The Peachtree 10K -- as a Peachtree 10K qualifier

My fifth running of the Peachtree 10K and the second time I've participated in Time Group 1.

This year is perhaps the most prepared I've ever been for this race. I had the benefit of running the course last Thanksgiving during The Weather Channel Atlanta Half Marathon and the double hills (Cardiac Hill and up to 14th Street) were brutal.

I'm thankful for that experience though because it taught me that even in the worst case scenario I can survive through it.

This time, 7 months later, I was a different kind of cat. Now I run the 10K distance 2-3 times a week and my Middlebear course in Candler Park is probably harder than the Peachtree.

Anyway, I got to the Group 1 corral with about a half hour to spare. The weather was pretty nice. The sun was out but there was a slight breeze.

When the race started, our group followed the seeded and sub-seeded runners. It seemed everyone in this time group ran -- I don't really remember passing many people until Cardiac Hill.

Looking at my data, I ran my fastest mile (8:00) up through Cardiac Hill. In the past, I've paid the price for attacking this hill by having a slow 5th mile. But this time my Mile 5, although slower than Mile 4, was faster than the first three miles, which are all downhill. I had a nice recovery and then ran a pretty nice finish.

Mile 1: 9:11 (2003: 10:25, 2004: 9:00, 2007: 9:33, 2008: 9:21)
Mile 2: 8:52 (2003: 9:43, 2004: 9:00, 2007: 8:47, 2008: 8:48)
Mile 3: 8:49 (2003: 8:48, 2004: 8:52, 2007: 8:58, 2008: 8:42)
Mile 4: 8:00 (2003: 8:40, 2004: 9:49, 2007: 8:32, 2008: 9:37)
Mile 5: 8:35 (2003: 9:35, 2004: 10:38, 2007: 9:38, 2008: 10:24)
Mile 6: 8:11 (2003: 9:07, 2004: 9:16, 2007: 9:39, 2008: 9:32)
Mile 6.2: 1:41 (2003: 1:45, 2004: 1:56, 2007: 1:55, 2008: 2:19)

My 53:13 time was more than 3 minutes better than my fastest time in 2007. It also qualifies for Time Group IB of next year's Peachtree. I'm pretty sure if I ran a 10K on a flat or even downhill course (like the Charles Harris 10K) I would drop below 50 minutes.

This is awesome. I can't even begin to say how nice it felt to not bonk after the double hills. I'll be basking in this accomplishment for a while.

Time: 7:30 a.m.
Temp: ??
Gear: SST (Race for Research), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus/D3.