Showing posts with label 10k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10k. Show all posts
Run, Chipper, Run
Peachtree Road Race 2011
I normally do not admit to this, but this race report is way over due. Work and life has been very busy and very stressful and this race report has suffered the consequences. This Peachtree Road Race will always be a special one because I was able to line up and run it with both of my daughters, something that may or may not happen again.
As with every Fourth of July for the past 5 years my day started off much earlier than any sane person would allow. I have been awake and out running earlier than this, but always with a reason that I was training for a marathon or something impressive like that, but the Peachtree Road Race gets me out of bed that early so I can make the trip to Lenox by 6:30 to prepare for a 7:30 race start.
What The Peachtree Means To Me
Tomorrow morning the Fourth of July will once again be celebrated by thousands as they make their way down Peachtree to the finish line at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. The Peachtree Road Race is an Atlanta tradition which will be enjoyed by 60,000 runners and walkers this year, each with their own unique reasons for running the worlds largest 10k, and each coming away with their own unique stories and experiences.
I ran my first Peachtree Road Race in 2007, and have participated each year since making tomorrow my 5th year. I did however finish quite a bit slower in the 2008 event due to a running accident resulting in a broken collar bone just a couple weeks before race day. The run down Peachtree in 2009 was quite uneventful, while last year was quite exciting as I ran the Peachtree for the first time with my daughter Payton (at least the first 4 miles).
Peachtree Road Race 2010 - 48:29
The morning started much like the other Peachtree's I have run at 4:40 Sunday morning. We had everything ready to go the night before so we could get up and out the door in 20 minutes when our neighbors (our ride) were leaving. After about a 30 minute drive we found ourselves sitting on the Marta waiting to be whisked away to Buckhead and the start of the 41st annual Peachtree. The weather was awesome, I think I heard that it was high 60's to low 70's at the start with some humidity. The best weather for the Peachtree in 10 years from what I understand.
Peachtree Road Race - Tomorrow
I don't know a lot of the history, but I do know that 40 years ago it was run for the first time by 110 runners, one of them being the one man that has run every race for the past 40 years - Bill Thorn. I know that the field is limited to 55,000 runners, and it is not the easiest race to get into (although I have been able to get in the last three years without any issue)
Two sayings that Bill Thorn shares with his runners at Landmark Christian: “When it’s hard to run, run hard.” “In running, you’ve got to deal with three things — sweat, discomfort and heavy breathing. If you can’t deal with those three things, then running isn’t for you.
The other things I know about the Peachtree Road Race pertain specifically to me. This will be my third year running (more appropriatly - doing) it. The first year, 2007, it was my first 10k race and I ran it in 1:03:59 after just 6 months of losing weight in which I would eventually lose 90 lbs.
The second year I participated in the Peachtree Road Race was just last year. I had a qualifying time from the Shamrock & Roll of 48:03 and was looking forward to running in Time Group 1A. I ended up not being able to run it because of being tripped in the S.W.A.T. Trot 5k just a few weeks before the race and breaking my collar bone in two places. I did end up planning for and then just walking the Peachtree last year.
I am really looking forward to the Peachtree Road Race again this year. I am excited because I am able to run it again and also because my qualifying time of 48:03 at the Shamrock & Roll was still within the timeframe and I was able to use it to get my Time Group 1A again this year. I have a time goal of sub-50 which I know I can do, it just depends on a lot of things one of them being the big crowds and getting around them.
This will be my first 10k back since returning from the broken collar bone injury, but I have done a couple 5k's and have trained well for it with plenty of 10k + distance training runs.
Well, that will be it until I put up the race report. I am off to get Pizza for the family for dinner. I am going to be eating some left over chicken and pasta from last nights dinner. I don't need the pizza on my stomach for the race tomorrow.
First Sub-50 10k - 48:03
Well, to keep with tradition, I went out too fast, but this time with the distance it didn't hurt me. My first mile was just over 7:00 and I knew I was going out fast. I almost got tripped up a couple times with everyone standing along the edge trying to jump into the race when it started. That really irritates me.I had a goal, as mentioned in this post, to get sub 55 so I could get a decent seeding for the Peachtree Road Race 2008 on July 4th. I secretly wanted to get a sub 50, but really didn't think I would be able to do so considering how my runs have been going lately.
