Atlanta Highlights

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run. ~John Bingham

After finishing the half marathon in Athens, returned to Atlanta for an afternoon of R&R. Below are the highlights:

• Lunch at Paschal's. Fried green tomatoes, southern fried chicken, and peach cobbler. Yum!
• Movie at Midtown Art Cinema. Ex Machina at the eclectic art theater that serves beer with the popcorn, historic movie posters in the renovated lobby, alternative pop music piped in. What a movie and what a venue!
• Dinner at Johnny's Pizza, Hapeville location. Pizza by the slice and garlic bread bites (with cheese and loads of garlic). Fun staff, fun spot.

HM Recap: Chick-fil-A Connect, GA, April 18, 2015

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. ~Winnie-the-Pooh courtesy of A.A. Milne

Arrived in Atlanta to drizzling rain after flying cross country. Encountered rush hour traffic, two-lane country highways with stop lights, and a nearly two-hour drive out to Athens. After picking up packet and shirt, tried to go to local steakhouse Porterhouse but got turned away due to private function. If things are going to go wrong, best go wrong the day before and not on race day.

Run day was overcast, not raining, and around 65 degrees. Good thing for the cool temp. Humidity was high, as usual for Spring in GA. Heat, humidity, and hills would have been a challenging combination. Two of the three was enough for me.

Highlights of the run:
1) Hills. The highest point on the course was just over 800 ft above sea level. Overall change in elevation 3,200 ft over the course, a new record for me.
2) Sanford Stadium and University of Georgia campus. The course took runners on a path that first overlooked the stadium, then passed right through it. Built in 1928, tenth largest in NCAA, seats 92,746, privet hedges on either side of the field.
3) Oconee River and bald eagle. Passed over the "chocolate milk" shaded Oconee twice, and within close proximity of the river saw a bald eagle flying just above the trees. Beautiful!
4) 1,059 runners. Biggest event I've run yet. Fans lined the streets with sounds of cheers and cowbells all around. Residents sat on lawn chairs watching the spectacle of the run--waiting for the runners to pass so they could pull cars out of driveways. Interesting signs and t-shirt slogans abounded with humor such as: "Toenails are for wimps", "Worst parade ever", "Totally half crazy", and "Did you do all that training to walk now?".
5) Eat-more-chikin cows. Chick-fil-A was a super sponsor. Volunteers along the course were friendly and energetic, even with the early morning start. Police officers were at all major intersections to keep the blocked roads free of traffic.

Many runners had to walk the hills. I only walked when eating my jelly sandwich, which was about every 4 miles. I conserved enough energy to be able to run through the finish and made a time of 2:31. Runkeeper showed I had run over 14.6 miles, probably due to starting at the back of the pack and having to navigate through and around a variety of run-walkers. Stats: 711/1059 overall, 411/692 female, 23/45 age.

The race photographers caught some good photos (low res with watermark):

Possibly a Ragnar

Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place. ~Kurt Vonnegut

The So Cal Ragnar, a 200-mile relay from Huntington Beach to San Diego, took place this past weekend April 10-11. I heard the name "Ragnar" dropped by runners in the Chino Hills race a couple of weeks ago. It hadn't dawned on me to explore the possibility of a future Ragnar for myself.

In October, I thought I had this thing all figured out, planning to run half marathons in all 50 states plus DC. First, my plans to run all road courses were mucked up when I ran my first trail race ever, and loved it. Now, it's the team relay concept that's making me think twice about other planned events.

Some co-workers ran in this year's So Cal event. Others are already considering forming a team for next year's, and asking me if I'd be interested. Waiting a year for the next So Cal one is one option. There are plenty of other Ragnars to choose from, including trail relays.

Combining individual efforts to complete a long course does have an appeal. Running overnight would be a fun challenge, interesting to run with a headlamp.

Didn't know there were so many headlamps to choose from. More research needed before outfitting for a Ragnar.

Sleet and Doodle

A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline. ~Harvey MacKay

sleet

slēt/

noun

1. 1.

   a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow.

"Have van, will transport teenagers" Does such a bumper sticker exist? I should have one.

Yesterday I was supposed to drive Ultimate B squad players to their game, but they had enough drivers so I was off the hook. It was around 40 degrees and sleeting, and I thought maybe they'd call the game off. I surely didn't want to be standing around watching the game under those conditions, even with an umbrella. But if the boys could play in that miserable weather, why shouldn't I go for a run?

It was a short one--just under 4 miles, 5 times around "The Big Hill" park. It was one of my fastest runs in a while, maybe because I was getting pelted by bits of ice. I've been struggling to get out there this week with work and weather challenges. I aimed at 5 laps around the park, pressed on when I felt like turning toward home, and made my goal.

I even took the dog for a quick walk after the run. She's not up to a 4-mile run, but loves to walk, no matter the weather. She's a border terrier mix called Doodlebug, Doodle for short, pictured below with a "forbidden" sock:

Pain in my heel

Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile. ~Wilfred T. Grenfell

Given that my search for "achilles runner's pain" turned up 510,000 results, I'm not alone in dealing with pain in my heal related to running. There are times, especially during the cold weather, when getting through the first mile is intense. The impact and push-off of the heel is painful through the warm up period. From that point, the intensity lessens, and it feels fine. Post-workout, I have some tenderness, but nothing that a little ice and anti inflammatory can't fix.

I don't want to do any lasting damage. I do want to continue to work out. So, what did my research uncover?

• The condition is properly referred to as achilles tendonopathy vs. tendonitis
• Possible causes: not stretching the calves properly, increasing mileage too quickly, overtraining, excessive hill running or speedwork
• Therapies: rest, ice, anti inflammatory, stretching the calf muscle, replacing worn shoes

Is there a connection between my bunions and shortening of the achilles tendon? Seems likely. On one website I read that the onset can be due to forefoot instability. Certainly my bunion affects my foot strike and foot stability. More reading to find if there are any related findings.

In the meantime, I'll be purchasing a new pair of shoes, fourth pair in a year. How about the Saucony Guide 8?

Oops, Last-minute Update of GA Event

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse. ~Walt Disney

The Run Into Spring event in Lawrenceville, GA reached its registration limit before I submitted mine, so I won't be running it in April. Rather, I found an alternative, the Chick-fil-A Connect in Athens, GA on April 18th, and registered today. The Chick-fil-A course has the following advantages:

• A complete loop, no backtracking or repeating
• It's in scenic, historical Athens, only an hour and a half outside of Atlanta
• Best of all, it's sponsored by Chick-fil-A

Travel arrangements are pending. (I'm looking forward to Fargo in May--no flight required.)

Check out beautiful Athens, GA:

This run is for a cause--Athens area Habitat for Humanity. If you wish to donate, click on picture below: