State Number 20 - Albany Marathon

State Number 20 – Albany Marathon, Albany, GA

5 March 2016

“Georgia, Georgia, The whole day through, Just an old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind.”  This classic song by “The High Priest of Soul” Ray Charles is considered Georgia’s state song.  His birthplace of Albany served as the venue for the tenth running of this great marathon. 

The journey to Georgia commenced late Wednesday around 2330 hours with an early morning drive to LAX.  The light traffic volumes and free-flow conditions on the San Diego Freeway during those early morning hours was a luxury.  We arrived at our usual section in Lot C around 0300 hours.  We took a short nap in the car until it was time to catch the shuttle bus to Terminal 2.

We departed LAX at 0550 hours PST on a Southwest flight direct to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).  The 3h 45m flight landed on ATL’s Runway 8L. 

Final approach to Runway 8L

Atlanta’s airport is the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger volume and the number of flights and serves as a primary hub for Delta and is considered a focus airport for low-cost carriers such as Southwest, Spirit and Frontier airlines.

The way to the rental car counter involved hitching a ride on ATL’s Plane Train automated people mover.  The Plane Train connects the domestic and international terminals with the ATL’s seven concourses and to ground transportation and baggage claim areas. 

The rental car center is an off-airport facility and customers must board ATL’s second people mover system, the SkyTrain.  The SkyTrain runs between the passenger terminal just outside of baggage claim and the rental car center, with a brief stop at the Georgia International Convention Center. 

We selected a 2016 Chrysler 200 from the inventory of available vehicles parked in the facility’s garage.  It took some time acquainting ourselves to a vehicle equipped with the latest technology and contrivances. 

The vehicle was equipped with smart-key technology allowing us to keep the fob nearby or in our pockets while pushing a button to start the car.  Putting the vehicle into gear required the driver to turn a knob on the console to select the appropriate gear.

It is known that it is human nature to resist change and I am certainly no exception to that rule.  Change is difficult and has been in motion for ages and we will continue to create our own experiences.  It all begins in our minds.  What we perceive as normal or abnormal, conscious or unconscious are subject to the limitations produced by our inherited and socially conditioned rules.  Whether smart technology is a paradigm shift or not, I’m still old-school and prefer to use a shifter lever and an ignition key.  I guess I just have to awaken to technological changes by expanding my conscious awareness.

The minimal rest and lack of sleep during our early morning drive to LAX and the flight itself, called for us to spend Thursday night at the Sleep Inn North in Macon for some much needed rest before traveling to Albany for Friday afternoon’s packet pick-up and expo.

Our arrival in Atlanta was greeted with rain mixed with sleet and wind, basically, an ugly day.  The drive to Macon was a little hectic at first navigating our way out of ATL.  Traffic on I-285, and elsewhere around the metro area, was nearing peak levels, around a Level of Service D.  As we left the rental car facility garage, my wife noticed the hazard lights were flashing and couldn’t find the switch to turn them off.  After a few miles of this annoyance, I noticed the damn switch was right under my nose.  I must have accidentally pushed the button while messing with the radio.  I thought of it as a way of alerting drivers of the manifestation of our presence and the nasty weather and reduced visibilities caused by the rain and vehicle spray.

As we merged onto southbound I-75 toward Macon, the weather gradually improved, but according to 50,000 Watt clear channel WSB 750, rain and thunderstorms were moving south as the evening progressed.  This could mean Macon would receive rain during our stay there.  However, clear skies and warmer temperatures were forecasted for the weekend and beyond.

After a 2.5 hour 85-mile drive down I-75, we arrived in the city of Macon.  Macon lies on the banks of the Ocmulgee River in Bibb County with a population of approximately 150,000 virtually in the geographic center of the state, hence its nickname, “the Heart of Georgia”.  The city has scattered multi-story buildings served by three interstate freeways, I-75 running from the Miami metro area to the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge at the U.S.-Canada border, I-16 running from Macon to Savannah, GA and I-475, given its number convention, is a radial loop bypassing Macon to the west.  Various U.S. and state highways also serve the city, most notably “Highway 41” mentioned in the Allman Brothers’ song, Ramblin’ Man.

