Saturday was the fifth event in the 2024 Atlanta Track Club Grand Prix series: the Decatur DeKalb 4 Miler. This is my second year running this course, and my first year running it at race pace.
- Official time
- 31:20
- Average pace
- 7:50 min/mi
- VDOT
- 41.2 (@ 73°F)
- Splits
- 1mi
- 7:45
- 2mi
- 7:44
- 3mi
- 7:52
- 4mi
- 7:55
- Ranking
-
- Overall
- 209/1,304
- Male
- 171/678
- Age Group (M40–44)
- 22/95
- Event Page
- 2024 Decatur DeKalb 4 Miler
- Strava Activity
- ATC Decatur DeKalb 4 Miler
My original goal was 7:40min/mi pace, based off of my training VDOT of 41.2, but I adjusted that to 7:50min/mi pace based on the temperature effect from Jack Daniel’s VDOT calculator.
I had reasons to reduce my goal pace further: the aggravation of my foot injury and subsequent week off and the incredibly hilly race course, but my 41.2 training VDOT is already down from my last race effort which scored 43.3, so I figured perhaps between the reasons to reduce pace and my higher actual VDOT result targeting a 41.2 VDOT race pace could still work.
My race activity shows 322 ft of elevation gain, but the crux of the race is between two hills in the last half of the race. Knowing that, I tried to maintain pace on the uphills while letting gravity help me to a faster pace on the downhills during the first two miles. At the halfway point I was averaging 7:45min/mi.
The first of the big hills starts around the 2.3 mile mark. I averaged 8:51min/mi up this 0.33mi/4.3% hill, going as slow as 9:29min/mi. Pushing up that hill just prepares you to die on the second hill. On that one I averaged 9:34min/mi for 0.15 miles of 5.9% gradient, dipping as slow as 10:15min/mi.
After going hard to not lose too much time up those hills, I had to really concentrate on pushing the pace on every subsequent downhill. At this point I was slower than my goal pace so needed to make it up in the last 0.75 miles. I didn’t feel like I was able to kick, but my watch says I hit ~6:30min/mi for the last tenth of a mile. Out of the corner of my eye I saw another runner catch up to me, but I didn’t have any more gas to beat him to the line. Turned out it was my friend Andy 😊
I hit my goal of 7:50min/mi pace, but it was hard fought. I’m happy have achieved it, but wish such an effort would have beaten it. My training VDOT will remain at 41.2.
The next Grand Prix event is the Cross Country 5k in October.