How My Blog Posts Come Together

A couple of friends asked me about my blog. I am someone who needs to explain things, so here’s how and why I write this blog. Typing out things helps me figure out what I think and how I feel about things. Not long after I got email at work in 2000, I started swapping emails with my friend Reid Whitaker every day. He’d always talk about where and what they are, so that’s been an ongoing topic of discussion. We’ll hit on sports and church and family, sometimes on personal matters.

In 2005, I read about blogs, and decided to start one – mostly to have a record of family activities and what was going on in my life: https://sacrificefly.blogspot.com/ I liked how the concept of baseball’s sacrifice fly had connotations to real like, so I stuck with the title. Probably not a good idea to share so much on line, but I try to edit out any personal information. Back then I was emailing our parents the recaps of our kid’s games and other activities. These also became blog posts. What used to be little league and ballet have become weddings and grandchildren.

If there’s something on my mind, perhaps on sports or work or politics, I’ll often share them with Reid. At the end of each day I’d edit these emails into a daily blog post. I’ll organize them with the most interesting as the lead paragraphs. It’s become a daily habit. I try to not be too political, but in an election year like 2024 I may have posted more political content that usual.

For me this is a creative activity. For 13 of the past 14 years I have been able to post most every day. A typical post will usually be a mish mash of various topics, from mundane details of my day to thoughts on various world events. For sure it is heavy on whatever sport is in season. With my busy job and things to do at night, I try to not let the blog take up too much of my time. For this reason the quality of the content isn’t as great as it could be. I try to keep posts between 500-800 words. By the end of the week I may split up extra content into posts of equal length for Friday Saturday and Sunday. If I’m too busy or have nothing to share, I can always post several photos and memes I have saved.

I won’t say that I’m always on the lookout for content, but quite often there will be a subject that I’ll want to write about. If I come across an interesting article or tweet, I’ll share it on a post. When I have time, I may take notes on the article to share the details. Most are things that I want to remind myself of. Occasionally my kids will check the blog history to check details on something that happened years ago, which thrills me.

A few years ago I started back taking sermon notes. I’ll peck out the notes as an email on my phone, and at the end of the sermon email them to Reid, who loves sermon notes (he’s got a collection of hundreds, if not thousands). So these sermon notes get turned into blog posts. Our Sunday School lessons are so good, that often I will take notes on them as well. Also some notes from what we’re learning in small group. I receive a daily email devotion for former SPdL pastor Jim Denison, who often gives his Biblical take on current word events. I’ll often share a key paragraph and link to his devotional.

I’d like to think that this whole blog thing is a record of me: what I’m thinking and feeling and experiencing. It may not be pretty or polished and certainly not perfect, but that’s okay. Neither am I. I’d like to think that over the years I have become a better writer, though it’s easy to read what others write to see that I still have a long way to go.

Most of my posts only receive 10-20 views. I could share my posts on social media, but rarely do. Only when a topic is being discussed that I have written about (like football’s rare fair catch kick) or the monthly list of bobblehead giveaways, will I share on Twitter. Then the views might crack triple digits. My list of Augusta National members seems to receive views every month, but it has yet to click the top ten (it’s #11).

It took well over 15 years to crack one million views. Not many, considering I’ve published over 6800 posts. Of course that’s not why I do this. I probably should be worried that 345,000 views have come from China (more than from the US) and 150,000 from Hong Kong, but I haven’t been hacked. Yet. I don’t think.

My friend Reid turns 90 in March. Sometimes I wonder what I will do when he’s not around to share things with. I recently shared this with my young nephew Joe, and his reply was something I’d already been thinking: play it forward with someone younger. Perhaps one of my kids, or at some point, my grandkids. When I retire I hope to be spending less time in front of a keyboard. Not sure what that means for this blog.

Most days I receive an email quiz from SABR, the Society for American Baseball Research. I’m not a member – while interesting, it’s not something I want to devote such a large chunk of time to. But I edit the quiz into a paraqraph for my blog, to share info about various ballplayers. Such as…

RALPH KINER [SABR Bio] is the only Pittsburgh Pirate slugger to lead the National League in home runs in consecutive seasons. Kiner led the NL for 7 consecutive seasons: from 1946-1952. He led the majors from 1947-52. His yearly totals were 23, 51, 40, 54, 47, 32, 47, in the first 8 seasons of his career. On 13-Oct-1951, he married California tennis star Nancy Chafee. They had three children, but they divorced in 1968. Following his retirement, Kiner served from 1956-1960 as general manager of the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres.

My top eleven blog posts. Some were shared on social media or a website like Uni Watch, others had catchy titles. Once in my top ten, it’s easier for them to receive extra views.

1. 8.07K Nike Roshe Run, a sneaker  

2. 6.87K Braves uniform history

3. 3.14K SunTrust Park Open House

4. 3.06K May 2017 bobbleheads

5. 3.05K April 2017 bobbleheads

6. 3.02K Better Than the Ted (SunTrust Park)

7. 2.82K June 2017 bobbleheads

8. 2.75K Banana Smash, a game played by my youth group

9. 2.72K recap of a UGA, GT, & Clemson game

10. 2.58K highest pail athletes

11. 2.09K Augusta National Members

2023 Peachtree Road Race Recap

Met Will down near Piedmont Park shortly before 7 am. Drove up to N Druid Hills and over toward Brookhaven. Parked on Kingsbury and only had to walk 6/10 of a mile to our start group. Will and his friend Zachary started in group N at 7:50. The problem with starting in group T is that all the slowpokes from group Y are always trying to sneak into our group.

