Peachtree Road Race, Fathers Day 4 Miler and More

So today was the Peachtree Road Race all I have to say is it was damn hot for 7:30 this morning.  76 degrees and 87% humidity at start time, luckily I was starting in wave A, and not in T like last year, oh man that would have been even more brutal.  I was very nervous about the weather, but it was good to be way up near the front with some of the faster runners this year, which meant a lot less weaving in and out of people to get to Piedmont Park.  I took the first 3 miles pretty easy, but then came Cardiac Hill, oh man it got me, mile 4 and 5 were rough this year, last year I flew through these 2 miles, though honestly I am not in great shape right now.  Also a bit of a  summer cold going on as well, with other issues too.  I did better on mile 6 and then really turned it up for the last .33 miles, yes that is right not .2 but .33.  I grabbed plenty of water before the start of the race, and hit all the water stations, drinking some and dumping plenty on my head and body to keep cool, not sure how much it helped, a bit nervous to run through the water spraying on Peachtree though, my luck slip and get hurt.  60,000 runners with only 55,090 finishers, that is a lot of DNF's for today, though they probably got hurt or were overwhelmed by the heat/humidity.  Hell even the great Ryan Hall finished 9th in the US 10K National Championship, 9th American across the line, not sure his overall finish, which isn't that good for someone like him, though everyone has off days.  Honestly though if you aren't used to the humidity in ATL it can get to you and hit you hard.  Here are my splits and other stats:

mile 1 6:49
mile 2 6:54
mile 3 6:53
mile 4 7:27
mile 5 7:34
mile 6 7:09
last .33 2:11

Overall Finish 1288 of 55090
Sex Place 1114
Division Place 146

Still 3:01 better than last years time, of 47:58, with 44:57 though the weather last year was much better.  Still not to bad for a guy who isn't really a great runner, and also is fueled only by plants.  I guess some of those 53,802 finishing behind me should think about changing their diet, then they might catch me :p  So next year I should be in a lot better shape and knock quite a bit of time off of this and finish in the top 1000 easily.

I did get to enjoy a great lunch at Cafe Sunflower in Buckhead, great food there and I really recommend it to everyone, even a nice gluten free menu :>

Fathers Day Four Miler, part of the Atlanta Track Club Grand Prix Series.  This race took place right by Turner Field, finishing at home plate, and the old Fulton County Stadium.  The temperature was good for the start of the race in the mid 60s and not super humid for a GA morning.  The course was just challenging enough, but nothing to crazy, taking us by Grant Park and the Zoo, then back toward Turner Field and as I say finishing up right behind home plate.  A lot of people out for this event, and you could get tickets for the Braves game later in the day, also a t shirt, if you wanted.  I didn't opt in for this, haven't been into baseball in ages now.  Overall time of 27:38, not bad here are my splits:

mile 1 6:44
mile 2 6:57
mile 3 7:02
mile 4 6:55

One thing I know I have to get more serious and consistent with my training for Nov, or I'm going to be in big time trouble.  Time to stop talking about it and do something about it, and not a lot of time to do it in either.  The next big challenge is the 13.1 Marathon series in Atlanta on 10/2, I hope to do quite a bit better than I did last year for this one.  As I say I really need to up my miles, and mix in some good core and alt cardio work.  Oh one good thing about the 13.1 Marathon, I doubt it will be 76 and 87% humidity in early Oct, which will be nice.  Also Nov 6th in NYC I damn sure know it won't be that warm.  They say ideal temps for a marathon is 40-55 at most, the body stays cooler and doesn't dehydrate as quickly, which is great, and makes for nicer running, and hopefully a bit of a faster pace without dying.

I haven't heard anything from the North Shore Animal League about being a part of Team Animal League, and if I don't by sometime in early August I am thinking of setting up a page on First Giving to have folks donate that way.  I really believe in what they do and want to help them out to continue the services they provide to abused and rescued animals.

One last thing, I am really considering the Brooks T7 Racer for my next shoe, though I may stay with the Mizuno Musha Wave 3.  The Brooks is a nice shoe and only weighs 6.4 oz, which is light, and be nice over longer distances, instead of a bulkier 12+ oz shoe.