I DID IT! I ran the Peachtree Road Race! For months I’ve reported on preparing to run the race, my first 10K. The training efforts came together for an experience I will never forget. I’ve reported on the race during my years in local news and the Weather Channel.  This was the first time I’ve ever actually been at the race. My prior connection was always through live or taped visuals. Monday I made the trek to Lenox Square with my mentor Eric Malone. Eric’s a marathoner so his start time was right at the top. Leaving early was a good thing. Marta’s trains weren’t very packed. We talked with …

I ran the Peachtree!! Well, not officially, yet. I’m preparing for my first Peachtree Road Race July 4th. Last Saturday I ran the course with a few hundred people. Big Peach Running Company and the Atlanta Track Club hosted matching Road Race Preps. Those wanting to try the route could join in. I met with the Big Peach crowd in Brookhaven. The prep was organized similar to the Peachtree. The crowd began forming around 6:45 AM with sunshine and a temperature in the upper seventies. To simulate the race’s waves, volunteer running captains held up signs indicating pace. Each person chose their …

This week Mother Nature provided a “first” in my preparing for the Peachtree Road Race.   I’ve experienced cool temperatures, heat, humidity but never rain in getting ready for my first 10K. On Wednesday, I found myself running in a storm. I didn’t plan on getting drenched. I was simply determined to get my run in. A busy morning made late afternoon my only choice. A good forecast is a must when planning your run. However, from my years working at the Weather Channel, I know conditions can change quickly. The day’s forecast called for a chance of rain or storms. This time of the year, a “…

In preparing for my first Peachtree Road Race, I’ve gone from running in the gym on a treadmill to running in the streets of the Edgewood-Kirkwood neighborhoods. I’ve been regularly running up to four days a week. Two areas needing work: distance and time. This week I made new strides on distance but am I setting myself up for injuries? Until this week runs covered four miles, two in each direction. The Peachtree is a 10K race, a little over six miles. This means I’ve been faced with adding an extra training mile each way. Eric Malone, my “mentor” and a marathon runner asked me over a week …

It’s one month to my goal of running in the Peachtree Road Race. What’s my assessment on my progress? I am currently running four days in a week, not bad for someone who previously ran only a 5k with very little training.  My running is outside nearly all the time, an improvement for someone who kept to the security of a gym treadmill. Now I tackle the street, watching traffic and the changing conditions beneath my feet. My runs cover four miles each. It’s an area where I still need work. The Peachtree is a 10k, a little over six miles. I’ve taken to using a stop watch. I’ve found I’ve been …

Having a running buddy can add big strides in preparing for a race. I’m getting ready for my first Peachtree Road Race, and this week I hit the street and my buddy Eric Malone, who has marathon experience. He let me set the pace as we started our trek through the Edgewood-Kirkwood neighborhoods. Having someone by your side who knows what to do and how to do it quickly becomes an education.  My starting pace was a good one. Keeping that pace on the changing grades of Hosea Williams Drive proved to be a little more difficult. I thought I had successfully transferred my training from the …

It’s about a month and a half until I face the challenge of my first ever Peachtree Road Race. I’m lengthening my runs on the streets and parks in the Edgewood neighborhood. The actual race begins in Buckhead. This year it ends at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Juniper, south of Piedmont Park. It’s time to get familiar with the features of the race. It's a time for strategy to make it through this particular 10K. The AJC, which sponsors the Peachtree, provides a detailed map Included are markers with features particular to that point of the course. There are also tips for both runners …

My preparation for the Peachtree Road race is heating up. So are the temperatures outside. I’ve taken to hitting up to four miles in neighborhoods and parks. I now have to watch the dangerous effects of sun and sweat. Temperatures on some of my runs now are in the eighties. Sunshine is stronger heading towards the longest day of the year. I try to hit the streets early but heat and/or humidity can be fairly high even at six in the morning. The Peachtree Road race begins at seven am but that’s for the “front of the pack experts.” Six races started at 80 degrees over the last 35 years. As my …

It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, as the saying goes. Apparently it’s not acceptable to try and dodge her either. In my preparation for running the Peachtree Road Race, I trained the winter and early spring months on a gym treadmill. I was not up for cold weather. The race, though, is a 10K from Buckhead to Piedmont Park on July fourth. I set last Thursday to finally take my training outdoors. I woke up to the coldest temperatures in over a month! So I pushed back my run until after noon. Even then, it was still chilly. I knew I’d warm up running but it was getting starting that concerned …

Okay, I’m serious about running in the Peachtree Road Race for the first time. I’ve spent the winter and early spring months using my gym’s treadmill. As more of a weight lifter, the treadmill helped me get comfortable running. I’m building my endurance plus developing a running “style” without worry about traffic or pedestrians. As I get set to hit the street, am I properly “geared up”? Which shoes are the right ones for me? Many injuries can be traced back to having the wrong kind of shoes. A pair I had for a 5K last October left an ankle hurting. I’ve used my heavier cross training shoes …

My goal: to run the Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July.  My previous running experience: The Aids Walk Atlanta 5K last October. Conclusion: I'm pretty much a running novice. I am no fan of cold temperatures. I know hard core runners will hit the streets in all kinds of winter weather, but I took a warmer way to prepare for a race.   I learned the gym treadmill can be your best friend. First, the warm up — hitting elliptical equipment for up to 15 minutes.  The equipment warms and stretches the muscles you will need.   Next, the treadmill and the real work out. When I first started out…

The Fourth of July is more than fireworks and barbeque in Atlanta. Thousands of people fill streets from Buckhead to Piedmont Park running in the Peachtree Road Race. Through my news career, I've reported on the race and produced TV coverage of it. This year I'm running in it! Let's get it understood, I'm not an experienced runner. My athletic "claim to fame"  is dropping more than 50 pounds and keeping it off over ten years. The weight loss reintroduced me to the gym. I work out with weights. I did aerobics for a time. But running? My attempts at hitting the treadmill were few. The legs and …