Day 6,362: My 19th Peachtree Road Race!

 

After PR'ing my 17th Peachtree Road Race in 2021 with a 45:09 I got pretty lazy about the world's largest 10K. And then 2022 rolled around and I had major FOMO for the snazzy finisher's shirts, which were now being supplied by the Atlanta Track Club's new sponsor Adidas.

So I made sure I signed up in 2023 to earn my shirt, posting a 53:48 in the process. Today I ran my 19th Peachtree Road race in 53:22, an improvement over last year but still have lots of work to do as I will have to run under 23:01 for a 5K or 47:59 for a 10K. In 2023, my 2021 PR was still valid for Wave A but this year, my fastest race was a 23:11 Resolution Run from 2023 that put me 10 seconds from Wave A.

Despite a hot morning that was about 75 degrees at race start (and the race ended up being cancelled a few hours later because of high humidity and temperatures over 80 degrees) I felt like I ran a decent race for my current ability. The starting pace in Wave B felt comfortable, but perhaps a little too comfortable as my first mile went at 8:40.

I felt hot after Mile 4 and slowed enough where I thought a few times about walking but worked my way through the finish. I did not use the one Maruten gel that I brought with me.

This year they have a new sign-up period for one week after the race to guarantee a place in the 2025 race. I would do it but I do not want to lock in the time from this race, which would put me in Wave C next year. (EDIT: I decided to register and it says you have until March next year to submit a better time for wave placement).

Here's some metrics on my 19 races:

Fastest time: 45:09 (2021; also ran 45:11 in 2019)

Slowest time: 58:36 (2008)

Years finishing between 55 minutes and 1 hour (5)

Years finishing between 50 minutes and 55 minutes (6)

Years finishing between 45 minutes and 50 minutes (7 -- includes virtual race in 2020)

Gear: Sleeveless technical T-shirt (Team BEEF Georgia), Tracksmith compression shorts, Picky Bars Boco visor (very helpful)

Shoes: Nike Vaporfly Next% Hakone 

Day 5,876: That fever dream known as the Tokyo Marathon (star #3!)

Runaway train, never going back

Wrong way on a one-way track

Seems like I should be getting somewhere

Somehow I'm neither here nor there

 -Soul Asylum

About a year ago I received a notification from the Tokyo Marathon Foundation that I was one of 50 people globally to win a bib to the 2023 Tokyo Marathon by participating in one of the foundation's virtual half marathons. It was an incredible gift as Tokyo is one of the hardest World Marathon Majors to get into via lottery or really by any other means other than charity or tour group.

It would be a chance to earn my third star as part of the majors' Six Star Finisher program -- I'd received my first star in Chicago in 2010 and my second in Berlin in 2018.

This past training cycle it was all about regaining my focus. After I finished my second Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon last April (in 3:53) I was all out of focus. I kind of sleptwalked through the Philmont Scout Ranch's first ever trail race (I ran in the 19-mile heavy half, at altitudes up to 9,200') and then really struggled in the California International Marathon in December, running it in 4:47 after almost trying to find an Uber off the course at Mile 18 until one of my Hyland's teammates found me and then we walked/ran to the finish.

So for the next three months a fire was lit under me to train better. And for the most part it worked, as this race was the first time in 14 marathons that I felt like I ran strong from start to finish, even passing people in the last mile. The caveat was that I ran it really slowly, finishing in 4:19 but at least now my third star is out of the way and I can look forward to training harder for my fourth star, the TCS New York City Marathon in November.

Getting There

I lived in Japan for nearly four years, first as an exchange student in college and later as an English teacher. But that part of my life was 30 years ago and it's been 20 years since I last visited Japan. I was a little nervous about what of the language, etc. I remembered.

Last year, the marathon's expo was on the days leading up to the race but you could only go on the day you were assigned. So that forced me to fly in nearly a week before the race. After I made my reservations, they announced that anyone could go on any expo day. Still, it was good to fly in and get acclimated to the jet lag (which I pretty much always have).

I stayed in the Remm Hibiya, which basically is classified in Japan as a "business hotel." It had no frills but was fantastic at about $130 a night and was exactly what I needed. It was a 5 minute walk from Hibiya Park and the same distance from two subway lines. It was about a 10-minute line from the Japan Railways line that provides connection to the Tokyo Monorail, which is an easy way to get to and from Haneda International Airport (and only cost about $5).

From there I spent the days leading up to the start of the expo on Thursday traveling around the city, hunting for plush Pokemon for my kids at the various Pokemon Centers around the city and even catching some early blossoms at nearby Yoyogi Park (where I think I even saw the elite runners doing shakeout runs).

The expo

I decided to go to the expo first thing at 10 a.m. on Thursday. I connected from the west side of the city where I visited Yoyogi Park and the kitschy Harajuku neighborhood. The expo is at Tokyo Big Sight and it's a large convention space. When I got there there was a pretty long line and they hadn't even set up the crowd lines so it was a little chaotic.

All week I had to record my temperature in a health app and they checked for this before letting you in the expo. Still it was amazing to see lots of people not having done this at all, especially when we received several emails from the marathon telling us to do this.

After that you had to go to the bib pick-up spot that was assigned to you. My spot, #7, was not crowded but I saw and heard that a lot of foreigners were assigned to spots #16 and #17 and they waited about 90 minutes for their bib.

From there was a crowded expo space that included another long line to pick up the race T-shirt that was optional and you had to order in advance. It was cash only and I was glad I had on hand the $40 or so needed to get it although when I saw the shirt it didn't impress me that much. From there I could have waited in another long line for the sponsor Asics for other Tokyo Marathon shirts. They had what was available high on display near the top of the expo space. I guess my eyesight wasn't good; I was a little tired from walking around Harajuku previously and didn't get into the second (third?) line for those shirts. Later I had FOMO when I saw some of the designs, which were way better than the official optional shirt I purchased.

Scouting out the start

One of the things they mentioned was for you to scout out the start area since based on your corral (which was based on a recent marathon, hence my 3:53 from Mt. Charleston) you could only enter a particular gate. This area is by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Shinjuku which is on the west side of the city. So on Saturday I made my way there and sure enough it was pretty confusing but I started from the start and backtracked my way all the way to the train station to know exactly which way to go.

Race day

On race morning I must have gotten up like at 3:30 a.m. because of jet lag. Earlier in the week I had been absolutely hitting the wall starving around 10 a.m. so I wanted to make sure I had eaten sufficiently before the start of the race, which was at 9:05 a.m. By 6:30 a.m. I was out and made my way to the red line Ginza station which has direct service to Shinjuku, about 8 stops. You get a 24-hour metro pass from the expo and it was cool to use. I was a little surprised that the train was not as crowded as I thought it would be. 

From there I navigated the same way as my Saturday scouting mission but right before I got to the part where I would go from the subway to the surface level they had a volunteer with a sign saying to go back the way you came for Gates 1 and 2. I decided to abandon the way I wanted to go and did this. One issue I had was that it was maybe mid-40s out. The subway car was extremely warm and when I got outside and hit the cold air ... I immediately had to go potty.

I was a little worried because the way the volunteer had us go was some kind of long underpass that was already crammed full of people. Despite Shinjuku being a huge train station there did not appear to be a bathroom near me and I started to worry about my options. I surfaced and thought about trying to make it to one of the luxury hotels. The race information instructed us not to do this and sure enough one of the hotels (which coincidentally was one of the first hotels I ever staying in Japan years ago) was checking hotel cards for entry. So I decided to just try to make my way to Gate 2 and hope for the best.

Luckily, there really weren't lines for Gate 2. You had to show on your health app that you had entered in the information from the two antigen tests they gave you at the expo and after that there were dozens of portapotties with no lines. I was very thankful.

Almost like a video game, from there, I climbed some stairs and saw a bunch of Japanese runners changing shoes, etc. before they got to the gear drop. I decided to do the same and changed in my shoes and got everything ready. I had brought a long sleeve shirt from the Tartan Trot that was too snug on me, a silver mylar space blanket and one of those throwaway Atlanta Track Club painters jackets that they gave out after races. I put the painters jacket in my gear bag and checked it and then got in a long line for another portapotty (I should have gone back to the other portapotties but didn't have anything else to do) which took about 50 minutes waiting.

