Sunday Morning Run Bliss

I decided to get up early this morning and go for a 5 mile run.  For some reason, since my “humble run” last Sunday, I feel like I have been bonking mentally on my runs.  Not sure why I have had these moments where my mind just goes negative with the thoughts and it’s hard to stay in the joy of the run.  Because of this, I really wanted to get out early and have a positive run with lots of energy.

I started out with a little stretching on Covington Road which runs in front of my neighborhood and into downtown Avondale.  There was no traffic so it was nice and quiet with blue skies and a slight breeze.  I headed down Covington and turned once I got downtown to head towards “The Path”.

Covington Road heading towards downtown Avondale Estates

As I moved towards the path, I heard a loud train whistle and rumble of a large engine.  “The Path” crosses over train tracks just outside of downtown Avondale so I figured I might encounter the train as I moved down “The Path”.  I had to hold up for about 30 seconds as I watched the train rumble down the track.  Definitely the first time I have had a train delay on a run!

Train Delay!

Once the train passed, I continued down “The Path” on a long down hill for about half a mile and then a long uphill of about half a mile.  I enjoyed cruising down the hill and then dropping it down a gear and heading up the long hill that leads to the bridge called “Sam’s Crossing” that takes me over the train tracks.  I crossed the bridge and headed back down Covington towards Avondale Estates.  Thankfully I remembered my new running sun glasses and it really helped as I headed east into the rising sun.

When I arrived at the shopping center where we begin our group runs when I lead, I headed back into the neighborhood and moved along the course we usually run.  I headed down “The Hill” and followed the Avondale Estates Labor Day 5K course past the park and up a long hill that took me to Clarendon Ave which divides the neighborhood in half.  I turned down a side street and then turned again to head down to the lake.  No one was at the lake and it was nice and quiet with the water looking like glass with the sun shining down on it.

Avondale Lake

I felt really great on the run to this point and was thoroughly enjoying myself.  Once past the lake, I headed up a short steep hill that took me to the next block over and a long uphill run that would deliver me to the starting point.  I focused on finishing strong and motored up the hill feeling strong.  I ended at my starting point and was glad to have wiped the negative thoughts away with this run and really felt the joy of just moving through the morning.

Angela and I decided to load up the canoe later in the day and headed to Stone Mountain to paddle around for an hour.  It felt great to be active today and it was the perfect way to finish our vacation days before heading back to work tomorrow!

Untitled by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Trail Running at Unicoi

Angela and I headed up to the North Georgia mountains on Wednesday to do some camping and relaxing.  The state park we went to is called Unicoi and has a nice lake with a scenic trail that loops around it.  So I packed my trail shoes and some running duds; looking forward to running the trails.

After heading out with our run group Wednesday morning, I headed home and we began the process of packing up the van.  We tend to be “getting away from it all but taking it all with us” kind of campers so there was a lot to pack.  And it was really hot Wednesday morning so we were happy to get everything loaded up and into the air conditioning of the van to head north.  We arrived about 90 minutes later and started the long process of setting up the campsite.  By the time we finished, we were shot for the rest of the day.  We kicked back in our lounge chairs and just chilled out and decompressed.

Angela relaxing at the campsite

We had a simple meal of beef hotdogs with whole-wheat buns and some beans and then headed over to the camp ground visitor center for a talk on black bears.  Apparently, black bear activity is really up this summer so we thought we should go because A)  the talk was in an air-conditioned building and B) we figured we should make sure we knew what to do if a bear came a knockin’.  We headed back to the tent and got ready to crash.

The next morning I was feeling really stiff from all the loading and unloading and I still felt really tired.  Angela asked if I was going to go for a run and I kind of grumbled as I really wasn’t feeling it.  Angela said,”Come on, you know it will make you feel better.”  And that was all it took.  I put on my trail shoes and running clothes, slugged down a bottle of water and ate a protein bar.  I was so thirsty from the day before (I felt like I sweated out about 50 gallons of water) I felt like I couldn’t drink enough.  I did a little dynamic stretching, grabbed another water bottle to take with me and began my run towards the lake loop.

