Race Report: Peachtree Road Race 10K

I'm so excited I got to run Peachtree again - because Heather accepted a new job in San Francisco and just got her way out there, she decided to give up her bib and gave me the opportunity to snatch it up. Thanks, lady! Last Georgia run and it's the coveted Georgia runner's race. US/world's largest 10K - and such an incredible experience, both from the runners' and I imagine the spectator's point of view. I swear that all of Atlanta comes out just to watch. It's amazing. After running last year, I just knew I wanted to run it again - so again, thanks HP! Much like last year, this was also the last day of the Runner's World Run Streak challenge - what better way to end it than with a race?

On Wednesday after work, I headed down to Kayla's place - many thanks to her and her hubby, Michael, for hosting me for a night! We headed out to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and the fabulousness that is carb-loading -- and an unexpected game of trivia! And, as every other Atlantan did, we stalked the weather. By the time we went to bed, the rain had been pushed back until 10 am, so we figured, Sweet! We'll be done by then! It was the first time I had gone to bed before midnight all week and it was such a great sleep, it was really hard to get up. Really, really hard. But regardless, race morning gets me pumped like no other and it was go time!

We brought along trash bags just in case, and I'm glad we did, even if it was only for a warm up. After hopping on the madness that was MARTA (really, on the way there it wasn't terrible) and getting to Lenox, it started sprinkling a bit, so we were really glad to still have our bags then. Kayla and Michael were in upper corrals, and decided to wait nearby in a parking deck with tons of other folks. I was a little farther back, so decided to head back in that direction and get caught up with Liz, Christina, Heather, Kara and company.

The corrals and roads were so empty - it was almost eerie, compared to the busyness of last year's corral areas! Our corral was empty until practically start time. So bizarre - but it was nice to have room to stretch out! We were still there about an early, as corral P didn't head out until 8:30, but with the rain hardly even spitting at this point, it was nice. Cool, not
miserably wet, and we could at least breathe with the seemingly little humidity.

Last race as a Georgia resident! Lucky #27!

I said all morning I wasn't sure what I was running - being that I was #moonlightingasHP she told me just to get her a PR (1:25:xx) which I knew I could at least guarantee. After this really tough run streak, and moving boxes up and down stairs all week, I wasn't sure what my legs were really capable of - my knees were tired and I felt just meh. I figured I'd see how it went come the actual start time and go from there. This was Christina's first race ever (!) so Liz was going to hang with her and I thought maybe I'd do the same, and just run for fits and giggles. I tried - really - but managed to feel pretty good once I got moving. The first mile was slow, 10:20ish, but I knew I had a little something in me to keep moving and moving faster - so I did. My second mile was somewhere in the 9:20s! Ha!

I ran the whole damn thing. I felt amazing! Clocked almost every mile under 9:30, except for Mile 4 around 9:40, and pushed hard. Cardiac Hill, the last sneaky hill, through the bobbing and the weaving, and sprinted into the finish. Truth be told, I'm not sure how, as I felt so tired just standing around waiting for the start, and voila! Magic happens.

Final chip time was 59:57. The key phrase and common knowledge is that you don't run Peachtree to PR; you run Peachtree to run Peachtree. However, considering my previous standing 10K PR was just 28 seconds faster at 59:29 - I'm calling this a win and essentially a PR, considering all the weaving and bobbing you've gotta do. I won't call it official, but it may as well be! I was alive after that run and seeing that I managed to clock in under an hour. That coveted Peachtree shirt is mine - and with a stellar time to boot. Happy day!

My legs were definitely tired all the rest of the day, so I knew I ran and raced hard, and I feel really good about that. Doug flew in in the afternoon, landing at 5, and after visiting with some friends in north Atlanta for a few hours, we headed to the Braves game - we'd been watching on TV, saw no rain, and so ended up at the stadium somewhere in the sixth inning. Doug's trying to collect all the baseball stadiums, and so we figured we had tickets, we had to at least in get some of the game to make it count. And what better all American Fourth of July festivities than baseball and fireworks? Duh.

We hit the road Saturday - I'm going to try and post each evening along our adventure, so please feel free to follow along our visits in Memphis, OKC, Albuquerque and Phoenix, and... eventually LA!


What did you do for the Fourth? Did you race anywhere - how did it go?