So with just a few minutes to spare I was in the corral. There were a few dozen foreign dudes urinating on the side of buildings before the start, something that was in the race instructions for people not to do. I was pretty cold and shivering and was wondering if I should have brought more clothes. We started to walk up to the start and I ditched the space blanket and long sleeve shirt. I was really shivering and was even deciding whether to pick up someone's random clothes cast aside to stay warm.

The race

Two weird things happened right before the race. For some reason the power meter setting on my watch face got replaced with the timer function (so I had 2 of 4 fields telling me how much time had elapsed)  without me doing anything to the watch and my iPhone had completely gone dead. So I spent my last few moments before the start trying to reboot my phone so I could listen to my playlist.

When the race started there wasn't really anything like it that I've ever experienced. It looked like a stampede! There were probably eight lanes and they were jammed full of runners! It was extremely cool to be running on the street and see trains whizzing by overhead or in the distance. I laughed when my favorite songs from the 90's started to play -- the same songs I used to listen to on a mini disc player when I lived here.

I thought I was running at an 8:45/mile pace and I felt good. But my watch had reverted to regular GPS mode instead of foot pod calculated measuring and the skyscrapers wreaked absolute havoc on my watch. I was running at a 10 min/mile pace and didn't know it. My watch says I finished the marathon having run 27.9 miles. I thought at some point my pace would correct everything but when I crossed the halfway mark in 2:04 I knew that this would likely not happen and I would not break 4 hours today.

Still, I felt really strong. At each 5K I stopped to take a gel and a SaltStick electrolyte capsule. I usually bring fast chews and that's what I thought I had with me but these were capsules and I thought I had to just stop and swallow one. It worked fine though. It was nice to see that my pace was not really hindered too much by stopping (although at 35K I really wondered what I was doing out there).

The marathon course looks like a spider's leg. You have about 4 out and backs along it and it goes clockwise from the metro headquarters to the Imperial Palace on the east side of the city. I stayed maybe about a half mile from the finish sort of like I did in Berlin and I felt it was a huge advantage in the end to recognize landmarks so late in the race.

The first 5 miles of the race are downhill like everybody says and it is basically downhill although there are some long CIM-style inclines, one that is around the 31K mark of the course. But I plodded along and felt really good the whole way. 

Near the end, maybe 34K I was a little concerned when the 4:30 pace group passed me (and I never caught the group although I did catch a pacer with a few hundred meters to go) but with my calculations I thought there was no way I would finish in 4:30 nor would the pace group. It left me thinking though that they must have dropped a bunch of prospective 4:30 runners since the last thing you want when you're shooting for a certain time is to have your pacers run 15 minutes faster than your mark.

The last kilometer is all on some kind of square cobblestone. That distance is about the distance from where you turn onto 10th Street in the Peachtree Road Race to the finish. I felt super good at this point and even did not stop to take my last capsule at 40K, feeling I would deal with any leg cramps if I had any at that point. 

As soon as the turn started I started to kick. I ran as fast as I could and passed dozens of people. The one thing about Nike's super shoes are that if you have the leg strength left, they absolutely have the gears. I floated along the stones and didn't even think about them on the way to the finish. It was the first time I'd ever finished a marathon in this way and I can definitely see the allure.

The 27th mile

After the race I got to experience what I'd only heard about -- the so-called 27th mile. When you finish you are diverted based on your bib color which corresponds to your gear check location. Mine was in Japan's Otemachi district, basically their Wall Street. And I walked no less than eight city blocks to get to my gear bag. It was not something I wanted to do at that point and it was unfortunately in the wrong direction from my hotel. Ever since running in the Chicago Marathon in 2010 and developing painful leg cramps I'd always wanted to stay close to the finish.

I got my gear bag but I was not done. From there I was directed into the ballroom of a skyscraper and there all the guys changed into their street clothes. My guess is so Japanese runners can go back to looking as normal as possible (and I guess maybe less smelly for the subway). But in my mind I didn't want to put clean clothes over my sweaty body, especially since I didn't bring many clothes for the trip. But I did take off my bib and running shirt and replaced it with a fresh shirt. From there I realized I was nearly 2 kilometers way from my hotel (from what was only a half-mile from the finish) and made my slow way back there. The road right before my hotel was still blocked off for the race and so I had to make my way down sets of subway stairs and back up just to return.

The aftermath

I felt pretty good after the race and was happy on how I ran it even if it was much slower than I would have liked. This race was the first time where I really saw the energy that comes from all the people chasing their six stars (maybe since Tokyo is both so hard to get into and so far many save it for last). That energy is contagious and it really reinforced my desire to someday get my last three stars. It really was a whirlwind trip and even for someone like me who has been to Japan many times, one of my top experiences. 

I realized when I was there this also could be a victory lap. It had been 20 years since I was last in Japan and very easily could be the last time that I ever set foot in the country. All those memories combined with my new experiences were almost overwhelming. 

When I was about to board the plane at the airport, the gate agent who was checking my boarding pass told me in broken English, "Please come back for the marathon last year." I could only laugh since I know how hard it is to get into this marathon. But what if? lol

Atlanta Track Club announces member seeding benefit for the AJC Peachtree Road Race

 

Last July I decided not to run in the AJC Peachtree Road Race. I had run the 10K race the last 12 times (including the virtual version) and I decided it wouldn't matter to me if I ran it or not.

But then I discovered I had major FOMO after I saw the cool race shirt from the Atlanta Track Club's new sponsor, Adidas.

Had I run last year, the time I submitted -- a 45:09 PR from the 2021 Peachtree Road Race -- would only have been good for Wave B of the storied race. Last year you needed to be sub-45 to get into the first wave.

I knew I definitely wanted to be in the race this year and with that I needed a race time, since you typically could only submit a race time from the past year with your Peachtree registration. A little more than a week ago, I ran in the Jan. 1 Resolution Run 5K, finishing in 23:11. It was my first Peachtree Qualifying time since July 4, 2021. It wasn't good enough for Wave A but at least I had a time that I could submit.

Tonight, it turns out, I will be able to continue my Peachtree Road Race Wave A streak, thanks to the track club's generous seeding benefit for its members -- and the fact that the track club is allowing runners to submit race times that go all the way back to 2021 -- when I ran my PR. The announcement was made during the track club's annual Town Hall meeting. (The track club also announced then this year's member gift is an Adidas hat).

The track club is trying to encourage as many people as possible to become members, using its most famous road race as a carrot (or a stick?). In the picture above, to get into Wave A as a non-member (that's the chart on the right, the track club has a typo that lists both charts for "Members") you would have to run a 10K under 44:59 (7:14/mile pace).

But members such as myself only have to run under 47:59 (7:43/mile pace). Additionally, while the race's waves go all the way down to Wave Y (for runners submitting no proof of a previous race time), a track club member submitting no time will run no lower than Wave M.

It's cool seeing the wave standards before the race -- in the past the track club would post the standards on their website after the race, causing you to guess. I think that was in part because they tried to keep each wave with a uniform number of people in the past, something they are abandoning this year. 

This is just one major change coming to the race -- last fall, the track club announced it was getting rid of the registration lottery and will take runners signing up on a first-come, first-served basis. Track club members get early registration starting March 8. Tonight they said the race, which had a pre-pandemic capacity of 60,000 people, will be capped at 52,000 this year. (They did say cryptically that registration will end when they reach 52,000 people unless the registree is a track club member).

I can coast this year with my 2021 time but I still have work to do -- my 23:11 from the Resolution Run would most likely be good for Wave B next year, and I'll likely keep looking around for a faster time, with a goal of beating 22:59 in a 5K to get me into Wave A.

Day 5,268: My 17th Peachtree Road Race (PR)

 

It's been more than 15 months since my last in-person race and since I've updated this blog. But my 17th Peachtree Road Race happened today and so I have to write about it!

The last 15 months I've run in countless races, many of them I was pleased to be a part of, including my 16th Peachtree which was virtual (I ran it at Jekyll Island). In the last few months, however, I found it difficult to get motivated for those races and even thought or wondered if I would have coaxed myself to run faster if there were other people around.

