Last night we went to the Half Time Grill for the football/cheerleading end of season party for Ellie’s team. The ratio to football players to cheerleaders was about 10 to 1. Ellie was excited about going and seeing a few of her cheer team mates and when she is delighted to be in a large social setting, we go.
The grill was jammed packed with players, cheerleaders and the parents. We ended up settling down at a table, grab a pitcher of beer and hung out talking and watching the crowds. After eating buffalo wings, fajita wrap and drinking 85% of the pitcher of beer it the party was winding down and it was time to go.
Saturday morning came slowly. With wakening Monday through Friday at 5AM the body’s internal clock does not turn off on Saturday. I tossed and turned from 4:45AM to 6:00AM when it was time to get up. I was running with a pace group at Oglethorpe University at 7:40AM this morning.
I arrived at Oglethorpe University around 7:30AM and expected to see a couple dozen runners milling around. To my surprise I only saw 4 runners but tons of cars in the field house parking lot. There was a bus pulling up with college women volleyball players getting off the bus. I thought the number of cars was for a volleyball game that was happening in the field house.
I followed one of the four runners I saw towards the field house. As we approached the door I heard the muffled roar of people chatting and when the door was open to my surprise the field house was jam packed with runners! I made my way into the field house and navigated around the sea of runners in attempt to find where the pace groups where. I asked a runner if they knew where the pace leaders where in the field house and they pointed over to the bleachers. As I made my way through the wall of technical shirts, vests, tights and hats of people I heard a voice say, “Okay runners, everyone out!” Right then the tides shifted and I was heading against the current of runners making my way to the bleachers. 20 steps later I arrived at the wooded seats that cascaded up to the ceiling. I saw a man holding a sign that said, “1:30 Pace Group” as the sea parted and an opening appeared as the man stood as an island alone. I walked up to him and asked him what time was this group leaving, with a quick glance in my direction he said, “let’s go now”. I fell in behind him as he was engulfed by the exiting runners heading for the door to the outside.
Once we hit the threshold the crowds thinned almost immediately and I was able to see the Pace Leader I had followed. He was about 6 feet tall, 40’ish, thin, brown hair and a goatee only on his chin. As he stood advertising the pace a few runners surfaced around the man with the sign. After a few minutes there were 7 runners hovering the pace sign. 3 women in their 20’s or 30’s. 4 men, 3 in their 40’s and one in his 20’s.
There was an announcement that the 2:30 to 2:00 pace groups were leaving. Once this was announced approximately 60% of the runners in the crowd headed to the end of the parking lot and headed out. About the same time the Pace Leader for the 1:30 said, “Well, this looks like this is it. Let’s take off.” As the group of 7 + the leader headed out of the parking lot, I introduced myself to the Leader. The Pace Leader’s name is, Jamie.
Jamie has run 15 marathons with a PR of 2:54:00 at Boston. He was on the Mizuno Racing Team and was currently training for the Memphis Half the weekend after the Thanksgiving Half.
The 1:30 pace group headed down the entrance road of Oglethorpe University and right on Peachtree Industrial. This is approximately 2 to 3 miles down the road from the start of the run course. The run was going to take us down the race course to a turnaround and back to the university.
The pace picked up quite quickly as we over came the 2:30 group, then the 2:15 group and finally the 2:00 pace group. Along the way about 2 dozen runners in these groups commented by saying, “here comes the fast runners” as we ran past the groups of runners.
The pace of our group settled in at 7:00 minute miles after mile 1. We cruised down Peachtree Industrial focusing in on downtown Atlanta. A short time later the 20 some man that was in the group peeled off and stopped. This left 6 runners and Jamie.
I settled in two steps behind Jamie and one of the female runners. The run picked up pace as the women started to have a conversation on the course. Each of them had run this race an average of 4 times. They asked me how many have I ran and I answered, “one”. They all looked at me as if I was an oddity with minimal experience on this course. The pace went up to 6:50’s.
At mile 4 the pack was the three female runners, Jamie and me. The other two men had slowed down but where within a few hundred meters behind the group. At this point I asked how far where we running. There was a 9 mile and 11 mile option and since we were coming up on 4.5 I was wondering who was turning. My plan called for 9 miles at 7 minute miles, so if someone was turning I was heading back with them.
Jamie indicated that the half way mark was coming up but all three female runners said that we passed the half way point a quarter mile back as they all looked at their Garmin watches. Jamie ran a few more steps and said he was turning. This was mile 4.75. Since 9 was in my sights I was turning with him. The women wanted to run 11 so they forged ahead. Jamie and I turned and headed back up Peachtree Industrial.
Within 5 minutes we passed the two other men that started out with us. Our pace started to increase as I asked him the time. Jamie indicated 6:45’s as a head wind started to kick up. The two runners passed the other groups we had passed in the beginning of the run. One of the runners commented, “Here comes some real runners!” I quickly responded, “we are all real runners if were out here!” That got a chuckle and a “you said it man” from deep in the passed running group.
Jamie and I continued our run retracing our steps out as the pace seemed to settle at comfortable pace. The road out was a light downhill and on the way back it was a long hard uphill. We held the stride in the headwind while the conversation picked up on marathons, family, sports and drinks. A drinks…We stopped at a water stop and refueled the bodies with Powerade and then we were off again. We ended stopping again for another drink about 2 miles out from the finish.
Jamie and I hit the last 1.25 miles of Peachtree Industrial which is up hill into the wind as the pace increased to make the average (with stops) of 6:52.
Hitting the parking lot the time stopped at 1:05:00. The pace was 6:50. This with at least 8 traffic stops on Peachtree and two water stops. Jamie paused his watch at the stops which was 6:12 minute miles, but I don't think this was truly accurate. Jamie and I were the first two in. Jamie and I high five as he told me he needed to take off and meet his wife at 9:30AM. He asked me if I was going to run with the group on Thanksgiving. I said I’ll be there as he went in one direction and me in another.
The run was a challenge with wings, fajita’s and beer from the night before. But I was surprised with this nutrition in my body I was able to knock off 6:50’s. It was a good pace group and I learned an important strategy from this group. This is a course that you need to run at a positive split. The start is downhill and the back half is hilly. This goes against my training, but the advise came from runners that have run this race many of times, so I will plan on that strategy for this race.
T-day will be interesting.
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