Things I learned today

Some of you know that I'm running the Peachtree Road Race this year. If you have never spent anytime in Atlanta, the Peachtree is the World's most attended 10k road race held every year on July 4. 55,000 people run it just to get a t-shirt.

The Atlanta Track Club has a training program they do for novice runners to get you ready for the Peachtree. $55 for 10 weeks. You get another shirt, a training program to follow during the week, group runs on Saturday with instructors who give you some advice on how to do better and seminars from various experts on avoiding injuries, diet, how to treat injuries, etc.

Today was week 6's Saturday run and here are some things I learned in no particular order:

1) If you were in boot camp with me last summer or fall you know that if it was a running day, I was going to be on the side of the trail puking at some point. I think my record was 4 times in one run, and those were probably only 3 mile runs at the most. I have ran 3 or 4 5k's since then without visiting Pukey D. Clown but today I discovered around the 5 mile mark that Pukey missed me.

2) If you live in an $800k+ home backing up to a National Park, you really dont expect your Saturday morning view to include a 6'1" redheaded guy yakking off the side of the paved trail. Sorry about that.

3) I hate running. Running with a group and an iPod make it tolerable, but not really enjoyable.

4) Even though I hate running, I'm already looking past this year's Peachtree at doing another 10k (maybe the Kidney 10k in NYC next May) and maybe even a half marathon.

5) The Nike earbuds for my iPod were made for listening to Vivaldi in a library and not Metallica while running. Why would you not include a volume control?

6) If you are one of the trainers for the Peachtree training group, you should spread out to make sure everybody knows where to go. This morning I was in the middle pack and we had no trainer. We were far enough from the lead pack that we didnt see that they had rounded the bend and turned onto the natural trail. We were also too far ahead of the back group that we couldnt hear the trainer tell us we had missed the turn (nor could they see us). So we ran to the end of the road. Literally. There was a bridge that is out so the paved path end and so that became our turning around spot.

7) I hate running



The local NPR folks have decided that they wanna "follow" a couple of first time Peachtree runners as we prepare for the big race. They thought that a guy with a transplant would be a good person to follow and we all know how much I hate media attention... I'll let you know when they'll air so you can listen in.

I need to go get an ice bag...