Observation: Peachtree runners fall into two groups - (1) those who arrive early, before the 7 am race start. They're able to hear the Star Spangled Banner and jet flyover - and then wait until their time group moseys to the start line. Or (2), the late arrivers, who show up when they can. This morning as my T group walked and stood past Phipps Plaza, a steady stream of runners from various groups passed us as they worked their way to the start line. After years and years as a proud member of the first set, Will and I are becoming more and more members of the second.

We got a little rain while we were waiting to start, but I was able to stand under a tree. By the time my group T arrived at the start line, I was at the front of the group (above left). Took off at 7:08:02. Early on I was running behind a girl wearing an outlandish pink outfit. Didn't realize she started right next to me.

Ran a faster pace than I had when training, running hard for 2 minutes then walking for 30 seconds. The past several years I spent most of the race on the right side of the road, with the slower runners and walkers. This year I spent most of the race on the left. Even then runners constantly are having to weave around the novice walkers paying no heed to the walkers to the right "rule". Sure all the speed demons up in groups A and B can run fast times up ahead of the front of the pack, but the real Peachtree Road Race is in the back, where runners trying to get a good time have to weave left and right for ten kilometers.

And that I did. Ran my fastest mile in years in mile one - under ten minutes (9:54). Mile two wasn't far off the mile one pace (10:13). A nice 60-ish second breather talking to the Whitakers at SPdL, then a great third mile (11:22).  My fastest three miles in years and years. Crossed the halfway point in 33:41. Amazing.

Even on the long uphill past Piedmont Hospital, I tried to continue to alternate short bursts of running with walking. Tried to smile and make eye contact with as many Shepherd Spinal patients as possible, and continued my annual custom of securing a pair of Shepherd Spinal sweatbands.

At the top of Cardiac Hill, I resumed my run 2 minutes / walk 30 seconds routine. At the 4 mile mark I stopped at Bellwood Coffee to greet Ceil, MC, Shivonne, Millie, and Willis Norman (below - top). Another 60 second break. Another great split (13:40), considering the long hill and Bellwood break. Will had stopped at Bellwood earlier.

Then back past Pershing Point and the I-85 overpass. Stopped before White Columns to visit with a former retiree who manages a water stop. He had several questions about the office, giving me a 2 minute breather.

The rest of the "race" was pretty much six lanes of wall to wall walkers. I'd pick an opening to run through. Most of the time the lane would remain open for me to run through, but 2 or 3 times the walkers ahead of me would drift together, closing off my path. I had to slam on the brakes and dart left or right.

At each water stop I would grab a cup, take a sip, then pour the rest over my head. By mile two my shorts weren't yet completely wet - only the middle where the water had run down. Not the greatest look. But by the time I made the turn onto 10th Street I was drenched. I'd thought about wearing my old white dri-fit 2006 Peachtree tee, but knew it wouldn't look good wet. Instead I opted for my navy Nike Braves tee. Wore my purple On Cloud Monster running shoes, knowing they would best wick away the moisture. My footy socks did get wet, but for the most part my feet were fine - though usually I wear crew socks. I did wear a small blister on my left heel.

At the 6 mile mark my Apple Watch registered 6.2 miles at a respectable 1:14:27. I finished the remaining 2/10ths of a mile "strong". 

As I neared the finish line I maneuvered right, in order to signal the race announcer that this was my 36th Peachtree. 

Didn't realize my finish was caught on film. Embarrassing.

My 1:16:06 performance was my fastest 10K time in perhaps a decade.

Will's friend Zachary had run cross country in high school, and wanted to attack the race - including the uphills. Will stuck with Zack the first four miles, then stopped off to see the fam at Bellwood. Zachary quickened his pace and finished in exactly 56 minutes. Incredibly, he ran every mile faster than the one before.

Even with his stop at Bellwood, Will finished in exactly an hour.

Found Will in the park, and we ambled up Virginia Avenue to our car, less than a mile from the finish line. Grabbed a couple of Powerades along the way. Chick-fil-A was pouring peach tea and giving away vouchers for peach milkshakes.

Will drove me back to my car near Lenox. I took 400 to 85 to 75 to Moores Mill and Bolton to meet C at Bellwood Coffee. Visited with M and Joel and Becky Norman. Just missed seeing Catherine Norman, in town visiting from Memphis.

Then C & I took Bolton to 285 and 20 east to Panthersville, to W&MC's friends Zachary & Imani from their church. A nice brunch, with bacon sausage grits cheese fruit and pastries. Then up 285 to Dekalb Farmers Market.

Then through Decatur, left at Agnes Scott, right on Memorial, then 20 west to 285 and Bolton to get my car. Didn't get home until 4 pm.

