Georgia Peach Festival 5K

Georgia Peach Festival 5K

June 19, 2010
Fort Valley, GA
Time: 23:49
Age Group: 2
Overall: 62/360?

Comments: Ah, the Peach Festival 5K. I love this race, really I do. It has a fairly flat course (unusual for this area), great organization, nice t-shirts, and decent amenities. The only problem: every one else loves it too!

The popularity of the Peach Festival 5K just continues to grow. This year more than 350 runners took part. The race attracts some of the faster local runners thanks to the cash prizes for the winners. Once you throw in a flat course and the prospect of free samplings of the world's largest peach cobbler (if you wait until afternoon) and you have quite a lot of company at the starting line.

One of the challenges of the Peach Festival race is making the first turn. The course starts at the edge of downtown Fort Valley and runs through a residential section that always reminds me strongly of my old haunts in Corinth, Mississippi. After a tenth of a mile or so runners make a sharp right turn. This turn can be challenging with so many runners packing in together. I planned better for it this year by starting more to the center of the road. I then did not have quite as far to creep over as well as avoiding being packed into the corner on the turn.

The race itself fell into what;s become my usual summer pattern. I pushed myself hard but did not kill myself. I have accepted the fact that my times will be slower than I would like. I am just not a very good summer runner.

I did manage to save up a little something for the finish line just in case. I had been marking another runner in front of me. I thought it would be fun to catch up with him before the finish line. As I grew closer to him, I suspected that we were probably in the same age group. I shadowed him for the last half mile and then made my move after the final turn. He kept pace with me for a few seconds as I continued to up the speed. I kept holding back, waiting to fend off a final kick from him - especially after hearing his friends encourage him as we approached the line. The big final kick never came and I cruised across the line. Turns out he was indeed in my age group and my fun at the end allowed me to take second. I also was rewarded with a few minutes of hacking for my effort. I do not get sick after effort like this, but I can trigger quite a bunch of coughs if I'm not careful.

I visited with many running friends, encouraged my students over the line, and picked up my trophy at the awards ceremony. The group photo of the award recipients was entertainment in itself.

Salute to Freedom 5K

Salute to Freedom 5K

June 12, 2010
Macon, GA
Time: 24:10
Age Group: 3/4
Overall: 23/118

Comments: The Salute to Freedom 5K moved this year from its traditional location at the Sports Hall of Fame and environs to Tattnall Square Park and the Mercer University campus. I was sad to lose one of my favorite courses but glad to see this friendly race continuing. I hoped the change in venue would not change the warm spirit of the race.

No worries. The race was as friendly as ever. The race is run as part of the Juneteenth Festival that celebrates the final freeing of slaves after the Civil War. The race itself is one of the most racially diverse in the area. I love seeing runners erasing some of the racial lines that seem to be drawn in other places in our community.

The most entertaining part of the race this year was the map of the course given to all participants prior to the race. No matter where you turned before the race you saw another runner turning the map around and around trying to figure out the new course. I enjoyed sharing my guesses (which turned out to be close) with my many running friends. What the map lacked in clarity it made up for as a conversation starter.

The heat and humidity were pretty high so I did not plan on running a fast race. I also remembered some early experiences with races at Mercer. While this course promised to be different (whatever it might actually be) I knew that Mercer is ultimately one big hill.

As it turned out, the course was much easier to follow than it was to read on a map. We ran a small loop through the Greek section of Mercer back through the sidewalks in the park. Then we set out on another lap more around the edge of campus and the park. It was a nice run, plenty to look at on campus, but just as hilly as I suspected.

I held back, seeing no point in destroying myself before setting off on a long car trip to Mississippi. I enjoyed the run, appreciated the refreshments at the finish, and was amused to finish in 3rd place for my age group. As always, it's amazing what I can do when fast people stay home.

Salute to Freedom also carried on one of its other traditions: having the longest awards ceremony ever. This is due to having lots of door prizes as well as the many kind comments said about the winning runners. The awards have such a warm, friendly tone that it's easy to forget how long they actually take to complete. The awards this year were fun - a gold winged foot with black and white detailing - a unique trophy and an excellent symbol of the race itself.

OrthoGeorgia Rock and Rollman 10K

OrthoGeorgia Rock and Rollman 10K

June 5, 2010
Macon, GA
Time: 52:58
Age Group: 2/2
Overall: 11/33

Comments: I have long been fascinated by triathlons. People who possess the varied skills necessary to pull off a long swim, bike ride, and run in succession impress me greatly. Not being a cyclist, I've never had much of an interest in trying it myself. I did jump at the chance to run a 10K being offered as part of a huge triathlon event located just a few miles away from my house. Lake Tobesofkee was to be the site for the races. I was looking forward to watching the action and getting to participate as a runner too.

