Beginners and Beyond

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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Peachtree Road Race Report (Read 44 times)

    Less about the numbers, more about  experience on the race and the expo.

     

    The Peachtree Road Race Expo is two days.  I purposely attended the first day and took off half day from work in order to meet Meb Keflezighi at the expo.  I was about the 10th in the queue for Meb.    I bought his book, Run to Overcome, with the new Boston marathon cover. Meb personalized the inscription.  In addition, he signed my Peachtree Race bib and posed for a photo.  Then, he was gracious to remark for me to check the photos on the phone.  If not right, then I could get another photo after the next person waiting.

     

    ^ Meb & me

     

     

    Naturally, I'm going to frame this bib.

     

    The morning of the race, my DS1 and I prepared to travel to the MARTA station from our home.  This year is our fourth consecutive year running together.  We started in 2011 and I consider this race my runniversary.  In 2011, I had only run a little church sponsored 5k in May.

    By coincidence, at the MARTA station, we see family friends that my son has known since first grade.  It seems like every year we see them on the train as we travel to the Lenox stop.  We chat the whole way.

    I'm mentally ready to face a finishing time 5 to 10 minutes slower than last year due to lower mileage run in the past three months plus about 1/3 less long run distances of 6 plus miles on the weekend.  Last year I had several 8 & 9 mile runs in three month preparation for this race, this year - nada.

    We exit with the masses at  the Lenox MARTA station and climb the stairs to street level.

    The photographers from Marathon Foto position themselves from the train station to the start line looking for couples, families, and groups to snap photos.

     

     

    I'm happy that my DS1 humors me by running in this event even though he has not run except for about 4 runs around the neighborhood since last year's race.

     

    We skip the early port-a-potties which there are long lines and find the ones near the start prior to the entrance for A-E waves.  No lines there.

    On my left arm, I wrote some split times along with "Run to Win" which Meb had inscribed on my bib.

     

    My wave starts at 7:50 am and the weather is cool for Atlanta.

    I glance at my watch at the 1 mile mark and it shows 8:55.  I know that that I have to run well in the first 3 miles because of the elevation change in the later miles which includes Cardiac Hill.

     

    Prior to the seeing the first mile marker, I determined that I would surge whenever I viewed the mile marker ahead.  I kept to that plan for mile markers 1 through 5.  All was well to mile three.   I should have stopped for water then but I waited till about mile 4 - a mistake.

    I kept churning my legs while running the uphill portions of the race but I felt the lack of endurance training miles haunting me.

    Usually around the 5 mile marker, I get a second wind, none today.  Even though a local radio station at a street  corner was playing the Wisconsin Camp Randall "Jump Around" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tODlPxhbGF8  skip to the 0:50 mark), and I jumped like a fool at that moment, no adrenaline propelled me forward.

    The race has been all on Peachtree Road so far.  We turn left at 10th St and head towards the finish.  First is the "fake finish line" down the road a bit where Marathon Foto photographers are perched above.  My photos always suck here so no inclusion.  However, in the three previous Peachtree races, here is where I reach for a kick to head to the finish.  Alas, no kick seems available.  I force myself to run with heavy legs and cross the finish line.  I'm surprised and pleasantly pleased as evidenced by this photo taken at Piedmont Park where all runners are funneled for their fabled Tshirt and many food treats.

     

     

    The official finish time  was 57:16. A 37 second PR from last year's race.  I've run enough to know your time is a result of your training.  I faded in the last three miles due not enough long runs of 6 plus miles and not enough 8 mile runs.  On the bright side, because I incorporated some cross training which included 100 squats twice a week for several weeks I was still able to run better than I expected.

    The good news did not end at Piedmont Park where I met my DS1 and we decided to walk the long uphill walk on 8th St back to the nearest MARTA station.   After we traveled about 3/4 of the way, a small local watering hole establishment on a corner had a young woman barking to all the runners, "FREE BEER to RUNNERS!"  All the runners walking by were stunned.  So a bearded gentleman poured me a cold craft draft beer into a red solo cup (naturally!).  It was a sight to see for those runners who chose to partake walking up the remainder of this long street  sipping from their red solo cup.  And on this day, the numerous Atlanta police did not care.  Happy Fourth of July indeed!

    Thus, thanks to my DS1 continuing this Fourth of July  tradition, seeing family friends, an unexpected PR, and a cold beverage led me to remark to my son, "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner".

    “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot

    LRB


      Those cups hold 16 ounces, winner winner is right!  lol

       

      Were you around for the Meb hoopla in is quest to past as many runners as he could?

      Jack K.


      uʍop ǝpᴉsdn sǝʇᴉɹʍ ʇI

        Great RR, bozy. You gotta love those red Solo cups!  I have never met Meb (though I did see him training in Mammoth Lakes, CA before Olympics) but I have heard that he is one of the coolest, most down to earth celebrities you will ever meet.  Also, your DS1 must be a pretty stand-up guy as well; four runs in a year yet he still has time to race with his old man. Good stuff.  Lastly, congrats on a nice PR, that Cardiac Hill does not look easy.

          Those cups hold 16 ounces, winner winner is right!  lol

           

          Were you around for the Meb hoopla in is quest to past as many runners as he could?

           

          For the first time in 4 years, my son actually did not stray from our designated meeting spot - near Powerade and Bluebell ice cream freebies.  So we were gone by the time Meb finished.

          “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot

              I have never met Meb (though I did see him training in Mammoth Lakes, CA before Olympics) but I have heard that he is one of the coolest, most down to earth celebrities you will ever meet.  Also, your DS1 must be a pretty stand-up guy as well; four runs in a year yet he still has time to race with his old man. Good stuff. 

             

            You are absolutely spot-on with your description of Meb.  Regarding DS1, sometimes your kids surprise you.  He had to work the night before the race and a college student normally does not set his alarm for 5 am on his summer break.

            “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot

            B-Plus


              Very cool! It sounds like Meb didn't catch you. Sounds like a fun event.