I got back from Charlottesville at 5:20 pm in time to change clothes and start my warmup for my expected 6:15 pm Downtown Mile heat. When I left my door at 5:40 pm, it was 69 degrees with light rain and a 68-degree dew point. I checked the weather radar, and the rain would stop within 15 minutes.
My day started at 4:45 am with stops in Richmond and Charlottesville. More on that later.
My warmup plan was repeats of 2-minute walks and 6-minute runs from my house across the Chatham Bridge to the start line just after 6 pm. By running across the Chatham Bridge, I didn’t have to find a place to park.
Crossing the bridge, I passed a few women whose heat was scheduled to start at 6 pm. I wondered if I had misremembered my time schedule or something else was up.
The Downtown Mile in July 1994 was the first race managed by the Fredericksburg Area Running Club. The original director was Chris Campbell. For the first two years, the evening race started on Pitt Street and ran the entire length of Sophia Street to the City Dock.
The race has been held 29 times in person from 1994 to 2023, with a virtual race in 2020. It has been held as a Saturday evening race in July or May and a few times as a Sunday morning race. From 2010 to 2012, the race was called the Wild Mile, held in Celebrate Virginia South around Halloween.
Over the years, FARC, the Kiwanis, and the Mental Health Association managed the race. Since 2013, it has been an evening race in July on the current George and Hanover Streets course.
In 2019, FARC postponed the race to September due to extreme heat and an 82-degree dew point. Race directors liked the cooler night and decided to schedule the race in September permanently.
Coming up George Street at 6 pm, the roadway was empty. I found out that the race organizers postponed the start time by 30 minutes. Being out of town, I missed the heavy rain and winds around 2 pm. I, too, missed the emails advising of the delayed start.
So, I hung around chatting until 6:25 pm, when I ran another 19-minute warmup.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, my new-logo red FARC singlet, and my Saucony Triumph 20 shoes.
My goal was to break 8 minutes, trying to run even quarter-mile splits. Chuck Love helped the race organizers by placing cones at each quarter split.
As with 2022, they combined all males older than 14 into one heat. I lined up in the middle. I started well when the gun went off, avoiding the slippery crosswalk paint.
I went through the first quarter mile in 1:59. It was strange that Ted Poulos was not far ahead of me, and I was ahead of Bruce Berg. I didn’t want to pull Bruce along, so I let him pass and tried to have him pull me.
Bruce and the other three runners in the male 65 to 69 age group were still close at the turnaround. I may have let up a little too much in the second quarter, going up to Sunken Well with a split of 2:15. I didn’t look at my watch. With those near me, I assumed I was on a good pace.
The third quarter returns down to the old Mill Race and back up Federal Hill. Bruce is still within striking distance. My third quarter is 2:05. Still heading uphill; I know I only have to run hard for another 2 minutes.
After turning onto the home stretch, I’m gaining ground and running hard. I see the display clock about 100 meters out and am already at 8 minutes. It was difficult with the uneven pavement crossing George Street, which slowed me some. I pushed to the end with a 1:55 final quarter mile.
My finish time was 8:17, 6 seconds faster than 2022 and the same as 2021. This finish was my 20th Downtown Mile. I was 101st overall, 71st male, and the tenth of twelve in the 60- to 69-year-old age group.
I ran a 16-minute cooldown, hung out for the awards ceremony, and walked home. It was a long day that started at 4:45 am.
Earlier this summer, my oldest daughter Sandra asked me to join her team at the Speak Up 5km in Richmond.
The Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation hosts the run. Early in 2014, Cameron, a high school student, was struggling with self-destructive issues and was helped with the assistance of mental health professionals. She wanted to bring awareness to teen mental health and developed a race in her subdivision to be held in the fall of 2014. While running a half-marathon in the spring of 2014, she passed away at the finish line from an undetected heart issue. The foundation was formed, and this year was the tenth running.
The event is an untimed fun run in Byrd Park with about 3,000 participants. I prepared for the event as if I were running a race. With people around me, I assumed I would run faster than a typical day.