For awhile, it looked like the race would not happen. A week or two earlier the organizers had announced that the race was cancelled. The next day the race was suddenly back on. Only about 20 people had pre-registered which led to the initial cancellation. I was glad to see they were going to try the race anyway.

Being part of a series of triathlon events, some things were done very differently from other road races. We had the option of early packet pick-up the day before. I stopped down in early afternoon to avoid the crowd. There was no control on parking and the people who had arrived early were packed along the side of the narrow road that led to packet pick-up area. I watched a hug RV try to back all the way along the road having found out too late that there was no way to turn around. Not a good scene. I parked way back and walked to the packet tent. I received my race number but was told that the shirts for the 10K had not arrived yet. This was first of many incidents where things just were not quite right for the race. I expected that the 10K would be a bit of an afterthought with all of the other events going on. Apparently I was going to be proved right. The people working packet pick-up were very nice and set me up with a goody bag that I was encouraged to fill up with a large assortment of free samples. I took a walk through the small expo, checked back to see if the shirts were in (no), and made plans to arrive in time to stand in line again in the morning for my shirt. So much for early pick-up.

The convenience of having this race so close to my house was offset a bit by a race instruction that required the 10K runners to be on site before 7:00 AM. This for a race that starts at 9:00 AM. Ouch. I expect the reason for this was because the entrance to the park was used for both the running and cycling portions of events. It would be difficult indeed to get people in through all of the race traffic. I wasn't too worried about arriving early - I wanted to watch the triathlon start anyway.

Arriving at the park in the morning, I was pleased to see that the parking problem had been well-addressed. The huge number of vehicles were parked in the fields on one side of the property. This was done smoothly, safely, and in a very organized manner. I made the long walk to the packet tent to find it empty. I wandered aimlessly until I found another line to get into at the pavilion. It turned out to be the right place to get my shirt - after quite a wait. I was admittedly disappointed at the shirt - cheap cotton compared to the technical shirts being handed out to the other racers. I then had to find another tent in another part of the park to pick up my timing chip. The communication about the chip was bad indeed. I really had to ask to see if we needed them for the 10K. I was finally geared up with tons of time on my hands.

I watched the start of the triathlon events from a hill overlooking the lake. I have to say, the sight of so many people hitting the water at one time (even though they did the start in a series of waves) was impressive. I also enjoyed watching the athletes come out of the water and run barefoot up a hill to get to the transition area. I'll give this to tris - they are very interesting to watch.

I tried to warm up as race time approached but found it hard to find a decent place to do it. I finally gave up and satisfied myself with walking around the property. I hoped to find some sign of a 10K starting line. All I found were more 10K runners with the same questions I had. Finally the race director pointed out an unmarked spot of pavement near the pavilion. I waited there for the start of the race already nervous about the increasingly hot sun that was baking down.

Our race start was as informal as the tri start was exciting. There was actually some accidental excitement as many runners realized that they were supposed to have timing chips. The starter grudgingly held up the race a minute to allow several people to get back. The lack of communication had most of steaming by this point. We were told that we would have plenty of aid stations thanks to the tris. The course was to be an out and back with one turn in the middle. It had not been posted previously.

We were off and running, dodging through the triathletes also starting out on their running leg. We were a lot fresher being on our first (and only) event. That freshness didn't last long. The course was extremely hilly, very humid, and quite exposed to a searing sun. I was feeling distinctly unpleasant: too much painful running this week. I quickly adjusted my goal to finishing under 55 minutes (instead of under 50 minutes.) There was only one other person in my age group, so I was going to place and get good Run and See points no matter what. I settled into a decent pace and tried to survive.

The aid stations were excellent - water, Heed, and cold towels. I grabbed a towel every chance I got, trying to keep my core temperature under control. The course was well-monitored (largely because it was on the tri course) and felt safe. It also felt hilly. Really hilly. The run actually went by pretty quickly for me. I was wised to have eased off and had a decent race because of that decision.

I enjoyed running into the very formal finish line that included the race announcer calling our names and hometowns as we crossed. I was surprised to receive a very nice finisher's hat upon crossing the line. Again, another nice perk of the race that was really intended for the triathletes. The refreshments were outstanding: fruit, salty snacks, bagels, peanut butter, soda, Gatorade, etc. Again - not really set out for us, but available to us.

