'14 Peachtree 10K RR

Training:
I've been beginning to come alive in recent weeks with mileage in the low 40s with good quality.  My biggest problem has been liver and kidney function as it relates to detoxification of excess copper and cadmium.  What is the most problematic symptom of the elimination?  You guessed it.  Fatigue.  I've turned to an adrenal glandular for relief with some pretty good results in my workouts.  I knew that I wasn't in PR form but a solid performance was expected.
A- goal: Sub-42- re-qualify for sub-seeded wave
B+ goal: Course PR (42:27)
B- goal: sub-7:00 pace (43:24ish)
C- goal: Improve upon last year's PW of 45:54

Trip:
No real drama.  I took the whole day off work and went for a junk run before hitting the road for Atlanta.  All systems checked out.  It was a smooth ride on I-20 and I arrived on schedule at Nick's place around 2:30 PM.  From there, it was a congested ride downtown to expo where I purchased a new pair of running shorts and an Atlanta tech shirt.  Dinner was a porterhouse at Longhorn's and as usual, I polished it off.  I woke up without an alarm right on time and felt pretty strong warming up.  Normally, heat is a big concern in Atlanta this time of year but today, it wasn't much of a factor as temps were only in the mid-60s with mild humidity.  I lined up with the sub-elite group (sub-42 qualifiers) and would get off to a clean start.

Race:
I've done this race twice so I knew what I was getting into.  It's actually slightly net downhill but the location of the hills is what makes it so tough.  I figure that this course is at LEAST a full minute slower than a pancake flat track 10K.  The first mile is relatively flat with just a mild incline around the half mile mark but it was so early that I barely even felt it.  There was a fair amount of congestion early but I actually think it was a good thing.  Yes, I did run extra by dodging slower runners but it did prevent me from going out too fast.  As I will explain later, Peachtree is a race that you REALLY can't go out too fast or you will die at the end.  I recognized early that my stuff was good but not exceptional so I did not panic when I saw a fast split for Mile 1 via GPS.  Because of the extra distance run, I actually hit the mile marker pretty much on schedule.  Shortly thereafter, we hit the shallow downhill and my pace quickened significantly.  I simply got caught up in the atmosphere when I should have run my own race.  The hill steepened in Mile 3 and my quads were starting to ache a bit so I wisely dialed it back a hair while I still could.  The bottom of the hill came at roughly 2.8 miles.  Cardiac hill was next.  I felt pretty decent early in the climb and passed 5K just a hair over 20.  Okay, all I have to do is run a 7:00 pace on the back half and I will break 42.  As is commonly the case, my form began to falter as we neared the crest of the hill.  Suddenly I was struggling and it looked like the sub-7 in the back half would be a tall order.  Between 3.6-3.7, we finally got a BRIEF downhill and I managed a near 7:00 split for Mile 4 so I still had a shot.  Everybody warns you about Cardiac but it's what comes next that is the worst.  It's basically a moderate non-stop incline for the next 1.2 miles with just a couple small dips to break it up.  As expected, my pace fell off here but I was not being passed very often so the rest of the field was hurting just as much as I was.  1 mile to go and I will need to find an extra gear to do it now.  I gave it my all and managed to increase my pace a bit thanks to level-slightly downhill terrain.  At about 5.5 miles in, we turned onto 10th St. and a more significant decline but that was followed by another quarter mile climb up to Mile 6.  Like I said 4 years ago, THAT WASN'T VERY NICE!  However, I would get good news at the 6 mile mark.  If I could muster any kind of finishing kick, I was going to make it.  It was a long straightaway downhill and with the finish line in view, I thought it was closer that it actually was and I needed one last kick to ensure that I would make it.  My watch time was 41:56 and my official chip time was 41:54 (6:44 pace).  New CR and I have re-qualified for the sub-seeded wave on a challenging course.
Splits: (GPS measured it 6.30 so I will just add 5 ticks to each mile)
6:33- (6:33)Feel good
6:25- (12:58) Too fast downhill
6:32- (19:30) Doing well but starting to hurt
7:03- (26:33)Respectable up Cardiac
7:12- (33:45)Strugg-a-ling
6:52- (40:37) I've got it with a decent kick
1:14- (41:54) roughly 6:00 for last .2

Aftermath:
I was in good spirits as I waited for Nick at Piedmont Park.  He also CR'd this race and I got to meet several of his friends from the Atlanta Triathlon Club.  Overall, this was my best showing in a race since 13.1 Los Angeles last January. Given flat terrain, I believe I am good for a sub-41, which is within shouting distance of a PR. I may need to tweak my formula a bit but as long as I am winning, no big changes will be made.  We hung by the pool for a bit then enjoyed a Braves victory over Arizona.