It was still early on the camp ground and there were just a few people moving around as I headed down the path from the camp sites to the lake.  The air was pleasant and cool while the humidity was a little thick but it felt good to move through the morning towards the peaceful Unicoi Lake.

Unicoi Lake

I headed down the trail and through the woods surrounding the lake.  The trail was in great shape and I found that I didn’t have to focus as much on every step as I usually would on a trail.  To my left were great views of the lake as I moved around the loop.  At one point the trail crosses the beach so you run across and area of sand before moving back onto the trail.

Section of trail around Lake Unicoi

They told us that black bears are most present during the early morning and at dusk so I was wondering if I might come across one.  I wasn’t wearing my glasses so as I moved down the trail, any clump of anything I came across looked like it could be a bear.  In the end, no bear.  I did pass some other early risers who were hiking and even passed another runner going in the opposite direction.  It felt great to run around the lake and Angela was right as it did make me feel better as my back loosened up and I shook off the cobwebs.  One lap around the lake was about 2 miles and I finished up and ran back to the tent.  It was a short run but it was just what I needed.

The rest of the day we went to a mountain fair over the mountains to a town called Hiawasee.  We walked around and enjoyed the various booths and especially the ice-cold lemonade stand and the apple fried pies.  I can’t resist a good fried pie!

We came back to the camp site and relaxed the rest of the afternoon, reading and napping and just taking it easy.

The next morning I woke a little earlier and decided to do 2 laps around the lake.  My plan was to do the loop from yesterday and then turn around and run it in the opposite direction.  The trail had some nice hills with short, steep grades that got the blood going.  At one point of the loop you have to run over a bridge that covers a dam that regulates water from the lake into a creek.  The view from the bridge looking towards the lake and the mountains behind is incredible and you have to be careful not to be to distracted by it.

View of lake from the bridge

I finished my first lap and then turned around and started the other way.  I came across 3 other runners this morning enjoying the trail.  You could tell we were all enjoying the joy of running as we gave each other good mornings and smiles as we passed each other.  As I came back to the final quarter of the run in which the trail was closest to the lake, the sun began to hit it and I could really feel the heat.  It zapped me a little bit and I slowed down to take a couple of drinks from the water bottle and then moved on.

One of the short steep hills on the loop

I headed back to the camp site and enjoyed some fresh camp fire coffee with Angela.  We enjoyed the rest of the day with a hike up to Anna Ruby Falls and then an afternoon walking around Helen.

Anna Ruby Falls

Angela and I in front of the falls

We walked around downtown Helen which is an Austrian/Germain themed town in the mountains close to Unicoi.  It has a lot of great shops, places to eat and Angela found a place called Healthy Feet Spa that sounded like the type of place we needed to take our weary feet.  It was awesome!  We got a 30 minute foot and leg massage and then a 30 minute face, shoulder, neck massage.  It was just what we needed!  We walked back to downtown Helen in a very relaxed state and had dinner at one of the many German restaurants.

Main street in Helen, Georgia

Then it was off to the lodge that is part of Unicoi for a folk concert by a group called Celtic Kudzu.  The band was fantastic and we enjoyed an hour of mostly Irish music and other folk songs including a medley of Beatles hits.  Perfect way to end the day as we headed back to our tent and fell fast asleep.

We headed home this morning and were glad to see the cats and catch up on the Olympics.  We recorded the opening ceremony and watched it this afternoon.  Really incredible!

Ready for a run in the morning, a visit with my mom and more Olympics!

Untitled by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Greetings from Camp Unicoi

It’s been a busy few days since my last post as Angela and I had short weeks to stay on top at work and get ready to go camping. With that said, I am sitting blissfully at our campsite enjoying a cool breeze in the North Georgia mountain air.

To catch up, Monday and Tuesday were boot camp days in which we unveiled 2 new workouts.

