2017 Peachtree Road Race Recap

Yesterday, I completed my fourth Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race. It's the largest 10k in the U.S. with 60,000 participants. This is one of the most exciting, cheerful, and ORGANIZED races I've done to date. It's usually the only race I do in the summer. Something about it just keeps me coming back.

I became involved with this race as a teenage volunteer just trying to clock hours. I think I volunteered about 3 or 4 times. This was before the big Macy's parade downtown was cancelled (I used to volunteer for them too). When I volunteered, I had no idea what distance these folks were running and I didn't know what a 10k was. All I knew was I got great perks for standing out at Pharr Rd making sure cars knew Peachtree St. was closed and cheering on the runners and walkers. It was exciting just volunteering.

Pictures from 2016 with my father.
He's standing in front of the hospital on "cardiac hill" that he had his surgery at.

Check out 2014's recap. Fast forward to 2016's race... I didn't blog about it, but last year my dad and I ran/walked it together. In January 2016, he had triple bypass surgery. A fairly healthy man had to have unexpected heart surgery. Of course, that was hard. Once everything was okay and therapy was over, he told me he was down to do "the Peachtree" with me. I wish I would've blogged about it, but there's so many emotions from that day, it would have to be a separate post.

Fast forward to 2017... Here's a few pictures from the expo. I was in and out this year. I wasn't trying to pay $15 to park AND I didn't want to be near the temptation for too long, lol. Last year I signed up for a half marathon in Orlando and chickened out of doing it because I would've had to travel solo. *eye roll* I should've done it, but anyway...

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My husband decided to join us again for his second PRR, so it was me, him and my dad. We were all in different corrals and decided to just start the races on our own and meet up afterwards.

We arrived on MARTA just in time, literally 5 minutes before Corral G was to start (a bump up from my past corral's J and H). I didn't get any start pictures except for the flag and what I snapped on Snapchat.

Because I didn't properly train for this race, I intended to do walk/run intervals using my Couch to 10k app on Week 7. Lol at myself, because I should've known I was going to scrap that idea. As soon as they said go and I remembered that my "plan" would be thrown off a bit by the initial crowd and the fact that EVERYBODY starts out running, so it's not like I could really run my own pace. You're running the pace of the crowd until it thins out. The first 3 miles are always my fastest because it's downhill. It's mile 4 and 5 that take me out. *insert eye roll*.

So basically, I ran the first 3 miles, mostly walked miles 4 and 5, then started back running after reaching 5. I knew I hadn't been able to train very hard this time so I was okay with stopping to walk. In the past I would've been disappointed in myself for seemingly giving up. My splits definitely accurately reflect my performance. It was HOT and it was HUMID for sure too so it was difficult for ME to regain momentum.

During my walk break as I saw my pacer, who didn't know she was my pacer 😃 pass me by and disappear into the crowd, I was thinking "WHY do I keep signing up for this race!" and "I could be on the beach or at the Essence Festival!" Sigh. This was my slowest time completing this race solo. My dad shaved off 4 minutes off his time! It's all good. I still love running and I still love/hate running this race. He says he doesn't know about doing it next year, but I'll work on that. 😊

On to the next... the Atlanta 20k Relay :-)

Race Recap: Hot Chocolate 15k Atlanta

Hello, readers!

Well, I guess I'll BRIEFLY explain my absence on my blog (again). I'd started training for what was supposed to be my "comeback" half marathon in September, but with my work schedule, my son being sick from daycare (ugh), and life, training just got away from me. I was up to 8-miles with the jogger, but skipping a long run is not a good idea for me because it was hard to get back into the groove of things, including blogging. I continued working out and going to my classes, while eating not so great. I actually gained about 10 lbs (I've loss 6 of those so far). That 10 lbs was motivation to actually put money on another race, so I decided to sign up for the Hot Chocolate...I was chasing a new medal, and this was perfect since now the Hot Chocolate race series gives medals AND jackets for 15k participants. Was that brief? :-)

I enlisted an old running buddy to help motivate me to run OUTDOORS after work while I had childcare and we ran long on Saturday mornings. FYI, the 15k is 9.3 miles. He had me become comfortable with 9.5-10 miles to be sure I'd be comfortable...well, so I thought (not his fault).