 

#BostonStrongATH - Athens, Georgia

A run for us to unite and show our strength.
A run for those that were unable to finish.
A run for those that may never run again.
A run for us to try and make sense of the tragedy that has forever changed something we love.

Pavement Runner started an incredible movement with the idea of the #BostonStrong run series, for Monday evening, one week since the tragedy in Boston. I quickly emailed the idea to one of our Athens Road Runners board members on Tuesday, and by Wednesday I had a Facebook event invite waiting for me - runners make things happen. The ARR coordinated the run, with further coordination for shirts from the Athens Running Company and a local State Farm agent jumped in for water for post-run refreshment. Community. What a community.

I'd say there were safely between 200 and 250 runners that came out Monday for a solemn 3 miles around Athens - moms, kids, dogs, college students, and some of our area-based 17 Boston Marathoners from this year. An amazing turnout for an event with five days' notice. Humbling, to say the least.

 We started with a 26-second moment of silence for each mile of Boston, followed by introductions of our Boston Marathoners that were able to make it, and a description of the course. ARR won over the hearts of the local police with the promise that all of us (yes, all of us) would obey traffic laws, stop signs, and run on sidewalks. We did... for the most part.

It felt like any other 5K in town - we usually run (most of) the course during our Saturday group runs, in some form or another, so I knew the hills backwards and forwards (mostly forwards), and knew what was coming. I felt great, but knew to back off coming into mile 3, where I started to feel it. Chandler and I chatted most of the way, as I bolted my way through what was supposed to be an easy 3 miles for the day (spoiler: they were too fast for 'easy'!). 

 source | Chandler told me she wanted to learn how to pose like me while running. Win.

The part that got me most was seeing families - parents, their kids, toddlers, and even a set of infant twin baby girls - were out on their porches cheering, like it was an actual race through their neighborhood. I got goosebumps every time I passed one of those houses, thinking of all those spectators killed, injured. They're hurting just as much as we are as runners.

I even got to chat with the press (and more photos I know you want to see here). Afterward, a local bar held a post-run gathering, complete with free hot dogs, water, tea, and Sam Adams for the cheap. Spectacular.

Did you participate in a #BostonStrong run on Monday?

  ------

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Race Report: Publix Georgia Half Marathon [The Race]

Publix Georgia Half Marathon | March 17

The Race

I tell ya what, after working 5+ hours at a race expo, a 5 am alarm comes really early in the morning - not that it isn't early anyway, but when your 6 hours of sleep the night before a race is the most you've had in three days... it's early. Heather and I were up and out the door by 5:30 to get to downtown Atlanta, parked and to the race start area in Centennial Park by 6:15 or so. Surprisingly, parking wasn't chaotic, as we parked in a little side lot for $10 not even a block from the park - success! After finding gear check and volunteer check in (side note: Jayne, the volunteer coordinator, had rescued my brand new Under Armour fleece jacket and it was promised she would have it there this morning; all I had to do was pick it up after the race), we found our sorority sisters - so many of us! Brandi was running the half, Heather and I the half, Liz was running her first full and Jessica her third full. So many OPA-powered runners! Love these ladies and connecting over running, fitness, and the ins and outs of runner life. 

It noted online to be in your corral by 6:50 am. I have no idea what time we headed towards the corrals, but they were a total cluster. I was assigned to corral K, but after passing corral G, I saw no signs and the back-up of people was completely overwhelming. I found somewhere to hop into a corral where I saw lots of Is and Js, and given that the herd of people had already started moving, just stood off to the side until I saw a few more Ks pop up - ultimately, I figured it didn't matter where I started, given the chip-time, but I wanted to at least make it through with some peers who were about my time range (mind you, I didn't even see any pace groups for a good while in the corrals!). 

The night before, Heather asked if I had wanted to hang back and run with her or if I planned on actually racing. Even the morning of, I still wasn't sure. I wasn't feel my best, and still coming out of marathon recovery (my longest run had been the Taste 10K, and a few other runs 5-6 miles each). I figured I'd just start and see how things went, and if I feel into a groove, awesome; if not, I'd just finish with what I thought made sense. This course is no joke and certainly proves that even if you think you know Atlanta hills, they'll show you that you don't.