Gary had the lead on Monday and came up with some interesting exercises such as half-burpees (instead of the jump up part, you stay in plank and just keep jumping in and out with your legs) and a take off on pelvic thrusts where you are in crab walk position and you kick you feet up back and forth. In between exercises we ran half a lap so it had a little interval running as well.

On Tuesday I was tasked with coming up with an arm workout. It took me a while to come up with something original but eventually something came to mind. I broke the workout into three segments of around 10 minutes each. The first part had boot campers doing 9 dips, 9 incline push-ups and then a run up and down a flight of stairs that are shaped like a “v”.

V stairs

Campers did this for 9 minutes and then we continued on to the next station.

At the next station we used bricks by having everyone pair up and stand back to back while rotating a brick around each other. Then each member of the pair would shoulder press two bricks and then do a lap around the area where we were working out. We did this for 10 minutes and headed to the final station at the bleachers where we did tricep curl pyramids with the bricks as our weight. Hopefully everyone found it challenging and fun!

On Wednesday I hit the road for a GBI run with Suzanne, Stacie and Kim. We met up at the Starbucks on the Decatur Square and planned to do a 4 mile run. We headed out at a comfortable pace, chatting as we moved through the morning.

At about the half-way point, we realized we missed one of the streets we were supposed to turn down so we tried to find a detour. Unfortunately, it took us to the bottom of a long steep hill that was also a dead end. So we all turned around and ran back up the hill and eventually found our way back to the street we missed.

Since our detour took us a little out of the way, we cut off part of our original route and finished up with a long stretch up Ponce de Leon that is almost all up hill for about half a mile. We finished with about 3.75 miles so we were satisfied and ended our run with a round of coffee.
Doing some trail running around the camp ground but more on that tomorrow!

Untitled by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Humbling Run

As a runner, I am proud to say that I feel like I can run a 10k without training up to it.  Maybe not competitively (in other words trying to beat my previous time) but I have enough endurance to run one if I had to.  So…when I headed out this morning, I didn’t think a 5 mile run would be an issue.  Instead I ran stupid and was humbled.

I slept in a little later than I usually do on a weekend morning when I plan to run.  I usually try to get out the door around 7:00am when it is light out but the sun hasn’t broken over the horizon.  This morning I kept hitting the snooze until about 7:30am and then it was almost 8:00am by the time I hit the road.  It’s been raining almost every afternoon which has kept it relatively “not hot” for July but definitely humid.  The daily rain has really done wonders for our mushroom garden!

Mushroom Garden

As I walked out the door at 8:00am, the sun still had not made its full appearance so it felt pleasant enough.  I had brought a small 4 ounce water bottle that goes in my running belt/pouch but that was it.  As I stood outside of my house, I thought about the fact that I really didn’t drink any water to speak of but decided it would be OK.  I was just going 5 miles after all.

I turned on the Garmin and waited to be discovered standing in the parking lot and then took off.  I headed into the neighborhood and decided to run to the main throroughfare called Clarendon Ave. that cuts through the neighborhood and ends at Columbia Drive.  I had not run this route before and figured it would end up being about a 5 mile loop.  As I ran on, I looked forward to the adventure of running a different route!

I cruised down Clarendon which is a beautiful street with lots of nice houses and plenty of trees for shade.

Clarendon Ave.

By the time I made it to Columbia Drive, I had run 2 miles and was feeling great.  I turned on Columbia and looked forward to running down this unchartered territory.  I have driven this stretch before but you never really know the route until you run it.  There were quite a few other runners out on this part of the route and lots of waves and good mornings.  About half way through Columbia, I came to Columbia Seminary which is very familiar to me as many times we run to the campus from Agnes Scott.  I’ve never approached it from this direction so it is the first time I recall seeing the front of the Seminary in day light.

Front drive of Columbia Seminary

Once I passed the Seminary, it all started to go downhill (not literally as I was actually on an uphill).  I started to feel the energy leave my legs and actually felt a slight chill as I made my way to E. College Avenue which would complete my loop.  It occured to me that maybe I should have drank some water before I headed out.  I had already drank my little 4 oz. bottle and was still pretty thirsty at this point which was approximately 3.5 miles.