On to race day... I ran the 5k last year (first race 3 months postpartum/no recap) so I knew what to expect. This race is very organized with start corrals according to pace. You know not everyone followed the rules, though. I did. :-)

I'd had the flu (along with my son) a few days for the race. By mile 3, I had coughed up ALL of my mucus and could finally breathe! I actually had to stop a few times I was coughing so much. That's never happened to me during cold weather running and certainly not during a race.

Miles 3-6 were easy, I ran a steady pace, trying to make sure I was conserving energy up the hills. Oh, but when I got to the gi-NORMOUS hill at mile 7, I mentally gave up. This basically set the tone for the remainder of the race for me. And when you're NOT running with your buddy on race day, I had no one to push me. So I walked/ran the rest of the race. 

I was so disappointed that I had only 2 miles or so to complete and I gave up. I'm sure I could of finished faster, but no. 

I don't know if I'd do that race again next year because of the course. But then again, that's how most Atlanta races are. Atlanta is very hilly. I just felt like they put even more hills in the race to be funny. Seriously. 

After finally reaching the finish line, which I did run the last 1/2 mile, I think. We were greeted with our medals, plenty of water and sports drink, banana, hot chocolate, fudge, and other little treats. Oh and my jacket I had picked up at the race expo is of decent quality.

I was happy to be back in my car because it was coooooold!

Race Recap: 2014 AJC Peachtree Road Race

Well the day has finally come and it has gone. I ran the largest 10k in the world, the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Peachtree Road Race with over 59,999 other people. This race has been an Atlanta Tradition for 45 year now. It's become so much more than a race. If you don't know about any other race in Atlanta, whether you are from the city or not, you know about "the Peachtree".

For years, I'd see past participants on the 4th of July wearing their race tees not really caring too much about it, but in high school, only because I needed volunteer hours, I started volunteering for this race. I think my first year volunteering was in 2000 or 2001? I enjoyed it so much I volunteered every year after that until 2006, I think.

All the while, not even knowing what a 10k was, lol. I just liked doing my job, cheering the runners/walkers on, and most of all the PERKS of volunteering for THIS race! We used to get all type of freebies and the runners would thank us as they ran by.

It was not until I became a runner in 2011 that I wanted to do this race...well I take that back, the last time I volunteered I said I would walk the race, but for some reason I never did. In 2011 I wanted to run it, but it was too late to register. I mustn't forget to mention that for summer running in Atlanta...there's a saying, "heat, hills, and humidity" for describing the Peachtree. And the route is uphill the entire freakin' way. There's actually a hill nicknamed, Cardiac Hill.

 

On to my personal experience...

So, the two weeks leading up to race day, my training had been kind of shaky. I'd missed 1 or 2 runs and didn't give it my all on 1 or 2 either. I'd also missed some cross-training days. 'tis life, I guess. So race morning, I was kind of nervous. For safety reasons and knowing how the weather could potentially be, I can say I hydrated well. I've been on a personal gallon of water a day challenge.

Race morning I was kind of nervous. So nervous I didn't know what to eat and couldn't remember what I usually ate the morning of my long runs...crazy. But my schedule had been off for the past couple weeks, so I'd actually been doing my long runs in the evenings versus the morning.

Glad my hubs was running the race with me. This took my mind off of all the technicalities, a little. This was his very first 10k race, so I wanted to be there for him as well. We drove to the first MARTA station to ride the train, but the parking was full by 6 am. At first I started to panic lol. See when I start typing this stuff out I notice how ridiculous I CAN be, lol. But anyhoo, I went to another station on the line that was 5 minutes away which had plenty of parking. I just hate being late. And I have been late for a race before. It was smooth sailing once we bought our passes and arrived at the starting line.

We took a few moments to use the restroom, warm up, and takes selfies. And then we were off!