I started out, feeling like I was just trotting along for the first few miles. The course is a great one, taking you through some major Atlanta attractions and points of interest. The race starts in Centennial Park, centerpiece to the downtown blocks that make up the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, and the World of Coke. Almost immediately into the race, you're on Georgia State's campus in downtown, followed shortly by the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site, and eventually the Carter Library and Museum, through the beautiful Virginia Highlands, a stint in Piedmont Park, through downtown, Georgia Tech, and back into downtown. If you're a non-Atlanta runner, this is an amazing course that really highlights Atlanta and all it has to offer. If I weren't in the city as often as I am, I would be pleasantly happy with what scenery the course had along the way - I was more excited that I ran by landmarks that I actually recognized and that  I at least semi-sort-of knew where I was! 

Running through Piedmont. Always my favorite.

Some of the great things about this course, especially if you're a regular Atlanta runner, is that about 70% of the half marathon course is covered by other races. The Color Run, Hot Chocolate 15K and Peachtree all have snippets (mostly in reverse, compared to today's course) along this path, so it helped that I knew where I was and what hills I was about to head into. Familiar territory is always nice in a race day environment! 

I didn't fall into a real 'groove' until almost mile 7, and had already taken two walk breaks by then, which is fairly non-characteristic for me, but again, wasn't sure I was actually racing this. At that point, I realized if I pushed just a little more, I could at least ball-park near my half PR, which I would be more than ecstatic with. At mile 9, I felt myself waning faster than normal, and decided to just keep pushing as best as I could. At 12, I just wanted to be done - as evident by those splits. It wasn't until probably a quarter into that last full mile that I actually felt like I was able to run the rest of the way in - considering I normally sprint the last entire half mile, this was rough.

At least I don't look like I'm dying! Mile 12.

Brandi's mom was waiting for me at the finish line (she'd been tracking us all via text), but she said I must've ran the last mile so fast, she wasn't ready for me! Oh well.

Half marathon #8 - done and done!

Final time: 2:18:20

2332/4951 women

47.57% age grade 

 

I went and retrieved my oodles of belongings (jacket at volunteer check in, food bag by Publix, gear check), and met up with Brandi's mom and dad to wait for Brandi and Heather to finish. Heather and Brandi had met up at some point and were finishing the race together - the plus to running with cell phones, though I know a lot of folks don't like to. After Heather and Brandi came through their sprinting finish (3:16), we hung out in the park for awhile, met some new friends, stretched, and relaxed. About the time we knew Liz would coming towards the finish, we made our way back to the finish line, cheering folks in for both the half and full. It never fails to get me to see folks crying their way into the finish, having finished their first half, or majorly PRed, or swooping up their toddler to carry them in with them. Emotional. Wreck. <-- that's me

How fun are the medals though, for reals?

We got to see Liz come through, looking great coming into her moment of glory! Never forget how that feels girl, you earned it! Congratulations on joining the 1% club! Heather and I then had to blitz off and head back to Piedmont for a little kickball action - seriously. We "stretched" out and played an hour's worth of kickball to end our fitness-filled day. We're dumb sometimes. But it was fun. 

And with views like this, why not?

And there you have. Half marathon #8 in the books, race #5 of 2013, and a great day in the pocket. KT tape review to come in on Friday, given that this sucker got a little longer than I intended!

 Did you race on St. Patrick's Day? Are you an all-green sort of runner, or do you never dress in theme?

Race Report: Publix Georgia Half Marathon [The Expo]

Publix Georgia Half Marathon | March 17

The Expo

I signed up for this race somewhere around Christmas. About a month ago, I decided that I wanted to also volunteer some of my time and work the expo - part of my goals for the year is to volunteer for at least two races. So many of my races have been great thanks to some outstanding volunteers and I wanted to return the favor, even if I couldn't do it on race day.

On Saturday, I was driving back up from Florida (that's a different story for a different day), and was supposed to be at the expo at 1:30. Traffic was horrendous just south of Atlanta, and apparently there was a St. Patrick's day parade in downtown - all places I needed to be! Super. I got to the expo about 2, met up with Heather, and we got down to work (well, correction, she'd been there awhile already).

 

We spent all afternoon working packet pick up and had a blast. It got a little chaotic for some points, but was a total blast. Heather and I kind of became some sort of team leads and helped organizing our packet system, bag and shirt pick up, and became our area leader's go-to ladies. All in fun times! Brandi spotted us, as did a few other friends - our sorority sister Liz was running her first full, Jessica her third.So many girls all together - how perfect!

