A Hot Chocolate weekend

As early (late?) as the Jeff Galloway 13.1 in December, I'd thought about signing up for the Hot Chocolate 15K as a warm-up for the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March. But after I set a new PR in the Red Nose Half Marathon a few weeks ago, I decided that a few weeks of rest were in good order.

So I decided to see if the wife would be interested in a last-minute entry to the race, as she also is training to run in the Publix half marathon. It also seemed like good timing on her schedule, as her longest run was 7 miles a few weeks before. (The 15K was her longest run since running more than 8 miles with me in Battersea Park in London in December 2011 when she was five months pregnant!)

Although we thought we were going to go to the expo on Saturday, we decided to go on Friday after she got home from work since it seemed at the time possible that the roads might be messy Saturday morning.

The roads were clear and the expo was a great treat, especially when local races that require packet pick-up increasingly have shied away from expos and instead have runners pick up their bibs from specialty running stores.

Lots around the Georgia World Congress Center were charging as much as $15 (!), we parked in the Yellow/Gold deck that is in between the center's Building C and the Georgia Dome. It only cost us $3 for the time we were there.

Almost as expected, the hot chocolate expo had plenty of hot chocolate. They had chocolate-dipped marshmallows and the little guy particularly loved drinking hot chocolate. We were able to pick up some race-day items at the Big Peach booth and I was able to sign up for the Big Peach Sizzler 10K on site instead of registering online.

The little guy loved his hot chocolate!

Saturday I went on a run in 27-28 degree weather to fix a few geocaches and thought I was only going to run 6-7 miles but ended up running a full 10 miles. For the most part the sidewalks and paths were ok although there were a few spots on the Freedom Park PATH trail that were icy.

It was a good test of my winter gear -- I wore two long-sleeved technical T-shirts and a windbreaker and my Brooks Spartan pants. My hat came off around Mile 8 and while I wore gloves the entire time, they were two different kinds -- my index finger of my left hand was really cold wearing a fancier North Face pair while my right hand was very warm in a pair of simple cotton gloves The Weather Channel gave out at the end of the 2008 Thanksgiving Half-Marathon.

Race day worked well. I drove on Boulevard down to Atlanta Avenue and drove up Hank Aaron Drive from the south as far as I could go to avoid race day road closures and dropped off the wife. The race's text alerts worked perfectly and although my wife has only had time to run about 12 miles a week, she ran the first 5K and 10K portions of the race at an 8:20/mile pace and finished at an 8:31/mile pace!

Definitely sounded like a very well-put together race. It was nice to not be racing and I could just enjoy things like the expo without worrying about how I was going to do the next day during the race.

Big Peach Sizzler for $28!

Starting today through Sunday, if you register for the Big Peach Sizzler 10K, the price is $28 with the discount code SIZZLERHC20 on Active.com.

What I'm not sure is whether this deal will be available registering in person at the Big Peach Sizzler booth at the expo for this Sunday's Hot Chocolate 15K/5K (the email I received says you can get a free shirt if you sign up at the expo). I'll make an update if I see this deal there tomorrow.

The race is held on Labor Day, which is Sept. 5 this year. It's a pretty fast race with some rolling hills from right outside the Chamblee MARTA station to Buckhead. I ran in it last year and in 2009, on my 1000th consecutive day of running.

UPDATE: We went to the expo this afternoon since we weren't sure how the roads would be tomorrow. I was able to sign up for the Sizzler for $28 there, so I wouldn't have to have Active.com fees. Plus they threw in a T-shirt from last year's race!

Day 3,296: Red Nose Half Marathon (PR), or "heck, yeah, I'm going to run on a USATF-certified course for free"

Half marathon PRs: Vancouver Lake Half (1998), left, Red Nose Half (2016).

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- For a while now I've had a running streak nearly twice as long as my nine-year consecutive day streak -- an almost 18-year drought in being able to best the very first half marathon I ever ran in.

Over the course of the next 27 half marathons, in places like Oregon, Las Vegas and Chicago, my initial race time of 1:46:30 was out of reach. One year, at the Run the Reagan Half Marathon in Snellville in 2011, I came within 30 seconds of the mark.

But finally today, after my 29th half marathon, I was able to get that monkey off my back. I made my second PR for that distance by finishing the Red Nose Half Marathon in 1:44:50.