Feed your pizza addiction

Rain started to fall as we entered Macon on our way to a pizza meal (what else) at Ingelside Village Pizza.  The restaurant received good reviews for their hand-tossed New York style pizza pies, so we tried it.  Our order consisted of a twelve inch half cheese and half roasted garlic pizza.  My half was the garlic side with my wife choosing the cheese side.  The center of the pizza could have been more substantial and the edges were a bit thick, but tasty.  There was too much cheese, not enough marinara sauce and the whole pizza was a bit on the greasy side than the average pizza parlor.  The pizza was nothing special to write home about, but the garlic provided a good flavor. 

Gloomy day at the Big House

I found the inside of the restaurant to have an interesting atmosphere and very eccentric.  It is not luxurious or fine dining, but the establishment was clean and the service is attentive.  I found a number of the signs posted to the wall amusing such as "Hippies use the back door."

After that wonderful lunch/dinner meal, I made it a point to visit the Allman Brothers Band Museum, also known as the Big House, on Vineville Avenue, not far from Ingelside.

The Big House was home to the Allman Brothers, their families, friends and roadies in the early 1970s.  Their great songs such as Midnight Rider, Ramblin’ Man, Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More, and Leave My Blues at Home were all written in the house.  It’s an interactive museum that houses the world’s largest collection of the band’s memorabilia.  I am a fan of classic and southern rock of the 70s and a tour of this house was fascinating. 

Outside behind the house was a sign that read “Hippies use front door – no exceptions”.  This is contradictory of the sign back at the pizza parlor where hippies were to use the back door. 

Don't think about using the back door

The hippie culture seemed to have integrated into American society in the 60s and 70s.  Since the Allman Brothers were popular during the 70s, hippies may have been welcomed at the Big House and they were allowed to use the front door, where others had to use the back door.  Is this to say that hippies weren’t allowed to use the front door at Ingelside?

We left the museum as the rain became more intense.  The next stop we were interested in seeing was the Hay House and the Cannonball House in the downtown area of Macon.

The Hay House built in the mid-1850s, officially known as the Johnston-Felton-Hay House, on Georgia Avenue was a little tricky to find as it was not well marked.  The Italian Renaissance Revival style house sits atop Coleman Hill and was designated a national historic landmark for its architectural distinctiveness.  It was nearing 1700 hours and the mansions closed up shop at 1630, so any tours will have to wait for another day.  Tours of these mansions were not atop my list of things to do, but at least I could say I’ve been there.

After the Hay House, we walked over to the Cannonball House off Mulberry Street.  This house of Greek Revival architecture was constructed around the same time as the Hay House and was damaged from a cannonball being fired by the Union during the Civil War’s Battle of Dunlap Hill from across the Ocmulgee River.  The cannonball bounced off the sidewalk in front of the house and penetrated one of the columns on the porch and into the house.  The damage can still be seen in the exterior column as well as a large dent in the door. 

The weather at that time was starting to turn ugly and it was time to check-in at the hotel for the night.

Rain, thunder and lightning rattled the hotel complex throughout the night.  The rain was so heavy, the parking lot looked as if it was beginning to flood; however, the drainage inlets in the parking lot seemed to be engineered correctly to accommodate all the run-off without any flooding fears.

Sitting by the dock of the bay

Friday morning welcomed us with cloudy skies, likely from the departing upper level trough of low pressure leaving behind its residual moisture.  The weather forecast was for sunny skies and great running weather for the weekend. 

Before our 2.5-hour drive to Albany, we included a visit to the Otis Redding statue at Gateway Park and the Ocmulgee National Monument, both situated along the Ocmulgee River.

Otis Redding was born and raised northwest of Albany and made the Macon area his home.  He died in a plane crash in December 1967, just three days after recording “The Dock of the Bay”.  The bronze statue at Gateway Park memorializes him as he sat at a dock writing that famous song.

The Ocmulgee Monument is a preserve once home to prehistoric southeast indigenous cultures over the past 17,000 years.  Several ceremonial and burial mounds and defensive trenches were built by the various cultures using highly skilled engineering techniques and soil knowledge, coupled with the organization of many laborers.

