Race Report -- Peachtree Road Race

This race had been on my running bucket list ever since I began my running journey. I feel pretty blessed that the worlds largest 10k takes place in my neck of the woods and I would be crazy not to join in on the fun at least once in my life. Normally you have to submit a qualifying time and go through a lottery to gain entry but since I work for one of the sponsors I was able to nab guaranteed entry. So here on with the race report....

The Expo
The Peachtree hosts one of the largest expo's and its free for even non entrants into the race which I think is a nice touch. Although traffic was a bit insane around the expo we eventually were able to park and make our way over to the hall, I had met up with a friend who I would be running the race with so we could carpool to the expo. Bib pick up was a breeze with plenty of volunteers to handle the crazy amount of people. This is the worlds largest 10k with over 60,000 registered runners. After getting our bibs we made our way through the various booths, there wasn't anything there that you wouldn't find at most other expo's but I did pick up a nice mizuno Peachtree 2015 tech shirt that I will add to my running attire rotation (The finishers shirt while awesome is cotton and not great for actually running in) other than that I didn't find anything I couldn't live with out.

Race Day
I met up with the same friend early in the morning so that we could again carpool down to the MARTA (Atlanta's public transit system) train station. With 60,000+ runners you can imagine what a nightmare parking might be so public transit is definitely the way to go not to mention that this is not a typical out and back course but rather a straight-line so you finish 6 miles away from where you started, just another reason public transit was the way to go for this one. Luckily we where able to pre-purchase our tickets at the expo and only had to wait a few minutes for our train to arrive. The station that we got off at had a bit of a walk to get to the start and as we got off it begin to rain a bit, I was hoping that it would not rain during the race but it appeared that this was not going to be the case. It stopped by the time we made it to the start area however.  My time that I had entered had gotten me a bib in the B corral but I would be dropping back to J to run with my friend so we made our way to the corral and waited for the start, I must say I was impressed with how many volunteers I saw and they even had water stations at the starting area's for any pre race hydration needs. As with most races the corral control was pretty poor and I saw plenty of people lining up in J that probably shouldn't be there, This is one of my pet peeves when it comes to races that use a corral start, moving back isn't really an issue and most races allow it but, by in large there is a reason that you have been placed in whatever corral you have been placed in and people that move up when they shouldn't only serve to clog the start even more but I digress...it wasn't to long before the race officially began with the elites followed by the rest of the corrals as each corral started we would slowly walk forward until eventually it was our turn.

 

 

 

Having to much fun pre-race

 

 

Somewhere between the start of the race and our wave it began raining again but we were not going to let that dampen our spirit. Since I was running with a friend I would not be running this race for time but rather enjoying the company, the course and the amazing atmosphere.

 



Giant Flag Selfie

 

As we got started we fell into a pretty good groove and enjoyed the many sights and sounds along the course. The Flag at the start line is huge, about 2700 square feet and running under was pretty awesome. As we left the Buckhead starting area and completed the first mile the next key sight was historic Buckhead Theatre which opened in 1931. Mile 2's highlight was The Cathedral of St. Philip where you could have holy water sprinkled on you if you chose I was getting enough holy water from the clouds. Miles 2 and 3 were downhill and really made you feel like you were running faster than you were which was nice but then we hit the famed Cardiac Hill which rises more than 12 stories in elevation but honestly once we got over it, I thought "well that wasn't so bad".  Another cool sight here came as we passed The Shepherd Center which treats spinal cord injury patients and there are some of the patients along the course cheering. I made sure to go over and shake a few hands and thank them for being out there it was a pretty moving experience. Mile 4 features an awesome view of downtown as you crossover Interstate 85 then it was through the Arts District and down toward the finish, one left turn at around mile 5.5 and a downhill sprint to the finish at Piedmont Park and we were done. I tried to capture myself crossing the finish line but my phone was not cooperating with me so it didn't happen. After crossing the finish line it was on to get our famed finisher shirt and our food box and the.n try to make our way out of the park and back onto MARTA. Because of all the rain the park had become a giant mud puddle and so the walk back was not the most pleasant experience but hey its only mud. there were plenty of signs pointing the direction we needed to go, but I didn't realize quite how far away the station actually was, We kept thinking we were going the wrong way because it seemed to far but the crowd was all going the same direction so we figured it must be right. It actually took us back by the course so we got to cheer on runners who were still going which was nice. Eventually we made it to the station and again they had plenty of people direction everyone to make sure you got on the right train.