Usually the Peachtree wears me out, but not quite as bad this year. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

Masters Recap

That was a pretty good Masters to watch. If you had told me that Jon Rahm and Tiger would be paired on Sunday, you would’ve thought that would’ve really been something. With all the focus on Woods, it allowed Rahm to have a good round.  Seemed like after Tiger had played two rounds in what, one over par, he was in good shape headed into the weekend. Then he wilted to seven over after three rounds. Doubt he ever thought about quitting, and already declared he will be playing in the British Open in July. Nice to see Rory rally to finish second.

 

Before Scottie Scheffler turned pro he won two thirds of the tournaments he played, like 90 wins in 134 starts. That’s an amazing number. I am no expert, but it appears he has a well-rounded game, not overly flashy, just plodding along. So many holes yesterday that he didn’t birdie were almost birdies.

Yesterday at the Masters Scheffler’s wife Meredith was wearing all white Nike Dunk basketball sneakers (top). The things I notice. Justin Thomas wore bright yellow parts yesterday, but it was an outfit similar to one once worn by Arnold Palmer.

W&MC were at the Masters on Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday they were in the first row of the grandstand on the 16th hole. I have yet to get an update. Looks like Shivonne got her first peek at Magnolia Lane as well. Like Meredith, Mary-Clayton was rocking her Nikes. 

More about the Masters merchandise.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://golf.com/news/masters-merchandise-everyone-buys/__;!!AE29DT8V!T6t5Ban-ftkS-J2LAI7cAAQH5-vbH8r83UKi0akcf5Dgul0yUvTbdzpzuy92R6kPnAbW_PEcxepjluE0_yg$

How to play a round at Augusta National. Good luck.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://golf.com/news/augusta-national-masters-how-you-can-play/__;!!AE29DT8V!XbSUNLVIsbsM78LBEocs8G61Xcm2nfv2Ce5FRO91ColCv_rNfYknNfdaAN2CKjEwAUn1tdIkL0GcAYNxn7s$

Secrets from a Masters employee, who spend 12 hour nights all weekend making thousands of pimento cheese sandwiches. Doesn’t sound like the young man will be back working at the Augusta National next year, much less playing a round of golf on the hallowed grounds.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/04/10/masters-pimento-cheese-sandwiches-how-they-are-made/__;!!AE29DT8V!RJQu7g0de9OuTNFiiGHBCBwMaU0B1SJOEjYUVgxDzCqiT8gZp8OhfAdQcqZ5mSMShfEPAblMJavW3lRuxCQ$

The same Masters patrons sit behind the 16th tee every year. Like Meredith, they like to wear the bright springtime colors. 

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://golf.com/news/tiger-woods-michael-phelps-patrons-augusta-national/__;!!AE29DT8V!VlKnUieUDlJwFSXuwEajtZo6Dm-MpLuQr6EXUswH6o28fWOgbLH2ZIqx_V4nyJRVq7Cp5UOrdkhaaUcBUYs$

Friday for lunch my boss took me to the Duluth Diner. Cobb salad with grilled chicken. Got a piece of turtle cheesecake to take home for dessert. Friday night Ceil cooked homemade pizza. M ate all the leftovers.

Interesting Saturday morning. We had an 8 am zoom call with out overseas friends. Afterward we had brunch at Reveille, a diner in East Cobb. I had a boneless chicken breast with bacon and cheese, with two fried eggs and breakfast potatoes.

As we were being seated at our table I got a text from my buddies, wanting to meet for lunch. So when we left the diner I drove straight over to Righteous Que for a BBQ sandwich with Rob, Reid and Lee. Went home and watched the Masters the rest of the afternoon.

Sunday School and worship. Got home and was loading up a basket of stuff to take downstairs. When I bent over to pick it up, by back went out. Pain. I laid out on the floor. Pulled myself up and ambled downstairs. Nothing was comfortable: sitting on the couch, at the kitchen table, standing. While watching the Masters I managed to do some laundry and take the dogs outside. Same thing happens every year or two.

Went to bed just after 8 pm. No gym this morning. Slept until 7;30 am. Not too much better this morning. Been working at the kitchen table. Good thing I didn’t buy a Braves ticket for tonight’s game. We were gonna have three no-shows for small group tonight, out of six, so we cancelled. I’ve basically been in warmups all day. Back feels a little better, as long as I don’t move.

Through Sunday the World Champion Braves had won two of their past three games. I need to be as wildly positive, thankful, and optimistic about the rest of my life as I am about the Braves.

ORLANDO CEPEDA [SABR Bio] was history’s second-ever designated hitter. Ron Blomberg was the first DH, coming up sixth in the first inning against Luis Tiant. The first batter up for Boston in the top of the second of the same game was Cepeda. Orlando’s team of eight seasons traded him away to strengthen their pitching, but Cepada won Comeback Player of the Year that year, then league MVP the next. On 08-May-1966, Cepeda was traded by SF to STL for Ray Sadecki. Cepeda was the NL MVP in 1976, becoming only the second player to win ROY & MVP unanimously, after Frank Robinson. He is the third first baseman to pull off AND be tricked by the old hidden ball trick. The other first basemen to be both hidden-ball trickster and hidden-ball trickee are Frank Chance and Fred Merkle.