For this year's race you could choose Saturday July 3 or today. I chose today since July 4th is the traditional day of the race. While I expected everything to be the same, it wasn't! I would have missed my start time if it wasn't for the wife who read an elite runner's post that said she would be there at 6:20 a.m.

While the elite women's race starts before the elite men and the rest of the field, I was expecting to show up for a 7 a.m. race. It turned out my race started a half hour earlier at 6:30! Anyway, this meant I had to change a little bit of my morning wake up and drop off routine.

These days I usually like to wake up an hour before heading out for my regular workouts/virtual races. This gives me enough time to get ready. So I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and then around 5 a.m. I got on the treadmill and ran very easy for five minutes. I've found the muscles in my left leg are pretty tight around my knee and I can feel it if I run cold so I usually like to run very slowly at first and after about five minutes I am good to go.

By 5:20 a.m. we were in the car and I was headed to the drop off on Piedmont Avenue. Only this time the police blocked off the road a block earlier than the usual drop off at the Atlanta Bread Company at East Paces Ferry. No problem, I got out and then walked the extra block. There were a lot fewer people out and it seemed on our way there lots of non-runners crowding restaurants, etc. 

From the drop off it's about a mile to the corrals. This time around I decided to wear a pair of running shoes that I would leave at the start and carried a brand-new pair of Nike Vaporfly Next% racing shoes. I casually made my way up Piedmont Avenue with the shoes in tow. Two guys ran past me, one of them noticed and said, "Nice shoes."

When I got up to Peachtree Street I saw three members of the Atlanta Track Club's female elite runners doing a warmup jog. It was like 40 minutes before their race started and I wondered why they would warm up so early since a lot of stuff I read said it's not helpful unless you do it right before you start running. 

Then I passed a young guy throwing up in the bushes. And then, the sound of extremely fast light feet running up on me from behind. The woman stopped a few feet in front of me on the street (I was on the sidewalk) and it occurred to me that this might be Sara Hall, who as announcers later said, holds the distinction for being the second fastest female marathoner in American history. I hadn't heard anything about Sara Hall running in this race, though, so I wondered if it was someone else. I could tell though that the woman's shoes were Hall's sponsor, Asics. In any event, the woman then sped up and ran off. When I got to the corral they announced her first in the women's field.

I made my way around and through Lenox Square and turned up Lenox where you would typically turn to make your way to the start and the corrals. But this was blocked off. We had to walk several blocks more, to Wieuca Road and the Container Store where they had a junction for vaccinated people and those who weren't and had to be screened. I made my way up to Peachtree Street finally and then walked right through Corrals D-B until I finally made it to A. It was 6:20, an hour after I left home! My stomach was growling since I had only eaten a quarter of a Picky Bar (I usually eat an entire bar before a workout). It forced me to consume prior to the race the gel that I brought.

Here I changed my shoes and left my old shoes in the mulched median of the road. I was able to do a few strides before the race started. It wasn't very crowded although I was still near the back of the corral. In years past I would have made my way up but this year I didn't want to crowd anyone so I didn't. And maybe that was a mistake?

 

The race started and I could tell right away that something was wrong with my watch. It said we were running at a 10-minute mile pace. I know I started in the back of the corral but could this be right? I was near a trio of young guys who had one letter each of "USA" painted on their backs and they ran in formation. I felt like I would try to stay behind them and certainly they wouldn't be running at a 10-minute mile pace? The first mile beeped and I could see that I ran it in 7:06.

Confused, I made my way through the next two downhill miles in 7:03 and 7:02. I tried to estimate my pace based on the numbers that appeared to me on my watch and I really didn't know. When the hills started after Mile 3 I did my best to try to take it easy yet still keep a decent pace. Mile 4 beeped and when I saw 7:43 I wondered if I ran it too slow. Still I couldn't really run any faster and I made my way up the second set of hills to Mile 5 (7:29).

I crested the hill at 14th Street and tried to work myself into a decent pace, thinking I would try to run faster after the turn on 10th Street. When Mile 6 arrived, my watch beeped 7:08 and I wasn't really able to determine whether I would be breaking 45 minutes today. I kept on pressing but not kicking, passing up the crosswalk light at my old apartment, then the next crosswalk at the Yoshino Cherry pokestop where I kicked during my PR in 2019.

Not too long after a young guy in his 20s started to kick and I decided to just go with him. He got about three seconds on me to the finish and I hoped it was enough. I finished in 45:09, besting my PR from the last time I ran the Peachtree in 2019 by two seconds. I covered the last .27 miles in 1:38 at a 5:54 pace.

This time around I carried a small bottle with Nuun in it thinking I might need to drink during the race. I didn't but it was helpful afterward when I guzzled the entire bottle. The weather was exceptional (64 degrees via my phone, 61 degrees reported by my watch) and my fitness seemed ok, especially tied with the extremely comfortable Vaporflys. The one thing that still sticks out in my mind is my erratic footpod-derived pace reporting. Every race you tweak some part of your plan to get better, whether that's more mileage, speedwork or at-home exercises. This time it looks like I'll be trying to fix my watch.

Day 4,814: Snickers Half Marathon (or, I'll do it for the shirt!)

So two half marathons in 7 days? Well, I liked the shirt!

ALBANY, Ga. -- If last week's Publix Atlanta Half Marathon wasn't on my radar, this race certainly wasn't -- it's difficult for me to break free for a Friday expo and a Saturday race.

Then they released the reveal for this year's race shirts and I was hooked. This year's color was black and I really loved the all-black look of the half marathon shirt.

So just 16 days before the race, I signed up.

In my mind, I was always going to take it easy on this one, what with the Publix half just six days before and especially knowing I would really have to run in that one to keep up with Silver medalist Meb.

But after running 1:39:49 in that race, I wanted to test out what it would be like to run this one entirely on power. I also knew that I've run a few times similar performances just a week after running in a previous race.

There was also a little peer pressure, as my friend Anna, who picked up my race packet, told me her friend Jessica was running in the half. "I told her to look for you, since you've run 1:39," she said. "So you may have a blonde chasing you!"

I left Atlanta much later than I did two years ago when I ran in this marathon and got my 3:40 PR, which still stands today. One benefit of leaving at 6:30 p.m. was that a lot of the traffic had left. But that meant much of the drive was in the dark, which turned out to be not so bad.

I ended up getting to my hotel room at 10 p.m. and ate a bowl of leftover spaghetti I brought with me. As I ate it, I thought it might not be a great idea since I'd be getting up at 4:30 a.m. but I ate it anyway.

When I got up, I ate a serving-size bowl of Picky Oats' "Can't Beet Chocolate" and made my way to the Albany Civic Center where the race was to start. Because of recent heavy rain part of the parking lot was a lake. Still there was enough parking and I had about an hour to kill. I stayed in my car until 20 minutes before the race started, went to a portapotty and then did a .6/mile warmup around the parking lot.

Unlike six days ago in Atlanta, it was fairly warm -- 38 degrees. So I didn't even need to use the throwaway painters jacket I received at the end of the Publix race. I just left everything I didn't need in the car and then went to the start line. The announcer had everyone sing the National Anthem -- I don't think I've ever experienced this in the probably 175 races I've done in my life -- and just like that the race started.

My goal for the race was to run at about 250 watts and this meant I had to slow a little on the first turn out of the civic center on Oglethorpe Boulevard. It also meant that I was chasing a small pack of people who were running way faster than I was, including Anna's friend Jessica. I paid that no mind and made sure that I kept my wattage in check on this first long hill. Mile 1 = 7:35.

As we ran the next few miles (Mile 2 7:29, Mile 3 7:22), I found myself still maybe 30 seconds behind Jessica's pack and way ahead of anybody else. I thought it would be prudent if I kept this lead pack in sight at least and let my power increase a little. Mile 4 = 7:12.

Just before Mile 4 we turned northward into the neighborhoods that would bisect the marathon route. During this time I could feel my left hamstring, it wasn't pain but it was definitely tight and I wouldn't have been surprised if I ended up pulling it and causing my half marathon effort to be done. But I decided to push ahead, especially when I realized I had caught up to this small group and had passed them.