I waited around quite awhile for the awards. When they finally got to them, it was like an afterthought. They only gave out awards for men's and women's overall and two corporate team awards. Lame...and disappointing considering the hefty fee for the race.

That was the basic summary of the race. If it had to be done specifically for the 10K (t-shirts, awards, start, etc.) it was pathetic. If it had to be done for the triathlon as well (aid stations, refreshments, finish line, hat) it was well done. I expected the race to be a bit of an afterthought, a shadow of the main events. What I did not expect was to be made to feel repeatedly that I was a second class citizen. I hope the organizers keep this race, but I encourage them to treat it with the level of respect and communication that they give their excellent triathlons. Runners will respond to the race and make it grow if treated well.

Daylily Dash 5K

Daylily Dash 5K

June 4, 2010
Gray, GA
Time: 25:06
Age Group: 5/10
Overall: 44/177

Comments: It seems that the Daylily Dash in Gray, Georgia, is always "blessed" with interesting weather. That's part of the fun of an evening race in June. Over the last few years we've had overwhelming sun and heat to the exciting electrical storms. Last year the race became a 2-miler as the organizers pulled us off the course early to avoid dangerous lightning. This year we would get another fun weather choice: tropical rain forest humidity.

I came into the Daylily already not quite feeling fully up to racing. My first experience with speed work at the track on Tuesday had gone well - and I had the pain two days later to prove it. My quads were twitching which provided a nice counterpoint to my hips which were singing the pain opera again. Fun. Throw in an inability to sleep and I was a mess for this race. Still, I dragged myself out for the attempt.

I realized it really wasn't going to be my night when I went up to the table to pick up my packet and was told that I had not pre-registered. I had actually pre-registered weeks before using Active.com - a site I usually avoid due to their stupidly high fees. I was trying to beat deadlines on several races and splurged for the extra fees. I knew I had registered but had no way to prove it to the organizers. They had not received a list from Active.com - just checks. I was told all of the checks had been claimed and I would have to pay. I was not grumpy with the organizers - misplaced applications happen refularly - but I was pretty ticked at Active. Now I have another reason to not use their service. I told the folks at registration that I had no money on me and would have to walk back to my truck for a checkbook. That took awhile. When I returned they encouraged me to run the race without paying, and we would clear things up later. I appreciated the gesture and filled out a form so they would have my information. (A check online when I got home showed that, indeed, Active had taken money from me for the race. Hopefully one of those checks paid for my fee.)

I felt just horrible in the humidity. I cut my warm-up down to the bare minimum necessary and tried to walk all the way up to race time. Being a race on Friday night, it was the only show in town. All of the points hounds were present and most of the Macon Tracks were too. It turned out to be a rather large race field.

The start for Daylily is interesting. The pack is crowded back into a corner of the parking lot. This particular stretch is quite wide but not very deep. It's hard to get a good feel on the size of the crowd and where to start. I was back further than usual but had enough doubts about my capabilities to want to move any closer.

Right from the start I suspected I might be in trouble. I had trouble getting up to pace. I fought through a difficult first mile at a disappointing 7:26. I had decided to run with music - something I rarely do these days. I'm glad I did because it helped pull me through the next few miles.

The Daylily course is not very scenic, but I do like its set-up. The race starts off in one direction from the school, goes out a ways, and then loops around a block. It then runs back to the school and past it to the high school. Another big loop, this time around the high school parking lot, turns runners around, and a final run up the road returns everyone to the elementary with a finish right in front of the school. The course is not particularly hilly, but there are some rolling sections that will get some attention.

After my subpar first mile I decided to pull back. There was no chance of PRing or placing in my age group anyway. I would run a comfortable pace and try to have something in the tank for my race in the morning. I fought through the heat and humidty and kept to that plan. The air felt so thick, it was hard for me to ever be comfortable in my pacing or anything. My lack of rest was working on me too. I did find a little final burst of energy to sprint across the line, but that was it. My time was laughably slow, but I was not too upset by it. Frankly, I was happy just to have made it around given the weather and my own personal difficulties.

I had an entertaining talk with Jeremy Bullard. Apparently Bullard had arrived at the race just as we started. He ran a new PR for him, but started several minutes later and received credit for a much slower time. Still, I was quite impressed by anyone who could PR in rain forest conditions!

I enjoyed the cold water, snagged some yummy lemon cookies, and headed home to recuperate. I did not feel up to visiting the Daylily Festival in the park next door which is usually fun for a stroll.