Beach Trip

Vacation was good. Stayed out on the beach every day between 10:30 am and 6:45 pm. Some days I didn’t even go back up for lunch. In all we had about 49 people coming and going.

 

You’d think on vacation I’d be able to be able to spend lots of time on my pastimes, but the early walking, extended beach time, and eating out left little time. I even got less sleep than usual. After the walk I’d usually grab a quick nap. I was making a point to clean out my emails and unsubscribe from as many as possible, so hopefully going forward I’ll get less junk email. Kept up with my blog by posting pictures, as I didn’t have time to write or research. Some days I entered sweepstakes, but it took me until yesterday to really catch up with those, as well as the three customer survey panels. No time for eBay, which I really need to get back doing. Good thing I didn’t take my scrapbook calendar, cause I didn’t have time for that either. I did knock out a bunch of reading, and I always had time to eat.   

 

7th: C and M ate at Chickfila before leaving town. I had eaten at home. Stopped in Augusta at Starbucks.

 

8th: Ate lunch at peach orchard diner on the way to the beach. Papa John’s Pizza for dinner (long wait).

 

9th: Burger Fi, down on the corner of Main Street and Highway 17. W&MC left Augusta after the evening church service, and made it to NMB late.  

 

Sunday Ceil’s cousin Phil said he and big Larry had walked that morning, so for the next five days I walked with them: 2 miles, 2-1/2, three twice, and finally on Friday we walked all the way to the Cherry Grove Pier, a 4.6 mile round trip. The first leg was northeast into the sun, making the return trip into the breeze much cooler. Wednesday I wore my Peachtree Road Race out to the beach, and it seemed like Larry and Phil thought I’d been holding out on them. Over the past twenty years I have run or run/waked to the pier (it’s been awhile), but Phil and Larry didn’t know that.  

 

Larry didn’t go on Thursday morning so Phil and I left out earlier. The tide was still out so instead of walking on the sloping sand we were able to walk down nearer the water, where it was flatter. Occasionally we’d have to hop over a stream over water trickling back into the sea. On one hop I must’ve not picked up my leg quite high enough, and I stumbled when I landed. I knew I was going to fall, so instead of continuing to wobble and stumble I just went ahead and fell. I was laughing at myself even before I hit the sand. Phil was laughing at me as well, but never told on me until I told on myself.    

 

Since I was up earlier, after my walks I took to cooking a more elaborate breakfast than usual: frying eggs, cooking bacon, and assembling a bacon egg & cheese sandwich. Ceil was sleeping later, and when she came out she’d make a pot of grits. If I came in for lunch I’d assemble my turkey/bacon/cheese sandwich – on a hot frying pan, so it would toast like a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

10th: Low country boil. Being allergic, I passed on the shrimp but had the sausage, corn on the cob, and a few potatoes. Watched the Home Run Derby. Will had several of his cousins playing board games.

 

11th: After our walk I made a Kroger run. Will had cooked everyone breakfast Monday morning, so we were almost out of several items. But Tuesday was Chickfila’s Cow Appreciation Day, so W&MC went there for breakfast. Also C and our niece Katherine. W&MC were headed back to Augusta that day, and they vowed to stop at every Chickfila along the way - at least six or seven of them.

 

Dinner at Provisions in Holden Beach NC. Party of 13. Chicken sandwich with peppers, onions, and cheese. Ceil and her mom didn’t make the 68 mile round trip, eating instead at the cafeteria. Only saw the last two innings of the All-Star Game.

 

12th: Chinese take-out for supper. Matthew’s idea. I had sweet and sour chicken.

 

I hadn’t read out on the beach on Sunday, but on Monday I finally finished the last 50 pages of my John Feinstein book on Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina. Tuesday I read a short Steve Martin book – 130 pages. Wednesday I started John Grisham’s “The Rainmaker” and someone out on the beach noticed I was on my third book in as many days.

 

These guys from Greer SC were playing a new game on the beach. They lined off a large rectangle the three holes at the two corners nearest the water. Since the beach sloped that way, the balls you roll toward the holes would curve toward the holes. The trick was to roll the ball so it would curve into the hole. The wind made it harder. Fun to watch but hard to play. Some of our crowd took a turn, and suddenly everyone was an expert, calling out suggestions but not actually giving it a go.

 

13th: Bonefish, party of 16. I had the burger. Pretty good.

 

14th: Friday we packed up and left town around noon. I had eaten lots of leftovers. Stopped in Florence at Chickfila. I had a chocolate milkshake. Stopped in Augusta to visit W&MC. Made it home around 8 pm. M picked up Moes but I just had peanut butter crackers.

 

Before we left we had lined up one of Matthew’s friends to house-sit and take care of the pets. Then on Sunday she broke her ankle at the Roswell Mill. M enlisted his friend Noni to take over, and she did an admirable job. Late Friday when we were going to bed C was talking to M in his room when Barney got loose, and he saw M’s cat for the first time, and started barking. A close call.

 

15th: Housework and laundry. C went grocery shopping and cooked lasagna for supper. M worked.