 

 

Final Thoughts

Even with the rain I had a great time and I am glad that I can said I did this race at least once. I was impressed at all the volunteers on hand and how well they manage to handle the crowd I guess after 46 years they have learned a few things. The ultimate question I guess is will I do it again? I don't think that I will do it every year as I am not a fan of running in big crowds but I think maybe every other year or something like that might be fun. As a final note here is really cool time lapse of my starting wave, I'm in there somewhere on the left hand side towards the front...not that you can actually pick me out but I am in there.

http://www.ajc.com/videos/news/timelapse-start-of-wave-j-in-the-2015-peachtree/vDWrS3/

 



Race Report -- Run and Ride Cedar Point Half Marathon

 

 

I really am trying to be more consistent with making posts on here but I just haven't had much to write about but I have kicked around some other things to write about so that should help, one day I actually will get regular with posts I promise...

 

 

 

I've kind of been dreading writing this particular race report because I didn't have a good run, but now that I have had a chance to sit back and digest how things went, I know what went wrong and just because I didn't hit the goals I set out to achieve doesn't mean I failed, Just means I need to work that much harder for the next one. We set out for our long  drive to Ohio fairly early Friday morning and after a few stops and some weather/traffic related delays finally arrived in Sandusky. Once we got figured out where we were exactly we were able to easily navigate our way to the hotel where packet pick up was. Inside the hotel there were plenty of directions pointing the way and we easily found the packet pick up and within minutes had our shirts and bibs and were back to our car but not before a quick picture with a celebrity...

Celebrity Sighting

We got over to our hotel got settled in and I went for a quick shake out run, especially after driving all day I needed to stretch the legs and it also helped get me a bit acclimated to the Ohio weather. It was a good and after that is was off to bed so we could get a good nights sleep. It was an early wake up call as Sam was running the 5k the next morning. While were on the topic of the 5k let me say again (if you follow me in any other form of social media you already know about this) I am so proud of Sam for her results at the 5k not only did she break 30 mins (which she had been working extremely hard for) but she took first place in her age group. It was so awesome to see how happy she was and it was cool to be on the other side of it for once. After that we went back to the hotel to clean up and grab Grandma and Jack then we headed back to Cedar Point for a day of enjoy the park. We took it easy most of the day and then grabbed dinner at TGI Fridays before heading back to the hotel so we could get a good night sleep as it would be another early wake up call for the half marathon the next day.

Sam on the Podium

So race morning arrived we got up got ready and got over to the park plenty early. I am always of the mind that I would rather arrive early than be rushing to the start right before the gun. I went for a quick warm up jog, used the potty (always a must before a race) and got situated at the start line. I had planned on using the 2:00 hour pacer to help guide me into what I hoped would be a sub 2 finish but I quickly discovered a problem. Whoever was meant to be the 2 hour pacer wasn't there (I overheard that apparently they had gotten injured) this put a dent in my plans but I had my Nike app on my phone that would give me pace updates so I would just need to monitor it myself and hope for the best.

Had to Get another shot with Snoopy

Ready To Rock

The Course



As the gun sounded and we headed off I was feeling pretty good I got in a nice groove early and enjoyed the early part of the course a lot. After short loop around the parking lot we were into the park and it was kind of cool to be running in an empty park (except a few employees and us runners) with the coasters towering overhead (some where even running empty) after exiting the park and going back past the start area (with a quick high five from Sam) we headed down the causeway and towards downtown Sandusky. It was along here that I encountered my first problem, My GPS wasn't synching up with the course in fact I was a good quarter mile behind which meant that while I thought I was running about 9:10 miles I was actually running close to 8:50. This meant that I was expending far more energy than I had planned on and I knew that it wasn't good I kept trying to adjust my pace but with out an accurate GPS it was hard. Now a lot of people might think it was boring to only be in the park for the 3 miles but I actually enjoy running in different areas and it was cool to see these parts of Sandusky, as I hit the half way point my body was really feeling the effects of my early pace and I hit the wall HARD. I normally will walk through water stops get my water down then immediately start running again but as I hit the water stop around half way I just couldn't get going and I took my  first walk break. This really broke me mentally and its really hard to recover from it when you are out there all by yourself. I knew my hopes of a sub 2 where pretty much out the window with how I was feeling and probably any hopes of a new PR were gone as well. But I still had over 6 miles to go and no matter what I was going to finish. After walking for a bit I got going again although at a much slower pace I kept trying to get over the mental hurdle of hitting the wall but it was tough I would run for a bit but then my head would tell me I needed to walk and like a dope I would listen to it. After that I wound up taking short walk breaks about every mile and mile 10 to 11 where especially rough but it was then that I finally re-energized myself. I had a talk in my head basically telling myself that it was only 2 more miles and if I couldn't run it now I probably shouldn't be running at all. As we headed back down the causeway and toward the finish I wasn't feeling great but I knew I was going to finish and even if it wasn't going to be a new PR I should still make the best of it so I tried to kick hard into the finish, crossed that line and got my awesome new medal. I was exhausted in more ways than one and I grabbed some chocolate milk (my new favorite post race treat) found a hunk of side walk and sat down and tried my best to recover. Sam was very supportive even though I felt like I had failed she kept telling me that I still crossed the finish and that was something to be proud of.

Not my best post run shot but still proud



 It took me awhile to get over how I felt post race. Even with the hiccup with my pace I should have been able to over come that had I trained properly. I knew where I had went wrong in training (not enough long runs) and I knew that I could overcome this result. It was a learning experience for sure and sometimes a result like this can do more for you than a positive one. I am really rearing to get back out there and improve on this  race but I'll have to wait till August for that. In the meantime I get to run the worlds largest 10k with 60,000 of my closest friends....Peachtree Here I Come....

My Bling

Race Report -- The Fiesta 15k

So I realize that I completely dropped the ball and never did a Race Report after the Peach Jam Half, but honestly because of the way the course was there was not a lot to report on. It took place on the forsyth county section of the Big Creek Greenway so there wasn't really a lot of places for crowd support, but it finished on the track at the park and there were quite a few people there cheering us home, it was super flat and super fast and carried me to a new PR at 2:04:09. I'm getting ever closer to breaking the 2 hour mark. So now on to my latest race the Fiesta 15k ...

Ill be honest my training has been lacking lately due to a couple reasons number one was that my knee had been giving me some trouble, nothing that I couldn't deal with but mostly just some discomfort while running, It was bothering during the peach jam so I decided to rest the week after that race and while it didn't go away it seemed to lessen a bit  so I eased myself back into my regular weekly runs and also opted to switch my shoes to the pair I had bought back in January and set aside. Most people seem to think that shoes can last anywhere from 200-500 miles depending on how hard you are on them I am a pretty heavy foot striker so mine seem to last on the low end of that scale. I thought that might be partially contributing to the knee as the pair I was wearing had over 300 miles on them so I swapped out.



New Kicks

Issue number two was I had kind of lost my mojo, I cant point to anything in particular, I still enjoyed running but I was finding more excuses not to do it rather than just getting out the door and doing it. But I think I had my breakthrough moment earlier this week....registration day for the Walt Disney World Marathon arrived and I am now officially going to run a marathon, nothing like that little task to get you back into running mode. So anyway back to the Fiesta 15k...