I left my house by 6:30 am and arrived at the parking lot at 7:45 am. I roamed over to the finish line to find a team gathering point.
The weather was 77 degrees, with sunny skies and a 70-degree dew point. I started my 32-minute warmup of four repeats of 2-minute walks and 6-minute runs at 8:05 am. I needed to get to the finish line for an 8:45 am team photo.
My warmup allowed me to take advantage of porta pots in Byrd Park to avoid those near the race venue. I wore shorts over compression shorts, a singlet, and my older Saucony Triumph 20 shoes. Back at the car, I had time to change into a singlet and drink water.
I met up with my team, my daughter’s family, and her friend at 8:45 am for a photo and headed to the start area. They had pace signs on the road. Most of the participants were behind the walker sign. Even though I wanted to run at a 10-minute pace, I went in front of the 9-minute per-mile sign. There were about 100 people in front of me and 2900 behind me.
At 9 am, they rolled a scissor lift to the middle of the start line, sang the national anthem, and Cameron’s mother gave a lovely speech ending with the word “GO.” The field started. They hadn’t moved the lift from the center of the start line, which blocked 50% of the roadway. Good for me; that would spread the field out even more.
I went out easy and tapered. They did not have any mile markers. They had a silly string zone, a bubble zone, and a quote alley.
The roads through Byrd Park were rough. I last ran in the park in 1998 and don’t remember the road camber and uneven surface. The quote alley was around mile 2.5. Once through, the course was on a crushed stone path that made eight switchbacks. At the end of the gravel path, a grass funnel led to the finish. I ran 30:31. I used my watch time as there were no display clocks on the finish.
I got a drink of water and my finisher award hat and headed backward on the course. I hooked up with my youngest grandson and ran with him for about a half mile to the finish.
I headed backward on the course. I hooked up with my oldest grandson and walked with him for about a half mile to the finish. Just before the finish, his father caught up with us.
Lastly, I headed backward on the course. I hooked up with Sandra at the 2-mile mark and walked with her through Quote Alley.
I ran to my car and exited the parking lot by 10:30 am. My next stop was Charlottesville and the UVA-JMU football game.
Even with a stop for food at Zion’s Crossroad, I thought I could get parked and into the stadium by the 12:09 kickoff.
I reached JPJ by 11:50. These lots are where I normally park. However, I usually get there 2 hours before kickoff. At 11:50, there are many cars looking for spots without luck. Around 12:05, I headed to the pay garage and found a place. I still had my running shorts on and had to change into street clothes.
I checked the weather and rain was expected at 8 pm. So, I left my raincoat in the car. I left the garage at 12:15, before kickoff.
I walked the mile to the stadium and headed to my seat with 5 minutes left in the first quarter. I wanted to buy a bottle of water. However, the concession lines were 30 minutes long. So, I sat in the sun and hoped for the best.
The game had its ups and downs. A breeze and cloud cover cooled the stands. I needed to be back in Fredericksburg by 5:30 pm. So, I determined I would need to leave the stadium by 3 pm. I swear I’m not from California, arriving late and leaving early.
At about 2:50, I felt a few light raindrops. I don’t like walking the aisle during game action. A punt to UVA at 2:52 did not prompt a TV time-out. After a UVA three and out, I folded my seat cushion as they lined up to punt. After the UVA punt at 2:55, I saw the EPSN dude come on the field, and I hit the stairs. When I got to the top, the PA announcer warned of the impending severe weather, and the game was in delay.
They only missed the forecast by 5 hours, and I got soaked on the way to my car with large rivers of water in the streets. Leaving the city, the roads to the northeast of Charlottesville were dry. It must have been scattered thunderstorms.
During this time, I didn’t know what was happening in Fredericksburg. I assumed there may have been some rain. During the drive, there were dry spots and light rain. Back home at 5:20 pm, I was ready to run again.
With the warmups, races, and cooldowns, I covered 16 miles. Today was my long run for the week. My recovery is going well.