 

16th: JFBC. Home Depot. Leftover lasagna. Braves. The movie “42.” Got caught up on some computer work. M worked. C messed with her artwork, and baked a cobbler filled with peaches and blueberries. Also watch the celebrity golf tourney at Lake Tahoe. Seth Curry had a charge and finished third. Smoltz and Romo struggled, as did Justin Timberlake. I heard Charles Barkley made one good shot.

 

17th: Tried to keep my exercise routine going before work. Leftover lasagna for lunch. Dance class tonight.

My 30th Ptree Road Race

Recap of my 30th Peachtree Road Race. Living on Greenwood Avenue near Piedmont Park in the mid-1980’s, I volunteered at the finish line twice. In 1989 coworker Todd Harris talked me into running the thing. Been running it ever since.

 

Monday afternoon I left work at five and barely beat W&MC home. I saw them let Okie out of the car, so I let Barney go outside to greet him. The two dogs played around - and messed up some of the flowers at the end of the driveway. Ooops. Mexican for supper – chicken and fish tacos. Matthew cooked, and made a tasty bean and corn dip as well. Joel arrived just as we were finishing our meal, and later a friend of Anna’s from Camp Highland came. They all played a game. I was tired and went to bed.

 

Didn’t sleep well. Up before five. Left the house at 5:30. Got off at North Avenue and made a left on Peachtree. Saw my first gaggle of runners on the way to MARTA: coworker Brad and his sons. Parked on Myrtle at an intersection catty corner from Brad at 6 am. We were earlier than the past several years, and MARTA was less crowded. Made it to Phipps Plaza just before 6:50, almost an hour before we’d start. I’d started my watch as we’d begun our walk to MARTA, and had walked 1.27 miles to reach Phipps.

 

As Will and waited I realized that in my haste to get out the door I hadn’t eaten a single bite. Not good. Neither had Will. On the drive down he thought about mentioning it, but never did. I wish he had. Line jumpers were being escorted back to their correct groups. No invocation this year that I heard. Has the Peachtree removed God?

 

Saw a guy with an “1970 original finisher” Carling Peachtree T-shirt. Plenty of costumes. My favorite was a Chuck Norris America shirt. At one point of the race I was behind a guy wearing a green wig. A spectator hollered “nice hair!” so I replied “thanks!” The green wig guy whirled around to see me, and cracked up.

 

Seemed like a majority of people carried their cell phones. The PRR has always been more of an experience than mere footrace, a celebration for regular folk as well as the US 10K championship. Phones with cameras and social media only expand the celebration. This year there was a portable jumbotron set up at the intersection of Peachtree and Lenox. Before the race the jumbotron was showing the finish of the wheelchair race, the 11Alive broadcast, various interviews, the introduction of the elite runners, the anthem singers, the obligatory advertisements – and videos taken by runners running last year’s race, using go pro cameras and what not.

 

Call me a geezer, but phones were slowing down the whole process. People taking pictures as the line was moving. Running while staring at their phone. And on and on. I’d like to take my phone to take pictures, but (a) I’m scared I’d drop it and it would get stepped on and someone would slip and (b) I wouldn’t want it waterlogged. As we waiting for the start the guy next to me dropped his with a splat, but it was ok. Those damn kids and their phones.

 

At the end of the Star Spangled Banner two perfectly timed low-flying F16 fighters roared north up Peachtree, in full view of all 60,000 runners who were all facing south. Super bad. The jets then banked right, eventually looping around for a second flyover as they headed to Dobbins AFB. One of the pilots then came back and ran the race. My ears are still ringing.

 

At the start I made my way over to the slower right side. Crossed the start line at 7:51 am. My first mile was my fastest (11:23). I would run for 30 seconds and walk for thirty. I grabbed a cup of water from every official water station, but didn’t want to pour water over my head until after I said my hellos at SPdL. That made it hot - most of the first two miles are in the sun.

 

Mile two was all slightly downhill, my second fastest (11:57). I considered grabbing a donut, but like last year I didn’t see where Publix was handing any out. By then I wasn’t really hungry.

 

Saw no one I knew at SPdL. No one. They might’ve been helping with water. As a veteran of the race, I’m not sure if handing out water at SPdL is really worth the effort. SPdL is on the left, where the seasoned runners supposedly run. It’s the walkers on the right who need the water. In fact I only saw one person I knew the entire way, a former coworker who mans a water station near Channel 2.

 

As I continued the shady downhill from Wesley to Peachtree Creek I tried to keep up my pace, though I was growing more tired and hot (mile 3 = 12:12). Made eye contact and said hello to former Mayor Sam Massell, who looked good for his age. He sat alone in a single chair, tended to by what looked to be his daughter. Massell thanked me for saying hello.

 

Quite a contrast with Atlanta’s current major, who had been interviewed at the starting line. Heading up the hill past the mike 3 marker, as well as In the shade of the fifth mile I saw young men displaying signs with the race logo thanking Mayor Reed for his years of service. Then as I passed the High Museum I fell in walking behind two officers on bikes, slowly pedaling at a pace slightly slower than mine. Eventually I ran around them and discovered ten walkers slowly proceeding down the road, all dressed in black shorts and t-shirts. As opposed to dripping with sweat like everyone else, these interlopers (mostly women) scarcely had a glint of sweat on them. The group took up two lanes of pavement, blocking the path of thousands trying to maneuver past. I could be wrong, but at the rate they were going I don’t see how they could have started at from Lenox Square (even when the elite runners went off at 7:30 am) and made it five miles in approximately 75 minutes.

