From 2009 to 2019, the Fredericksburg Area Running Club hosted a spring 15km in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia. J Brian’s Tap Room sponsored the race with the finish line in front of their restaurant.
With COVID and other issues, the 2020 race never happened.
Four weeks before the Marine Corps Historic Half, a 15 km or 10-mile race fits into most training programs. With that in mind, Heppe Chiropractic resurrected the race using the same course, with a modified start and finish to use the new Riverfront Park. Sometime between 2020 and today, there was a change in ownership at J Brian’s.
In the past, I had five finishes in this race, the last in 2014. I measured the guts of the current course in 2015. That year, the Heritage Trail was completed. Last fall, I measured the new start and finish location, altering the first and last 3/4 miles.
The course is fair, starting and finishing at the same elevation. Compared to alternatives, this course is flat with a few ups and downs.
I put out the mile markers and water stop supplies in the past. Getting older, I need to get younger people involved with club and race operations. If they don’t do it the same as I did, let it go and enjoy the event. This race was the race manager’s first. She contacted me early last week about how to place mile markers. I recommended going out before race day, finding the points, and making marks to see on race morning.
Before the race, I memorized the mile locations from the certification map with identifiable landmarks.
My plan for the race was a 15 to 20-minute warmup from my house, go out at a 9:15 pace, walk for 30 seconds at each water station, and try to keep my pace under 9:20 per mile.
My FitBit readiness score was 92, meaning I was well-rested for the upcoming effort.
With a 7 am start time, I headed out my door at 6:35 for the one-and-a-half mile warmup run to the start. I did two repeats of 2-minute walks and 8-minute runs, though the second run was only 3 minutes.
After getting to the start, I put my bag under the Arsenal timing table and told Lynne (with Arsenal) Millholland, “When you pack up, if my bag is still under the table, I’m still on the course.”
I didn’t see any information about the location of the water stops. So, I asked the RD. There are one every two miles. Even though the course comes back at convenient points, they had four physical stations rather than two.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, a singlet over a long-sleeved shirt, a ball cap, a neck gaiter, gloves, and my Saucony Triumph 20 shoes. Weather conditions at the start were 48 degrees with a 48-degree dew point, partly cloudy skies, and no wind. By my finish time, the temperature should be about 55 degrees. This wimp was probably overdressed.
They had 155 registered runners with about 133 starters.
The gun goes off, and we’re running west on Sophia Street. I’m running relaxed and easy. Some of the road has been repaved, but some rough surfaces remain. By the Library, there is a gap in front of me and a group coming from behind. Some in the group passed me; I didn’t want to run harder.
As we passed the first-mile marker, I noticed it was short of my landmark. I went through in 8:51. I needed to slow down some.
A quarter mile later, the route turns on the Heritage Trail past Old Mill Park. The first section is rolling ups and downs, with one long uphill under the Falmouth Bridge. We continued along the river and came upon the 2 Mile Marker and a water station. The landmark is 3 feet from a telephone pole across from 436 Riverside Dr. The mile marker is nowhere near a pole, and I can’t read the house numbers across the street. My second-mile split was 8:38. This time is too fast and unsustainable.
I took a cup and walked for 30 seconds at the water stop.
The bridges on the Heritage Trail were wet. Somehow, I was getting suction from my shoes and did not slip. When I saw the 3-mile marker, it was past my landmark, and my third-mile split was 10:42. I know I slowed down but not that much.
From there to the finish, I clicked my watch where the mile markers stood. I looked at my watch, except the split times did not make sense. So, I ran as I felt and could figure it out later. Most of the remaining mile markers were reasonably close to the landmarks.
I continued with my walking pattern of 30 seconds at the water stops past miles 4, 6, and 8. Past mile 8, we turned right on Sylvania, then left on Littlepage. Littlepage is a long 2% uphill grind. This was the up I did not expect. The large group that had passed me in the first mile was coming back to me. I passed about ten runners in the last couple of miles.
After cresting the slope, we turned left on Charlotte for a downhill into the Kenmore Canal valley, only to have to go back up to cross Prince Edward Street. I run this section of Charlotte five days a week, so the up was familiar.
Once across Prince Edward, I stayed on the right side of Charlotte, and the runners in front of me moved to the left side. The last quarter mile is all downhill—many thanks to the Fredericksburg Police staffing the road crossings in this section.
Being on the right on Charlotte, I hit the tangent on the right turn on Sophia to the finish. Those on the left had to go a little further.
My finish time was 1:26:48, which is a 9:19 pace. I guess not having a watch didn’t hurt me.
I placed 63rd overall, 40th male, and 5th in the Male 60 to 69-year-old age group.
Post-race, I did a walking cooldown and headed to the post-race awards at Water’s Edge Brewery. There I received my finisher’s award glass. They were providing a free beer. However, my blood thinner medicine prohibits alcohol.
At the awards ceremony, I received the first of a three-part medal for completing my third 2023 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Race. Then, I walked the 1.5 miles home.
The course was well-marked, and all road crossings were staffed. The people at the water stops were friendly. The water stop on Sunken Road was near Heppe’s house. The neighborhood kids were handing out the drinks there. Grand Prix races always have the most competitive fields of area races.
Downtown races on Sunday mornings are on roads open to traffic. Though the organizers tried to reroute cars off the streets, I had to avoid some moving vehicles when running tangents. Foot traffic on the Heritage Trail is light on Sundays until later.
After lunch, I was concerned that my map may be inaccurate. So, I reviewed my spreadsheet and headed out on my bike to look at their marks. Good thing the race was at 7 am, as riding on the path was slow when reviewing the marks.
Most of the mile marks were close to where they were supposed to be. I found their paint for Mile 2. It was at the exact correct location. However, the sign they erected was not on their mark. I could easily read 436 on the house across the street from their painted dash.
I massaged my times and distances and determined the following mile split paces: 9:09, 9:13, 9:42, 9:19, 9:30, 9:15, 9:35, 9:20, 9:17, and 7:57. The last split was the final three-tenths of a mile and except for a sharp up, all downhill.
Knowing where I took walking breaks, I feel terrific about the sustained pace.
I have a marathon scheduled in 3 weeks. I planned to do a 20-mile run next Saturday. I may cut that back to 11. The 20 miles may do more harm than good. Today, my heart rate maxed out at 180 bpm, and I was above 85% capacity for 23 of my 86 minutes, about 13 of those minutes were in the first miles, and the rest were after mile 8.
My Grand Prix finish streak is now at 37 races. By 2028, it will be in triple digits, and in 2035 I’ll catch Nancy Cooper’s record. On-on.