I knew this northerly push would last to about Mile 7, where the route would push southeast toward the finish. About a half mile after Mile 5 (7:26) we turned on Dawson Road and this taller gray haired man passed me. He was running at too great of a clip for me to even consider catching up with him and I let him go. I was still a little worried about my hamstring but my effort felt pretty decent given my wattage goal and I just wanted to get to Mile 7 and assess how I was doing.

At Mile 6 (7:18) I took the first of my Salt Stick chewables. I reached Mile 7 in decent shape (7:20) and, having seen my split times to now, was really thinking if I just took it easy and didn't do anything rash I would have a PR on my hands. So that fed my thinking the next few miles (Mile 8 7:12, Mile 9 7:27).

At Mile 9 I reached in my waist belt and pulled out a caffeinated Spring gel. In the Publix race I didn't take any gels and I thought I really suffered the last few miles. So out came a gel and at Mile 10 (7:23) I started to get fairly excited. The second half of the course puts you through neighborhoods which are filled with turns and rolling hills. At times it felt disorienting, running at a fast pace and turning all the time. I took a second chewable at Mile 10 and noted my 10-mile split was maybe a minute above my 1:14:52 PR.

Mile 11 (7:17) flew by but just before Mile 12 (7:27) I felt a slight twinge in my right calf. This basically continued every quarter of a mile until the finish. I knew at Mile 13 (7:29) I was maybe three tenths of a mile off of what my watch said I had done and the official race distance, but I still hoped for the best.

I made the final turn for the finish and could see ... 1:39. I was a little deflated as I thought my splits had set me up for a massive PR and I worked to finish as quickly as I could, finishing in 1:39:27. My GPS said I'd run 13.5 miles (the last bit at a 6:59/mile pace) and my Strava also said I'd run nearly as far, 13.49 miles.

I'm not sure of the discrepancy, since the course was fairly compact given it was on small neighborhood roads and I'd even tried to run the tangents after passing the small pack in front of me at Mile 4 and definitely as I chased the older gentleman who passed me at Mile 5.5. The race was altered from its original course because of the flooding but since the marathon is a popular BQ race they made sure the alteration was recertified well before race day.

Jessica came running in 40 seconds behind me and I gave her a big high five at the finish. I'd thought she was the next finisher after me but it turned out two men finished in between. I received my race medal and a foil space blanket, which was helpful.

I wasn't sure if I'd placed or not so I waited around, my muscles getting pretty tight in the process. Finally there was a big line in front of the award table, so I waited my turn in line and meekly said, "I'm embarrassed to say I'm 49 and I'm not sure if I placed?"

But it turned out I did, good enough for second place in my age group. I might have placed anyway even if I had trouble or took it easier since third place was 1:47. I received a nice black fleece pullover with the race logo on it. I was happy for this as I immediately put it on and made the walk back to the parking lot. I made a mental note that if I ever ran this race again I'd park in the spaces in front of the civic center instead of behind, just a little farther to go.

Still, I was more than pleased having just run my second fastest half marathon (and two 1:39 halfs in 7 days) and being inspired for even better results in the future. It was such a well put-together race and one I guess I'll be happy having done for a while since now races for the time being have been canceled.

Time: 7 a.m.
Temp: 38 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Team BEEF), shorts, cep compression calf sleeves, Nike Zoom Vaporfly Flyknit 4%/B.

Day 4,808: Running with Meb aka Publix Atlanta Half Marathon

Running with Meb! Following the 1:40 pace group through Virginia-Highland. Note my Group B bib among the sea of A's.

Don't stop, get it, get it/Peep how your captain's in it/Steady, watch me navigate, ha ha ha ha ha! - "Feel Good Inc.," Gorillaz

This race wasn't on my radar. I mean, I had a great time running sub-1:45 last year because I loved the race shirt but this year, not really.

That was until I learned I could volunteer for the February 29 Olympic Trials Marathon. The one condition was that you either had to volunteer for the March 1 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon or Marathon or -- you could run in the race.

So I decided on the latter. I didn't really devote any extra training in it as it's in the middle of my training cycle for the April 4 Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler in Washington, D.C. And I really hadn't thought much about the Publix half -- I even thought about switching to the 5K.

That was before I learned Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was going to lead the 1:40 pace group! The best I'd ever done on this course was 1:42:40 but I thought I still could do it. There was one problem, however ... I would be in the wrong corral from the 1:40 group.

On race morning I arrived downtown at about 5:50 a.m., an hour before the race started. Despite my problems finding street parking the last few years I actually found a few spaces where I have parked in the past. So I parked there and put on the free painter's jacket they give you at the end of races and a space blanket -- it was 32 degrees and pretty chilly but the space blanket made the difference.

I arrived and no one was in any of the corrals. So I couldn't determine where the 1:40 pace group would be. My corral was B and there was a 10-minute difference in start times, making it impossible for me to start in B and even reach this pace group if it was in A.

About 30 minutes before the start I decided to go into the Omni to try to use the bathroom but unlike years past this time there was a long line. So I left the hotel and walked across to try to use the portapotties in the race village. Still long lines there too.

That was when I saw two guys holding 1:40 pace group signs. I disregarded them at first but then made a beeline over to them when I saw that other portapotties were just as crowded. They and a female runner were headed directly for Corral A, where there was a line of bib checkers. I tucked in with them and still had my painter's jacket covering my bib -- and walked right in.

So I parked myself right behind their sign and waited for the race to start. It got wall-to-wall crowded in minutes and then Meb made his way to the pace group. He was signing people's bibs and taking selfies.

In no time the race started and we were off. I followed directly behind one of the pacers and the first mile was actually quite off the 7:40/mile pace we needed for a 1:40 half. There was even a guy who asked the pacer, who confirmed they would be speeding up.

The first three miles seemed difficult for me and at times I was 10 to 20 seconds behind Meb and the pace group. Lots of people chatted him up and took selfies but I felt like my business was trying to stick with this 1:40 group. The official time says I hit 5K at 24:19 for a 7:49/mile pace.

The next few miles we sped up a little bit -- my 10K split was at a 7:42/mile pace. Since the last time I tried to run a half really fast I ended up with calf cramps, I made sure to consume a salt stick chewable tablet at Mile 6. I'd never tried one before and they reminded me of a Sweet Tart.

At this point I was running right behind Meb as we went up Freedom Parkway toward North Highland Avenue. I wasn't real close but it reminded me of how he didn't like Galen Rupp drafting off of him in the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles. Just as I was thinking this, he put in a quick surge and instantly was about 15-20 feet in front of me!

As we rounded Freedom Parkway toward North Avenue I started to lose the pack again and I knew that once we ended up on North Highland Avenue the pacers and Meb would be speeding up again. Because of the cold I wore two technical T-shirts and really regretted this although there was no way I could take one off at this point. I was running at 7:10/mile pace for Miles 7 and 8. (I had just a sip of water at Mile 7 and my second and final salt chewie at Mile 8). I saw my friend Josh in front of Limerick Junction, which gave me a pick-me-up.

I didn't see my family across from John Howell Park like I did last year so I stashed my Headsweats visor and a pair of (now really sweaty) arm sleeves off on a stone wall at Inman Middle School (it was still there a few hours later after we came back from brunch). I had been about 7 seconds behind Meb and I figured if my family saw me I would be behind the pack, nothing that I could do about it.

I slowed a little when I turned on Park Avenue but caught up with the pack, which inexplicably slowed down when I saw a woman on the sidewalk who I thought was my wife. It wasn't her but my wife was actually just the next block over! At this point I was actually running alongside Meb and the only thing I could say was to yell out, "Meb, that's my wife!" and pointed while she took pictures. He was extremely gracious and gave us all smiles for the picture above. I thanked him and then made my way ahead of the pace group into Piedmont Park.

I'd been mentally preparing myself for this point. In this race, to me at least, it doesn't start until you exit the park -- here you have the long incline along 10th Street and the rolling hills of Juniper Avenue. I took my time but was starting to get passed by the pacers. I was even more behind on Juniper but there was nothing I could do. I kept trucking along and the great energy I had last year for these hills were gone, at least in my mind. I ran 7:40/mile for Mile 10 and 7:29/mile for Mile 11.

I knew there were two more giant hills left -- the one alongside Bobby Dodd Stadium on North Avenue and then the one on Techwood Drive. I ran my slowest mile here since Mile 1, a 7:55 for Mile 12.