 

At mile three I finally poured a cup of water over my head. Felt great. Walked up the hill and ran the plateau past Bennihanas, then walked up Heartbreak Hill. Bumped fists with patients from the Shepherd Spinal Center. Grabbed a couple of blue SSC sweatbands. Construction at Piedmont Hospital had taken out the stately trees in front. Further down the spectator was back tossing cheese puffs into the mouths of runners. I nodded and he tossed me a puff, but I just missed. Made sure to grab a bracelet for a Mellow Mushroom free pizza. Grabbed a cup of water from an old Shriner at Pershing Point. My mile 4 split was 15:38.

 

Crossed the bridge over I-75 in the bright sun. The musician usually stationed on the bridge had moved further south. Usually I’ll glance his way but this year I totally forgot. I moved over to the left to see Ellsworth at the water station. Remembered how Harriett used to stand at the bank across from the old Gulf station. Not wanted to get my shoes wet, I walked up on the sidewalk to avoid a water spray. Noticed the shady “Olympic Mile” was eerily quiet, with no music, bands, or announcers between White Columns and the High Museum. There were even long stretches without any onlookers.       

 

As I finished mile five (13:47) I looked at my watch and started thinking. Over the years I’ve gotten worse at calculating how fast I need to be to make a certain time, but glancing at my watch (without my glasses) I was surprised to see on was on pace to finish well under an hour and a half. Before the race I had made no calculations or looked up times from the past few years. I’d forgotten last years’ time of 1:25.00. So starting at 14th Street I began to push just a little bit harder.

 

Before making the turn onto 10th Street I noticed two skyscrapers I’d never noticed before, across from the Federal Reserve where Jocks & Jill’s used to be. The crowd had become thicker, making for more things to see. Then out of the shade at the turn and into the bright sun again, down the hill under the photo bridge. I kept looking for a glimpse of the T-shirt, but every finisher I saw had theirs in their bag. I wouldn’t see the shirt until after the finish. Excellent choice: nice logo and color.

 

Up the last hill. My sixth mile had been slightly faster (13:28). The pace on the course at this point is faster, since everyone wants to finish strong. You have to be extra careful not to cut in front of someone making a sprint for the finish. Oftentimes the announcer is in the perch calling out encouragement, but I saw him turning away as I neared the finish line. I totally forgot to look at the time clock, but I’d forgotten to look at it at the start as well. Ran my last half mile at a 12:06 pace.

 

I had started my watch about twenty yards before the start line, so I wouldn’t be fiddling with it as all the runners were taking off. Still I hit the mile mark earlier and earlier as the race went on, probably because I wasn’t changing lanes taking the shortest route like the Kenyans can do. My 6.2 miles was actually 6.47 miles. Nice how the watch automatically tracked my splits and transferred the information to my phone: 1256 active calories burned. 1459 total calories. Average heart rate of 164 BPM. Average pace of 12:59 per mile. The time jived almost exactly with the time logged by the chip on my race number bib.

 

When I crossed the finished line I ended my race workout on my watch, and immediately started another workout to track the walk through the park and around Grady Stadium back to the car. Looked for Will near the awards stage, which had been moved into the shade near the hill. Couldn’t find him there or on the hill, so I walked around to where the stage had been, then looped around back to where finishers funnel out. Went back by the stage and finally spotted him in the distance. We grabbed a couple of Powerades and joined the march west up 8th Street: 2.6 miles, 1171 active calories, 1488 total calories, heart rate of 116 BPM in the 86 degree heat / 62% humidity.

 

On the way home we stopped by to see Joel at Chattahoochee Coffee behind the Westside Taqueria. Later W and M made a grocery run, and I went to Kroger for ice. W and M grilled burgers, dogs, and ribs. Also potato salad, corn on the cob, cole slaw, ice cream, and blueberry/blackberry cobbler. The kids played another game. I took a nap. W&MC left for Augusta around 5 pm. C, M, and Anna watched Harry Potter. I worked on my laptop and went to bed before ten. Peachtree #30 was in the books.

2016 Peachtree Recap

Every Peachtree Road Race is different. Here is the 2016 version:

 

After a late dinner Sunday night, I had a hard time getting to sleep. Woke up at 4:45 and showered. Pinned on Will’s number and gathered my things.  

 

After a few years of barely making it to the start line in time, I was careful to be early this year. We timed it about right. Left home around 5:45 and drove down to our usual parking spot at 5th and Myrtle. Breakfasted on one energy bar and drank a PowerAde and a bottle of Protein Water. Found a long spot for both my CRV and Will’s Toyota. Walked up to MARTA. Skipped the first packed Doraville train as well as a North Springs train with plenty of seats, then squeezed into the next Doraville train. Even though it’s only four stops, this is the slowest MARTA ride you’ll ever take. People were squeezing in at every stop. Then at Lenox only the south exit was open, causing even more congestion.