I ended up at the corner of E. College and had to stop for a moment as the light was red.  I was at the 4 mile mark and was headed east for the final stretch home.  Unfortunately, the direction was east and the sun was now fully above the horizon and glaring right at me.  I had just recently purchased running sun glasses for just this moment and thought fondly of them sitting in the console of my van as I squinted my way down the road.

So now I was thirsty and blinded and wondering why my legs had no energy and it dawned on me that I had almost no carbs to speak of since the previous morning.  Usually before a race I eat the same meal of whole wheat pasta with a pollo sauce but last night we ate BBQ at Fox Brothers BBQ in honor of our friend Doug’s monthly visit.  The food was great but in terms of fueling for a run, I had very few good carbs and lots and lots of protein.  No wonder I was feeling zapped.

Mmmm….Fox Brothers

So for the last 1.5 miles (I had guessed short by half a mile) I went back and forth between walking and running to finish up the run.  I made it home and drank a bunch of water until I felt normal again.

So for my previous statement that I feel like I am able to run a 10k without having to train up to it; I have to amend it to include “only if I am being smart, drinking enough water, fueling properly the evening before and factoring in the time of day.”

So I was a little humbled and reminded of the basics this morning.  I look forward to the next run on Wednesday and knocking this one out of the books!

Stats from this mornings run:  Untitled by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

A Spinal Tap Moment

After a couple of days of running since coming back from a cold, it was time for a couple of boot camp workouts on Thursday and Friday!

On Thursday Janice came up with a new routine that focused on the abs.  It’s always fun when another instructor comes up with a new routine because we have no idea what to expect.

We had an entertaining moment when we began the warm-up and we realized that we were not sure where Janice was setting up.  We use 3-4 different areas of the campus to set up our routines and when Ann began leading the warm-up run, we guessed where we should end up.  Unfortunately our guess was wrong so we had that Spinal Tapmoment trying to find the stage, or in our case, the workout!

Spinal Tap

We finally realized that Janice was set up down on the soccer field/track so we finished our warm-up run heading to that area of the campus.

Cruising the track!

The workout involved 6 teams of 4 bootcampers/instructors and 6 stations.  The idea was at each station teams were given a number of reps and only 2 of the 4 team members could work out at a time.  For example, at the sit-up station we had 200 reps to complete with 2 team members doing sit-ups at a time.  For the team I was on, we break it up so the first 2 team members would do 20 and the other 2 members would do 20 and we would go back and forth until our total reached 200.

Janice also came up with some interesting new exercises for us to try.  One was doing a sit-up where you held a ball between your feet and then would crunch and bring the ball up to your hands and then release the crunch.  Another was a version of pelvic thrusts but without the feet up on a bleacher.  We had our heels on the ground while lifting our butts off the ground and then teams would lift the left leg and then the right leg back and forth.  There was also a station where the entire team sits next to each other with our feet elevated while passing a ball back and forth down the line.  For the last two stations, we did burpees and rowboats.

It was a great workout and fun since we worked out as teams.

On Friday, Suzanne led a workout called “How to Lose a Friend” which gets its name from a situation where Suzanne invited a friend to one of our “try out our program” days and they never came back after doing this routine.  I can’t remember the original name for the routine but the current name is pretty funny.

“How to Lose a Friend” is a leg workout and it features 4 stations situated around the track.  On the curves, we have jump rope stations where each person completes 100 jumps.  On the straight aways are stations that feature 3 exercises each.  It was a beautiful morning out on the track/soccer field for a great workout!

Our workout canvas

For round 1, boot campers started at station 1 and performed pelvic thrusts with heels on the bleachers.  When these were completed, we held our jump rope taut above our heads and lunge walked for about 30 feet and then jog to the jump rope station.  We would then do our 100 jumps and run to the next station where we did Bulgarian Split Squats.  We then did our lung walk again and finished with the second jump rope station to complete the cycle.

