peachtree road race

The most fun race I've ever run. I can't wait to do it again next year! I told Ryan that right after he found me in the Reunion area, and he said "That's really sick." haha! I think everyone needs to do it, run or walk it, at least once. It's such a fun experience!


Five Points MARTA station around 6 am - all runners here!









Everyone getting off the trains at Lenox station









Ready to walk toward the start













Check out where 80000-99999 had to go! My line-up was with numbers 1-29999 - couldn't really ask for a better start. We started 7 minutes after the first wave.

I got to warm-up in the Lenox Mall parking lot and I lined up right at the intersection of Lenox Rd and Peachtree Road, under a stop light. There were several helicopters hovering at the start, Gov. Perdue did a little intro, and there was a huge flyover - not sure what kind of plane. But I was wowed.

Once the 2nd wave started, I have to say I got really emotional running under the giant American flag. I let out a cheer and raised my arms Rocky style. Then jockeyed for a good position middle to left on the road.




Ryan found a good spot at the finish line. Right around sunrise, the wheelchair racers approached the finish. See the wheels?






Some patriotic runners - I cannot imagine running with heavy flags for 6.2 miles! These guys are troopers. Some other funny runners that I saw included:

Swimmers - guys wearing speedos, swim caps, and goggles
American flag capes - guys with flag capes & red/white/blue wigs
A man answered his cell phone around mile 5 "Hey Sweetheart, I'm runnin the Peachtree! Let me do this thing! I'll call ya back!"
Mohawk boy - guy with mohawk and checkered pattern in his hair




Can you see me?









There I go, on to the finish! I finished with a time of 1:04:40, almost 1 whole minute less than my 10k in February (Charles Harris).

I really enjoyed the race, the atomsphere was just so fun. I couldn't help but smile the whole time I was running. Every mile there were musical acts (DJs, bands, trombone players, drummers), free stuff being thrown out (tshirts, bracelets, bumper stickers), and all kinds of nourishment (yogurt, beer, athletic drinks, donuts, cupcakes). I think it would be fun to walk it next year just to enjoy all the free stuff! I always had a laugh when I saw people stopping for a donut (how can you eat a donut and keep running? I would totally hurl), or people stopping at a band's stage to sing along and cheer.

I really wanted to stay focused on the run for my first Peachtree, so I ran the whole thing, even all the way up Cardiac Hill. This is definitely the hardest hill I've ever run in my life. It's so long! Runners were dropping like flies all around me, stopping, walking, slowing down. But I just kept chugging along, all the way to the end!

What a great time :)

i got in!

Peachtree Road Race, here I come!

At first, I was really scared to enter, because it's the largest 10K in the world, and you run with 55,000 people. Talk about intimidating and claustrophobic. But then I figured, I should just do it, at least once. It's an Atlanta tradition, you get a "coveted" tshirt, and if I hate it, I never have to do it again. And I'll get to tell my chlidren some day, I ran in the largest 10K in the world. Although I'm sure by that time, it may not be the largest 10K any more. Who knows?

But they cashed my check, so I'm doing it. Yippee!!

I only regret that I didn't get my 10K time down so I could be in a better seed group. :(

pure exhilaration

So I am done with my very first 10K!!!!! And my first race since high school, which seems like a lifetime ago. It was pretty amazing, and emotional! Here's the play by play...

5:35 am - wake up! brush teeth, throw clothes on, check & double check that I have everything (but later find out that I forgot things of course)

6:00 am - out the door

6:20 am - arrive at North Dekalb Mall shuttles, scope out other racers to see what they are taking with them

6:25 am - go to McD's to use bathroom & sit with Ryan

6:50 am - get on the shuttle! say goodbye to Ryan. Have my race # pinned on and my gel & Sean's picture in my hand.

7:05ish am - shuttle leaves, meet a new person on the bus who actually went to high school with one of my sorority sister - small world!

7:20ish am - arrive at Tucker High school, warm up. Ran around the parking lot a couple times slowly, did some strides, stretched a lot. Met a cool dude, #3, so I knew he was a fast runner, probably one of the "famous" ones. His name was Sammy, he introduced himself to me, I was a little starstruck! Ryan told me he was definitely in the first 5 people to finish, I think in 30 minutes? When the race results are posted, I'll figure out his name. He asked me where I was from, wished me good luck etc.