Miles 1-2 were spent dodging the crowd until it thinned out. I'm glad I brought my music to play just in case because I couldn't tune out other people's heavy breathing, yelling, talking etc...it was just too much of a distraction.

Miles 2-3 were spent mentally preparing myself for "Cardiac Hill". Although I had practiced the route many times, I was still nervous. Cardiac hill is almost about a 1/2 mile of steady incline. It actually isn't bad. The "bad" part is completing Cardiac hill, getting a small break and then here comes the start of another ANOTHER hill.

Cardiac Hill - Source

Police escorts driving up Cardiac Hill - Source

Now I knew in order to get through I would have to pick up water at the water station. Something I normally don't like to do. The water helped. I was beginning to get cotton mouth and it helped my breathing...I guess that makes sense.

I walked to drink my water, caught my breath and then set back out. I kept chanting to myself "make it to 10th street, make it to 10th street". I knew at 10th street the finish line would be near. I had a couple of "WTF" moments after I finally did reach 10th street. Where's The Finish Line!?! But the crowds were going wild for everyone and that gave me the boost I needed. I always get this burst of energy in the last moments before I cross.

Before I knew it I was crossing. I finally made it! I checked my watch (& unofficial time on the site later in the day) and I had made it! After 12 weeks of commitment with a now 8 month old! I met my goal, which was to finish at a 10:30 or below average pace.

Now, this was not a PR for me, but being 8 months post partum, I am extremely proud of myself! This race was a test to see if I could rebuild my base in order to reach my next goal...so stay tuned. :-)

the Peachtree Finish Line After Party!

One more thing... As far as race organization goes if you ever thought about this race in the future; it's extremely fun with bands at every mile, businesses passing out beer and other alcoholic beverages if you're into that, crazy costumes, the fellowship, and support is all great. Plus, the Atlanta Track Club always puts on a well organized race. We racked up on finisher snacks, too. ;-)

sn: I kinda hate this pic, bc I LOOK fat!

Piedmont Park

Later that day we relaxed with family, ate good bbq, and watched fireworks! The day was perfect.

What did you do for the holiday?

-Tiffany

Race Recap: Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

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This time last year, I was starting Week 2 of Couch to 5k. I would've never thought only a year later I'd be running my first half. I was kind of emotional waiting in my corral, where I had too much time to think. I'm sure the people next to me probably thought I was nutty for wiping tears and the race hadn't even started.

Miles 1-3 were okay. Took a min to get in my rhythm with the amount of ppl and adjusting to the raggedy roads. Miles 4-8, I was feeling myself and thought, "this will be so easy". Mile 9-10, seemed to take forever and the battery on my phone was really low. That took my mind off of having fun and worrying about whether I'd have music to finish. Miles 11-13 were the worse...bathroom issues and legs were tired. I was disappointed that I had to run/walk majority of the LAST couple miles of ALL miles. My long runs before were near perfect compared. So why when race day comes, random stuff occurs?

 

Some kind of way I got a boost of energy to sprint the last few yards.
I set a time goal for myself, which I didn't meet, but overall I'm just proud I did it and finished. The best part of the race for me was being done and my husband (race crew volunteer) being the one to put the medal around my neck.

After New Orleans, I spent the entire week at the in-laws house. They don't exactly live in an area safe for running nor does their hoarding tendencies lack of space allow me to exercise on the inside. That was fine with me because I needed the break. This week was my first week being lazy as hell and not giving AF inactive in well over a year. It felt kind of weird. I ate and pretty much drank what I wanted, when I wanted all week, but I'm ready to get back my mojo back already. For this week, I'm thinking group runs, spin class, and a body sculpting class should get me back on track. We brought back the nephews to spend time with us during their spring break, so we shall see how this goes...

Race Recap: My 1st 10K

I'm going to write this race recap differently than others. Before today, my last blog post was mid-November. I was uninspired to write anything for a while. Tonight, I just feel like writing for some reason. My first 10K was this past weekend on 12/17/2011...