The visitor’s center contained a treasure trove of artifacts found in the vicinity.  A Clovis stone arrow head dating back to 11,000 BC caught my eye, an indication of how the Clovis people migrated eastward bringing with them their designs and cultural customs to the area.  The Clovis people were featured in an episode of the History Channel’s, America Unearthed.  I wanted to spend more time reading all the factual information and to browse the artifacts found in the area, but, as I peered out the center’s window, I noticed my wife was on a mission to see the mounds and leave. 

I left the center after hurriedly seeing all the displays and took a quick jog down the pathway, over the pedestrian bridge and up a slight incline to the Earth Lodge.  There, my wife told me that a bird was trapped in the lodge and left it for me to catch and release it.  That got my attention since I have always loved birds. 

As I entered the lodge, the vertical clearance was only about five feet at most, making it difficult for someone with a six-foot stature to walk through the tight corridor to the inner sanctum of the lodge.  I noticed a small, frightened nondescript bird battering against the inside glass panel desperately looking for a way out.   As I caught the little avian creature, I immediately knew it was a flycatcher, but wasn’t quite sure of the specie.  I took note of its colors, size and chirps before releasing the bird so I could later identify the specific specie. 

After setting the bird free back into his habitat along the nearby swampy thickets, I had to find out what kind of flycatcher it was.  I put on my Joe Mannix hat and Googled “birds of Ocmulgee National Monument” and found that the Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) was among three new species recently reported at the park. 

After browsing an ornithology website, I learned that the Alder Flycatcher is nearly identical to the Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) and is difficult to distinguish other than by voice.  This left me in a dilemma.  To solve this, I compared the two voices from the website’s .wav link.   There was no mistake, the Alder Flycatcher resembled the voice I heard.  Also, since the Willow Flycatcher was not on the bird list, the evidence points to an Alder Flycatcher.

Don't drink the tea!

A walk of the property and seeing the various mounds was a fascinating experience for me.  The information signs along the walking trails pointed out that the civil war had negative impacts to the area and that the railroad traversing the monument caused significant damage to the funeral mound.  The railroad still exists and the damage is still obvious.

After our brief stop and tour, it was time for our 2.5-hour drive down I-75 to Albany to pick up our race packets.

The expo was held at the host hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn on Front Street and Oglethorpe Blvd across from the Ray Charles Plaza featuring a life-size bronze sculpture of Ray sitting at his baby grand piano which slowly rotates around the water feature.  His music is piped through stereo speakers surrounding the piano giving visitors the experience of a Ray Charles performance.

Also featured in the plaza is a sitting area shaped like piano keys, musical note shapes and a large G-clef on the ground.  A plaque is displayed in front to the statue that is also written in braille for the blind.  The plaza is a beautiful area with a view of the Flint River in the background and was recently constructed as a controversial waterfront revitalization project.

Ray Charles at this baby grand

Snickers was once again a title sponsor of this year’s marathon.  So, it goes without saying that Mars products would be available at the expo.  We picked up our bibs, event tech shirts and a number of candy bar samples, which was very popular.  Every runner received a regular sized Snickers bar with each bearing a different noun or adjective.  Mine said “Goofball”.  The expo was fairly typical of a marathon with lots of vendors.

After the expo, we checked in to our hotel for the evening at the Red Roof Inn and Suites on Dawson Road.  The exterior of the hotel looked modern, however, the room and lobby area seemed a little dated.  It looked as if only the building’s exterior façade was remodeled.

Dinner time was fast approaching and we were getting hungry.  Subsequent to a visit to Wal-Mart for some snacks and supplies, we found at the Mellow Mushroom off Nottingham Way, just a few blocks from Wal-Mart. 

The establishment is a funky, art-filled chain pizzeria featuring craft beers, calzones, pizzas and other items.  Classic rock band art, album covers and psychedelic art adorned the walls.  I surmise that the establishment’s name and design comes from the founder’s eccentric philosophies.  Maybe from Donovan’s hit song Mellow Yellow?

