Atlanta Peachtree Road Race - Independence Day 10K

Every year the people of Atlanta, Georgia celebrate the American Independence with a 4th of July 10K through downtown Atlanta, the AJC Atlanta Peachtree Road Race. With 59,000 participants, it is the largest 10k in the world. I had the fortunate opportunity to take part.

As well as the massive number of runners the Peachtree Road Race is known for its heat. Runners start, in waves, at 7.30 am, then every 5 minutes until 9.00 am. Being the height of summer in southern USA, it pays to be able to start near the front. Luckily I started in wave B, at 7.35.

The route is hilly and all downtown. Starting at Lenox Square Mall, we ran via a number of hills, to the finish line in Piedmont Park. The most notorious hill on the way is 'Cardiac Hill' at the 4-mile point, so-called because it is located next to Piedmont Hospital. Trust me, it's well-named. I was wrecked by the time I reached the top, but it was worth it, and the organisers had the good sense to lay on some water at the top of the hill. That done, the remaining 2 miles weren't too tough. After another (not-too-tough) hill the finish came into site. I reached the line and looked at my watch. 54:16, not too bad, especially in the heat.

London Marathon Result

Hours upon hours of training, and hundred of miles of footwork, all came to a climax on Sunday. Yes, it was the London Marathon.

Despite London Underground's best efforts (the Northern line was closed) I made it to Blackheath without any bother. After some warming up, during which the elite women set off, I headed for the start line.

This time round I was at the Blue start. Last time, in 2001, I was at the Red zone. I'm not quite sure what the difference is, but my suspicion is that the Blue zone is for faster runners. Anyway, off we went.

Well, off we went for about 400m. Then, dead-stop. What the blinking flip!!!? I couldn't believe it! After all the organisation that goes into the race, and we still have to suffer a bottleneck so close to the start! PB chance? Slipping away... Luckily it all fixed itself and we were off in earnest.

The first two or three miles are always the quietest, but that doesn't last. It wasn't long before we hit the crowds. Then it was constant cheering and encouragement. This was what I remembered from my previous London Marathon, and this year's crowd was every bit as encouraging as before.

The fantastic atmosphere didn't end. From the east end pubs (The Albion, Rose of Denmark, etc), past the Gypsy Moth in Greenwich, over Tower Bridge, through Canary Wharf and onto Embankment, at last leading onto Birdcage Walk and past Buckingham Palace to the finish line, the crowds were amazing. Like many, I was a wreck at the end, but the atmosphere kept me going.

My plan of beating 4 hours fell apart at about the 20 mile stage. My legs started giving up on me, my knees in particular. My training wasn't what it should have been. I didn't do enough long runs, and I suffered for it.

The end result was i finished with a time of 4 hours 23 minutes. I've still to beat 4 hours, but the day was great fun. Perhaps I'll try another marathon later this year. With that in mind, I went to the pub:-))

London Marathon countdown

It's less that 6 days to go now. Come this Sunday I'll be doing my second marathon tour of London. As ever, I'm feeling that odd mix of dread and anticipation - dreading the pain, but anticipating the amazing atmosphere and the buzz of achievement.

This will be my 10th marathon. My first was the 2001 London Marathon. Since then I've run marathons in Edinburgh, Atlanta, Vilnius and Athens. All these have been great fun. However, nothing has been quite as invigorating or memorable as running 26.2 miles in London. So, this will be a much anticipated return to where it all started.

Peachtree 10K on 4th July. Atlanta here I come!

I just signed up for the Peachtree Road Race 10K. It took a while. The demand to take part in this race is typically phenomenal, and this year was no exception. The Active.com website crashed under the strain, and I had to wait for them to fix the problem.

The Peachtree Road Race the world's biggest 10K. This year there will be 58,000 participants. Being run on Independence Day (boo) it typically fills up in no time. I've never raced in such a big event, so it should be quite an experience.

New shoes for the London Marathon

I hate buying shoes. Even running shoes. Why some women love shopping for shoes is something that will always be beyond me. But, I needed a new pair, so I went to Run and Become and found some. I am now the owner of a nice new pair of Mizuno Wave Ultima 2.

Hopefully I can break them in before the London Marathon. Only 5 weeks to go. I hope I can do it. My old scabby pair are long past their best and I don't want to run 26 miles in shoes lacking support.

Track Closed - Training in the snow

It's a new year and the London Marathon is just over 3 months away. So, time for some serious training? Well it would be if the weather wasn't cold enough to freeze your bits off.

The track (above) is closed and the streets are covered in ice (none of the neighbours seem to have any salt to lay on the pavements). Running on ice seemed a bit silly, so I considered postponing my efforts to later in the week. However on seeing a couple of runners out facing the elements, I felt inspired. With that, and the forecast being more snow all month, I thought a short run might be a good idea to do risk the ice. And I'm glad I did. I've managed a couple of good runs. And the snow is falling again.

Christmas Partying meets Cross Country

What a weekend! What a week!

Before yesterday morning's Sunday run we were discussing the demons that runners have to cope with. Alcohol was mentioned. And, from the last week's experience, and more so this weekend running, I wholeheartedly agree.

It was Christmas party week. As ever, this involved a touch of booze. Or more correctly, a big bucket of booze.

My employers managed to find £1000 of sponsorship for the bar tab for Thursday's party. Not a huge deal if you work for a big company. However I work for a small company of 14 people, and only 10 of us could make it to the event. That made it £100 to spend on beer, spirits cocktails. etc. And, boy, did we go for it! And I paid the price.

Saturday's 5.6mile cross country was a disaster. Still feeling rough from Thurday, and having eaten nowhere near enough I set off on my second proper cross country race. Ugh!! I felt ill from the start. Cut a long story short they were taking down the finish line when I crossed it. What an embarrassment.

Sunday's run was mildly better, but I am staying well away from beer for the foreseeable future.