Spotted! Photo cred: Brandi

Before the expo closed at 6, we got to take a quick break and check out the booths - some really fantastic booths. Lots of good free swag and fun stuff to stop and check out. The race had a ton of great merchandise, including a few tops I lusted over, but unfortunately just had to say no. With Publix being a main sponsor passed out mini cutting boards, and some biscotti spread, in addition to having an almost full-service store set up! Photography company was doing on-the-spot prints with some awesome props. Ragnar, runDisney, Rock 'n Roll were all there. I stayed clear of all those for now; no cash for the extra races! Soon enough. Except Ragnar - finally got to meet Lindsay! Hooray! ... and no photo to prove it. Womp. I also finally got to stop at the KT Tape table and get my knee taped - first time I've finally gotten to since the line was actually short - but more on that on Wednesday with my race recap.

 

 We were signed up to work until 6:30 and ended up being there until almost 7 - again, turned into those unofficial team leads. It was fun, seriously though, but surely regretted being on my feet all that time by the end of our shift. At that point, I was just hoping that the balls of my feet didn't throb that bad come first thing in the morning.

Perks to working packet pick up? Super easy packet pick up!

Half marathon #8, here I come!

Have you ever volunteered at a race expo? Do you ever volunteer at the race expo you end up running?

Race Report: Athens Half Marathon

Athens Half Marathon 

October 21, 2012

Athens, GA

I volunteered at this race last year, had barely started training for my first half, and knew that I wanted to run it come this year. What was better, after seeing the ridiculousness that the course was last year... was the new course for this year and it was awesome. But we'll start at the beginning... 

Expo

Last year the expo was at the New Balance store in town. Yep, one store, one sad little table to get your bag and t-shirt and that was it, so I was also super excited to see that it had moved to the Classic Center, so it had the chance for being an expo. Despite the Center being swarmed with high schoolers on the front lawn and around downtown, it was awesome -- lots of tables with vendors and temptations of things I didn't need to buy. Finally got my RunATL shirt, and half off, woo, at ten bucks. Lots of free stuff too! I really love that AthHalf does their own 13.1 stickers and everyone gets one if you grab one.I met up with four of the grad students, Paula, Michael, Tim and Chrissy (the first three of whom I work with, all running their first half!) and wandered around a bit, shared some advice and things to do on Saturday to prepare themselves. I actually felt like I knew what I was talking about, which gotta say... makes you feel legit! I was super excited for them and still felt the buzz myself. 

After the expo, I went and drove the course. While I knew the majority of the roads, there were pieces I didn't know and didn't want to go blind-sided into. I went blind-sided into ATL and that seemed to work out well, but I've never had the chance to drive the course so I figured I'd take advantage. I'm not sure it helped or not. We'll get to that. Saturday was a stunning day and all I could do was pray that Sunday turned out to be just as beautiful and we'd have a great morning! 

Scenes along the route - Memorial Park, UGA Golf Course, UGA Greek Park Circle and Sanford!

Race

Prefacing this with the fact that I still couldn't decide if I want to go all out for this half or not. I had originally been saying that the ATL half was for fun, and this was for serious. But after how well I did at ATL, I couldn't decide if I wanted to attempt the same here. I figured I'd just run and see how it would go and based it off that... 

Trash bag crew!

My alarm was set for 5:45 am -- the other perk to having the race being in your town! I sprung up wide awake at 5 am. Fail. So I laid in bed, got myself mentally psyched to get up and do this just two weeks after the last one. Half peanut butter sandwich, banana and half a Gatorade later I was out the door at 6:30 and ready to meet the same four on-campus at 6:45. Last year, I had noted how many runners had on trash bags over their gear - that way they didn't have to toss out their sweatshirts or long-sleeve tees, and all you lost was a trash bag! So we did. And, kid you not, we were the only ones. Serious. 