 

After we escaped the MARTA station, the shady walk up the hill to Phipps Plaza wasn’t too bad. We arrived at the intersection and stood there for a while at the back of the E group. Saw Jason Kembry from work. As we talked a Peachtree volunteer came up, looked closely at Will’s and my number, and pestered us to return to our groups. As we did the groups moved forward, so I was able to get in the middle of Group F. Knowing I would be walking, I tried to make it over to the right side of the road, as we slowly progressed toward the start line.

 

As we waited I toyed with my Fitbit. I had charged my first Fitbit for the race, the one with the broken band. I had already walked 1.78 miles by the time I made it to the start line, well over 2200 steps. I wanted to tweet that the 1-1/2 hour journey to the start line is longer than most of my training runs for the Peachtree. I played with the stopwatch function and thought I had erased my day’s work, but eventually I recovered it.

 

At the start line lots of people turned around to take selfies with the huge American flag behind them. A lot of people, judging not only from what I saw in person, but also on social media as well. Hope their phones didn’t get wet. The Peachtree is such an event, much more than a just world class athletic contest (several of the elite runners will be competing in the Olympics).

Will actually filmed his race start, breaking out in a sprint of the start of Group G. I had considering bringing an old cell phone to take pictures. This would’ve been problematic without my glasses, and with all the water. Question: if I didn’t take a selfie running the Peachtree and post it on social media, did I actually do it?  

 

The security presence was considerably greater than any previous year. Police and soldiers outfitted in riot gear in MARTA stations and along the walkways to the staging areas, along the race route, and at Piedmont Park. During the race a police officer on a bicycle rode past. There were even bomb-sniffing dogs and heavily-armed Polaris ATVs.   

 

Even though the national anthem was long and drawn out, the massive C130 flyover arrived just as the last note was sung. My group went off right at 8:00. I stuck to the right, ran the first quarter mile, then fell into my planned pattern of walking 30 seconds, then running 30 seconds. Almost right off the bat I noticed an old greybeard near. Me. Another fellow carried a sack full of soccer balls, handing them out to kids along the way. I knew this was a recipe for disaster. One kid didn’t want the ball, and threw it to a young runner wearing a soccer jersey. The runner bounced the ball, and it got away from him. A little girl loved her ball, but her big brother grabbed it away from her – and the ball bounced into the street right in front of me.

 

The first mile was pretty uneventful. At the first water station I was sure to pour water on my head, and I realized how hot I was. Every time I’d run, I would pass a young dad wearing a large backpack who was running with his daughter. Grabbed a rubber bracelet from the 104.7 people. No Moe’s swag this year. Saw the priest at St. Phillip’s tossing out “holy water” as he blessed the runners. Moved across to the left side of the road to see the folks at Second-Ponce de Leon – perhaps too late to see Angela Head (and maybe Don?). I did see Charles Quarles and Dock Hollingsworth, but that was about it. Nancy Kelly and Kelly Vonfeldt were there, but I missed them.

 

I enjoyed the shade running down the hill toward Peachtree Battle. Saw former congressman Max Cleland in his usual spot. And an unfortunate Peachtree first: an ambulance drove south on Peachtree, passing runners, presumably on its way to deliver an overheated runner to Piedmont Hospital. During the race I noticed a sign saying the race threat level was orange (due to the heat) – slightly higher than the yellow alert level I’d seen at the start. Later the treat level was raised to red – one step below the highest “race cancellation” level black.

I kept seeing the greybeard in my area and finally figured out he was walking and running at about the same pace as me. As we both slowed to a walk near the three mile marker to begin the long “Cardiac Hill,” I started talking to him. Over the next 3.2 miles we alternated running and walking and shared our Peachtree stories. Mark is 61, a Henderson High grad who grew up where Spaghetti Junction was built. A high school runner who in one early Peachtree finished in the top 40. Heart bypass surgery at 46 took his wind. Now he coaches cross country at a small private school in Albany. Mark noted that we had traversed the first three miles in 36 minutes, a pretty good pace for both of us. We both knew the rest of the race would take longer, with most of it uphill.

 

As we reached the top of cardiac hill my fitbit vibrated, signaling I had reached the 10000 step mark. I stopped to re-tie my shoe on the sidewalk. At the four mile mark I made a point of grabbing two free pizza wristbands from Mellow Mushroom. I saw one lady with about five of the prize bands. Will got one band. That makes back about half of our entry fee right there.

 

My new friend Mark would run for one to one and a half minutes at a time, then walk for about a minute. We passed a big black lady walking proudly along, wearing a group S number. She had obviously jumped in somewhere along the route. The trombone player who sits on the Pershing Point bridge had moved south a hundred yards, joining up with a couple of other musicians.   

 

Said hello to my former co-worker Ellsworth, who mans the water station at the corner of Spring and Peachtree. Thought of Harriet Clardy, who used to stand across from Rhodes Hall. At the top of the hill at Colony Square we made a point of running. Unfortunately that’s where several parents had their pre-teen children join them for the last mile of the race. As I neared the photo bridge after the turn onto 10th Street I was hot on their heels, and I had to slow down to not run over them. I’m sure this made for a lousy picture (or no picture, as it turned out). Note on the photo of Mark and I: a new photo bridge was added on Peachtree before the 10th Street turn. I obviously didn't see it until it was too late.  