There's a lot of symmetry between the two races -- both are more or less low key affairs put on by the area running club. Both courses are flat and the weather was great. I also drove at least two hours from where I lived to the starting line.

My first half marathon (Vancouver Lake in Vancouver, Wash.) became my long-lasting PR because of what I didn't know about running those races. Basically, as a 27-year-old, my strategy was to take it easy the first three miles and then make my move. I passed all kinds of people the next seven miles, until I hit the wall.

After that, the last three miles were misery. I inched along, watching all the people I passed pass me. Yet when I crossed the finish line, I received a time that stuck for years. Once burned by running too fast, I took it easy in subsequent races. I've only learned about proper pacing in the last few years.

I found out about the Red Nose Half late last month when I was looking at upcoming race listings. For some reason I clicked on the link and found out that it was a free USATF-certified half marathon on a flat course!

I signed up for it thinking this might be my chance to finally set a new PR. I'd come close last year with two 1:47 halfs on hilly courses, in the Aug. 23 Hotlanta Half and the Dec. 13 Jeff Galloway 13.1.

This year race organizers had to made changes to their traditional course because all the recent rain in the area caused flooding of the Columbus Riverwalk. The course still primarily was on the riverwalk but also was muddy in some areas (I saw one runner who looked like he had made snow angels in the mud as he had huge mud spots from a fall on his shorts, singlet and along the entire length of his right arm).

My thought was to run as close to an 8:07/mile pace as I could to make a PR. But it was extremely difficult to run at the right pace -- sometimes I was running faster than an 8 minute mile and other times it seemed like I was creeping up to 8:30/mile. I waited until Mile 6 to eat my first GU gel (I'd planned to do so at Mile 5) and consumed the other one at Mile 11 when I wanted a boost for the finish.

It turned out I was running pretty consistently. At Mile 9 I thought I was only 15 seconds ahead of PR pace and I felt like I was slowing down (I actually was 45 seconds ahead of PR pace). But when we made the final turnaround at 10.5 miles, I felt a huge psychological boost as we were almost finished!

By Mile 12 I believed I could run a 10-minute mile and still make a PR (this was close; my data shows that I could run a 9:30/mile and still do it). I continued to run pretty steadily and the race's end involved two short hills, one to get from the Riverwalk to street level and another one a slightly evil hill just a few hundred feet from the finish.

I was going to take it easy but decided to scramble up the hill and kick after I passed a wiry guy who I thought was going to climb the hill strong but seemed to struggle. On the final flat when I kicked, I could feel two twinges in each of my calf muscles as I made my way to the finish.

I finished in 1:44:50, which was way better than I thought I could do. The result is more on line with what race prediction charts say I could do. Finally, a huge running goal was accomplished.

I think in the end, the flat course really helped me. In Atlanta races I could feel myself slowing down up big hills and then not being able to gain speed back even on flatter surfaces. I also paid attention to Mile 12, since in the JG 13.1 that mile was inexplicably slow even though it was through one of the areas of Piedmont Park I run the most.

We lucked out with the weather for this race; it was about 55 degrees the entire way and not rainy or cold. I'd love to do this race again in the future -- what a great thing for the community to throw a race for free in an age when these races easily cost $80 or so.

Time: 8:08 a.m.
Temp: 55 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, short (Honolulu Marathon), Brooks Grit shorts, cep compression socks, Brooks Pure Connect 3.

Day 3,287: The Nine-Year Run

This morning's run in Piedmont Park closed out 2015 and nine years for the streak.

I was able to get a short run in to Piedmont Park this morning before taking my parents to the airport, marking nine consecutive years of daily running.

The streak (now 3,287 days for 12,338.53 miles) has always been more of a trick for me to keep me active. I found in the years that predated it all the way to when I was 16 that if I didn't run continuously I would find ways to not run and then months would go by before the next time I put on shoes.

In the earlier years I used to use it as an excuse to not try to run fast and injure myself. I don't think I really knew much about training then. It's only been in the last few years with the influence of the Hanson's Marathon (and Half Marathon) Method that things have sunk in.

I still remember ending last year and not knowing what direction my running would take for 2015. And then I ran my first sub-7 minute mile in nearly two decades in the Hawks Fast Break 5K in February and was completely hooked. It led to PRs in the 5K, 4-miler and 10-mile distances. I also picked up a bunch of age group awards and my first ever Master's overall award in smaller races.

