9.3.07

The race today was AWESOME!

The U.S. 10K is one of the most exciting, best organized races of the year. There are wheelchair participants, cyclists, inline skaters, runners and walkers, each starting in that order about 15 minutes apart. Before the runners/walkers start, the National Anthem is sung and five Green Beret parachute in, one with a HUGE American Flag. It’s an awesome start to an awesome race.

The race starts on a down hill section of Cobb Parkway just at the entrance of Cumberland Mall. As the runners pass under the 285 bridge everyone hoots and hollers – it’s loud. Then you hit the first of about 6 HUGE hills. I started WAY, WAY too far back and ended up with the walkers. I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was before the race. I ended up maneuvering my way through body traffic for a solid mile until it thinned out enough and I was up with the runners.

I did the Jeff Galloway thing and took walk breaks but mostly on the downhill this time. My knee was ok but it seems that the pressure is greater on it on the downhills.

My time was a couple of minutes slower than last year [1:03:38] but considering I was carrying 2 gallons of milk and sort of had a bum knee, that’s not too bad.

There was music at every mile marker, and water, Gatorade at the 2 and 4 mile markers [I grabbed a Gatorade at mile 4], lots and lots of police presence – this is just an EXTREMELY well organized race. And, all the $$ goes to children’s charities – that’s nice.

I hurried through the finish line, dropped my chip in the bucket, grabbed water and headed to the small t-shirt table. When I got there, they sent me back to the chip drop because I didn’t get my bib marked. Fortunately, the guy at the chip drop was nice enough to mark my bib even though he didn’t see me drop my chip in. Back to the t-shirt table to retrieve my shirt and hat – NICE HATS!

I didn’t like this year’s t-shirt as much as last years. Last year’s was Awesome!

I grabbed a banana, pear, and 2 oatmeal raisin cookies and headed to the busses for a ride back to the start line. Last year I had to wait 45 minutes in the line for a bus, this year only about 10.

The race started at 7:45 a.m. and I was back home and in the shower by 10:30 – had places to go and things to do… Now, off to the O’Neal’s for a brat J Nice Labor Day!

Our next race, The Peachtree City Classic 15K, late October, another favorite.