of course they would come out with this shirt to get me to spend more money

So as I said I wasn't feeling great leading into race day but I was going to go out there and give it my best, I usually try to arrive fairly early to races whenever possible I just find it easier that way so I arrived about an hour prior to the start, got my bib and goodie bag, hit up the restroom (a must before any race) and sat in my car for a bit (it was actually a little chilly so the extra warmth helped) I got my bib pinned on got myself ready  to go and headed to start area about 10 mins prior to start time. Now I am not nor will I ever be a super fast runner, I would consider myself slightly above average so I try to position myself accordingly (towards the front but not right up front) I found a spot and staked my claim as we waited. I tried to loosen up a little by bouncing in place and soon enough it was time to go. This race started and finished at a conference center that was part of Lanier Technical College so it started off with a loop around the parking lot and then out onto the roads. The one thing that really stuck out about the earlier portion of the race was HILLS....man there were a lot of hills but we were running through some really nice neighborhoods and there were plenty of cops directing traffic where it was needed, I am always glad when I see cops out there directing traffic and keeping us runners safe and I try to always make it a point to thank them as I run by. I wasn't sure how the water stops were aligned on these course (either they weren't on the course map I looked at or I didn't pay attention) but I had brought my amphipod water belt just to be safe and boy am I glad I did as the water stops were few and far between in fact there may have only been one official one that we actually passed 3 times. First time was at about 2.5 miles then again at 6.5 and last time at 7.5, for me that definitely wouldn't have been enough so thank goodness for my belt. There was someone in one of the neighborhoods handing out little water bottles at around mile 4.5 but I passed since I knew there would be people who needed it more than me. The last thing about the course that I wasn't a big fan of was the turn-arounds, on four separate occasions we would go down a street turn around and come back up not my favorite thing in the world. I understand that some of it is unavoidable they have to make the best course with what they have available but I would have like to have seen some different scenery. All that being said I would do this race again mostly because it goes to such a great cause. ALS is a terrible disease and anything we can do to hopefully find a cure is definitely needed. As I came into the finish I realized I was going to set a new 15K PR and there is no better feeling than that when running.


Look I'm even smiling



After finishing I grabbed some water and tried to look at the official results but mine hadn't posted yet. I chatted with a lady who had run with me for almost the entire race as we waited to see if our results posted and she waited for her friend to finish. after she left and still not seeing my results on the screen they had I looked over at the side of the tent to see the age group results posted I looked at my group and was shocked to see my name in second place (it helps when there are only 4 of you but ill still take it) official time of 1:25:57! So another race is in the books and despite some mixed feelings leading up to it I think my mojo is back and I'm ready for the next challenge which will be my first Run-cation  as we head to Ohio for the Cedar Point Run and Ride Half. I will try and get a post up at least once a week from now on for those of you who may still be reading this 8)

age group swag



Epic Running Year

hey remember when I said I was going to try and make this thing regular again...I might actually stick to it...LOL

I have dubbed this my Epic Running Year as I have big plans for 2015 and early 2016, I started off by running the Hot Chocolate 15k in January and followed that up with The Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March (which you read all about here) so what do I have planned for the rest of year... quite a bit actually here's a rundown:



April 18th: The Georgia Peach Jam Half Marathon, I'm excited about this race as its a small field (only 500 runners) and its on the Forsyth County section of the Big Creek Greenway, I love running the Alpharetta section and am excited to run a different part, the course should also be super flat and fast.

May 2nd: The Fiesta 15k, last year on my birthday weekend I ran a 5k this year I'm stepping it up a notch and going 15, this race also goes toward a great cause, ALS research, while I don't know anyone personally struggling with the disease I think we all know the terrible effects it can have so im happy to help by doing something so simple as running 9.3 miles.

 



June 14th: Why run just local races when your wife suggest you go to Cedar Point to run? Yup this will be my first Run-cation as we head to Sandusky, Ohio for the Run and Ride Half Marathon. I think this race will be an awesome experience and A nice tune up for what I have planned in January (more on that later) we will also be able to visit some family in Ohio which makes it more cost effective rather than doing it all just to run a race.