As soon as I passed Mile 12, I reset my lap counter so it would measure the last mile. The two slight inclines here were pretty monstrous to me and maybe a dozen people passed me here. Nothing I could do about it although I ran 7:40 at this point. In the last tenth of a mile I was speeding up but before I could turn the corner into the park and the Finish I could hear the announcer say, "Only 100m to go for Meb!"

When I made the last straightaway I tucked in behind a young woman and put my head down and focused on my final kick. Since I accidentally started my watch about a minute after the race started I didn't have a good idea of the final seconds of the race. All I could see was the race clock saying 1:40 and counting. I figured there wasn't too much difference in my time and the clock time since I started in Group A and I told myself if I couldn't break 1:40 at least I could try the best I could to finish under 1:41.

Meb and the 1:40 pacers finished 12 seconds ahead of me. As soon as I crossed the line I jumped in with a big crowd surrounding Meb for a group picture. Then as I walked away, my wife texted me with my final time: 1:39:49, which is my second fastest half marathon time and just bonkers for me since the course is so hilly.

So this race ended up being really rewarding -- I never thought I'd break 1:40 here but it took a special day and a celebrity to do it.

Time: 6:55 a.m.
Temp: 36 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short x2 (Chicago Marathon 2019, Team Beef Georgia), shorts, cep compression sleeves, Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4 percent Flyknit/B.

Day 4,781: Hot Chocolate 5K

It turned out this race was over for me before it began! I planned everything pretty well, I thought, until I took a slightly longer than usual warmup before the race start and found myself outside a crowded corral with two minutes before the race started, giving me little hope of a fast start that is crucial for a good 5K time.

In that moment I decided to wait with a bunch of people outside the corral and only was able to get in after the gun went off, maybe getting to the starting line about 45 seconds after. When I started running I was stuck behind the 9:30 minute/mile pacers for the 15K. I decided to just run when I could and just enjoy the race.

I finished the race in 23:04, losing about a minute in the congested first mile (the 5K and 15K racers share the road until the 5K split at about 1K into the race). My splits were 7:51/7:12/7:07 This actually could be a positive in that I need to make sure I get into the corral early when I am running in the Publix Georgia Half Marathon next month.

Here's some notes just for my own planning purposes in the future:

Getting There: Free street parking is really scarce downtown now. I drove around a bit and finally found a space on John Wesley Dobbs close to I-75/85. Gonna have to plan better for this next time.

Prerace: I walked up to the empty corral at 7 a.m., about 30 minutes before the race started. Since it was cold out I decided to walk toward Centennial Olympic Park and the portapotty lines when I remembered before last year's Publix half I went to the Omni for the restrooms and to shelter from the cold. This year I stayed in the lobby until 15 minutes before the race when I did my warmup.

Warmup: I wanted to see the last couple hundred meters before the finish but it meant running 1.08 miles, a little more than I would usually for a warmup. It was valuable to see this downhill finish but this got me to the corral just two minutes before race start and that meant having to wait in a line outside the crowded corral.

Gear: It was cold out (36 degrees at race start) but I wore too many layers for the race. I wore a Mizuno Breath Thermo layer under a technical T-shirt. Over that I had a throwaway long-sleeved technical T-shirt. But after Mile 2 I really wished I'd just worn the short sleeved tech shirt and obviously couldn't discard the under layer in the middle of the race.

Course: It is a little hilly, it had some screaming downhill but a half-mile incline that included a huge hill overpass with a half mile left in the race.

Day 4,748: The runstreak is now 13 years!

A short 2-mile run today closed out 13 years of the runstreak! I ended up with 2,130.11 miles for the year, the most I've ever run for that time period (I ran 2,104.33 miles in 2014).

All in all, it was a pretty good year. I focused much of my training on two marathons (Revel Mt. Charleston and the Chicago Marathon) but was happy that my times in shorter distances were good, including an unexpected PR in the Peachtree Road Race.

I'm hoping to work on my half marathon PR (1:39:14) this year and am training specifically for a PR in the April Cherry Blossom Ten Miler (1:14:52). I got into the Chicago Marathon for next year and that will be my 11th marathon.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and a great 2020!

Day 4,732: First Watch Kennesaw Locomotive 5K

KENNESAW, Ga. -- After a few 5K races under my running shoes I had my eyes on one last one for the year, the First Watch Kennesaw Locomotive 5K. My wife and I had been to the race sponsor's breakfast/brunch restaurant recently and I wanted to see if I could win a gift card promised to age group winners.

This race is held the same weekend as the Jeff Galloway half marathon and 5K. I decided that after running in the Chicago Marathon in October, I would never be properly trained to run a December half marathon. I could have run in the Barb's 5K scheduled on Dec. 14 but my wife already was signed up to do another 5K. So in order to keep my "streaker" status for the Galloway race series I decided to run a virtual 5K so I could show up to this one.

Nine years ago I ran in the Kennesaw Locomotive Half Marathon, back when the race was held in September. At the time I was gearing up for my first Chicago Marathon. I didn't remember really any of the race route although there is some overlap.

I was happy to know however that the race overlapped a good bit of the Summer Steamer 10K that I ran in June. It was helpful to know exactly where to park and how long it would take for me to trek out to the suburbs for this race.

Instead of starting in the parking lot as in the Steamer, the 5K started directly on Vaughn Road, then turned down Cobb Place Boulevard NW before the hill at Auto Park Drive NW. Because I was following my power data, I let a huge group of people run ahead. Right before the turn I realized that I had not turned on my Garmin watch at all -- it was just showing my live power data. So with about a half mile in the race, my watch was finally on.

Running up Auto Park Drive I passed a man who was probably my age or so. I just kept going steadily up the hill, remembering how hard it was for me to run this section twice in the June 10K at a 7:15/mile pace.

The 5K turns southeast on Roberts Boulevard instead of going the opposite way in the Summer Steamer and I was greeted with another hill leading to Cobb Place Drive. At this point there was a boy ahead of me. I was running steadily but when he sensed I was close he would surge ahead. I didn't try to keep up with him since my experience with this (as recent as the previous weeks' race) is that surges in a 5K only serve to wear down the surger. I fully expected to overtake him at some point.

After Cobb Place we turned back on Cobb Place Boulevard toward Roberts Boulevard again. I ended up passing the boy on the descent and made my way through the Vaughn Road intersection to the turn-around point on Roberts maybe three-tenths of the way down the road. There was a clock at the turnaround and it said something like 17 minutes and change and it made me worry that I was going to run this race slower than 22 minutes.

When I reached the turnaround I saw that I was all alone in the race. The boy was not anywhere behind me -- when I turned on Vaughn Road to the finish I saw that he was only halfway to the turnaround -- and the lead pack was nowhere in sight. Tactically it was an interesting situation since I still had a bunch of running to do but really not the kind of running you would do if someone was close ahead/with or behind you. So I just plugged on. I tried to tell myself that the boy was about to pass me as I neared the finish (I finished almost a minute ahead of him).

I crossed the finish with a gun time of 21:51, on par with my last two other 5Ks. I was pleased with it but very unsure whether I had won my age group. I waited around for the awards and lo and behold I won my age group! There was a man in my age group who ran faster than me but he was the overall winner or the masters winner. I was seventh overall in the race.

During the wait for the awards I took a short stroll down the Noonday Creek Trail for a geocache -- this is part of the Summer Steamer course. I returned to the parking lot staging area and wasn't initially hungry but later decided to eat the very delicious pancake and chicken or turkey sausage First Watch provided for runners.

Because I started my watch late I only had partial data to work with after the race. My Garmin said I ran the first .4 mile at a 7:11/mile pace, then ran a full mile in 6:55 and the next mile in 6:48 before finishing the last .15 mile at a 6:27 equivalent pace. It was nice to win my age group but disconcerting that guys in my age group can run about an entire minute faster than me. Definitely more work for me in the future and this is as nice of a 5K I could hope to find in the area!

Time: 8:03 a.m.
Temp: 39 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Nike), shorts, Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit/B.

Running to the finish! (Photo by TrueSpeedPhoto.com)

Day 4,724: Atlanta Running Festival 5K, my third Masters win

I signed up for this race about 10 hours before it started and it turned out to be my third Masters win!

