Day 600

This is a little late but on Friday I passed 600 days in a row of running.

w00t.

Go out hard. Come back hard.

Natalie Coughlin explained her personal racing strategy to me this way, one afternoon a few weeks after returning home from the Worlds: 'Go out hard. Come back hard.'
-"A Feel for the Water," The New Yorker, July 5, 2004

I was trolling the Internets and came across a great story about swimmer Natalie Coughlin in the New Yorker -- from all the way back to 2004, before the Athens Olympics.

It made me want to run more -- two a day practices like the Olympic athletes -- and definitely harder, as I think this way in the 5K and anytime there are hills to be run and competitors to be dropped.

Here in Atlanta I've been fortunate that this summer has been less hot than usual (I don't think we've had a single 100-degree day). At the same time, it feels just as humid at times and coming back completely soaked is the norm.

Coming on 600 days in a row, my enthusiasm hasn't waned. It's now time to drop the hammer for the fall season.

Old Soldiers' Day race (30th anniversary)

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Although I didn't want to get up at 5 a.m., I made my way out to the Old Soldiers' Day race up here in the suburbs.

I parked on the Wills Road side, thinking (correctly) that when I wanted to leave Old Milton Parkway would still be blocked off.

I liked how the community center had great (large) restroom facilities.

We started out and I couldn't tell where the starting line was - my fault for not scoping it out earlier.

After Mile 1 there is a nice sizeable hill and I was able to aggressively attack it. I got past my slow start by dropping Mile 2 by about a minute less, attacking a second hill there.

But by Mile 3 I could tell that this rolling course would not be what I would need to qualify for the Peachtree, especially in the heat. So I slowed it up and went out the 5K exit instead of looping around a second time for the 10K.

Of course, the fact that it's a double loop allowed me to do that.

I really liked the race though. It was a good warmup for other 10Ks I'll do later on this year and hopefully when it's a lot cooler. For now I think if I increase my mileage I'll be all set to qualify.