OK, I’m late for my review of the race. Work can be inhibitive to my life as a runner
and blogger. But, rest assured, I still remember the race.
It was a cool morning and really nice outside. Another cool thing was that the start line
was close to home so no need to drive.
Instead I decided to use a run to the starting line as my pre-race warm
up. It was nice but turned out to be 2 ¼
miles and farther than I thought. Along
the way I had to keep slowing myself down and reminding myself that I was simply
warming up for a run to come. This resulted in another change in my routine
that I had not considered. When I
arrived at the starting area I went through my pre-race stretches. Usually I stretch
and then do the warm-up run.
The word I used and heard used after the race was “hilly.” And it certainly was. Hilly. Up and down and up and up. This part of Atlanta, around Grant Park, is
very hilly. The race, while called a beltline race, was actually around
neighborhoods and parks that will become, or be near, the beltline. It was scenic running through those
neighborhoods. There was plenty to gaze
at along the way and up the hills. We went through or by three parks, one of
which was a big surprise. It was where I
used to play and practice baseball and football as a kid in elementary
school. It was also the park I would go
to and run around to get myself in shape when I started high school. It was really
cool to go by and see.
The last 2 miles were all up hill, but the final .2 was a downhill
strip. I flew down that last bit and
passed two along the way. I finished
first in my age group and afterwards one of the volunteers at the awards tent
said he remembered me and I was flying. That
was nice to hear.
It was a good race and I enjoyed it. You should give it a try next time. Two negatives: it started at least 15 minutes
late (OK 3 things: terrible rendition of national anthem) and the music at the post-race
activities was incredibly loud so that you could not talk without yelling.
What do you think?
Zippy
No comments:
Post a Comment