For round 2, we had pelvic thrusts alternating between raising our left and right leg so we were thrusting with just one leg and karate kicks with the jump rope stations in between.  For round 3 we had step-ups and prisoner squats (squats with hands on top of the head) again with the jump rope stations.

The three rounds really give the legs a great workout and the cardio of the approximately 600 jump ropes really keeps the lungs and blood moving.

On a personal note, when I was a kid I could not jump rope to save my life.  As a mid-40’s adult, I love the fact that I can skip rope quite well.  During the workout, I actually did 55 in a row at one point which is a personal best.  Of course, as soon as I excitedly exclaimed that I was “on a roll”, the rope hit the back of my heel and the streak was broken.  Never the less, there is a certain joy that comes from putting together a long stretch of rope skipping and it’s a fun challenge!

It really felt great to be back this week after missing the past week.  Angela and I were both finally both over our colds so we were able to celebrate this by going to see on of our favorite singers “Neko Case” at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.  It was a surprisingly cool night and it looked like the rain and thunderstorms were going to stay away.  About half way through the show, the skies did open up for about 20 minutes but we persevered and enjoyed the show.

Angela and I at the show!

I decided to take this morning off after 4 straight days of working out but plan to lace up and head out in the  morning for a run!

Hope everyone has an awesome, active weekend!

Lots of Lefts and Rights

I woke up this morning and my chest had a little tightness to it and a little bit of that “rough” feeling in the area just below the throat.  I took a couple of deep breaths and didn’t cough so I figured that was a good sign.  I told myself that running and breathing hard would help clear out the lungs so I was “go for launch”! 

I met Stacie, Tiffany and Susan at the Agnes Scottcampus and we decided on a route.  Susan suggested a route that Stacie had taken the group on last Wednesday, which I missed, so I was definitely game.  You figure after several years you have run pretty much every route possible from the campus so anything new is an adventure.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all of our routes as they all take us through great neighborhoods and challenging hills but a new route always adds that element of the unknown. 

It was surprisingly cool this morning by July standards.  Angela has a weather station with all sorts of measurement gadgets and the temp it was reading this morning was 71 degrees.  The humidity was there but not as thick as it could have been.  I was glad because humidity and congested lungs do not mix.

We started out on the route and talked a bit as we warmed up to the pace.  Tiffany was wearing her full Georgia Bulldogrunning gear which put us in the frame of mind for college football.  College football is my favorite sport and I’ve been literally counting down the days.  It was fun to talk about college football in general and the Dawgs specifically.

Sanford Stadium-Between the Hedges!

Stacie and Susan were just a small distance behind us and it was funny because this route had lots of rights and lefts.  I get lost in these neighborhoods and so I never have any idea where I am at.  Stacie kept yelling up to us “Left!”, “Right!”, “Take the second right next!” to keep us going in the right direction.  With all the turns and cut thru’s, it was a really fun run.  

On the hills I could feel my lungs laboring more than they usually would but that was the only effects I had from the congestion.  I felt like my breathing was pretty steady through out.  

We ended up back at the campus and decided to go long by running to the front and around the block to tack on another mile and make it 4 and some change.  We finished at the vehicles and all agreed the route was a keeper!  Look forward to doing it again soon!   

GBI Run-Winona Park-4.1 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Good to be Back!

I’ve been off the blogging “grid” for the last week or so as I came down with a cold that turned into a respiratory infection.  As important as it is to factor in the times where you can’t run or be active and have to deal with the feelings about it, I found it difficult to sit down and write about it. 

Some of it had to do with not wanting to sound like I was whining about having a sinus situation and part of it was the Z-pack I was given for my chest congestion that really made me feel loopy.  For the whining part, let’s face it:  A cold is a cold.  We all get them, some are worse than others, you move on. 