We didn’t know how the pizza tasted, so we each ordered a pizza slice and a salad.  I seemed to have trouble with the salad bowl as it was “crooked”.  I thought the bowl was sitting on a utensil and I was moving it around trying to right it, but the bowl was shaped in the form of a mushroom.  How fitting. 

I ordered a slice of sausage and jalapeños and my wife ordering a cheese slice.  I thought the pizza was nothing special, but was good.  I’m glad we ordered just a slice though.  The waiter was a friendly chap and was interested in and wished us good luck with our participation in the upcoming marathon.

Civic Center (note elevated structure)

The marathon’s starting point was at the Albany Civic Center off Front Street not far from Ray Charles Plaza.  The civic center was built in the late 1980s to accommodate concerts, sporting events, and entertainment shows.  The first thing I noticed about the complex is that it is built on elevated ground.  It is apparent that the structure was elevated to be above the special flood hazard area of the Flint River.  Upon an examination of the flood insurance rate map panel, my hunch was correct.  The structure has been entirely removed from said hazard area.

It was rather chilly that Saturday morning – probably in the upper 30s.  As we walked from our car to the start, we made a pit stop at the Waffle House and they were kind enough to allow us to use their restroom facilities.  We meandered our way into the civic center parking lot, dropped off our drop bag and waited for the 0700 start with the 3:55 pace group (8:57 per mile pace) led by former Ms. Georgia. 

After a few brief words from the race director and the playing of our National Anthem, the loud sound of a cannon’s boom reverberated through the area signaled to all runners that the race is underway.  I always appreciate races starting on time.

All the runners started out in enthusiastic moods and ready to tackle the challenge at hand.  The route took runners over the Flint River, through the campus of Albany State University, through the ancient sand dunes of Albany and back into the city.

Within the first three miles, two mishaps already occurred.  One runner tripped over some broken pavement and skinned up his knees and another runner wasn’t paying attention and ran into a traffic control barrel channelizer drum.  Both seemed ok, but were in some obvious pain.

The pace group held together through Darton State College (around Marathon Mile 7) where it began to thin out and the jovial and good-humored moods of runners seemed to evaporate.  There seemed to be more heavy breathing than conversations, with the exception of Ms. Georgia.  She was always encouraging, positive and supportive to her group and exuded a sense of “you can do it”.  

At this point, I noticed an Albany police officer on his 4-wheel ATV following alongside me.  I wondered why I was so special to have a police escort.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.  He was monitoring a hand cycle wheel chair athlete.  We seemed to be leap-frogging each other over the rolling terrain.  The police officer must have been keeping an eye on him in case of any troubles he may encounter.

I noticed he must have been a victim of a stroke since he appeared not to have any movement in his right arm.  I was impressed with his ability to crank his chair using only his left arm.  He forged ahead of me at around Marathon Mile 9.

Maintaining the group pace in the proximity of the Doublegate Country Club near Old Dawson Road (Marathon Mile 12) was becoming problematic as my left soleus muscle began to cramp and tighten with every step.  I crossed the half-marathon timing mat in 1:58 (9:00 per mile pace), just a short distance behind the 3:55 pace group.

Just after the aid station around Marathon Mile 14, it was time for me to self-administer two 500 mg capsules of extra strength acetaminophen with caffeine as a way to dull the pain the last twelve miles seems to present.  After consuming a low-GI energy bar, GU pack and some water, I was ready for the remaining miles.

By now, the pace group was out of sight – and out of mind.  The discomfort in my leg was manageable and wasn’t getting any worse, so I decided to take it easy.  I reevaluated my finish time and set a goal to finish in under 4:30.  The course was now in a beautiful shaded section of an established residential district that wound its way over the rolling hills and around Lake Loretta.

Around Marathon Mile 19 I managed to catch up to the man in the hand cycle once again.  The officer on his ATV was also there.  It really looked like he was struggling and I felt bad for him as he had such a difficult time negotiating the only “hill” on the course.  I heard the officer asking him if he needed a little boost, but he said no, the race was going to be his effort only.  What determination.  I was glad someone was looking out for him.  I did not see him again for the remaining miles.  I later found out that he finished just a few minutes behind me.  Way to go!

As I passed through the Hilsman Park area at Marathon Mile 22, I received a text from my wife that she just finished in 3:49 and was once again Boston bound in April 2017.

