Saturday the 28th saw me lace them up to run the Virtual AJC Peachtree road race. There was just one big problem. I hurt my Achilles tendon a few weeks back, and running at the current time is just about impossible. It is tough to accept, but to earn my finisher's shirt this year, I will have to walk the 10K. The following is a full report.
I was originally planning on walking the race on Thanksgiving Day, but my help was needed in preparing the meal, so I opted for Saturday instead. After indulging in a few episodes of The Gilmore Girls marathon on UPtv, (yeah, I know, I am opening myself up to some vicious commentary by admitting that one), I start to get ready for the race. One thing immediately comes to mind; I really have no idea how to prepare for a walk. I have a routine and a good idea of what I want to accomplish on a run, but I am fairly clueless for a walk. I go with my Garmin 235 and my iPhone but no heart monitor (there is one in the watch), and while I wear my current pair of running shoes, I do not set up the Stryd. The hoodie and cargo shorts make me feel rather undistinguished. No bib, no problem.
I choose the Fairhaven bike path for my course, starting right at the beginning on South Street. No warm-up, unless you count walking from the parking lot to the bike path. I also choose not to use my Runmeter app since I did not use my heart monitor. However, I did download the Atlanta Track Club app, which has a tracker that lets you see where you would have been on the regular course. It dawns on me at this point that I have absolutely no idea what a good pace would be. I start out not knowing when I would be back or what level of pain I would have to endure.
I notice a couple of things right away. For starters, there does not seem to be much traffic on the bike path. I see a couple of cyclists and some children on their scooters, but for the first mile, not much else. I am also noticing that it is effortless to hold my iPhone while walking. I strap on my headphones and turn on the Everton-Leeds United match (ah, the wonders of satellite radio) right behind Rogers School. I hardly ever do this while running for many reasons, but for a walk that is probably going to approach two hours, it almost seems mandatory.
There is not much to report for the first couple of miles. I decide to take the trail's south spur by Arsene Street, figuring I might be able to familiarize myself with the mileage and the course. The ATC app triggers a comment from the race after each mile is achieved; the second mile is the "blessing of the runners" by the priest at the Cathedral of Saint Philip. I think of the contrast between that and the lonely path I am currently on, with only trees and the Fairhaven windmills in sight.
When I get back on the main path, I am at around 3½ miles, and I am starting to pick up the pace. I am feeling excellent, with very little pain to speak of. At the four-mile mark, I look down at my phone to discover the ATC app has dropped my race and wants me to start over. Uhh, no. I am just going to go with my Garmin now and hope to upload my time via my watch and phone. This is also the time that I turned it around and headed back.
I decided to try to step up the pace and see if I can get under a 11:00 kilometer. I am successful in the last three segments, even dropping to a 10:38 on my last 1K. Traffic is still very light, so I am not bothered or encumbered by any interference. My calculation for turning around is almost perfect; my final time is 1:54:14, which I figure is not particularly great, but the race is walked, and my shirt is earned.
My upload is successful, despite having my recent data sent to a third-party app. No real problem; my recent data has not been anything to get excited about. I am feeling surprisingly good, but it was discouraging. To feel the pain in my foot when trying to run across an intersection. I also do not have that feeling of satisfaction that comes with completing a run, but I could think of worse ways to spend a couple of hours on a nice late November afternoon. A good learning experience and mission accomplished.
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