While I didn’t want to go on about the cold, I will say the real bummer was the infection.  I caught my cold on Thursday evening over a week ago, ran that Friday morning, curled up into a ball for two days, started feeling better Monday and was back at boot camp by Tuesday.  I thought “Great!  It’s one of those fast moving colds that doesn’t linger!” 

As Tuesday wore on, I started feeling really tired and I noticed that my sinus situation was getting worse again and I was coughing.  I figured then it must be an infection.  So I skipped boot camp and any other activity and went to the doctor on Friday to have my suspicions verified.  A Z-pack and some horse pill sized antibiotics later and I was on the mend.  

The Z-pack kind of “zonked” me out over the weekend but did it in a way that wasn’t very obvious.  I was kind of in a daze but didn’t realize it until after the fact.  When someone asked how my weekend went, I had to really think about it.  I rested a lot but I had to really think hard about what we actually did.  

As I say “we”, I must also point out that Angela has the same exact thing going on except she is about 3 days behind my schedule.  We have those excited conversations couples have when one is describing the symptoms and the other is exclaiming excitedly “Oh yeah!  That’s exactly the sound my chest was making when I coughed!” 

So finally yesterday my chest felt clear most of the day.  The cough had pretty much stopped and it didn’t feel like there was weight on it.  My head was still a little stuffed but that was OK.  I can deal with running with head congestion but the lungs are a whole different deal.  I knew this morning was a run day so I offered to lead the “speedy” group since I hadn’t been very active the past week and wanted to ease back into it. 

I have to say I was pretty excited about getting up and putting on the workout duds this morning.  I said hello to my Garmin, my shoes and, of course, the cats that seemed to be happy to be back on schedule. 

The humidity was really thick this morning but the temps weren’t too bad.  Even though it had only been a week, it felt like forever so pulling into the parking lot before boot camp was a real pleasure.  David took us on a warm-up run and finished with 100 jumping jacks before doing our dynamic stretches.  It felt really good to be moving! 

We returned to the cars for water, shoe lace tightening and to divide into groups.  Jason and Ann ran with the “super speedy” group while David, Suzanne and I were with the “speedy” group.  The route I planned was a big loop from the campus, into downtown Decatur and back to the campus for around 3 miles.  

The run went well and was very enjoyable.  At times, it actually felt like I was floating which surprised me because I thought I would feel rusty.  Instead I had that “light” feeling as if I was just gliding along.  Even the humidity didn’t hamper me very much though I could definitely tell my lungs weren’t completely back to par.  I think if I had run with the “super speedy” group, I probably wouldn’t have fared very well. 

One of the best parts of the run came near the end when we were running up “The Path” on the way back to the campus.  We were heading east and running up a hill and looking at an incredible sunrise.  You don’t see scene’s like this when you are sitting at home with a cold! 

Our group held together for the most part and everyone was pleased when we returned and found out that with front-to-backs (the front folks run to the back of the pack occasionally to keep the group from stretching to far), we ran 3.3 miles.  I love it when someone realizes that they just ran a 5k and then some! 

The plan is to do a GBI run tomorrow on our off day from boot camp so I look forward to hitting the road again!     

KITF-Decatur Run-3.3 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Post Nasal Run

Thursday was a relaxing day of running some errands and taking it easy.  Near the end of the day, Angela mentioned that her throat was starting to hurt and within the hour, mine began to feel a little sore as well.  Great.

The temps had gone up to triple digits again which brought down the humidity so I thought that maybe the dryness was causing the sinus issues.  I woke up Friday morning and I definitely had the post-nasal drip going on and my throat felt a little rough.  I didn’t feel horrible, just the annoyance of the throat thing going on; so I headed out to go meet everyone for a run.

I was leading the route through Avondale Friday morning and Suzanne, Susan, Tiffany and Ann all met me at “Twin Oaks Shopping Center”.  There was actually a gentle breeze blowing and it felt pleasant outside.  We headed out by beginning our route running down “The Hill” which is a great way for everyone to warm up their legs.

