well as Freddie Norman’s family would like to honor fallen Freddie Norman during National Police Week in Washington D.C.

All proceeds from this race will be distributed through the Chaplain’s Association to the Cobb County Police Department Honor Guard and the family of Freddie Norman. We would also like to make this an annual race with proceeds being distributed through the Chaplain’s Association.

Incidentally, I did meet a guy, Glenn, who is also doing a race each week for a year.  His year started in February.  He’s an experienced runner, unlike myself, and ended up winning today’s race.  He has some sponsors that are supporting him in his efforts during the year and he hopes to raise a ton of money for breast cancer awareness (he was decked out in bright pink: shirt, shoes, Oakleys).  Nice guy and I hope he realizes his goals and stays injury free for the year!

All in all, another fun Saturday morning.  Next week is the Run for the Children 5k in downtown Canton, GA.  What are you waiting for?  Sign up!

I ran the Guns & Hoses 5k this morning.  (UPDATED: official race results) It was at Hobgood Park in Canton, GA, so it was another nearby event.  I got up at about 6 AM, drank some coffee, ate some breakfast and left for the race a little past 7.  This event is unique because each racer picks a team – Guns or Hoses.  I chose to contribute to the Hoses’ charity efforts.  My sister, Christina, also chose the Hoses.  I’m happy to report that the Hoses defeated the Guns once again, mostly due to mine and Christina’s efforts I’m sure.

Guns & Hoses Shirt

Christina and I got our shirts and race bibs and hung out in the car up to about 15 minutes until race time.  It was really cold (30s) this morning in Canton, so I’m not ashamed to say that I stuck to my heated seat for as long as possible.  Once the race was about to start, I stripped down to shorts, but kept the Under Armour pullover on again.  I’ve worn this thing every race so far this year.  I’ll be SO happy to run one without it when the weather warms up.

I decided before the race that I was going to try to beat my P.R. which was 23:06.  I knew there were some hills to contend with, but I thought I’d give it a go.  So, I wished Christina luck and took off fast at the start.

The first mile was all downhill, so I cruised pretty comfortably and was in around 8-10th place overall I think.  By the second mile, I was definitely feeling the pain, and, sure enough, I gave out in the third as it was mostly uphill.  I finished at 23:08; a couple seconds off my best.  I was hoping for a sub-23, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  I’ve got to work harder.  Here are my stats from my Garmin Forerunner 305.  (By the way, I love this thing)  For example, here’s the elevation chart.  Yikes.  That third mile was a killer.

Guns & Hoses Elevation Chart

Christina’s goal was to beat 38 minutes and she CRUSHED it, finishing at 33:46 or so.  I’m really proud of her.  She did great and with a little more training will be running sub-30s in no time.  I enjoyed having her there at the race, and I’m looking forward to the next time someone can get out there and run with me.  By the way, she won one of the raffles and got herself a new coffee mug.

Guns & Hoses - Christina

My age group for the race was 30-39.  Usually, it’s 35-39, so I had a lot more contenders.  After finishing and filling in my card with 23:08, I noticed mine was 2nd in the basket, so I figured I had placed in my age group.  Unfortunately, they only gave away medals to the top finisher in each age group.  This was disappointing because the Active.com page said it would be top 3 finishers.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.

Top 3?

My next race is the Berry Half Marathon.  I’ll have something on that this week.  Stay tuned.

Tartan Trot 10k Shirt

Throw out the excuses.  I guess I didn’t need them after all.  My first 10k went well this morning and exceeded all of my expectations.  It was a nice event even though the weather was kind of yucky.

I got to St. Luke’s a little later than I usually arrive.  Parking was full and I had to park a block away on the street.  I hustled in to check in and got my race bib, timing chip and shirt.  I got the timing chip attached to my shoe, but was stressed when I realized I didn’t have any safety pins in my packet.  They were all out!  Luckily a guy saw me looking through my stuff and, after asking me if I needed anything, he graciously gave me his two bottom safety pins.  This was really cool and I thanked him heartily.

I headed out to the starting line and prepared for the start of the race.  It was about 35° and drizzly.  Thankfully the rain held off.  It was really just a constant mist.  I did some stretching and bouncing around trying to stay warm.  A couple minutes later we were off!

I started out fairly slow.  Probably around a 9:15/mile pace.  I wasn’t sure though because I had forgotten my iPod Nano, so I didn’t have my Nike+ rocking.  I ended up running at a fairly consistent pace for the first couple of miles.  The 5k folks veered off and it was just us 10k racers left.  I think it was about this point that this woman shuffled past me quite easily.  She had obviously been here before, but it was a little disheartening.  I trudged on.

At about mile 3, I realized that I was feeling pretty good.  I had gotten into a decent rhythm.  At about this same time, we approached the killer section of the course.  A steep incline that went on for a half mile.  I never stopped to walk, but passed quite a few runners who did.  I powered right up the hill and still felt good.  This was going much better than I had expected, and I knew at this point I could finish this sucker with no problem.

I guess because it was a 10k and didn’t have too many participants, the pack really thinned out.  I found myself running alone or with only 1 or 2 guys around me.  This was nice and, even though it was cold and rainy, I really appreciated the morning run through the Dunwoody neighborhood.  The cops and volunteers did a fantastic job keeping the traffic at bay.  It was one of the first times where I realized I actually enjoyed being outside running.  It wasn’t just exercise; it was something more.

So, around mile 4 I started picking up my pace.  I felt so good, I really wanted to get under 55 minutes and knew I had a good shot at it.  About a mile from the finish, I noticed a pack of runners about 60 yards ahead of me.  There were 4 of them, and lo and behold, they were led by the shuffling woman who had passed me early on.  I decided to make it my goal to push hard and pass every one of those guys.  I started really moving and ended up picking them off one by one.  It was down to me and the woman.  I turned the corner and it was a sprint to the finish.  I ended up blowing by her right at the end and beating her by a couple of seconds.  I sensed she was kind of miffed about this.  I read somewhere (I wish I could find it – UPDATE:  found one) that some folks don’t care for runners who sprint to the finish.  I personally don’t see the issue.  If I want to finish hard, then why not?  It’s not like I’m running anyone over.  Anyway, I finished with a time of 53:14 according to my watch.  I don’t have the official time yet, but I’ll update the post as soon as I get it.  (UPDATE: official times are here.  Finished 15th in my age group.)

Overall, I’m really pleased with my finish.  I was stronger at the end and passed quite a few folks struggling on the hills.  I took time to appreciate the fact that I’m healthy enough to run a 10k in 35° weather on a dreary Saturday morning.  Not everyone has the opportunity and I’m grateful for it.

Tidbits from the Tartan Trot 10k:

• The shirt may be my favorite one yet.  Another nice technical long sleeve shirt.  I’ve worn it all day.   I’m such a dork.
• There weren’t any mile markers or volunteers yelling out times.  Without a GPS device, I was kind of clueless to where I was on the course.  It was just me and my Timex.
• Quite a few runners in kilts.  They were giving an award for fastest time in a kilt.
• I don’t see how so many people can run in pants/tights.  I ran in shorts again.  I really think I’d roast in long pants.
• Again, just like last week, I didn’t see a starting mat to trigger the chip system.  Maybe I missed it, but I kind of just guessed when I thought I was crossing the starting line.
• This was another Run & See Georgia Grand Prix Series event.  Hopefully I finished in the top 20 in my age group so I can earn some points.
• I didn’t stick around for the awards ceremony this time, so I don’t know what the podium runners’ times were in my age group.  I’ll find out as soon as I get my eyes on the official results.
• Here are some reviews of the race.

Next week is the 9th Annual Chattahoochee Challenge 10k.  Really looking forward to it, but, of course, you can expect more from me on that one later this week.

There is a very high probability that tomorrow morning’s race is going to suck.  I’m not above pre-registering my excuses here in this forum, so that I can refer back to them and use them during the race tomorrow.  Let’s go ahead and get them out in the open.

Excuse #1

According to the harbingers of bad news, weather.com, the weather is going to be crappy.  We’re looking at 33° with a 50% chance of rain.  This is after it has already rained all night.  Pretty crappy indeed.  I’ve never run in freezing rain, so I imagine it will affect me in some way.

crappy weather

Excuse #2

The wonderful folks who are organizing the Tartan Trot have made the course map accessible via mapmyrun.com.  That’s great.  What’s not so great is that the final half of the race is uphill.  Considering this is my first 10k race distance, this will most likely affect me in some way.

Hilly

Excuse #3

I’m the captain of a tennis team here in Atlanta.  I haven’t played much in the past few months, but I agreed to be captain anyways.  I was forced into action on Wednesday night after my regular lineup didn’t work out.  My partner and I made quick work of our opponents 6-3, 6-0.  Here’s the problem though.  I used some muscles during that match that I haven’t used in quite some time and now, I feel like I fell down a flight of stairs.  In particular, my left gluteus maximus is so sore that it’s sensitive to the touch.  I’m hoping this soreness will miraculously subside by tomorrow morning, but, if it doesn’t, this will most likely affect me in some way.

My butt hurts

There you have it.  3 valid reasons as to why it’s going to suck in the morning.  I have officially lodged these excuses and they are now available for use.  Wish me and my butt luck!  We’ll need it.