I didn’t want to get out of my car, as the rain was loud on its roof.
The morning forecast included rain until 10 am. The race started at 7:30 am, and I needed to do a warmup before the race.
At 6:59, I started my interval timer for 3-minute repeats, giving me ten 3-minute intervals before the race began. It was starting to get light, and the youth mile races were starting.
I wimped out and stayed in my car for the first 6 minutes. Twenty-four minutes would not have been great. But I finally opened the door and got into the rain. The sound on the roof was worse than the actual rain.
This year was the 31st time I was involved in the Thanksgiving Day Fredericksburg Turkey Trot 5km, which started in 1993 and is operated by the Rappahannock Area YMCA.
I’ve run this race 19 times and timed it 12 years. Running included virtually in 2020. 2005 was the only year I was not involved because of an ex’s wishes. Even bowing to her wishes, she still became an ex.
Last year, I was recovering from COVID. A few weeks later, I went into AFIB and have been slower ever since.
Since I stopped working on this race, I hoped I would not have to get up before sunrise to participate. Working with the city, the race organizers agreed to have a 7:30 am race start. I was up at 5 am, wanting to get parked by 6:30 am.
My warmup went to the canal path, mixing 30-second and 3-minute runs. The rain was not bad, and my overshirt was damp rather than soaked. I got to the back of the first wave with a minute to spare. I removed my overshirt and tied it around my waist.
The race started at 50 degrees with a 37-degree dew point, no wind, and the rain stopped seconds before the gus, which was 2 minutes late. I wore shorts over compression shorts, my blue FARC singlet over a long-sleeved shirt, a ball cap, a neck gaiter, gloves, and my Saucony Triumph 20 shoes. Those shoes are my oldest active pair, and I use them without worrying about getting wet.
The first wave is for runners intending to finish under 35 minutes. I planned to finish in 34 minutes, so I lined up in the back of the wave.
The first wave had about 800 runners. Organizers had a 14-foot-wide start line to thin the field. After the gun, I walked toward the start. I started my watch on the mats when I started running.
People seeded themselves well, and within the first half mile, only a few people were behind me. The area where I was running was not congested.
Before the 1-mile mark, runners from the second wave started, passing me. Starting 5 minutes later than me, they should have been in my wave.
I went through mile 1 in 11:20.
Race organizers placed no parking signs on Sunken Road, giving a wide race path. When we designed this course, we used Monroe Street to cut over to Kenmore Avenue, mainly because it was wide and usually free of parked cars.
Turning off Sunken Road onto Monroe Street, cars were parked on both sides. Water stops on both sides of the road, narrowing the course.
The course turns left onto William Street, heading into town. This road is a nice little section going through part of the business district. My second mile was 11:07. It was a nice, consistent pace, and my heart rate was below 140.
I pushed some on Charles Street, Canal Street, and Fall Hill Avenue. My third mile was 10:41. With less than a half mile to go, my heart rate monitor alert went above 150. I didn’t slow down, nor did I press harder. I wanted to stay under 150.
I turned the corner onto Washinton Avenue and ran to the finish line. My last .10686 miles took 64 seconds, so I’m happy with my 34:12 finish time.
1057th place overall out of 2360 finishers, 620th of 1060 males, and 9th of 29 males 65 to 69.
My mile pace was 11:01. My next race is a half-marathon with hills. I think I can maintain 14 minutes per mile, just over 3 hours. I don’t have to worry about the three-and-a-half-hour time limit,