Avondale Pizza at Twin Oaks

We moved through the tranquil streets of Avondale as we talked about our efforts in the Peachtree Road Race, July boot camp and other subjects.  One item of interest that had not crossed my mind before was how much weaving in and out of traffic can add to the mileage of a race.  We talked about how our various time keeping devices showed a greater distance than the 6.2 miles of the course.  My friend Lori made the comment to me that it was because of the weaving around people, running over to the water stations, etc.  When I mentioned it to the group, we all had an “aha!” moment.  Something to think about in future races!

Despite the cold symptoms I was experiencing, I felt great during the run.  I felt strong and I found myself wondering if I could just sweat out the cold.

As we neared the end, I asked everyone if they wanted to tack on an extra challenge and everyone agreed.  We took a left with about 2 blocks left to go which would take us to the bottom of “The Hill”.  Taking this detour tacks on an extra half mile and challenges everyone to finish strong by running up this steep, long hill.  Tiffany and Suzanne took off up the hill as they share a friendly competitiveness that comes out whenever they run or workout.  One of the best parts about running with a group or working out with boot camp is having others support and push you.

We finished the run and everyone enjoyed the route.  Susan, Suzanne and I headed across the street to “Urban Grounds”to have a cup of java before heading out to the rest of our day.

Urban Grounds

When I got home, I asked Angela how she was feeling and she felt fine.  Weird that we had the same symptoms the night before but I was the only one feeling it this morning.  As the day went on and into Saturday (and also Angela’s birthday), my cold got worse and now I have the full on head/chest cold.  Ugh!  Raeann, my stepdaughter had come to visit and celebrate Angela’s birthday so I was really bummed that I was sick.

Brock helping Angela open gifts.

I know it’s only been two days since I ran but I am experiencing that feeling most runners get when a cold shuts you down and you can’t do what you want to do.  Hope it doesn’t last long as July boot camp begins tomorrow and based on how I feel now, I will have to miss the first day.  Again….Ugh!

Okay…enough whining!

GBI-Avondale-4.1 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

Peachtree Road Race 2012

This morning I participated in the greatest Atlanta July 4th tradition:  The Peachtree Road Race! Angela offered to drive myself and running/boot camp friends Suzanne and Tiffany to the starting line.  I am very fortunate to have a wife that is willing to wake up before sunrise to drive me to the start of a race!  We met Suzanne, Tiffany and her friend Caroline at Agnes Scott and Angela drove us close to the starting line in Buckhead.  We made great time and avoided the throngs of other runners that would have been on the train that early.

Suzanne, Me, Tiffany and Caroline

Suzanne and I were running from Wave E and Tiffany was in Wave G, only 10 minutes behind us.  We had about an hour until the beginning of the race so we hung out, took in the vibe and did some people watching.  The race is very well-organized and there was plenty of water, port-o-pots and space to move around.  I ran into our friends Beth and Gin on my final trek to the port-o’s and got a chance to say hello and get a picture.  They have run it several times and sensed my excitement at running my first Peachtree!

Beth and Gin

As Suzanne and I lined up in our wave, we enjoyed the spectacle of a full moon hanging between two buildings in the morning light.

Cool full morning moon!

Looking ahead from our wave, we could see the huge American Flag marking the starting line.  As each wave is released, the other waves move up and every 5 minutes or so, another wave is released.  The initial wave had the elite runners and began at 7:30am and our wave began at 7:50am.  It was cool as each time they released a wave and we got closer, the excitement continued to build.  Reminded me of that feeling when you are a kid and about to get on a roller coaster!

Old Glory!

Just before our wave was released, I took a look behind me and it was amazing to see the sea of people winding back along Peachtree Street.  I believe there were 60,000 runners at the race this morning!

We began the race at 7:50am and the run was on!  The race was almost surreal as there were so many people along the route, bands playing and interesting costumes to see from spectators and other runners.  There was so much energy that it sort of carries you along.  The first 2-3 miles are almost flat or downhill so you really keep a strong pace going for the first half.  Sometimes when I run with a really large crowd and I can’t see the crowd, I find it is difficult to “sense” that I am running down hill.  I know that sounds strange but I really think it causes an optical illusion.