7:35 am - done warming up. I walk back towards the high school entrance only to see floods of people leaving. I guess we are lining up at the start now!

7:45 am - and we're OFF!!! In that very moment, I realized why I love running, why I ran track so many years ago. It's just this rush of excitement I get. I wasn't even competing, I just wanted to run the whole thing, but there was still a pure, exhilarating joy in starting a race, starting something big, and oh yeah! Starting something that means a lot to me - a race in memory of my cousin Sean, who died from leukemia. Took a look at his picture and folded it into my hand to carry through the race.

7:56 am - Pass the 1st mile

8:06 am - Pass the 2nd mile, feet are starting to get wet! :(

8:15 am - Pass the 3rd mile, water table! Ok so I have never tried to drink water while running...BIG disaster! I took one sip and water went all over me. ALL over me. So I was like...forget this. Threw the water cup in the trash can (boo to all you runners who threw your cups on the street! That's littering! Be a responsible runner!!). Then took my PowerBar gel. Such a weeeeeird sensation. I just squeezed the gel into my mouth and then kinda slurped it down. The green apple flavor wasn't too bad! It kicked in pretty quickly, I definitely felt energized afterward.

8:27 am - Pass 4th mile. At this point I start seeing runners running BACK to the start line. What are you crazy?!?! They had run the whole 10K and turned around to run back to the start line. Sick! I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that! Also I think it was at this point that there was a tent set up with the music from Rocky blaring over speakers. Two guys were there cheering us on. I don't know if they were affiliated with the race or what but at this point I started tearing up. I just started thinking about Sean a lot, and of being a kid and all the things we did, playing together and everything. And what things would be like now if he were still alive. And how I just don't think of him enough, I was so young when he died. But do we ever think about the past and get those feelings out, those losses that we go through together?

8:39 am - Pass 5th mile. Worked through the verging tears :) Now I'm ready to be done!!!! Volunteers, police officers, all cheering us on. It was really awesome! And then...water table #2! I decide to try again, this time I got 2 sips in before I choked on the 3rd. I am definitely going to have to practice this drinking while running thing.

a litte before 8:50 am - Pass 6th mile. I forgot 10K was 6.2 miles for a second and started to get annoyed - where is the finish line!? Because after mile 5 I started to pick up the pace a little more and pass more people...ready to be done. But oh no, there was still .2 miles to go! Duh!

8:50:30 am - 6.2 miles DONE. AWESOME. There was Ryan just yards away from the chutes cheering me on, taking pictures, the tears start welling up again! I swear I was never this emotional at track meets. I run under the finish line - 1:05:30! I'm happy =) Ryan is there at the end of the finish chute. I don't really know what we said to each other, I was so overwhelmed with emotions. I can't even describe them, but they were some of the greatest feelings in the world.

Post-race - took a last look at my picture of Sean...he was there with me the whole time =) what a great experience, getting to run a race with him!

getting nervous

The hours are ticking away...I'm getting closer & closer to my first 10K. I was googling "running first race" and came across a cool blog:

Running Chick

And particularly her articles on Complete Running

Her 5 tips for running your first race, I found very helpful!

1 - Find the start & finish lines

Cool, I think I can remember to do this tomorrow.

2 - Bibs & chips

Bib pins to front, got it. Don't tear off the bottom til I'm in the finish chute, got that too. Don't pass anyone after you finish...sounds like common sense but something I would probably forget to do!

3 - Final check

20 min before race, make sure you have everything you need. Well, being a not so seasoned runner, I have no idea what gel & Body Glide are. Good thing I'm going to Sports Authority tonight! She also gives a little pre-race warm-up: 10 min jog, 10-20 sec sprints, light stretches. I was definitely wondering what to do about this. I was just going to show up, stretch, and get in line for the start. I wasn't really sure what else to do about warming up! But now I'll have to find a little area to do this in. Go to the bathroom! And try to relax. A lot to remember!

4 - Remember manners

Don't think this will be a problem. I intend to line up near the back with the other slowbies and take my time! I'm not in a rush, I just want to finish. Gradual start will probably help me! =)

5 - "All systems are go! Smile. Wish your fellow racers “good luck” and then run your little heart out! Run your little feet off!"

I love this...gotta run my little heart out and run my little feet off tomorrow!