I wasn't sure I was going to run in this race -- I ran a 5K a week the last two weeks and would another race in the park do anything for me? Still, I was buoyed by last week's 21:53 in the Leftover 5Ks event and wondering if my Stryd-paced footpod would come in handy again.

In the end I decided to register for the Atlanta Running Festival 5K the night before and I made sure that I got out to the park a little before sunrise so I could take advantage of street parking. I walked my way over to the registration table and got my bib and shirt (I felt a little guilty getting a shirt because of my very late registration) and returned to the car. It was only about 48 degrees out but it felt cold. Cold enough that when I started my warmup I debated running the race in my Under Armour running jacket that I was wearing.

Luckily after that mile I warmed up and ditched the coat in my car. It was really convenient to be able to change shoes from trainers to racing shoes and even, about an hour before the race, driving home to use the bathroom instead of a porta-potty. When I returned some minutes later, my parking space was still available!

When I got to the starting area, I grimaced, since the one guy who looked like he would win the whole race (and he did), wearing one of those Tracksmith sash tanks, also was wearing the exact same white Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit as I was wearing. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones wearing Vaporflys to this event. I debated wearing other shoes but after last week's great run I decided to see how the shoe would run in this race.

When the race started, I made sure that my wattage was under 300 and I pretty much kept it this way.. We made our way around the Active Oval and during this time I caught up with a younger African-American guy. He kept surging to stay in front of me and at times I would drop back, especially up the hill on the Active Oval, to keep my wattage down. I wondered if the entire race would be this way, with this guy pacing me. Eventually after Mile 1 and before the turn into The Meadow, I dropped him.

In past races without the footpod I would run way too fast around the Active Oval and then get dropped by people in the Meadow, only to have my slowest mile be Mile 3. This time I was passing people, but carefully and once I made my way back out of The Meadow, I caught up with a guy in a Georgia shirt. We basically ran step by step the rest of the way back to the Active Oval where we had to loop back around it toward the start.

Here I started to disregard my wattage up and back down the hill around the oval. Once we made the turn along Lake Clara Meer, I started to pick it up a little bit, waiting for the last turn as I did in last December's Jeff Galloway 13.1. When the turn came, I made for the tangent as fast as I could and outkicked this guy -- who was 14 years younger than me -- by two seconds to finish in 21:45. I was 6th place overall and first Masters male (the overall winner was 47 so the Masters win fell to me).

I was elated when I saw the results. I was worried that with only awards for the top runners in each age division I would walk home without an award, as I did the previous week in the Leftovers 5K. It helped that the popular Eastside BeltLine 10K also was held today, just an hour or so after my race started.

The Masters win was unexpected and great -- I got an award and a gift card to Phidippides running store. It also was my third Masters win, after the May the 4th Miler Be With You race in May 2015 and the Stamp Out Poverty 5K in December 2016. It's certainly the first time I've won a gift card for a race.

I felt extremely comfortable running this distance at this pace and this time around I used the footpod data to tell me when to increase my wattage and I included pace to appear on the screen to give me a sense of what the actual pace was during the race. My splits were incredibly even -- 6:57/7:04/7:00 and the last .13 miles I was running at a 5:50/mile pace. It will be nice to use this tool in a ramp up for longer distances -- and new PRs.

Time: 8:30 a.m.
Temp: 48 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Doug Kessler 10K), shorts, Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit/B.

Day 4,717: Leftover 5Ks and 2,000 miles for the year

Put a sticker over an unused race bib and voila! A new race bib!

Since running in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Oct. 13 (I know, marathons take a long time for me to process) I haven't stuck to much of a schedule, preferring to just get regular runs in for Strava badges or even volunteering in the Thanksgiving half marathon (that post soon to come as well).

This race, however, intrigued me. Run Social Atlanta offered up the post-Thanksgiving Leftover 5Ks, two 5Ks that consisted entirely of leftover race bibs, T-shirts, medals and swag from the other races they've hosted over the year. Better still, a 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. race allowed the wife and I to participate while the other watched the kiddos.

Although I've owned it since before I ran in the 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon, I've started training with a Stryd foot pod. It basically calculates wattage of power similar to power meters for cyclists. The intent is to provide you with a smoother guide during your race to allow a very even experience without bonking.

A week before, I calculated my critical power doing a virtual 5K on a track at St. Pius X High School. This gave me a base number with a recommendation to run at 279 watts per kilogram for a 5K. So when this race came, I only had three sets of data on my Garmin -- the distance, my race power and the time elapsed. It would be the first time that I ran a race without knowing my pace.

The race started in Piedmont Park and we looped around The Meadow before heading down past the dog park and up the ramp next to the splash pad. Then we came down the hill, looped around the tennis courts and around the outside of the Active Oval before running back around Lake Clara Meer to the Meadow and the finish.

When the race started I saw I needed to back off, as I was running at 322 watts! I settled myself into about 272 and found it was nearly impossible for me to run at my recommended wattage. One lady passed me up the ramp next to the splash pad -- I let her go since I was running close to the power that I needed to run. Two men had passed me also during the race and I was able to pass one with less than a quarter-mile left in the race.

Since this was more of a community race, I opted to leave the Vaporflys at home. Instead I wore a pair of Nike Zoom Fly/SP shoes that I bought on sale on Amazon. They had been intended to be a replacement for the two previous pairs of Zoom Flys that I've owned; instead they appear to be some kind of hybrid that lends itself to faster running. I decided to wear those to test the shoes out. I found they were comfortable to run in although for the last mile it felt like my right shoe might come off my foot at any moment. Additionally, I didn't like the plush squish of the shoes as I was kicking my way to the finish.

I finished in 21:53 which is the first time I've run under 22 minutes in any 5K in Piedmont Park. Using the power meter kept me from using too much energy early on in the race and I felt pretty fresh during all points of the run. I need to find out how to be more comfortable running at my recommended wattage.

It turned out my time was only good for fourth in my age group -- if I'd run the 10 a.m. race instead I would have won the whole thing since, a male took that down with a time of 26 minutes. (EDIT: Actually the first male masters ran in 27:10, the male winner ran 22:44).

Still it was a great idea for a holiday weekend with great weather! With that race I reached my goal of 2,000 running miles this year with a month to spare and am only 50 miles or so away from running 20,000 miles for my near 13-year-old running streak.

Time: 9 a.m.
Temp: 55 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (rabbit), shorts, Nike Zoom Fly/SP.

Day 4,568: My 15th Peachtree Road Race (PR)

My decision to wear Atlanta United's King Peach kit in the race was rewarded with a PR.

It was hot out, running down Peachtree Street and somewhere around Mile 2 I noticed all the runners around me. We seemed to be running slow. I glanced down at my watch for my pace and saw the numbers 6:55, leading up to one of the fastest mile splits I've ever run in this race or any race for that matter.

Alright, I thought, and continued on.

Today was my 15th AJC Peachtree Road Race and what I thought was going to be just another ordinary race turned out to be epic, breaking a personal record that has stood for three and a half years and besting my Peachtree course record by more than a minute and a half.

There were hints this could happen as I ran 45:28 in last month's Summer Sizzler 10K in Kennesaw, proving that even without any speedwork since April's Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon, I was in good race shape. Yet the last time I ran a similar time -- 45:26 in 2017's Possum Trot 10K, it turned into a dud come Peachtree time with a 47:49 race that July 4th.

The weather looked like it would conspire against me, however, with morning temperatures at 75 degrees. Already the Atlanta Track Club's event system was at yellow, warning runners to take precautions because of the heat and humidity.

Still, I decided I would just see how things would go in the race. Even though I knew it was going to be hot and humid, I decided to wear the Atlanta United soccer team's King Peach kit -- I'd worn it on a similarly humid day and ran home after a game and thought it could be something I would run in. I'd actually worn most of my singlets in previous Peachtree races and thought it would be nice to wear something different.

I debated on my shoes for this race. If this race didn't matter very much to me, why not just wear my Hoka One One Carbon X shoes I wore in the Summer Steamer? But in the end, I decided I might need to rely on the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4 percent Flyknit's much better ability to accelerate when I needed it most. So that was that.

