Today was my fifteenth finish of the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I’m one of 82 who has finished all 15 years and am part of the Iron Mile Club.
After two virtual race years, this race returned to an in-person format. People could do a virtual run. However, an in-person finish was required to retain the Iron Mile Club membership.
In 2008, I told the race director I would put this race on my calendar and run it until I couldn’t stand up. I never booked another race to time on the same day, though I have booked races on the same weekend.
I needed to run 16 miles today to prepare for a June marathon. A couple of days ago, I checked the weather to see race time temps in the high 70s. So, I decided I needed to do the extra miles before the race.
I was up at 4 am and checked the weather. The dew point was reasonable at 65 degrees, and green flag conditions were in the forecast. The temperature was 72 degrees, rising to 80 degrees by my projected finish time. There was a slight breeze and overcast skies.
I left my house by 5:30. I drove my superstitious route to the race using the Chatham Bridge, William Street, Cowan Boulevard, and Carl Silver Parkway. I went through the setup of the water stop on Cowan Boulevard for the first time. In previous years, they positioned this aid station before turning onto Cowan.
I arrived at a special parking lot by 5:45 am, about 3/4 miles from the start.
The finish line was near the Virginia Credit Union Stadium for the first time, and all post-race activities were on the field. Organizers set up the VIP room in the stadium’s club lounge. After dropping my bag in the VIP room, I set out on my warm-up extra mileage run.
I ran four 8 minute repeats with a two-minute walk break at the start of each. I got back to my car by 6:30 am, changed into my singlet, applied sunscreen, drank water, and ran back to the VIP room. I had a final stop in the men’s room and drank more water.
I wore shorts over compress shorts, a singlet, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 19 shoes for the race. My last long run in these shoes was March. Since then, the midsoles have broken down a bit, and my pronation has improved. After my warm-up, I decided to stay in these shoes rather than changing to the pair I have used for long training runs.
I walked up to the backloaded start staging area. I picked my way through the crowd, sometimes on the sidewalk, and lined up just in front of the 2-hour pace group sign. I wanted to finish in under 2 hours and 30 minutes. I was far enough behind the start for this estimated finish time.
1st District Congressman Rob Whitman was the honorary starter. I never heard his pistol shot. I did hear the howitzer that went off before his gun. I started my watch on the howitzer and made it across the start line in 47 seconds,
The sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, and the first couple of miles went well in 10:29, 9:46, and 10:31. I planned to walk for 2 minutes at each water stop, and there was one just after mile 2. The 10:29 first mile was really 9:42 as I started my watch on the gun. The first three miles are more down than up.
Heading into town, I try to hit as many tangents as possible. I drank a cup of Gatorade at mile 4. By mile 5, I decided to stick to water as the Gatorade was giving me a few issues.
I passed by the bathrooms only locals know about in Kenmore Park at miles 5.5 and 6.4. I didn’t remember if they opened at 7 am or 8 am. The issue was noticeable but was not slowing me. I got through mile 6 at 1:02:24.
My last best mile was the 8th in 10:12. This section of the course runs through the main downtown streets of William, Princess Anne, and Caroline. I take my walk break at Mile 8.
I continued an even pace to Mile 10. However, I was having issues with the slight uphills. My breathing was heavier than usual, and my push-off was not good. Hospitalization Hill starts at mile 10.3. I took my walking break just past mile 10, intending to run the hill.
For 14 years, I have never walked Hospitalization Hill. Even in my virtual runs, I incorporated the hill. The steepest grade is 12 percent at the bottom of the hill. I started running up and started getting calf cramps.
In year 15, I walked the rest to the top. Even without the cramps, I did not feel strong enough to run to the top. My 11th-mile split was 14:03.
After cresting the hill, the route turns onto Cowan with a water stop past mile 11. I walk for two minutes and then run to the bottom at Smith Creek. At that point, the Cowan Boulevard hill starts.
In my opinion, the Cowan hill is more demanding than Hospitalization. My legs have not recovered, and it’s the last obstacle on the course. For 14 years, I have never walked Cowan Hill. This year I walked.
In years past, the 12-mile mark was on the overpass of I-95 at the top of Cowan Hill. Because of the course change, we still had another 1/3 mile to reach that milestone. My 12th mile was 12:15.
The sun popped out from the clouds and stayed out the rest of the morning. Fortunately, I was almost done.
My time with one mile to go was 2:13, and I struggled in that last mile with the 13th mile in 11:34.
There is a slight downhill after the 13th mile, a right turn, and I can see the finish. The section after the turn is uphill. However, it is so short I didn’t notice. The last .1 miles took 59 seconds.
My finish time was 2:24:10 from the gun. At this time, the organizers have not posted placement information. My chip time was 2:23:26.
Postrace, I head inside the stadium to the beer tent and then the VIP room. I have eight strips of bacon and water.
After changing shirts, I roamed back out to the concourse and chatted with a few friends.
I headed to my car by 10:20 am, and the police were not allowing us to leave. So, I walked back for another beer to fill the time.
For the day, I probably covered 18 miles on foot.
My June marathon has a 6-hour cutoff. Hopefully, I can finish the first half in 2 hours and 30 minutes, giving me 210 minutes to complete the race. I’m not sure I could have done another 13 miles today in that time. It’s going to be an adventure.
As of this posting, it appears that MCM is still posting results. My placements are 1237 of 2874 overall, 806 of 1461 males, and 9 of 47 males 65 to 69. Top 20% in my age group is good. Of course, I’m in the youngest 20% of the age group.
2874 is the fewest number of finishers in the 15 years of the event. It seemed more crowded than in the past. Maybe, I was running at a common pace, or feeling sluggish had a side effect.
As always – love reading your race recap! You are a warrior! Very fun chatting with you at the beer garden. Just wondering – do you think the three miles you did before the race put you over the edge on Hospitalization Hill/ Cowan?
Extra three miles may have contributed to my slow down.