 



July 4th: This one is a bucket list item, living in Georgia you almost have to run The Peachtree Road Race at least once. Normally you have to go through a lottery to get in but thanks to my awesome employer I got guaranteed entry so this is the year me and 60,000 of my closest friends tackle the streets of downtown Atlanta for the worlds largest 10k.

 

 



August 22nd: This is a special one, on November 8th I completed my first half marathon at the Area 13.1, so of course I have to do it again. I loved this race last year and they have looked to improve the course and they have epic glow in the dark medals (its a night race) how can you go wrong?

September 5th: The Tortoise and Hare Half Marathon, This should be another fun race not only will it be my first trail Half Marathon but it has a fun theme as the slower runners (the tortoise's) start first and the faster runners (the hares) start later with everyone looking to finish around the same time. the winners are still determined by the fastest time completing the course but this brings everyone into the finish in a smaller window so everyone gets the same huge finish support.

October 3rd: Part two of my ATL Challenge (part one was the Publix half) the Michelob Ultra 13.1. The ATL Challenge is for anyone who completes both races and as a sucker for bling I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Also the medal for the Michelob doubles as a bottle opener...obviously everyone needs that.

November 7th: The Volition America Half Marathon, I'm a firm believer in giving back to those that fight for us to be free so when I  found this race I knew I wanted to run it as it supports Folds of Honor. Running is easy, what our soldiers do for our country is much harder and we should all do anything we can to give back to them.

 

 

 

I don't have a race picked out for December yet but im sure I will find something I may keep it as simple as a 5k as Ill be wrapping up training for the big event of the year which will actually take place the first week of January. Some of you may know this already but for those that don't I have taken the plunge to Full Marathon and I will be doing it at Disney World for the WDW Marathon 2016. That's right this crazy guy that was sitting on his couch doing nothing roughly 2.5 years ago is going to run 26.2 miles!!! I am beyond excited to tackle this new challenge and will try to update this blog with all the ups and downs as training really begins, I hope you will come along for the ride....

 



 

Race Report: Publix Georgia Half Marathon

so I know this blog has been completely dead for awhile but I am going to try to resurrect it starting now. I've got big running plans for 2015 and especially early 2016. I'll make another post about that later on down the line but for now I would like to focus on my just completed second major race of 2015 ... The Publix Georgia Half Marathon.

so I was a good portion of the way through writing this and somehow magically deleted it so I'm going to streamline and just focus on the race itself as I really don't want to type all that over again 8(
so here goes nothing...