We got to the corrals around 7:05, started stretching and getting the jitters calmed. Chrissy and Tim were hoping to run a 2:15, so we hung out for a little bit (and by a little bit, I mean til mile 1), and the rest hung back and did their thing. I think the best advice I've read, and therefore given, is to run your own race. I told Paula there would be 15-year-olds that would pass her and 45-year-olds, but she couldn't let that get into her head (easier said that done). But it's true! Your race is your race -- do what you gotta do. We took off right at 7:30, just as the sun was starting to hit downtown. Thankfully, the sun was to our backs as it came up and we headed into the first neighborhood. 

The first 5K of this was tough. I struggled with getting my head into it, although loved the energy of the families and folks out on the route, both at water stations and in front of homes cheering on runners. Much like ATL, volunteers really make the experience and this race doesn't disappoint with who comes out to cheer folks on either! 

It wasn't until Mile 4 that I really felt like I was in it and felt decent -- hit the split just under 40 minutes and realized that maybe I wasn't doing as terribly as I thought. Most of miles 3-5 was a casual, rolling downhill through the only thing you can refer to as Greek Row on the west side of campus, where I actually half expected there to be a lot of chapters out cheering on runners - wrong. Ah well. Mile 6 is where I stopped and walked for the first time, only to get my Sport Bean bag out and chomp on a few beans. Despite that fact, had my best 10K split ever -- 1:00:54! Stand-alone 10K PR would have been super significant! Kept rolling until close to Mile 8 where I just needed it again. It was about Mile 9 that I realized that even if I walked the rest, I'd hit close to the ATL finishing time -- it was then I decided that if I could pull out a time that was similar to the ATL time, I'd then know ATL wasn't a fluke. And then I felt motivated (finally!). 

Coming into Tate, Sanford and the finish line.

Miles 10-12 were similar to the 5K I ran on campus last weekend - down on the south end of campus, rolling crested hills, up by the baseball stadium, and then up the main drag that goes up toward the stadium. There's an awesome quick hill that comes up that leads you down toward the stadium, and that's where the crowd started, as it literally sits over the finish line, so you could pick up on the crowd at the finish line and then above on the main road. So exhilarating and even more motivation coming from the buzz! I realized here that I had potential to actually make this count, as here I was about 12.5 miles and just past the 2-hour mark! Holy crap! I chugged along the last crests and thank God the last quarter mile is downhill. I hit the 12.8 or so mark, saw a group of grads I knew, and threw my Nathan at them, I just couldn't handle it anymore and prompted to take off as hard as I could.

Whether you're a UGA fan or not, or a college football fan or not (okay, maybe you need to be a fan to appreciate it kind of), finishing the last .10 of a mile running a loop around Sanford Stadium is probably the coolest thing ever -- especially when they put you up on the Jumbotron! I only wish they had found a way to let people inside to cheer you on. At any rate, I sprinted the whole loop through Sanford just to give it my all to the end.

Have you ever seen such a happy runner? :) [source]

 I didn't even see the clock at the end, just hit stop on my Garmin and worked my way through the nutso crowd at the end towards the med table -- holy cramp in my quad! It wasn't until I grabbed a muffin, got stretched out and headed back towards the corner where the cheering section was and then I saw it: 2:10:00! Holy smokes! I got even more antsy for that official time! I stopped, wolfed down that muffin, banana and stretched while waiting for Paula and Michael to finish -- Tim and Chrissy killed their race in 2:03, Chelsea at 2:05:xx and I had even PRed! Happy morning, everyone! Paula and Michael came in around 2:41, happy to just be done! I'm so excited for all of them!

Still not sure how I pulled that one off, but super excited to know that ATL wasn't a total fluke and that, in fact, I am in a lot better race shape than I even thought. Even with these rough two weeks behind me, I've made some amazing progress the last few months! And it makes me a lot more excited for what's to come with marathon training being officially underway!

Your final result? BAM!

I really am wondering how this happened these last two weeks, but for now... just going to roll with it! My splits weren't nearly as consistent as they were from ATL, but overall not too shabby given where I started 9 months ago.

As soon as I got home, I showered, threw on my compression socks and laid up on the couch. I'm now fully convinced that food-ordering/restaurant apps were made for post-race runners who can't get off the couch to make food for themselves but oh, it was the best decision ever. And I spent the entire day in those socks, even going to play kickball with my students, to the dog park and to bed -- figured it was worth trying! And today... I feel great. Worth it. Looking forward to getting out the door in the morning for a shake out run/jog/whatever it might be!

