A few days ago, I ran my third Peachtree Road Race. For those that aren’t familiar with what that is, it’s Atlanta’s annual 4th of July 10K marathon. It’s promoted as the largest in the country. I’m 100% sure about that, but since I live in Atlanta and adore this city… I’m going to run with it, no pun intended.
As I said earlier, this was my third time doing the race. The first time I ran it, my goal was to finish the race without walking, and I did it. However, it took me over an hour as I ran at a modest 10+ pace. Oh, by the way… 10K is equivalent to 6.2 miles.
The second time, my goal was a bit more ambitious. Completing the race was not the issue… improving my time was. So, I set a goal to finish the race in less than an hour. I accomplished my goal by running a 9:40 min/mile pace, which I was happy about.
I was happy with the outcome, but I felt there was room for more. I decided to get more serious about running… I started developing a passion for it. More so than ever, I started following running pages on social media, reading articles about it, and even investing more money into my running gear. I’m almost embarrassed to say how much I spent on running socks.
Shortly after my second race, I started back training. I ran more than ever before… I was determined to crush my last time. About six months into my training, I knew beating my previous time wasn’t a big enough goal, so I had to set the bar higher. That’s when I decided sub-8 was the goal.
I knew this would be challenging, so my running partner (my son) and I decided to tweak our training a little bit, and by the time July 4th rolled around, we’d surely be in good shape.
Race Day
Fast forward to race day. I’m feeling good… I’m feeling strong. Now keep in mind, never have I ever run a sub-8 pace in a 10K marathon. I didn’t think that was too big of an issue because some months prior, I ran a 10K and finished with an 8:11 pace. Also, since I never stopped training, I figured I’d be fine.
Well, my race didn’t go quite as planned. I started strong… halfway through the race, I was on track. I was holding steady at about a 7:50 pace. But, after mile three, my legs became extremely heavy.
Cardiac Hill
For those that don’t know, the halfway point is called Cardiac Hill. This stretch of uphill running seemed to last forever. Its elevation is 12 stories high, and it got me.
My pace drastically declined. By the time I reached the end of Cardiac Hill, I was well off my pace. Throughout the race, I tried to dig deep and recover the time I lost climbing Cardiac Hill, but I was unsuccessful.
In the end, I finished with a decent time. I shaved about a minute off my pace from the previous year, and I must say, I’m proud of that, but I wanted that time.
What I Learned
The 2023 Peachtree Road Race taught me a valuable lesson. I learned that sometimes, to reach our goals, we must lean on the knowledge and expertise of others. Though I started consuming more content around running, I never got insight from an expert that could help me maximize my potential.
The next day I got some valuable information from someone that finished the race with a low 6 min/mile pace… which is blazing. He said incorporating cycling into his training regimen helped take his running to the next level.
Immediately I had an ah-ha moment. It makes sense that cycling helped with his leg strength and endurance… the thing I seemed to be lacking.
So, I will incorporate cycling into my training from here forward, and in 2024, I will run that sub-8.