Race: Peachtree Corners Christmas 10K (6.2 miles)


Goal: To finish under 60 minutes


Route: Hillier than NECESSARY!! Matter of fact there was a hill at the last .2 miles. Good thing I hill train, but dang, WHY?! I didn't stop, but maybe if I did, I would've improved on my time. Or maybe if I did, I would've been unmotivated to get back in the groove of my pace. The route was out and back through a neighborhood. Boring. Nothing visually pleasing to look at. Some neighbors cheered from their driveways, but that's it. Oh, and the roads weren't closed to traffic. Hmph. So yeah, I don't know if I will do this race again, especially because it was 45 minutes from my home. I did it because I loved the support of my running group with the fact of this being my first 10K.


The iffy Results: I'm going with my Nike+ app, even though I started it maybe 10 feet too early. My Nike+ time was 1:00:52. My clock time, or a.k.a., the time I heard the announcer yell out as I crossed was 59:something. The printed results had me finishing at 1:00:53. Needless to say, we had timing devices and the results were still messed up. I know I finished this race at 59 something, meeting my goal, but it would've been nice to have precise results. This was my first 10K...but whatever.


What does the future hold? Well, I still have my first half marathon to prepare for. I may participate in an MLK 5K, but that's about it. Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans half marathon, here I'se a come!

Race Recap: ATL's Finest 5K

Feeling a little nervous on the way to the race

This past Saturday I ran my third 5K AND I made a PR! It wasn't the time I was shooting for, but I'll take it and be proud about it!  I finished at 31:18.  I feel like once I get past that speed goal of finishing under 30 minutes, I can shoot for my first 10K (if there's any left to register for this year).  Just like I used the c25K app back in February to help me get started running, I'm going to use either the Bridge to 10K or Couch to 10K program to increase my distance (start date is pending). 

I don't know why, but I've become kinda obsessed about finishing in under 30 minutes.  I haven't done any "official" type of speed work, I've been more focused on the endurance part. IDK. I'm still a beginner in my eyes, so I'm trying to really figure out where to start with it.  I've done it before, just not during a race. I completed 3.1 miles on a flat trail at 29:37-something seconds.  But anyway, back to Saturday's race...

Doing my leg swings

I got there later than I should have. I'm not that much of a wake-up-at-5:30-a.m. type of person. So I hit snooze until the very last minute. My clothes and everything else were already layed out, so I got dressed, grabbed half a banana and was out the door. I arrived at the race with maybe 5 minutes to spare. I had to take advantage of the little walk from the train station to the bib pick-up tables for part of my warm-up.

I looked down at my Nike+GPS app and saw I was already at 30 minutes, so I started sprinting towards the finish!

A proud girl representing an awesome running group

I knew what to expect with the route since I had practiced it with my running group the week before, but those hills maaan, I let 'em get to me.  During Saturday's practice run, I trotted up the first and kept it going, trotted up the second and walked for a few seconds. During the actual race, I stopped to walk in the middle of both.  I think I started off too fast in the beginning and it affected my overall pace. Either way, I'm still learning from my mistakes and will keep it moving. I'm still proud of myself :)

Race Recap: HBCU Alumni Alliance 5K

I participated in my second race ever this past weekend. The race was organized by the HBCU (historically Black college & university) Alumni Alliance organization to raise money for scholarship.  Although I did not attend an HBCU, I still wanted to show support.  This was a good beginner 5K race and a lot of the women in the group I run with participated.  

I didn't finish at the time I hoped for.  It was actually worst than my first 5K, but I think had there not been a few minor, but major glitches related to organization of the race itself (ahem!), I probably could have gotten a way better time.  For starters, walkers lined up first which slowed me down in the beginning just trying to maneuver my way to the front of the line.  Secondly, I don't really know what time the race started because I didn't hear a horn, whistle, flute, or anything that would let me know the race is officially starting.  

I don't consider this my official finish time, considering all of the shenanigans I mentioned above.  The route was hilly.  I definitely want to return for a re-match because I KNOW I can do better than this sucky time!

HBCU Alumni Alliance 5K Run/Walk - 6/25/2011

The one great thing I can say about the race is that I got this really cute shirt to commemorate and met some amazing women from my running club.  

I burned 339 calories.