At the six mile mark my shoe came untied. We were running in the rest of the way, so I knew I couldn’t stop to tie my shoe until after the finish. Thanks to Mark, my final mile was the fastest in several years. We walked through the T-shirt chutes and bade each other farewell. The journey with Mark made for a different, but fun and interesting Peachtree. I beat my 2015 time by 15 minutes.

 

Will was at our usual meeting spot near the stage. He had run a 56 minute race, admitting that he had to stop to walk a time or two. No shame in that. Later Chad Eaton and Danny Downing both mentioned they “didn’t set a personal record.” Guess I need to start saying that as well.

 

I’m not one for photos, especially looking all hot, wet, and sweaty. My shirt, shorts, socks, and shoes were soaked from pouring cups of water over my head at every water stop. We loaded up on PowerAde, but this year there were no tents handing out energy bars or popsicles. We made the long walk back to our cars. My Fitbit had bitten the dust, a victim of all the water. Good thing I left my newer Fitbit at home.

 

My T-shirt review: I give it a C. From a distance all you can see are the words ROAD RACE. The color is nice, as is the lightweight fabric. Not a fan of wearing a shoe tread on my chest. But the word PEACHTREE does not stand out, nor does the year. You’d think more thought would go into the color of the lettering against the background color.

 

In the aftermath I let it slip that I had sold my previous 28 Peachtree T-shirts. Some thought I was lying. For tens of thousands the T-shirt IS the Peachtree. Not me. Spending all that money and undergoing all the hassle to pick up the number, waking up early and fighting the crowds for over three hours isn’t worth it just for a T-shirt. The Peachtree Road Race is the experience.

GA/KY Game Notes

UGA receives the opening kickoff. Stumble for a one yard gain. Penalty. Punt – a 50 yarder by Ramsey. The defense forces a three and out. Marshall slips but has a nice gain on second down. Lambert hits his lineman in the head with a pass. Tight end drops a pass. Fumble – picked up by Godwin and carried into the end zone (above). UGA lead 7-0 after six minutes.

Kentucky brings the kickoff out of the end zone. As usual, bad decision. Tackle at the ten plus a clipping penalty. First down 18 yard run by freshman Horton. Wildcats then convert on third down. They can’t contain Leonard Floyd, who forces a second punt. Two Lambert incompletions, and Kentucky defenders are strutting. Ramsey punts again, and long-snapper Theus recovers the muff. The strutting stops. Sony Michel up the thrice middle. On fourth and inches Marshall Morgan makes it 10-0 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Another 3 & out for the UGA defense. Another UGA penalty on the punt. Brice Ramsey in at QB. No gain by Marshall. High pass almost caught. Malcomb Mitchell slips but catches the pass for a first down, then Michel’s 11 yard run is called. Back. – but he reels off twelve. Then another first down to midfield. Ramsey a tough overthrow on a screen pass. Another good run by Michel. Godwin runs ten yards – backwards. Ramsey punts 42 yards to the 11 yard line.

Interception! But Sanders drops the ball at the seven, and Kentucky recovers. Will this be the difference in the game? Cats drive. A hold isn’t called, but a facemask is. Punt. Completion. A slow developing run is stuffed. Fumble by McKenzie gives Kentucky the ball on the 20. Dropped pass. Stuffed run. Field goal. 10-3 Dawgs.

Kentucky recovers the pooch kick to the right – but was offsides on the far left. Lambert in at QB. Pressured, he short-hops a pass. Then a 24 yard completion to Mitchell with 20 seconds remaining. Douglass to the 25 with 16 seconds. Lambert scrambles and is tackled with ten seconds left. Morgan’s 38 yard attempt sails left. Should Richt have called list last timeout with ten seconds on the clock and thrown into the end zone? Probably too risky, but in hindsight…  

UNC is pulling away from Duke. Gators trail Vandy at the half.

Second helf: Cats fail to convert on fourth and two. Lambert still the QB. Dawgs drive 50 yards, with Michel carrying the last two. 17-3 Dawgs nine minutes into the half.

Another key penalty on lineman meadows, and Kentucky punts. Good return. Completion to Mitchell, long run Michel and a 12 yard screen to Marshall, who reaches the ball across the pylon to make it 24-3 with 2:33 left in the third.

Sack. Punt. McKenzie runs for ten. Michel has 134 yards rushing in the first three quarters. With success on the ground, the Dawgs work on the pass. Pressured, Lambert throws two straight incompletions. At least he wasn’t sacked. Ramsey punts into the end zone. Towles tosses for 24. Another first down. But Dominique Sanders intercepts a tipped pass. This time he holds onto the ball and returns it to the 38. Michel runs for 25, but Godwin takes too much time in the Wild Dawg formation. Marshall Morgan makes it 27-3 with 8:47 remaining.

Backup QB: same result. Punt. Dawgs run clock. Keith Marshall for twelve. Douglass gets some work. Just when the threaten a personal foul on Theus sets the Dawgs back 15 - allowing them to run more clock. Final score: 27-3.