Race Report: Peachtree Road Race (Heat, Humidity & Hills)
(Edited to fix formating)
The Atlanta Peachtree Road Race is once again the Largest 10K in the world with this year having 60,000 participants running or walking. Completing this was a goal I had set months ago back in January and have worked towards daily. This year they changed the registration format from an open first-come-first-served to a lottery. The only 3 ways to avoid the lottery pool were 1) Be an elite runner (this is so not me) 2) Be a streaker that has completed no less than 10 in a row. 3) Join the Atlanta Track Club at a specific level. This Race is such an institution in Atlanta that last year they sold out the 55000 slots online in hours. Due to the number of runners a few years ago they implemented start waves and time standards. My work towards this race including me running a qualifying 5K back in March to get a time to submit a wave assignment. NO qualifying time would get you in 1 of the last 3-4 waves. My time from that race put me in H way behind Bill who was up in B.
Sunday night I get my running clothes laid out, pin my number on my shirt, affix my Dtag to my shoe, and put my water bottle with some ice and water in the fridge. I get to bed early and set my alarm for 3am so I can get up and hydrate some, eat some breakfast and get dressed. And dealing with my nerves, I know I can run the distance so that wasn’t bothering me it was everything else like 60,000 runners, 100,000 plus spectators, the heat and humidity, the infamous Cardiac/Heartbreak Hill, What if I have to **** in the middle of the race! 2:45am comes and like usual my body won’t let me get those last 15 minutes of sleep. So I roll out of bed and take my time getting ready. I drink a couple bottles of G2 and then have my standard race day breakfast, 2 whole wheat waffles with some peanut butter and some banana. I have everything laid out so I know I won’t forget anything.
The time comes to head out to the train station and meet up with Bill and head to the starting area. Let me say that doing races with Bill makes them easier. He really knows how to talk to make the time leading up to a race less stressful and always has great advice, both in training and lifestyle. We hung out and talked until it was time to head to our corals.
I head to the general area where my coral is and hit the can and get me some water. I find a place to stretch and try to relax for the next couple hours. I felt some pride in myself as I noticed many people who appeared to be more fit or athletic than me with coral assignments behind mine but not in the walking corals, this was one more piece of reassurance that I could do this.
Finally a crowd starts to form in my coral and I enter it and find a spot towards the front but not at the very front. My Last 5K time would have placed me like 3 corals up so I knew I could run a faster pace than this coral was but I didn’t want to go out so fast and gas out after 2 miles.
As we stand in the coral waiting for the start my body yells “Hey I gotta take a piss!" I look at my Garmin and see that I only have 10 minutes I look and see the mass of people behind me on the way to the Rent-a-Cans, and I figure they have them on the course I will just hit one while running.
They begin the National Anthem and everyone is looking at the 5 story American Flag that is suspended by a crane over the Starting Line, at the End 3 F-16s did a high speed fly-by at a few hundred feet above the buildings. As weird as it may sound the roar of these jets flying over brought me to the place I needed to be to do this, no more nerves. My Father was an Air Force consultant on the F-16 development project and spent many years working on them before he retired. The sight of these planes reassured me that my father was looking down on me and proud of all that I have accomplished in the past year.
Finally they start moving my coral to the starting line and everyone is starting to get pumped up and you can feel the energy. I have never experienced anything like this before and it was amazing.
Then they finally start my wave. I start my Garmin as I cross the start line and off I go I find a nice spot in the crowd where people are pacing fairly decently not a lot of passing going on, so I look down and see I am running a 10:30 pace so I pick it up a bit and find my way through to a group where I can maintain a decent 9:30-10:00 pace. I keep telling myself to settle in and start steady not to slow not to fast, and I am checking my Garmin every couple minutes to make sure I am keeping steady. Once I am hitting a consistent pace in my range I forget about the Garmin and just run what is comfortable. I pass the mile 1 mark and am feeling pretty good, and unlike most the people around me I forgo the water stop and rely on the bottle I brought. Everything was going as I trained no knee pain, focusing on my posture, breathing and stride I’m not even really paying attention to anything around me I am just enjoying another run with an awesome crowd. Then I see it! The dreaded hill right after mile 3, this hill has been dubbed Cardiac or Heartbreak hill, and is a 7%-8% grade for something like .5 miles. Suddenly it seems like the mass of runners is standing still but I plug on. On the Hill is the Sheppard Center where they rehab spinal cord injuries, and you are running by so many people in wheel chairs that put forth an amazing effort every day. This gave me the boost I needed to push through and take the hill. As I crest the hill I pu**** back to my pace as the hill pretty much killed my pace. I watch the miles tick by and finally turn down the final street and pick up my pace. I see the area ahead where the race photos are being taking raise my arms in victory as I pass this and notice I still have a bit to go until the finish. When I clearly see the finish I really pick my pace up for a strong finish. I Cross the finish line in 1:03 and change.
I exit the finish area and follow the crowd to the get my shirt, some water and FOOD!
I felt amazing at having finished this race, without stopping not even to use the can. When I got home I was greeted by the smiles and hugs of my wonderful wife and 2 boys. They have done so much to support me in reaching this point. After changing they did their part for me by bringing me Water and Ice packs for my knee. Looking back at all of the early morning at the gym and hours spent on the treadmill it were finally totally worth it. I had proven to myself what I was capable of.
To think back 1 year ago I was doing my 2 week pre-op low carb diet wondering what my life would be like after surgery, I never imagined that I would have done some of the things I have, and never would have contemplated doing some of the things I have set as future goals. I have proven to myself that my hours of training do matter and I can accomplish my goals with work and dedication.
Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and support!
Link to my garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/96840313
The Atlanta Peachtree Road Race is once again the Largest 10K in the world with this year having 60,000 participants running or walking. Completing this was a goal I had set months ago back in January and have worked towards daily. This year they changed the registration format from an open first-come-first-served to a lottery. The only 3 ways to avoid the lottery pool were 1) Be an elite runner (this is so not me) 2) Be a streaker that has completed no less than 10 in a row. 3) Join the Atlanta Track Club at a specific level. This Race is such an institution in Atlanta that last year they sold out the 55000 slots online in hours. Due to the number of runners a few years ago they implemented start waves and time standards. My work towards this race including me running a qualifying 5K back in March to get a time to submit a wave assignment. NO qualifying time would get you in 1 of the last 3-4 waves. My time from that race put me in H way behind Bill who was up in B.
Sunday night I get my running clothes laid out, pin my number on my shirt, affix my Dtag to my shoe, and put my water bottle with some ice and water in the fridge. I get to bed early and set my alarm for 3am so I can get up and hydrate some, eat some breakfast and get dressed. And dealing with my nerves, I know I can run the distance so that wasn’t bothering me it was everything else like 60,000 runners, 100,000 plus spectators, the heat and humidity, the infamous Cardiac/Heartbreak Hill, What if I have to **** in the middle of the race! 2:45am comes and like usual my body won’t let me get those last 15 minutes of sleep. So I roll out of bed and take my time getting ready. I drink a couple bottles of G2 and then have my standard race day breakfast, 2 whole wheat waffles with some peanut butter and some banana. I have everything laid out so I know I won’t forget anything.
The time comes to head out to the train station and meet up with Bill and head to the starting area. Let me say that doing races with Bill makes them easier. He really knows how to talk to make the time leading up to a race less stressful and always has great advice, both in training and lifestyle. We hung out and talked until it was time to head to our corals.
I head to the general area where my coral is and hit the can and get me some water. I find a place to stretch and try to relax for the next couple hours. I felt some pride in myself as I noticed many people who appeared to be more fit or athletic than me with coral assignments behind mine but not in the walking corals, this was one more piece of reassurance that I could do this.
Finally a crowd starts to form in my coral and I enter it and find a spot towards the front but not at the very front. My Last 5K time would have placed me like 3 corals up so I knew I could run a faster pace than this coral was but I didn’t want to go out so fast and gas out after 2 miles.
As we stand in the coral waiting for the start my body yells “Hey I gotta take a piss!" I look at my Garmin and see that I only have 10 minutes I look and see the mass of people behind me on the way to the Rent-a-Cans, and I figure they have them on the course I will just hit one while running.
They begin the National Anthem and everyone is looking at the 5 story American Flag that is suspended by a crane over the Starting Line, at the End 3 F-16s did a high speed fly-by at a few hundred feet above the buildings. As weird as it may sound the roar of these jets flying over brought me to the place I needed to be to do this, no more nerves. My Father was an Air Force consultant on the F-16 development project and spent many years working on them before he retired. The sight of these planes reassured me that my father was looking down on me and proud of all that I have accomplished in the past year.
Finally they start moving my coral to the starting line and everyone is starting to get pumped up and you can feel the energy. I have never experienced anything like this before and it was amazing.