New PR. Four minutes (nearly) off my time from two weeks ago. And nearly ten minutes off my time from my first half just nine months ago. What a year, what an October... what more fun to come! And next up, it's Disney's Wine and Dine... all for fun!

Fall & Winter Race Adventures

Race season is here -- I know there's stuff all year, and especially here in the South, springtime is race-heavy, but I loooove racing in fall. It's cool, nice out, and though weather is iffy,  I find myself breathing easier, relaxing, and enjoying the weather a whole heck of a lot more.  With that, I've got lots on my plate for this fall and upcoming spring.  I am so excited about, I just had to share!

October 7 - Allstate ATL 13.1 Marathon Series, Atlanta, GA
This is the race entry I won from The Running Teacher. Running for fun, see what I'm capable of, and enjoying my first half in Atlanta but not taking it too seriously, since the next one (two weeks later!) is the one I really want to conquer and make my best race this season. I have a sorority sister running this one too, so maybe we'll just cruise through together and make it a fun running adventure anyway.

October 21 - Athens Half Marathon, Athens, GA
Being new to Athens last year, I knew I wasn't ready to run it (mostly because I'd hardly been running at that point), so I volunteered at race start and finish instead. This year, the course is difference (and not utterly crazy), so I signed up. Of these three coming up soon, this is the one I'm aiming to run seriously and do some mad work at.

November 10 - Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon, Orlando, FL
SO excited about this race -- first race with Disney and after hearing nothing but magical things, I can't even control myself. I signed up for this pretty much the day it opened in like April so I can't believe it's now only 36 days away! Wheeee! This will be Heather's first half so I'm super excited to take this easy for me and help her rock her first to the finish! And more importantly, ready to party at Epcot afterwards until 4 am. Yes please! There's also a ton of folks we're doing this with that I know from the student affairs world and a few other folks, so I'm excited for a truly friend run-cation away from our real adult lives -- what better way than Disney? And wine? Win!

December 26 - Operation Jack Half Marathon, Los Angeles, CA
I think I might regret signing up for a half for the day after Christmas, but I'm really excited about this one! (Really, I'm excited for all of them, let's be honest). This one is from a father's quest for his son, which I just love -- we all know I love people's stories, and this one just got me. Plus, it's about 6 weeks out from the full marathon, so it'll give me a great idea of where I am at in my training. And it's while I'm home for the holidays, so it kind of just made sense.

February 3- Surf City Marathon, Huntington Beach, CA
THE. FIRST. FULL. MARATHON. Eeeeep! I chose this one at home because a) I think it'll be comforting running on my home turf, with the hopes that I'll have family there to cheer me on!, b) the course is heavily on the sidewalk lining the beach so the scenery alone makes it worth it, c) I've got folks doing it with me (Kasey is doing the full, and Heather, Katy Beth and Nicole [maybe!] are doing the half) so that's always fun! While Kasey and I signed up for this in April, I officially started training today so you know... it's real now.

There you have it! The fun all the way through February! I've got some on my radar for spring, but I've got enough to keep me entertained and plenty busy now!

What races are you doing this fall/winter? Joining me for any of these?

Race Report: Peachtree Road Race 10K

Oh, Peachtree. The coveted Georgia runners' race -- it's said that you can consider yourself a "Georgia runner" until you've run Peachtree. So you know it went straight on my bucket list! In case you're not aware, Peachtree is truly coveted: there's a race cap of 60,000 (I know, gulp), but the lottery takes on somewhere between 70 and 80,000 entries (more fun facts). Needless to say, I didn't get a race number. However, after much CraigsListing, Facebook posting, texting and tweeting, a friend helped me get my hands on a bib - hooray! This all happened less than two weeks ago, so I am forever grateful (shout out to Jennifer!) for helping me make this happen! Peachtree was also the perfect way to end my #RWRunStreak -- July 4th was the last intended day of the streak!

I was sad I didn't make it to the Expo. Given that all my races prior have been pretty small, local races, this would have been my first legit expo. Ah well - the photos looks insane, but it would have been so fun! 

Tuesday after work, Molly and I made our way to Atlanta for dinner with Heather, Michael, and Heather's mom and grandpa (love them; shout out for great dinner company!). We went to Osteria 832 in Highlands for some super spectacular pasta... and dessert, obviously. Great little place!

