As I often say in this blog, all races are different.
This was the case with today's Peachtree Road Race. With a 100 percent chance of rain, it looked like we were destined to get wet. I hadn't run in a rainy race in quite some time and certainly never in the previous eight times I've participated in the Peachtree 10K.
In the early morning when it was time to make our way to the MARTA station, there were a few drops of rain here and there. The radar looked like rain certainly was possible any minute. So I brought along a rain jacket and a hat. We left at 6:20 a.m.
After being dropped off at the MARTA station, we waited for a train to come our way. There were two southbound trains -- one after another -- with hardly any riders. Ours finally came and it was packed. (I mean, packed for the United States. Plenty of room for Japan).
We arrived at the Buckhead station and made our way through the station and up the steps (this took a long time) before exiting on one side of the mall. This year you had to enter your corrals from Lenox Road so that took some time. By the time we got to Group B (I ran in my wife's corral), we had a minute before the race start!
The start of the race was fairly slow, although everyone was running and, unlike other corrals behind, there wasn't a single walker. Eventually the lanes started to open up. At this point, the rain jacket was around my waist. It wasn't that big of a deal, since I've run many races in the Pacific Northwest where you either had to have it on or carry it.
Our pace was pretty pleasant, although coming over a cold I felt dehydrated at Mile 3. At Mile 4, when the hard hills came, I made a point to get some water. It perked me up a little and once we were at the top of Heartbreak Hill I knew that the race would get better.
There's a second set of hills, a long slope up to 14th Street, that defines the next mile and while that wasn't pleasant, we were trucking along. After we passed Mile 5, I knew we were going to finish!
Although it didn't rain during the race, Piedmont Park after the race was a sloppy mess. So many people walking through the areas meant a lot of muddy puddles. We made our way around from water (so thankful for this), the traditional finisher's T-shirt, a finisher's picture and then a long line for Mellow Mushroom pizza. I'll take it!
This year they continued the great tradition of peaches. PNC Bank was giving out flip-flops (probably should have changed into those on the muddy field) and King of Pops popsicles, which i had never had before.
I was pretty thankful once we reached the Powerade area and the traditional cat's reward for finishing a race ... a Diet Coke. Although I didn't drink it this time because of my sore throat. Toddler K. loved Blue Bell's ice cream sandwiches!
It was a pretty good race considering my cold and running few miles (about 20 miles per week now). My legs are a little sore, so maybe a lot more training is in order if I want to requalify for Time Group A again.
Time: 7:35 a.m.
Temp: 70 degrees, overcast
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Charles Harris 2011), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 29/A.
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