At around the half-way point, we hit the famous “Cardiac Hill” which is a long, steady hill that ends with Piedmont Hospital at the top.  The hill is challenging but with all the patients lined up along the route to cheer everyone on, it is quite inspirational.  I found myself getting chills as I motored up the hill to the cheers of the patients and hospital staff!

The course continues to be “hilly” during the last half of the race but with the crowd urging everyone on, it wasn’t to bad.  Suzanne kept a really strong pace and at some point around mile 4 I backed off a little bit.  My legs were feeling a little fatigue so I wanted to slow the pace just a tad.  There were two more long hills before we turned off Peachtree onto 10th for the last stretch.  I enjoy a good hill and these were long and challenging.

With the turn onto 10th street, Angela and several other runners had told me that it’s always a surprise because you think you are almost done (and you are) but it seems like the last little bit takes forever!  You pass under a stand where photographers are snapping pictures and it feels like that should be the end….but it isn’t.  You still have one more hill and then you finally see the finish line.  When I crossed the line, my Garmin said 6.35 miles with a time of 1:02 so I’m not sure about the discrepancy.  I look forward to seeing my official time!

Me after the race. I poured water on myself so I really wasn’t sweating as much as it looks!

Once past the finish line, we entered the park to get a bottle of water and the much coveted Peachtree Road Race T-shirt.  We all gathered in the family section under the letter E following the race.  Angela had parked at a MARTA station and rode to the finish to meet us.  Suzanne finished a couple of minutes ahead of me and Tiffany came in a few minutes behind us as we met Angela at the finish.  She snapped our “after” picture of the happy runners after an awesome race!  We were all content with our run and really enjoyed the experience.  Definitely look forward to running it again!

Tiffany, Me and Suzanne after rocking the Peachtree!

Suzanne had parked a car nearby so Angela and I were able to hitch a ride back with her to Decatur.  As we left, it was amazing to take a last look at all the runners and supporters in the park!

Everyone!

A great morning of tradition, friends and running!  Happy July 4th everyone!

Peachtree Road Race-6.2 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

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Happy Peachtree Road Race Eve!

OK..so I have that “kid the night before Christmas” feel about running the Peachtree Road Race tomorrow.  I am totally psyched!

I have run other races at greater distances but just being part of such an awesome tradition and incredible spectacle is what really has me excited.  I have been a spectator of the race on several occasions and back when I used to think running 6.2 miles was impossible, I used to wonder what it would feel like to run through all of the mayhem on both sides of Peachtree Street for the entire distance.  I imagine it is quite a rush!

Since I didn’t follow the schedule I was originally planning on this past weekend, I did 4 miles yesterday and a short 2 mile run this morning.  Not sure what the logic was of the short run but it just felt like the right thing to do.  This morning would have been a rest day so I think the 2 miles was there just to remind my legs that we have work to do tomorrow and to stay loose.

Of course, before I left the house, I had to get past Brock who seemed disagreeable to me leaving.  He likes to challenge me to open the door from time to time.

Brock guarding the door

 Then, as per normal, I met my second challenge from Big Gray Kitty in which I must fill his bowl before I can continue.

Big Gray Kitty enjoying his breakfast

Having met all my morning challenges, off I went!  I decided on a short route that would take me down to the lake and back.

I was feeling very patriotic as many of the houses were decked out with the red, white and blue! 

Patriotic Garden

I continued down the long hill that leads to the lake and found it very calm and peaceful when I arrived. 

Calm lake

I circled the lake and headed back up the hill and returned home with a good 2 miles, feeling great!  I did 20 push-ups for good measure and some stretching and headed inside for coffee. 

Looking forward to running tomorrow with a couple of GBI/boot camp friends and experiencing this awesome tradition!  Good luck to everyone running tomorrow!

Solo Run-Avondale-2 Miles by eyerh66 at Garmin Connect – Details.

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