Another thing I did was that I made sure I got into the Group A corral early. The last two years I got in late because of lack of time or because I wanted to try to warm-up beforehand and would end up at the very back of the corral. This led to me inevitably running at a 7:30/mile pace in the crowd, much slower than what I'd planned on running and my time for the first three miles would suffer accordingly.

Today I was in the middle of the corral and when the race started, I was running at a good clip. I struggled early, my breathing was too hard and I wasn't really running that fast -- there are slight rolling dips before Piedmont Avenue, (something I dislike about the last part of the Labor Day Big Peach Sizzler 10K course) and it looked like I was going to have my typical Peachtree Road Race with Mile 1 ending at 7:19.

After this I tried to not look at my watch just to avoid disappointment and so I just kept going by effort, and was surprised that Mile 2 ended at a 6:58 pace. Mile 3 came really quickly, down to the bottom of the hill by Peachtree Battle and a little bit up the first incline. I ran this mile in 6:59.

When I got up Cardiac Hill, I was beyond sweaty in my Adidas Climacool kit. I kind of regretted wearing it but there was nothing I could do. I made my way up the best I could and slowed a little to get a cup of water to pour on my hands (they felt hot) and then took 3 sips from the next cup of water I grabbed. When I got to the top, I tried to hammer the decline and flat stretch before the next hill.

The next big incline, which goes all the way up to 14th Street, didn't appear to be as steep as I thought in years past, so I kept going as best as I could. I didn't look at my watch the whole time but I ran Miles 4 and 5 in 7:34 and 7:35, which gave me 10 more seconds of cushion over what I usually have run those hilly miles in years past. In recent years I'd thought about taking a gel at Mile 4 -- I actually had two gels with me on this race, one to take before the race started and one at this point but I decided not to take any this time around.

At 14th Street you could see that people were really pushing. I looked up and I was at 12th Street already and I just told myself to get to the 10th Street turn. From here, the course is all downhill to the finish. I made my way to the photographers at Piedmont Avenue and then I told myself I should be kicking from here, as I had just seen this part of the course the day before cheering my son along as he completed the Peachtree Junior One Mile race.

But I kept waving myself off. A little bit further was the "Yoshino Cherry" pokestop and Mile 6 (7:05), where I kicked in last year's race. I really couldn't do it here either. I kept pushing though and finally I could see the finish line at the bottom of the hill I started to accelerate. It wasn't really much of anything, though.

When I crossed the finish I finally looked at my watch and was startled to see the race time start with the numbers "45." (I ran the last .29 miles at a 6:05 pace). It felt like I had run a 46- or 47-minute 10K yet again.

It's a huge confidence boost to crush a course on an extremely hot and humid day. It's a little surprising I hadn't done any speedwork in a few months but the 230 miles I posted last month in the first few weeks of my Chicago Marathon training block certainly helped. And most of those miles have been under the same humid conditions.

At the same time, I could have done better. If I'd looked at my watch near the end of the race I might have pressed harder or at least understood what some of the runners who were kicking ahead of me were trying to do -- break 45 minutes. That's out there and I know if I can run so close to that mark under extreme weather conditions and a brutally hilly course, I have what it takes to PR again in a more favorable situation.

Time: 7 a.m.
Temp: 75 degrees
Gear: Atlanta United King Peach jersey (Adidas Climacool), shorts, Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4 percent Flyknit/B).

For 3rd year, Peachtree Road Race relaxes time standards for early waves

For the third year, the Atlanta Track Club has relaxed time standards for the first four waves of the Peachtree Road Race. This year you needed a "projected 10K finish time" of 46:39 (about a 7:30/mile pace) for Wave A or 51:07 (8:13/mile pace) for Wave B. Even seeded runners caught a break, needing a time of 39:52 this year compared to 39:35 last year.

The new time standards can be found here. In applying for the 50th running of Atlanta's annual July 4th road race you had to submit a recent race time in order to not be randomly placed in a late starting wave of a race that attracts about 60,000 participants.

It makes a huge difference since the later the start wave, the later you start and the warmer it is on the course as the summer morning temperatures rise.

Presumably the 10K's time standards shift each year because of various numbers of applicants for each start wave and to make sure each one is not too crowded. Yet runners don't know if the race times they submit will qualify them for a particular starting wave because the time standards aren't released until a few months after the registration deadline in the spring.

Last year you needed a 45:47 (7:22/mile pace) for Wave A and 50:41 (8:09/mile pace) for Wave B. The time standards for the first four waves have been declining since 2017, when a time of 45:32 was needed for Wave A or 50:21 was needed for Wave B.

It's a little harder, however, to be placed into the next six waves compared to last year. This year, you need to have a projected 10K finish breaking 1 hour for Wave E (last year it was 1 hour, six seconds) and Wave K is four seconds more stringent at 1:20:04.

Also this year, a 10K time breaking 2 hours will get you into Wave N and a submitted time of 2 hours or more is good for Wave P. Runners without submitted race times are placed randomly in the remaining seven waves (R through Y).

Day 4,549: Summer Steamer 10K (Carbon X race test)

KENNESAW, Ga. -- I haven't done any speedwork since well before April's Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon but with the Peachtree Road Race coming up in three weeks I wanted to race the 10K distance. I also wanted to put the new Hoka One One Carbon X shoes to the test.

So I decided on this race in the suburbs. It's on the same day as the Chattahoochee Nature Center's Possum Trot and I chose this one because of the other race's seemingly huge hill at the end (that really wasn't so big after all).

For the 10K, the race is two 5K loops that begin in an office park before going on a few streets and then through the paved Noonday Creek Trail and then back to the start. My race also started at the same time as the 5K so at the start I wanted to be sure that I held my pace in check as to not run at a 5K pace and then have to slog through the same distance again.

The start/finish gate was a little narrow and I started several rows back from the start. It turned out I was pretty far back as I was six or seven seconds behind the gun time. When I started there was a whole group in front of me and I wondered with my 7:30/mile pace if I was even going to run closer to the 7:15/mile pace I'd need for a PR.

There were a few people around me in the beginning and I could even see a woman running with a few dogs as we approached the turn for the second street we'd run on. I was pretty amazed since she was with the front group!!  I ran the first mile in 7:23.

After Mile 1, the course turns on Barrett Lakes Boulevard and is a 56-foot incline over .46 miles to Auto Park Drive Northwest. It is a little daunting but gradual and I made my way up it. Then it dips and resumes another climb of 58 feet between 1.55 miles and 1.8 miles when you turn onto Roberts Road. It starts to be screaming downhill until 2.31 miles when you enter the Noonday Creek Trail. (My second mile was 7:15).

At this point there were some people behind me and I was pretty much drafting off of a kid. On the bike trail he joined up with another youth and I decided to not keep running as fast since it was becoming apparent most of the people in this spot were running in the 5K and were kicking to the end of the race. Indeed when the turn off came for the 5K finish I was the only one running! My third mile was 7:18.

At this point running through the office park I could see one guy already on the streets running way ahead of me and although I thought it would be nice to catch up I decided to not press it too much. Mile 4 was in 7:18 right before the turn for the hill.

The guy looked behind to see where I was before he turned to start the Barrett Lakes climb and I was still a good distance away. Maybe halfway up the hill I could see one other woman starting the turn at the top of the hill (she finished in 44 minutes and change in seventh place overall and I wouldn't see her the rest of the race).

So it was just me and this guy. I think I passed him somewhere on Auto Park Drive before the next turn on Roberts. (I ran this hilly Mile 5 in 7:28 just after the turn) I was a little worried since I didn't want to run too fast and blow up but once I got onto the bike path I decided I would run as fast as I could with some in reserve and then make a decision if I got passed.

I kept pressing and when I exited the trail and got to the short .05/mile turnaround before the end of the race I could see the guy was still on the trail and I probably didn't have anything to worry about. Mile 6 before this turnaround was 7:06.

When I got into the office park, there was a guy telling me to turn right where the 5K finished in the first loop and another guy telling me 10K was straight. So I kept straight for a few feet and the first guy was really yelling loud at me, so I stopped and turned around and confirmed, "10K?" When I got that confirmation, I turned around and then loped through the chute at a 7:19/mile pace, much slower than I normally would kick.