The morning started off better than I expected, it wasn't too cold at about 50 degrees..... but that was at home out in the suburbs. When we got to Atlanta at about 7:15 AM it was really windy and felt more like about 40. I opted to run with my running pants and a long sleeve shirt as opposed to the shorts and short sleeve shirt like I originally planned.
I started the morning at 5:45 with a cup of coffee, a banana, and half of a soft wheat bagel. I drank a lot of water, and about 12 oz of gateraide right before leaving the house at 6:30. I rode down with my neighbors and right before the race they gave me a couple CLIF Shot Blocks. I vowed to never try something new on race day, but I broke that vow today. I feel pretty comfortable with the 10k distance so I figure I could suffer through it if I make a mistake.
As previously mentioned I started off a bit fast, as I knew I would. My first mile was just over 7:00 minutes, but then I settled into a good pace for the rest of the race between 7:45 and 8:15 for a average mile of 7:44. I missed the 5 mile marker so my mile 5 and mile 6 times were an average of the two which worked out to be almost exactly 8:00 each.
I was very happy with the course, it circled around a couple times, but kept us guessing as to where we were going. We did have a decent size hill that we had to climb just after the first mile, and because we had just passed the mile marker for mile 4 we knew we were going to be doing this hill again.
The 5k runners were finished, obviously half way through, but we also saw the 6 mile marker when we were passing there so we knew what our finish was going to be like well before time to enter the chute. This was nice, so we knew when we could turn it on near the end.
The most aggravating part of the entire race was at just past the 5 mile marker (which I didn't see...) all the 5 k walkers were completely covering the entire road. I, as well as many of the other 10k runners, had to go over into the part of the road that was not marked off just to get by the walkers. I am sure this cost me at least 1 second :)
I was happy that the race still went on as planned. As many of you heard I am sure, Downtown Atlanta got hit by tornado's on Thursday night which was the first time in history. It did a lot of damage downtown, but did not affect Midtown or Atlantic Station where this race was set to run.
I am pumped! This was a nice race to bring back some of my confidence. I haven't been feeling really good during my training runs lately and have been getting a bit discouraged. This really makes me again look on the bright side, and will help me with my training I am sure.
The official results are not yet posted on their website, and the pics are not yet posted either. I will update the post and/or post a new one when they do.
- Official time: 48:03 (I hung around to get my official time on paper for the Peachtree)
- Place: 33 in my age group (I have a tough age group) yea yea - I hear ya! :)
- My Race log of this race showing my splits.
- ShamRock 'N Roll official Website
January Temperatures Hit 80!
Well, no, the actual thermometer did not hit 80 degrees in January, at least not here in the Atlanta area, but there were two temperatures that did hit 80 here!When I use the term temperature, I am using the definition " Any of various standardized numerical measures......" and talking about my weight loss and running distances.
This month, January 2008 marked two milestones of great significance to me. This month I passed my 80 lb mark in weight loss since I started my weightloss journey in January of 2007. I also for the first time hit an 80 mile month in my Quest to a Marathon.
This mornings run was the run that catapulted me beyond the 80 mile mark. I was reading Eric's blog Marathoner in Training yesterday and he had hit 80 miles for the month. (yes - these are his pics - he gave me permission - his post is pretty funny!) While I was reading I decided to check, and I was only about 3.5 miles from doing the same. With my ankle problems earlier this week I didn't know if I was going to be able to hit it, but I stretched a lot and paid really close attention to my ankle and was able to get my scheduled 10k run in with no problems at all to get me to 82.8 for the month. I am still behind the pace bunny (by .8 mile) for the 1,000 mile club at Running Ahead, but I am gaining ground, and will pass him up this Saturday if all goes as planned with my long run.Here's to my first 80 lbs, and first 80 mile month!
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