Today was the third year for this 3-mile race held at the Rouse Center in Stafford, Virginia. I completed this race for the third consecutive year, three weeks after a marathon and one week after the Blue Gray 1/2 Marathon.
From 2017 to 2019, the Rouse Center hosted this race as a 5km using the same roads as the Stafford Christmas Parade. In those years, I timed the race with Race Timing Unlimited.
By 2020, Arsenal Events took over race management, and Mine Road construction was completed. Arsenal wanted to avoid the big uphill of Embrey Mill Road used by the Halloween Race. They asked me to measure a 5km course that stayed on Mine Road.
After measuring, a 5 km course would block either the entrance to the Rouse Center or cross Austin Ridge Rd. Neither option was acceptable to the Stafford Sheriff’s Department. So, we reduced the race distance to 3 miles.
The Frosty 3 Mile was added to the Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix this year. The Grand Prix is a year-long series, managed by the Fredericksburg Area Running Club, of 12 races in and around the city. The series brings out the region’s faster racers.
With the quality of the field, I knew I would not finish in the top three of my age group and set a goal of finishing in under 27 minutes. The last 5km I ran in early November was 27:36, so the goal looked achievable.
The course is a simple out-and-back on Mine Road, 1.5 miles out and 1.5 miles back. There is a kid’s mile race before the 3 Mile race. So, their turnaround point is 1/2 mile from the start. With the 1-mile turnaround marked, taking 1/2 mile splits is possible.
The morning forecast was temperatures in the low forties, cloudy, and tailwinds under five mph for the last 1.5 miles.
With a race start time of 9:30 am, I started my warmup at 8:44. I ran on the bike path that paralleled the racecourse doing four repeats of 2-minute walks and 6-minute runs. I ran 2.5 miles and experienced the winds of the day. Heading out for the warmup, there were a few sprinkles of rain left over from a passing front.
By 9:20 am, the actual weather was 40 degrees with a 31-degree dew point, cloudy skies, and three mph winds from the north. I decided to wear shorts over compression shorts, a singlet over a long-sleeved shirt, a neck gaiter, gloves, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 19 shoes. As I headed to the start line, a few snowflakes were falling.
I shuffled through the start corral to a point where most of the people in front of me did not appear to be roadblocks. I did not want to go out fast, and I didn’t want to weave through slower bodies either.
Kristen of Arsenal fired the starter’s pistol, and we’re off going uphill. I’m running at a restrained relaxed pace. After 200 meters, the course heads downhill. The first 1/2 mile is a 4:23.
Shortly after that, there is another up and then a down. My second 1/2 mile is a 4:35, a good first mile, I’m not feeling any strain, and I’m on my goal pace.
The third 1/2 mile flattens out a bit, and I could see the turnaround from 400 meters out. The front runners are coming back at us, and Natalie Daniels is in the lead by a couple of feet. I did the segment in 4:33 and felt good going through halfway in 13:32.
My fourth 1/2 mile went by in 4:36. I needed to push on to reach my goal. The course is rolling hills with more ups than downs on the way back.
Into the fifth 1/2 mile, I rode in the slipstream of a couple of teenagers for a while, then pushed. There is another downhill, and I ran 4:22 for this 1/2 mile. At 2.5 miles, my time was 22:31. I needed a 4:29.
In the last 1/2 mile, the first 600 meters are uphill. Toward the top, I see Kirsten Talken-Spaulding ahead of me. In the past couple of races, she’s been running around my same pace.
Cresting the hill, the finish is 200 downhill meters ahead. The display clock was just below 26 minutes. I ran as hard as possible. As I passed Kirsten, she gave me an “oh my,” and I said, “I’m trying to break 27 minutes.” The final 1/2 mile was a 4:09.
I crossed the finish line at 26:40 for 87th overall, 55th male, and sixth of twelve in the 60 to 69 age group.
As a Grand Prix race, there were 160 more finishers than in 2021.
I ran a 16 minutes cooldown. Then, I hung around for the awards ceremony and a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut.
This race was the third in the 2022 Stafford Race series. After finishing all three, we received a series medal and a knit hat. As an added surprise, my combined time in the series races placed me as the third male. I received a Dick’s Sporting Goods Certificate. All the fast runners must have stayed at home.
With one more race this year, I still need to watch those extra calories. We’ll see how next week goes.