I have a new 1 mile PR!
The Hogpen Hill Climb is the only road race where I can run a 5:14 first mile and a 10:07 9th mile, and still call it a great day!
That’s because the Hogpen elevation graph looks like this:
And my heart rate graph ended up looking like this:
And the faces I made during the race looked like this:
But I wouldn’t keep coming back to run Hogpen year after year if it wasn’t a great race, run by great people, and full of great athletes.
Heavy rain, thunder, tornado warnings and a downed tree threatened the race this year, but the amazing race directors were not deterred. After a short delay to clean up the tree (it was a HUGE tree and definitely beyond my hurdling capabilities), the race was off!
My buddy George Darden was racing Hogpen for the first time this year and my 5:14 first mile was just an attempt to keep my fleet-footed friend in sight! Eventually I settled into a more manageable pace and chatted a bit with Sean the “Run Bum,” though I was a little glad he pulled away before the road turned skyward and I really started huffing and puffing.
Once on the “hill” I was completely focused on getting the most out of every footfall and keeping my thoughts positive. Despite being wet and cold and mostly alone, it really wasn’t too hard to stay happy. The road up Hogpen is gorgeous and winding, with lots of pullouts where spectators in cars were stopped to cheer. I appreciated the cheers from Matthew, Elle, Tanya, Mark, the Atlanta Tri Club crew, aid station volunteers and everyone else SO much!
Miles 8 and 9 are completely uphill at a 12-14% grade. My goal this year was to run mile nine in less than 10 minutes. I missed it by seven seconds, but that just gives me another reason to come back next year!
I made it to the top about a minute faster than last year, first female, and 4th overall! George won the whole thing, which means it was a Dynamo Masters Swimmers/Coach Matthew Rose Athlete sweep! Go Green!
As usual, we had a pretty big Dynamo crew at the top. Lots of course PRs and some good mental training and team bonding to kick of 2014! Thanks Hogpen, I’m sure we’ll be back again next year!
Some of this year’s Dynamo Crew: Elle, Tanya, Maria, Erin, Chris, Stacy, Ron, George, Me, Thomas, Linda
Scotty with his new Great Dane puppy, Murphy!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Congrats! This is a brutal and beautiful climb. I’ve done it on the bike and often think I’d be faster if I were running
Awesome job, HC!!!