Today was the 25th time I had finished this Fourth of July race in Fredericksburg, Virginia. From 1980 to 2019, the local Lions Club managed this race. In 2020, the Fredericksburg Fallen Heroes took over the event.
We’ve had lovely weather for our spring races. Today, the temperature was 75 degrees with a 67-degree dew point and sunny skies for the 7:30 am start. We missed out on a couple of great days earlier in the week with temperatures below 70 and dew points in the low 50s.
I wanted to run my age today. That is not spectacular for a 5-mile race. I would need to maintain a 13:24 minute per mile pace. My recent 5km was at 13:09 pace. So, the goal was doable. A secondary goal was under 65 minutes.
On Tuesday night at the FARC track meet, I ran a half-mile without stopping for the first time since going A-Fib in December. That half-mile was at a 9:20 pace. That track meet gave me confidence, even though my heart rate was at 110% of maximum. We still need to figure out my maximum heart rate as I am holding back effort at 110%.
My interval pattern for this race was 135 seconds of running and 3 minutes of walking. I wanted to keep my heart rate under 85% (140).
Since the SPCA 5km, I’ve boosted my daily water consumption to 92 ounces, which has reduced my resting heart rate and bumped my blood pressure up a little. Still, I get lightheaded upon rising multiple times a day. I’m not getting lightheaded while running.
I set my heart rate alarm at 70% (126). I usually reach 126 with 15 seconds remaining in the 135-second run sections.
My alarm went off at 5 am. Between monitoring, taking prescriptions, eating, and other things, it takes me two hours to get out of the house.
My blood pressure was reasonable, 100/68, and high enough to take my Metoprolol without fainting.
I left my house at 6:45 am, walking the mile across the Chatham Bridge to the start line with a few 30-second jogs interspersed to get my body used to running.
I bought a pair of American Flag running shorts around 2001. I’ve only worn them for the July 4th races. Even sitting in a drawer, the waistband elastic degrades. As a precaution, I wore compression shorts underneath. I also wore my white singlet with stars and stripes highlights, a ball cap, sunglasses, and my Saucony Triumph 21 shoes.
I dropped my extra shirt bag under the Arsenal finish line table and headed to the start line. I got there with 15 minutes to spare and walked and ran a little more in the VRE lot. At 7:25 am, I moved to the shade behind the start pack. Shortly after that, the race director made some announcements.
The national anthem ended at 7:30 am (good timing by the organizers), and I moved toward the start line into the sun, going through the right railroad underpass. There were about 300 people in front of me at the start.
I started my Timex Ironman on the gun. Before reaching the start line, I started running my interval timer on my Timex. Finally, crossing the start line, I started my Garmin.
After 2 minutes, I did not hear my watch timer beep, so I started walking. I noticed the walk interval, so I continued walking.
My 135-second run portions went well. I passed many, who, in return, passed me while I walked.
My first mile was 12:19. This year, the city charges $10 per car to park in Old Mill Park for non-residents. As we ran past, no vehicles blocked the course trying to get into the park from the South. Police were holding a long line of cars waiting to enter from the North. After passing the park, the route turns onto the paved Heritage Trail.
There was a water stop just before the 2-mile marker. However, they were out of water. Fortunately, I carried a water bottle and drank some every mile, so I did not need to depend on the race supply. The 2-mile sign was in the wrong location. I clicked my watch near the correct location and recorded a 12:47 time.
During my run segments, I pass many participants who are not catching me while I walk. My third mile was 12:53.
After leaving the Canal Path and turning onto Mary Ball Street, the second water table was near the typical location. They had water. I still had water in my bottle, so I continued without stopping. My fourth mile was 13:17. I felt my running pace stayed consistent, although perhaps my walking pace was slowing.
Feeling good, I decided to run the last half-mile to the finish. If I could do it on Tuesday, I can do it on Thursday.
Hanover Street is one-half mile from the finish. My timer went off before I got there, so I started my finish run early.
Up ahead, a dad encouraged his daughter to run, saying, ” You’re walking faster than you are running.” Passing, I couldn’t help myself and said, “If you’re walking faster, you might as well walk.”
For 43 years, the most brutal hill on the course is within the last 1/3 mile. We made the left turn onto Prince Edward Street up to Charlotte. Before 1998, the route continued for a 1/2 mile loop downtown. Since then, we’ve taken a right on Charlotte Street and can see the finish arch about 200 meters away. Fortunately, the home stretch is downhill to the finish. Heading up the hill, I see Stephen Fisher ahead. I pass him and a few more males on the downhill to the finish to get more Grand Prix points.
My fifth mile is 11:45. Garmin awarded me a new 5km PR.
With my finish time of 63:03, I was 296th overall, 167th male, and 24th of 28 males in the 60—to 69-year-old age group. I was 19 minutes slower than last year.
My average heart rate during the run was 123 bpm (67%), with a maximum of 151 bpm (98%).
My 12:37 pace is an improvement. I can’t wait until my doctor takes me off the 85% of maximum heart rate restriction. Hopefully, he will on July 19.
Looking back at my 25 runs in this race, my fastest time was 33:40 in 1996. That year, I was 60th overall and 57th male. In the 35 to 39-year-old age group, I was 15th. Putting that time into today’s race, I would have been 17th overall. There were 405 finishers in 1996 and 382 today.
I now have a 51-race active finish streak in the Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix. Up next is the Devil’s Den 10 Mile on August 18.
The Fredericksburg Fallen Heroes organization managed this race tremendously, except for a few issues. They covered every intersection with one or more course marshalls. A big thumbs up!
Post-race, I walked home. I didn’t depend on Wawa for hot dogs, and had some of my own in the frig—baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, July 4. yea.