I am proud to report that Peachtree Road Race #6 is in the books! Woo hoo!! The weather in Atlanta last week was terrible...rain, clouds, rain, torrential downpour, clouds, and more rain...the wet stuff never seemed to stop! Like many people, I was a little worried about tackling the 6.2 miles in the pouring rain, but I decided to do it anyway. Thankfully the rain held off and the race was really great!
Mike went with me and we drove into Midtown and parked in a lot off 7th and Peachtree Street by Starbucks. We walked to the Midtown Marta station and I took the train to Lenox and Mike walked back to Starbucks and studied for the Bar Exam. I met up with a friend and before we knew it, we were off. If you have never done the Peachtree, it's unlike any other race. For the first mile or so, you really are just going with the flow. The first few miles went by and I was pretty pleased with my pace (thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 10)...either the watch was off by a bit or the mileage signs were off, but I was able to figure out how I was doing. The 3rd mile is the toughest as that is where Cardiac Hill is in front of Shepard Center and Piedmont Hospital. I love seeing the Shepard patients cheering you on...it totally encourages you to keep moving up the hill. Once I crossed over 85, I started to get excited because I knew Mike was waiting at the turn on to 10th Street...I was counting down the streets! About that time, my little iPod shuffle stopped working (I think it was water logged...thankfully, it is working now!). As I got closer to 10th Street, I made my way to the outside of the road so that I could try and see Mike. I started to make the turn and saw him step out. I ran up to him, gave him a quick kiss, and handed him my iPod. I then made my way down 10th to the finish. I always forget how far it is to the finish line once you make the turn...you think it is going to be right there and it seems so far away. As someone said as we were walking back up to Peachtree after the race, "I swear they move the finish line further and further down 10th Street each year!"
Once I crossed the finish line, I made my way into Piedmont Park and boy was I shocked at what I saw....the lovely grassy meadow was an ugly, brown mud pit! It was gross. I tried to get as little mud on my shoes as possible, but it was a lost cause. They were covered and I had mud slung up to my knees! Since Mike was waiting for me at Starbucks, I made my way through the crowd, grabbed a water to use to clean myself up with before I got in the car, grabbed a Power Aid, and an ice cream sandwich (hey, I had just finished a 10K) from Blue Bunny and made my way back up to Peachtree. I say this every year, but the worst part about the race is the walk afterwards back up to Peachtree to the Marta station...it is all up hill! I ran into a sorority sister that I hadn't seen since college and we chatted while we walked. It was good to catch up with her. I turned onto Peachtree and could see Mike waiting on me. We walked to the car and I took my shoes off and got the mud off of my legs. Thankfully, I had brought towels, a clean shirt, a brush, and deodorant so I was able to clean up and change shirts. We then hit the road home..stopped at Chick-fil-A for a milkshake for me...came home and took a shower...then napped and then went to his mom and step-dad's to celebrate the 4th!
My time was not fantastic...1:45:08 which is a 56 second PR for the Peachtree for me. I have decided that the Peachtree will never be the fastest 10K for me...there is so much to enjoy and take it that I would rather be a bit slower and have fun!
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The picture Mike took of me as I ran towards him...
I don't normally run in a hat but with the weather I thought I would be a smart idea!
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My gross shoes post Piedmont Park mud pit!
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The famous shirt! This year you could also get a medal,
so I bought one to add to my "Melissa Joy's Race Bling" rack! |
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