AM: 14 miles easy
I wound through Peachtree Battle and Habersham to get in a shorter long run. There were a lot of hills.
7.09.2012
July 5
AM: 8 miles easy
Easy run through the neighborhood in Atlanta before playing some golf. I'm more tired than sore from yesterday's race.
Easy run through the neighborhood in Atlanta before playing some golf. I'm more tired than sore from yesterday's race.
7.05.2012
July 4 - Peachtree Road Race
AM: Peachtree Road Race, 33:30 (?), 57th overall (?) - 11 miles
The question marks are because I wasn't included in the race results for some reason. I'm trying to get that resolved and will update this here when I do. The short version of the story is that it wasn't my fastest Peachtree, but it felt "good" to get out there and race.
It wasn't that great of a showing on my part, due mostly to fading badly in the second half. In an effort to keep this summer low-key and actually try my hand at periodization, I didn't really put in the work post-Boston to conquer Peachtree and its hills, either, to be perfectly honest with you. This being said, it's always fun to toe the line with a loaded international field. It's a lot like going from playing low-A ball to waking up in Yankee Stadium.
With Peachtree's course profile, you basically float along for the first three miles, thinking you're cruising, which I did today, hitting three miles in 15:25 (5:11, 5:04, 5:09), just about my PR pace. But after that, a series of hills that begins with the toughest, Cardiac Hill, sends you from floating to redlining in about 90 seconds, compounded my Atlanta's notorious July mugginess. You can do the ugly math on the second half of my race. In retrospect, I probably should have gone out a little more conservatively than bank time for the second-half sufferfest, but this was along my 10th Peachtree, and the second half is always pretty uncomfortable no matter how I've approached it.
Even though I faded on time in the second half, I still don't think I lost many (or any) places after 4 miles; the fact is that the second half the course is pretty tough, as were the conditions. At 71 degrees with 85% humidity at the race start, I couldn't stop sweating after about two minutes into my warmup. That makes Kirui's win in 27:37 all the more impressive (and the course record of 27:06 that much more unbelievable).
After a couple of ugly miles in the 5:40s in the hills, I rallied to about a 6:30 final 10k, hurting like hell the entire way. I wasn't close enough to out kick anyone, but I managed to hold off some guys who were close to me, which was a moral victory. I still think this is my highest finish ever at Peachtree, which is certainly tough to complain about, but that may have to do with a weaker American field than year's past (Raleigh's Bobby Mack was 13th, but was really the only men's US stud in the field). That will all change next year when the USATF 10k championships comes back with its deeper American prize purse.
The question marks are because I wasn't included in the race results for some reason. I'm trying to get that resolved and will update this here when I do. The short version of the story is that it wasn't my fastest Peachtree, but it felt "good" to get out there and race.
It wasn't that great of a showing on my part, due mostly to fading badly in the second half. In an effort to keep this summer low-key and actually try my hand at periodization, I didn't really put in the work post-Boston to conquer Peachtree and its hills, either, to be perfectly honest with you. This being said, it's always fun to toe the line with a loaded international field. It's a lot like going from playing low-A ball to waking up in Yankee Stadium.
With Peachtree's course profile, you basically float along for the first three miles, thinking you're cruising, which I did today, hitting three miles in 15:25 (5:11, 5:04, 5:09), just about my PR pace. But after that, a series of hills that begins with the toughest, Cardiac Hill, sends you from floating to redlining in about 90 seconds, compounded my Atlanta's notorious July mugginess. You can do the ugly math on the second half of my race. In retrospect, I probably should have gone out a little more conservatively than bank time for the second-half sufferfest, but this was along my 10th Peachtree, and the second half is always pretty uncomfortable no matter how I've approached it.
Even though I faded on time in the second half, I still don't think I lost many (or any) places after 4 miles; the fact is that the second half the course is pretty tough, as were the conditions. At 71 degrees with 85% humidity at the race start, I couldn't stop sweating after about two minutes into my warmup. That makes Kirui's win in 27:37 all the more impressive (and the course record of 27:06 that much more unbelievable).
After a couple of ugly miles in the 5:40s in the hills, I rallied to about a 6:30 final 10k, hurting like hell the entire way. I wasn't close enough to out kick anyone, but I managed to hold off some guys who were close to me, which was a moral victory. I still think this is my highest finish ever at Peachtree, which is certainly tough to complain about, but that may have to do with a weaker American field than year's past (Raleigh's Bobby Mack was 13th, but was really the only men's US stud in the field). That will all change next year when the USATF 10k championships comes back with its deeper American prize purse.
July 3
AM: 6 miles easy
I got in an easy shake-out run on the ATT in the morning before driving with Wilson and Valerie to Atlanta, picking up my mom's new labradoodle en route.
I got in an easy shake-out run on the ATT in the morning before driving with Wilson and Valerie to Atlanta, picking up my mom's new labradoodle en route.
7.03.2012
July 2
AM: 11 miles easy
This morning was considerably cooler on the Forest Hills-WaDuke loop. I'm driving to Atlanta tomorrow for a trip that will include the Peachtree Road Race: one of the toughest and most competitive races around. My expectations aren't high based on my current level of fitness, but it should feel good to get out there and battle a little bit.
This morning was considerably cooler on the Forest Hills-WaDuke loop. I'm driving to Atlanta tomorrow for a trip that will include the Peachtree Road Race: one of the toughest and most competitive races around. My expectations aren't high based on my current level of fitness, but it should feel good to get out there and battle a little bit.
7.01.2012
July 1 (90 miles/week)
AM: 14 miles easy, slow
Unlike yesterday, I waited until almost 11:00 to run on the ATT on account of sleeping in this morning. What a horrible decision. This run was a suffer-fest. The heat index was 106 when I finished: just brutal.
Unlike yesterday, I waited until almost 11:00 to run on the ATT on account of sleeping in this morning. What a horrible decision. This run was a suffer-fest. The heat index was 106 when I finished: just brutal.
June 30
AM: 13 miles easy
I got up early to meet Monk at 7:00 for a run through the ATT and the trails around Woodcroft. That turned out to be a great decision, as temperatures were already in the mid-80s by the time we finished.
I got up early to meet Monk at 7:00 for a run through the ATT and the trails around Woodcroft. That turned out to be a great decision, as temperatures were already in the mid-80s by the time we finished.
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