What a beautiful day for a race! Yesterday was the Shamrock n' Roll 10K at Atlantic Station. This is right near my house, so I'm used to the roads and a few of the hills involved. I got there a little after 8:00 AM and picked up my number. The chip was attached to my bib, pretty cool! I waited around for a bit and got my Garmin all synched up. It crapped out on me during my 23 miler (the intervals started acting all possessed and crazy), so I wasn't trusting it much. I figured if it didn't work for me during this race, I'd have to give them a call.

Tested it out and it was working! Yay! Crossed the start line and headed through Atlantic Station. It was pretty crowded and didn't really filter out until we crossed 17th and headed down State. Hung a right on 16th and hit Mile 1. There I am in the back, just before Mile 1.

I made a conscious effort to slow down as I started and to begin my intervals as soon as possible without getting in the way of anyone behind me. I think it paid off! The only thing I can't stand is that Garmin is definetely different than the mile markings. The software says that the signal wasn't very strong and based on the map I uploaded, I think that's the case. So I don't think my splits are very accurate. According to Garmin, Mile 1 was 12:40 (I hit the mile 1 marker around .75). Same with Mile 2, which included a pretty big uphill - 13:02. Mile 3 was in a flatter section of the race and I was feeling pretty good. No hip pain, no knee tightness. Split was 12:35. Headed back into Atlantic Station and past the 5K finish for another loop (yes, those other 2 guys lapped me, let's not discuss) -

I was starting to feel like I need a little something, I'd eaten an english muffin and PB that morning, but hadn't eaten dinner the night before because of a big, late lunch. The water stop was at miles 3 & 6, so I just kept on going. Hit Mile 4 - 12:28. Again, not sure about the accuracy of these splits, I think I may need to start hitting my lap button at the marked mile points. Mile 5 included a big hill climb - 13:07. Once I came down that hill I started feeling pretty good knowing that I hadn't pushed too hard and my knee was feeling good. A little tight in the hip, but otherwise, ok. Hit Mile 6 - 12:32 and headed in. According to Garmin, at 6.2 my time was 1:18:46, but who knows if that's right. I headed around the corner to the finish line - which was surprisingly close, so I should have kicked it a bit but I wasn't sure how far I had to go. I did give it a little extra umph though :)

Watch Time at Finish - 1:20:39
Chip Time at Finish - 1:20:54

I'm pretty happy! I know my Peachtree time has been well over 1:20, so I was happy with that. Now I have a PR to beat for the 10K distance! And overall, I'm feeling ready for ING. I'm going to stick with a pace group, and just go out there to finish. That's it. I'm going to enjoy this race!