I had a goal in mind for this race of beating my first half marathon time which was 2:16.35 and even though it was a rainy morning and my training hadn't gone exactly how I wanted it to (my last two long runs were especially dreadful) I still felt pretty good most of my training runs had been at a faster pace than what I had been running previously so as long as I could stay consistent I should be ok. I realized at the start line that I was perfectly placed just in front of the 2:15 pace group so as long as I didn't see that sign run past me I knew I was on pace to PR. This race started and finished at Centennial Olympic Park right in the heart of downtown Atlanta so the early portion of the race was right in the city but luckily the roads were wide and I never felt overly crowded on the course. I was feeling pretty good as I set out and fairly early on (within the first mile or two if I remember right) I had virtually caught up to the 2:10 pace group I decided to just shadow them for as long as I could and then drop back if I needed to later on. The highlights of the early part of the course came around mile 2 where we first passed over I75 with a nice view of the Atlanta skyline (maybe people stopped to take selfies here but I wasn't one of them) then we passed a Publix (who just so happens to be the title sponsor) they had a band out there and there were quite a few people brave enough to stand in the rain and cheer for random strangers I also spied the store manager out there clapping with no umbrella. The water/PowerAde stations along the entire course were well stocked and well staffed they were spaced around every mile and a half or so but I had also worn my hydration belt as I like to try and take on water at least every mile. Mile 2.5 to 4 was a decent hill but I was still feeling really good at this point and was holding my spot shortly behind the 2:10 pacers we also passed by the MLK Jr historical sight just before mile 4. As we headed toward mile 5 we entered the Little Five Points area of Atlanta which is a funky little area of town that I had never been in before with some quirky little shops and clubs. I must say that there really was spectator support through out most of the course and even though none of those people were there specifically for me seeing them there gave me a boost I also took my first Gu Gel at mile 5 (I had brought 2 with me so I figured I would take 1 at mile 5 and the other at mile 10) I think it was between mile 5 and 6 that the Chic Fil A cows were out which gave me laugh for no apparent reason. Just before Mile 7 was a bonus water stop that also had jelly beans that I took advantage of as we hit mile 7 the half marathon course split from the full marathoners maybe next year ill be heading left instead of right but this year right it was. Miles 7 and 8 were in the Virginia Highlands area which I believe is one of the older Atlanta neighborhoods there were a few people out on their porches cheering and it was also in this stretch that I had my second laugh out loud moment as there was a person handing out cans of beer if anyone so desired (I didn't but thought it was funny none the less). It was also at mile 8 that I spied a bank of port a potties with no line I decided to go ahead and make a pit stop even though I didn't NEED to I figured I would before the end of the race so this seemed as good as time as any. after my stop I quickly caught back up to the 2:10 pacers and was surprised at how well I was feeling despite the fact that I was maybe pushing harder than I should. At mile 9 I saw my favorite sign of the race, there was a group of maybe late 20something ladies who seemed to be having to much fun and they had a sign that said "You've ran 9 miles, We've drank 9 Mimosa's" thanks for the laugh and the boost ladies. after that we entered into Piedmont Park, this portion also featured a pretty brutal hill, miles 7-9 were a gradual downhill but 9-10.5 went right back up and it did effect me a bit but I took my second Gu Gel and some PowerAde and powered through it. I had been alternating between taking PowerAde and Water at the aid stations and I think I took both at the stop after that hill. It was also during that hill that I left the 2:10 pacers not by slowing down like I thought would happen but by passing them...what was I doing? at Mile 11 we were in the Georgia Tech campus along fraternity/sorority row there was one blasting the rocky theme which I thought was a nice touch. Mile 11 also featured the second bonus aid station with oranges but I passed on these, something about trying to suck on an orange whilst running didn't appeal to me. we made a couple left turns and hit mile 12 and onto Marietta street (the street which we had begun the race on) this felt like the longest mile of the course probably because I think I was finally feeling the effects of pushing myself at pretty much max level for the entire course but I wasn't going to let that stop me and I powered on home and one last left turn into the finish line I looked up at the clock as I crossed and I think it read something like 2:10ish, I was shocked I knew my race hadn't started when the clock had which guaranteed that my chip time would be better than 2:10 I was totally stoked I really didn't think I would run that well. I walked through the finish area got a bottle of water and my oh so awesome medal. They were also handing out those hand space blankets which I tried to wrap around my shoulders to at least keep anymore rain off me this effort failed and I dropped it several times so then it was just as wet as I was so I gave up on it and tossed it. I got my food bag from the tent and also got some chocolate milk that really hit the spot for me I didn't really look in my food bag as I wasn't really hungry and the milk was doing the job for me. I next hit up the results tent and got my official chip time .......drumroll........2:07 flat!!!! I really couldn't have been any happier my goal for this year is to hopefully get under 2 hours and this result really gave me confidence that I might actually make that happen. I then made my way over to the finish area to wait on my friend to finish and shortly after I got there the leader of the Marathon was on his way in he finished around 2:35 which is just crazy to me but so awesome. after watching my friend finish we met up towards the finishers area and got her goodie bag and tried to make our way back to our car which took some figuring out but we eventually made it and race day was officially over. I really enjoyed this course as I saw parts of the city that I don't normally get to see and despite the hills I ran really well. I would def. like to do this race again next year although depending on how my first marathon goes I may aim to go for the full next time!!

obligatory medal selfie

So there you go hope you enjoyed this rambling synopsis and hopefully this is the start of more regular posts from me.  I have races lined up throughout the rest of this year and I will try to also post training blogs from time to time as well. hope you enjoy and happy running!!!!!