I finished in 45:28 for eighth place overall, 12 seconds above my PR, good for second in my age group (first place was a guy wearing Vaporflys who ran it in 42 minutes so I wouldn't have had a chance anyway).

I was happy with this race since I haven't done any 10K specific speedwork as I was focused on recovering from one marathon and just now starting my Chicago Marathon training. I enjoyed running in the Carbon X -- it felt very smooth throughout but I also feel like in a 10K I prefer the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% as I feel I can generate my top speed at the end of races much faster. I probably will use the Carbon X for the marathon however.

Time: 7:36 a.m.
Temp: 66 degrees
Gear: Mizuno sleeveless singlet, shorts, Hoka One One Carbon X.

Finished!

Day 4,535: Virginia-Highland Summerfest 5K

My seventh try at the Va-Hi Summerfest 5K and my first age group medal for it.

Now that the Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon is past and I'm a few weeks away from my training cycle for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, I wanted to jump in a few local races.

The Virginia-Highland Summerfest 5K is my neighborhood race and this year was my seventh running of it. I hadn't run it since 2015 since at least for me, the course is pretty brutal with lots of rolling hills in the last mile. This year, however, I just thought I'd run in it. It also helped that I saw that I should have run in it in the years since 2015, since it looked like my average 5K time in a hilly race of 22:30 would have placed me in my age group each year. So it goes ...

I got down to the race start a few minutes before the race started and I was easily 8 to 10 rows from the start. The race started and I made my way, trying to take it easy on the downhill and then run carefully up the first uphill grade half a mile later. My first mile was 6:57.

This race felt difficult for me and I did my best to keep up. I didn't even want to look at my watch during the race out of fear that I would be running like an 8:30 mile through the hills. My second mile was in 7:08.

Then the really hilly portions happened and I felt like I wanted to quit but just kept on going. Mile 3 was 7:40. Up one hill, then down and up to another and then through the famous Virginia-Highland intersection and on to the final hill ... and then down two streets to the finish. When I turned I was surprised the finish was not too far away -- in years past it is slightly evil as it finishes on an uphill grade further up the street. I just tucked in behind a younger guy who passed me and kicked to the finish.

The course was short according to my Garmin watch and I finished the last .06 of a mile at a 5:41/mile pace for a 39th place at 22:06.

Afterward I chatted with the dad of one of my daughter's preschool classmates (who beat me by 17 seconds) and I wasn't sure if I placed in my age group or not until I received an email with the results. I placed third in my age group and was pretty elated since I'd never placed in my six previous attempts, even though my times in 2010 and 2015 were very similar to this year's.

The guy announcing the awards recognized my name as he came to it and said something to the effect that he's announced my name many times before. It was nice to get out there today even though with the heat and the hills it was a little bit of a struggle.

Time: 8 a.m.
Temp: 66 degrees
Gear: Mizuno technical sleeveless singlet, shorts, Nike Vaporfly 4 percent/B.

Day 4,500: Revel Mt. Charleston Marathon

This 3:48 finish was hard earned, with calf cramps, heat and a lot of walking.

"I have a rule, which is if you think you're at 70 percent, then start pulling back, because it's probably at 105." -- Robert Downey Jr. on fellow Avengers: Endgame actor Chris Hemsworth in Variety magazine

SUMMERLIN, Nevada -- I'm running, more like freefall, at a 7:23/mile pace down a 5.7 percent grade when I glance up at a sign.

"Holy shit, I'm running at 7,000 feet," I thought to myself as my Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit shoes carried me effortlessly down the mountain road.

Such was my initiation to a race that I always wanted to run, the Revel Race Series Mt. Charleston Marathon. After a hugely positive race last September in Berlin, I prepared myself for my ninth marathon in ways that I'd never done previously.

First I trained under an online coach, the one offered by the race series, and particularly because this race -- basically a 23-mile descent -- would be unlike any of the flatter races I've done in the past. The 24-week training program was my longest ever for a marathon, including grueling mile repeats up and down grade (I found a decent 4.8 percent grade near my house) and specific bodyweight workouts to prepare your quads for an epic downhill beating.

I also had a personal trainer once a week and twice a month subjected my leg muscles to dry needling via a physical therapist.

And yet? I still ran too fast for my ability on what came to be a very hot day in the desert -- 80 degrees halfway through the race.

The race starts and ends in the Las Vegas suburb of Summerlin, several miles from the famous Strip. I stayed at a hotel nearby, wanting to make sure that I would be there in time for the hour long bus trip up to the top of the mountain for the 5:30 a.m. race start. After reading an account on last year's race, I decided to catch the bus at 3 a.m. so I wouldn't have to rush to the start.

It turned out the bus got up the mountain pretty quickly and around 3:45 a.m. I had a bunch of time to kill. Despite the long wait, I'm glad I did this since both last year and this year I'd heard accounts of people's buses getting lost or breaking down on the ride up the mountain. I had plenty of time to use the portapotties, hydrate, eat a small snack and apply sunscreen. I wore a technical hoodie under a fleece pullover -- it was pretty cold!

The race start was just on the road above the staging area. They had banners for the different time groups with the slower times to the left. But the race start was to the left of the slowest banner shown. I didn't pay any mind to this as I heard they would bring the faster groups along the cul-de-sac to the right to the start.

So right before the race start I waited with a few people by one of the banners. People were flowing to our left. Someone then came up and asked us why we were waiting. It turned out the banners were placed the wrong way and the race had started! I made my way to the left, paused to get my headphones working and was off!

The race preview warned of the hilly first half mile and I took heed. Only the altitude was 7,600 feet and I was sucking serious wind and then the course finally started downhill. My first mile was 7:51.

I tried to take it easy but the next few miles were serious freefall and I went 7:26, 7:29, 7:24. There was a little rise at Mile 4 and also at Mile 5, which took us through the parking lot of the mountain visitor center. It was a decent rise and I had just consumed a gel thinking the aid station would be at Mile 5 as printed in the guide. But it was after the parking lot so I had that gel in my mouth the whole time!

At Mile 7 and 8 I was cruising along -- but maybe too fast, with splits of 7:05 and 7:09. After Mile 8 I felt like I was having some GI issues so at Mile 9 I stopped at a portapotty at an aid station. I remember feeling my calf muscles not cramping but almost swimming in circles while I was standing still. I took this as a not great sign but I still made my way down the road.

At Mile 12 my headphones cut off, just as they did in the March 2018 Snickers Marathon. It probably is a good idea for me to not wear headphones as at this point I could hear my breathing, which could have alerted me that I was running at a harder effort than I should have been.

By the half-marathon mark (I ran it in 1:39:54, just 40 seconds off of my PR and it probably would have been a PR for the day if I hadn't had that Mile 9 stop) I could feel it starting to get warm so I backed off my pace. By Mile 16 it was genuinely hot and I started to develop calf cramps. This time around I carried Hyland's Leg Cramps tablets, some of which were the same ones that I never used in last September's Berlin Marathon and some of which were included in our prerace packet.

The tablets worked wonderfully. I could still feel the calves cramp but there was no pain at all. By this time because of the heat and the cramps I knew my race was done so I basically just stopped worrying about my finishing time at this point. So I would come to a complete stop at all aid stations and using the portapotty at most of them.

From here until Mile 20 I kept going back and forth with a guy who would walk until I caught up with him and then run and then walk again. I just made my way down the best I could and in this case it turned out that just running at a slow, constant rate beat out walking and running.

At Mile 23 they thankfully gave out wet towels and I held onto mine until the finish. In the next mile I had previewed the large 3/4-mile hill and I'd never been so thankful to see an uphill grade in my life as I was able to run up it completely. But there was still more race to go!

At this point I was running and walking when the cramps would start. They were impacting my ability to run and even in the last two-tenths of a mile I had to walk even though I could clearly see the finish. Once I made the final U-turn to the finish line I was able to jog a little as in the photo above.

My 3:48:58 finish is my second-fastest marathon time and it's amazing to think I was able to do that given the amount of stopping and walking that I did. I've learned some things for October's Chicago Marathon and I'm looking forward to executing a better race the next time around.

Time: 5:30 a.m.
Temp: 64 to 80+ degrees
Gear: Mizuno sleeveless singlet, shorts, cep compression socks, Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% Flyknit/B.