Getting Ready for the Peachtree

If you live in the Atlanta area you know all about the Peachtree 10K Road Race, held every year on the 4th of July. It has 55,000 runners and is the largest or second largest 10K race in the world--depends on who's counting. Since moving to Atlanta, I have run in the Peachtree in all but two years--one of those being last year, when I was still too weak to watch the race in person, much less run it. But, I did go over to our friends' house (Jeff and Deb Rupp) to do our traditional post-race celebration of getting in the hot tub, drinking cold beer, eating freshly baked orange rolls, and complaining that they once again picked the worst t-shirt design to win the 2009 contest. Truth be told, I was in no shape to get into the tub, I couldn't drink beer yet, had not yet started back on solid food, and had no shirt of my own to complain about. So, right then and there I declared that I would get healthy enough to join Jeff for the 2010 Peachtree.

I gradually got strong enough to start walking regularly with Terry around our neighborhood, and began to work out in the GSU gym in the fall. I started to run on the indoor track at GSU, which then led to outdoor runs of about 2 miles, 2-3 times a week. In early spring I could actually see myself being ready for the Peachtree--maybe not to run the whole distance, but surely able to finish it with some combination of running and walking (more walking than running).

When I completed my race application on line, I noticed a small box that people could fill out to talk about their motivation to run the 2010 Peachtree. So, I briefly told the story of my cancer and treatments, my pledge to get ready to run this year, and my progress up to that time. To my surprise, about a month ago I got an email from a woman who writes stories for the Peachtree Road Race Magazine, asking if they could publish my story and requested a picture. So, I sent them the "No Prairie Dog" picture from last November, and explained the meaning behind it. (Click on the page image to enlarge it)

I originally thought this was going to appear in the Atlanta Track Club newsletter that would go only to ATC members. As it turns out, it was sent to everyone who is entered to run the race or work as a volunteer--probably about 60,000 people! My first reaction was "Shit, now I really DO have to run the race!" But, the truth is I'm now running 4 miles, 3 times a week, and expect to walk only a very little bit of the 10K course.

In my emails with the magazine reporter, I emphasized that this is not just my story. The full story includes Terry and everyone else who gave me such great support along the way. As the story says, I'm running the Peachtree to show that it is possible to come through adversity, and to sometimes even find a silver lining in it. I'm also running it to again say "Thanks" to all of you who helped me come this far.

So, around 7:30 am on the 4th, send some good vibes as I start on the course. Then, know that around 9:30, I'll be in the Rupp's hot tub, drinking cold beer, eating orange rolls, and proudly holding up (and complaining about) my 2010 Peachtree t-shirt!

Of course, I'll be napping by 10:30.

Have a great July 4th holiday.

Mike