So for next year I plan to keep it going, with goals to hopefully finally break my half-marathon PR that's lasted since the first time I ever tried one, nearly 18 years ago. It would be great to PR in the 10K as well.

I'll have extra time from kiddo duties in the fall and I hope to possibly train for another marathon, maybe for early 2017.

Who knows, though? I should know by now that I just make up my plans as I go along.

Time: 8:05 a.m.
Temp: 54 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, long (Atlanta 10-Miler 2013), shorts, Saucony Iso Zealot.

Day 3,276: Out of the Box: Skechers Go Run Ride 4

A brand-new pair of Skechers Go Run Ride 4s.

This year has been one of the crazier ones when it comes to running shoes for me. I have no less than five active pairs, not counting my racing flats, although three of them are nearing the end of their lifespan.

I have a pair of Nike Air Zoom Pegasus+ 31s, they are the oldest with 404.39 miles on them and I mainly use them when I run with a stroller. I still have my Saucony Iso Zealots (382.93 miles), an old pair of Skechers Go Run 3s (375.86 miles) and my Brooks Pure Connect 3 shoes, which have 58.31 miles. I bascially retire them when they hit 500 miles, so if the three oldest shoes are still in my rotation, it will be a while before any of them gets retired.

The other day my in-laws gave me a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods and I found a great deal there -- a pair of Skechers Go Run Ride 4s for about $60, which is my eternal sweet spot for running shoe purchases.

Today I got to try them out on a 6-mile run in 35-degree weather. They felt light but they also were cushioned properly (my old complaint with Skechers Go Run 2s and the Go Run 3s were that they were light but I could feel it if I stepped on a rock on the sidewalk).

Comparing tread: The new Skechers Go Run Ride 4 (left); Go Run 3 (right).

I opted to use the additional inserts that came with the shoes (the yellow items with the shoes in the picture above). I don't know if that increases the drop from 4mm to 8 mm or more but it felt well worth it during my run to Atlantic Station and back.

The last two days have finally been cold (what a difference a week makes!) -- it was 33 degrees yesterday and I wore a little more layers than I should have but today I think I wore the right things. I thought I was going to run 10 miles today but my legs thought better of it, just a week after running in the Jeff Galloway half marathon.

Time: 7:39 a.m.
Temp: 35 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, long (Triple Peach '13), technical mock turtleneck (Marine Corps Marathon '14), Brooks Spartan running pants, gloves, Skechers Go Run Ride 4.

Don't miss the blitz! (Publix Georgia Half for $38.80)

At the nice expo for the Jeff Galloway 13.1, I wistfully looked over at the Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon booth but at $65, it was still too much for me to go over and sign up, especially since I've participated in the event six times.

But today is a different day. The Atlanta Track Club announced they've acquired the race that was their main competitor in the city and are now offering deals today.

They are offering the expo price of $65 for the half marathon today ... but if you're an Atlanta Track Club member you get an additional $26.20 off. That's $38.80, or cheaper than what I paid for the JG 13.1 yesterday!

So ... of course I signed up. The deal is only good today, after that the entry fee goes up on a sliding scale towards Christmas. And the $26.20 discount is only good today. Afterwards, the standard discount for track club members applies.

I signed up for two half-marathons in less than 12 hours. Someone stop me!

The early bird for next year's JG 13.1 costs $39

Wanna run a half marathon inexpensively? Flip the card.

In the race packet for the JG 13.1 was a coupon code that would reduce the early bird price for next year's race from $69 to $49.

But you have to register between today and Jan. 9 to get the offer. Tonight I decided to go ahead and register and it turned out that with the coupon code, the race costs even less --  only $42 ($39 for the race and a $3 fee).

Even better! It reminds me of the early years of the Publix Georgia Half Marathon where you could get in for $25 if you were one of the first 100 people to register.

I love great registration fee deals. My best marathon deal was registering for last year's Honolulu Marathon for $55 (it was only $26 for Hawaii residents). I doubt I will ever run another marathon for that cheap again.

So count me in. (I would have run in it anyway no matter the cost since I want to attain the race's five-year streaker status since I ran in this year's race and ran 13.1 miles with a stroller in March just to get credit for the 2014 race as a virtual runner).