The last four miles consisted of a run-walk-run method near the area’s hospital campus, by Tift Park (named after Nelson Tift who once operated a ferry that crossed the Flint River) and a long section down Washington Street to Roosevelt Avenue through the old train depot and down the homestretch of the Riverfront Trail to the finish line near the Albany Welcome Center at the foot of the new Broad Avenue Bridge.

In the for-what-it’s-worth department, the Broad Avenue Bridge spanning the Flint River is roughly in the same alignment as Albany’s original first known prefabricated bridge constructed in the 1850s.  The present day Welcome Center occupies the Bridge House, built in the late 1850s, and housed offices for Tift and the bridge toll taker after the bridge was in operation.  Tolls varied on whether crossing by foot, leading livestock or in a wagon.

I finished the marathon in a respectable time of 4:28:56 (10:15 per mile pace), just under my reassessed goal time.  The finish line announcer calls out each runner’s name as they finish, but the announcer seemed to have had a difficult time pronouncing the name of my hometown, however.  He gave up, and only said “California”.  Not a big deal, but it happens more often than not.

Age graded score – 52.07%       Age graded time – 4:03:34

Finished

I felt great after the race, however, my soleus muscle was still sore and tight and hoped the soreness wasn’t going to affect my performance for Sunday’s Chattanooga Marathon.

We refueled ourselves with some food, water and adult beverages at the finish line festival.  After checking the results postings, my wife found out that she won second place in her age division, so we took a tough walk up a steep incline to the awards tent to pick up her award.  It wasn’t a pleasant experience climbing up the slope after 26 miles of running.  The alternative was a long walk we weren’t keen about.

The award was a Snickers backpack and an etched drinking mug.  Of course for me, no such awards in my future; nevertheless, getting the finisher medal is my award.

After a few pictures of Ray Charles Plaza and enjoying the great weather while listening to his music, it was time for us to hit the road for Chattanooga, TN – without a shower or clean clothes since the hotel wouldn’t allow for a late check-out.  However, I washed my face and arms during a brief stop at Taco Bell as we left Albany.

Ready for another marathon!

Overall, the Albany Marathon affords participants the opportunity to compete in an extremely well-run and organized small marathon.  The expo held in one of the ballrooms of the host hotel was rather small and crowded, but was amply staffed with volunteers, local vendors and various sponsors providing samples of their products.  The Snickers bar placed in everyone’s swag bag was a pleasant surprise.  The race tech shirts were chocolate colored with the Snickers logo imprinted on the front.

Parking in the area is super easy, either in the lot surrounding the civic center or on downtown area streets and/or other parking lots.

The cooler weather was, at least for me, pretty much perfect.  The course is mostly flat to gently rolling with only one hill, but wasn’t much.  It is a great course for a BQ as the event organizers and other runners claim.  There were ample aid stations located about every 1.5 miles or so and were stocked with water, Gatorade, oranges, nuts, bananas and energy gels.  The volunteers were enthusiastic and cheerful.

As an engineer, I observe traffic control procedures and layouts during races and I was truly impressed with the Albany police for their hard work keeping runners safe while moving traffic in a safe manner.  Soldiers, cadets and other personnel from Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics Base were scattered along the course and provided awesome support and encouragement.

About fifteen miles of the course are run through residential neighborhoods and it is always great to see neighbors providing their own drink or food stations from their driveways, or just sitting in their lawn chairs all bundled up cheering runners as they pass.

There are some areas where runners run one to two miles without any turns, but the last few miles contain several turns, so it’s best to pick a good line around the tangents.  As runners turn onto Roosevelt Avenue, course volunteers monitor runners as they cross a set of railroad tracks, but to make the crossing safer, the organizers place a green Astroturf carpet over the rails to eliminate any trip hazard.  The last half mile of the course leads runners down a wide sidewalk through the old train depot and down a concrete trail paralleling the Flint River to the finish line. One must be careful rounding the corner out of the depot and onto the concrete trail as this can be a little tricky, especially if other runners are near.

For a well-organized event on a fast course in southern Georgia – this is your race.