And then it was the fun night-time dash of getting our stuff together, last-minute Target run (you know, it's essential), and calling it bedtime around 11. Michael was running in the letter-less group (aka the elite guys), and Heather and I were bib-marked for D (me) and X (Heather).

Yep, hi, I'm Ashley. Not.

We had a bunch of sorority sisters running in S, so our plan was to get to the S corral before they could shoo us away. More on that to come. Our plan was to be at MARTA by 7 am, then Lenox by 7:30, which would get us to S well over an hour before our corral time (8:42).

Nothing but runners at MARTA! But not nearly as chaotic as I'd anticipated.

Required race morning shot.

Post-MARTA craziness.

I'd anticipated the whole morning being ridiculously overwhelming -- as I've gotten older, I've realized my increasingly low tolerance for crowds. And yes, there were crowds, but truthfully, it was really not as terrible as I'd psyched myself up for it to be. Sure, that photo above makes it look pretty bad, but the buzz and excitement around I think made it a little more bearable.

Omega Phi Alpha reunion at Corral S!

Flag marks the starting line. I wish I could have gotten a better shot!

We got into Corral S no problem. While they were moving us up toward the starting line, there were volunteers checking looking at bib numbers to make sure runners were they were supposed to be. We figured, worst comes to worst, Heather would just get shoved back to X. Volunteer Girl looks at Heather and says pretty timidly "Uh, that's an X... not an S," and proceeds to let us keep walking. How about a V... for Victory! S, here we come. And exactly 8:42 am, we were off! (I tell ya, for 60,000 people and nearly 20 corrals, they've got this down to a science)

I wish I had seen this awesome narrated race route prior -- I think I had a disadvantage in not knowing Atlanta well at all, so aside from hearing about Cardiac Hill, I really had no idea what I had in store. The first mile or so was just a whole lot of bobbing and weaving, which I honestly got pretty aggravated at. They made it clear on paper, signs, and from volunteers that if you were going to walk, walk on the right. Race etiquette folks, race etiquette! I wasn't super certain what kind of pace I was running, but knew I wanted to save it for the looming Cardiac Hill; and yet I finished my first mile at a 9:11 -- way faster than I thought, considering I was fighting some heavy legs the first mile. Once I hit that first mile marker though, it was as if my legs were like, "Okay, we're ready!" and felt better from there on out. Miles 2 and 3 were awesome -- crowds everywhere, bands, radio stations, restaurant giveaways to runners (frisbees, coupons, sweatbands, you name it). Mile 2 is mostly a downgrade, so a great place to get some good time without losing control; just past the 3.5 mile marker is the infamous Cardiac Hill (conveniently located by several hospitals. Intentional? I think so). I made it halfway up the hill before I walked for the first time, which I was really proud of. And from there, I was able to make it pretty strong all the way through, with a .10 walk in mile 5. I'd never felt this strong in a 10K before (considering my last one was all hills and I was sick!). Going into Mile 5, I was just at around 50 minutes; I knew that I had a sliver of a chance of breaking an hour, if not PRing for sure, which I was stoked about, given the crowds! 

The unfortunate part of the race ending in Piedmont is that not only are people starting to get tired at the end of the race, but the spectator crowds show up in full force (awesome, until they run across the road right in front of you). And seriously, that deceiving photo booth that's really like .2 from the finish is just mean - I just wanted it to be over at that point! But I finished -- official time?

39 seconds off of PR-ing -- which I would still consider a success given all the weaving and bobbing! And blast those 12-year-olds who decided it would be a great idea to run across 10th right as I was in the middle of a great stride. Holy moly though, what a great race (overall, but also for me!). I think this #RWRunStreak definitely made a difference, even if only making my legs that much stronger and able to handle a lot more. I felt amazing.

REALLY happy with my day.

Piedmont Park, post-race.

Heather's first 10K, check!

Georgia road race #12, check!

 

OPAs at the finish! We did it!

Coveted Peachtree t-shirt! I'm official!

And after fighting some crowds, riding a very painless trip home on MARTA, we were home. And off for a fabulous 4th of July with Stella and company! Pool all afternoon to help tired legs? Heaven.

 

An overall awesome, awesome 4th of July!

How was your 4th? Did you race? Or spend all day in the pool with water tasty adult beverages? Hope it was great; happy birthday, USA!