Then they finally start my wave. I start my Garmin as I cross the start line and off I go I find a nice spot in the crowd where people are pacing fairly decently not a lot of passing going on, so I look down and see I am running a 10:30 pace so I pick it up a bit and find my way through to a group where I can maintain a decent 9:30-10:00 pace. I keep telling myself to settle in and start steady not to slow not to fast, and I am checking my Garmin every couple minutes to make sure I am keeping steady. Once I am hitting a consistent pace in my range I forget about the Garmin and just run what is comfortable. I pass the mile 1 mark and am feeling pretty good, and unlike most the people around me I forgo the water stop and rely on the bottle I brought. Everything was going as I trained no knee pain, focusing on my posture, breathing and stride I’m not even really paying attention to anything around me I am just enjoying another run with an awesome crowd. Then I see it! The dreaded hill right after mile 3, this hill has been dubbed Cardiac or Heartbreak hill, and is a 7%-8% grade for something like .5 miles. Suddenly it seems like the mass of runners is standing still but I plug on. On the Hill is the Sheppard Center where they rehab spinal cord injuries, and you are running by so many people in wheel chairs that put forth an amazing effort every day. This gave me the boost I needed to push through and take the hill. As I crest the hill I pu**** back to my pace as the hill pretty much killed my pace. I watch the miles tick by and finally turn down the final street and pick up my pace. I see the area ahead where the race photos are being taking raise my arms in victory as I pass this and notice I still have a bit to go until the finish. When I clearly see the finish I really pick my pace up for a strong finish. I Cross the finish line in 1:03 and change.
I exit the finish area and follow the crowd to the get my shirt, some water and FOOD!
I felt amazing at having finished this race, without stopping not even to use the can. When I got home I was greeted by the smiles and hugs of my wonderful wife and 2 boys. They have done so much to support me in reaching this point. After changing they did their part for me by bringing me Water and Ice packs for my knee. Looking back at all of the early morning at the gym and hours spent on the treadmill it were finally totally worth it. I had proven to myself what I was capable of.
To think back 1 year ago I was doing my 2 week pre-op low carb diet wondering what my life would be like after surgery, I never imagined that I would have done some of the things I have, and never would have contemplated doing some of the things I have set as future goals. I have proven to myself that my hours of training do matter and I can accomplish my goals with work and dedication.
Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and support!
Link to my garmin: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/96840313
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
Congratulations Paul. What a great testimony. I was out there too--walking at a consistent pace albeit not the fastest. I take pride, not in the time, but in completing the race.
At age 60, this was my first race ever. I am so proud to have been a part of this event which has become an institution in Atlanta. At 240 lbs I could never have done it. But things are so totally different now and I am grateful for every minute of my new life.
Press on as you continue to get healthier by the day.
At age 60, this was my first race ever. I am so proud to have been a part of this event which has become an institution in Atlanta. At 240 lbs I could never have done it. But things are so totally different now and I am grateful for every minute of my new life.
Press on as you continue to get healthier by the day.
HW 240/ SW 229/ GW 146/CW 125; OH Support Group Leader
Starting size: 18W-20; Present size: 0 or 2; 5'5-1/2" tall.
Current BMI 20.4 as of 2/13/2013 (normal for the first time in my life).
Goal weight reached on 8/12/2010; As of 1/13/2013, 21 pounds below goal
Great job! Your splits are awesome.
You've done so much this year, I'm really proud of your stick-to-it attitude!
You've done so much this year, I'm really proud of your stick-to-it attitude!
Read my blog, BARIATHLETE I run because I can.
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
First 5K race October 4, 2009 (34.59) PR 5/22/11 (27:26)
First 5 Mile: January 1, 2011 (50:30)
First 10K: July 4, 2010 (1:03.26) New PR 4/10/11 (1:01.14)
First 10 Mile: April 11, 2010 (1:46.15)
First 1/2 marathon: June 13, 2010 (2:22.21) PR: 5/1/11 (2:17.30)
First Marathon: October 16, 2011: 5:47:20
Goofy Challenge: January 7-8, 2012
If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right. - Mary Kay Ash
definitely a cool race, and well run for so many people. you did great, you didn't mention the soupy humidity in your report and the other hills after cardiac hill (i.e., the final 3 miles are rollers leading to a bit of a down slope @ the finish) that made the conditions and course pretty challenging so give yourself kudos for running a great race in tough conditions. and i agree w/ Nate, i want to see you flying by me next year!
Where are we going?? And why am I in this handbasket??
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
right now. somewhere. somebody is working harder than you.
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