My First Peachtree Road Race

- July 07, 2018

PRR Health and Fitness Expo

Start line

How do I describe being apart of the largest 10K race in the world in one word? FABULOUS!
To date the largest race I've ever done was the Miami Marathon, which had about 25,000 people registered. That race alone was overwhelming with so many people so I couldn't even imagine what 60,000 racers looked like. And being new to the city of Atlanta I wasn't even sure who, what, where and how it all worked. The logistics of just getting to the start line seemed overwhelming. And something I'm learning about myself recently is that I get major anxiety when I'm in situations that I'm unfamiliar with. I need to know the ins and outs of everything before I start to feel remotely comfortable. Which is why I haven't ventured out much into the Atlanta metro area.

Start Line

So when I learned that the best way to get to the race was to take the MARTA (train) I was all the way out of my comfort zone. I've taken mass transit before but I was always with someone who knew their way around. After asking around to BGR-Atlanta group I found the train station, which would take me about 40 minutes to drive too and then take another 15 minutes to get to Lenox Square station and then walk to the start line which took another 15 minutes. I got to the start line right at 7:30, my wave was scheduled to start at 7:40 am. My corral, J, was already queuing to the start line so I jumped on in and made it just in time to start. Right at 7:40 I was off. One thing about this race is that it is extremely coordinated. It's their 49th year doing it so I'm sure they have the logistics down pat but it was still a sight to behold.

Love seeing the downtown skyline

As I said before my knee has been an issue for me since April so I wasn't sure if I'd even run this race at all. I didn't even train. The most I did was a 4.5 mile walk 5 days before the race.There were moments where I did contemplate sitting it out or transferring my bib to someone else but I just knew I would have been so sad not to be out there. And I'm so glad I did. I ran for almost the whole first mile. Took it nice and easy and anytime I felt my knee starting to ache I walked instead, especially on any downhill. Running downhill is real tough on your knees so I made sure to walk no matter how bad I wanted to pick up time. First half of the race is mostly a downhill slope, but wasn't too steep.

Almost done!

Then came what they call "Cardiac Hill". That was a long slope up. I saw so many people walking. But it was nice. There were people out there passing out watermelons (sooooo good!), pizza and free beer among other things LOL. There was water stations at every mile, there were bands playing music, DJs from radio stations out there on the course. And there were lots of spectators too cheering us on. It felt like a 6 mile party! There were lots of water mist stations that were shooting out water as people ran by to help us cool down. One misting station was in front of a church that had a sign that said "Holy Water" and the priest was out there sprinkling water on people. I wish I got a picture of that LOL. The caution flag was raised to yellow which meant it was going to be hot and humid and they were cautioning people to slow down. But to this Florida girl it felt fine. There was even a breeze and it helped that it was slightly overcast for most of the race but I still ended up with a nice tan. Forgot the sunscreen...eek.

Only .2 to go!! Let's get it!

I couldn't believe how well my knee was feeling as I ran the last mile. Probably would have gone faster but it seemed lots of people in front of me were walking the last half mile of the race. But I finished with a smile on my face. I was so happy I did this race. I loved almost everything about it. Like I said before for a race with 60,000 people running in it, it was very well organized. They had signs everywhere pointing you in the direction you needed to go. Lots of volunteers ready to help you out with any questions you had. This will go down as my favorite race to date.

It does help that the 10 Km (6.2 miles for the Americans) distance is actually my favorite distance to run. I find the 5 Km too fast. It's basically an all out sprint and by the time I'm done I feel like I'm just getting settled into running. The Half marathon for me is too long. I always hit a wall around mile 10 and just want it all to end. I find the 10 Km distance just right. I can get warmed up in the first 3 miles and just cruise the last 3 miles.
So if you ever thought about doing this race I say sign up! Now it's not an open registration race. You either have to time qualify, put your name in a lottery or join the Atlanta Track Club, which was what I did. As a member I get to register automatically for the race during a two week period. Everyone else besides those with a qualifying time must put their name in the lottery and cross your fingers!!
Hope to see you all out there next year!

I'm writing this blog three days after the race and my knee still feels good! I'm so happy. Maybe I can start running again!