Well..... kinda.Tomorrow I will be up bright and early and out the door by 5:00 AM to head for the 39th running of the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta...... but I won't be running.
As strange as it all seems right now I am excited to be getting up early in the morning - to be fighting the Marta crowds - the 55,000 race participates - and later the sweaty stinky ride home. Excited that is, to be able to attend and walk, even though I would much prefer to actually be running. It is very strange to be only walking. I am setting out all my race gear just as if I was going to run, mainly because it is habit, knowing that I will probably be the most prepared walker tomorrow.
In case you are joining my blog for the first time, the reason I am walking the Peachtree can be found in the earlier posts on my blog here, here, and here. I look forward to enjoying the Peachtree from a different angle, an angle not concerned with time, position, or any of the other normal race concerns. You won't be finding me at the starting line stretching, drinking lots of water or Gatorade, or making one last dash to the port-o-potties, but you may find me looking for a free cup of coffee. I am going to take this opportunity to take in the surroundings, and if those surroundings include free donuts, t-shirts, or anything else being handed out along the way, I will take the time to indulge in what otherwise would be passed by quickly by any half-way serious runner.
In March I ran a qualifying 10k and finished in 48:03. That time qualified me for a 1A time slot at the Peachtree, the best you can get behind the elite runners. I was really excited about being able to start so close to the front. I was looking forward to a nice clean run without having to deal with the trash and everything else of the 20 - 30 thousand runners and walkers that had gone on before. Tomorrow I will not be able to use that time slot to it's full extent, but still plan on using it. I will be lining up at the very back of time group 1A with my 10521 number and my left arm in a sling. I will proudly walk the right side of the road out of the way of all the runners. I am sure most of the time groups 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5, and maybe 6 will pass me at some point along the way, but that is OK..... I will beat most of the walkers :)
If you are running the Peachtree tomorrow, give me a shout as you pass me by. I will be the bald headed guy, wearing black shorts, a white tech shirt, and my left arm in my nice blue sling. A simple shout will be nice, please don't come by and pat me on the back, as even though it is my arm in the sling, it is my shoulder that hurts. :) Oh... and by the way, if you are running, good luck.... especially with the new uphill finish!
Tim Wilson - blog.262quest.com
Hope the alternate view treated you well at the race today!
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