My running has not been going well. I’m doing ten intervals of 1-minute running and 3-minute walking three days per week. I completed 4 miles the other three days, running 3 minutes within each mile. I’ve boosted my daily water consumption to 88 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 am still under doctor’s orders to keep my heart rate under 85% (140). I set my heart rate alarm at 70% (126). I don’t go above 126 on the 1-minute run days. I usually reach 126 with 30 seconds remaining in the 3-minute run sections. My upper body feels more stressed than my legs when running.
Last Saturday, I worked a track meet in the sun for 8 hours. Standing in the sun spiked my heart rate. Under an umbrella, it reduced some. Sitting in the shade brought it back to normal. Still, I didn’t recover until Tuesday.
1986 the Rappahannock Area YMCA started its spring River Run 5km. In 1992, they needed to modify their course to eliminate crossing William Street tice at Sophia Street. They laid out the course beginning on Caroline Street at the Library and finishing behind the Library on Sophia Street. They reused the route for the initial Turkey Trots, starting in 1993. This course was the first one I measured for USATF certification in 1995. Somebody has used this route for the last 33 years.
My first race on this course was the 1992 River Run; today was my 29th finish. In 2022, we made a slight course adjustment, moving the start line to Sophia Street to share the location with the finish line.
The YMCA held the final River Run in 1997, and the Turkey Trot outgrew the course capacity in 2009.
In 2003, the SPCA wanted to hold a fundraiser, so they managed their first 5 km and took advantage of the certified course. The SPCA has been able to use this course, and it is one of the last 5 km races in the city entirely on the public streets. Working with the city and holding the race at 7 am on a Sunday helps the SPCA maintain the permit. Missing 2020 because of COVID, this year was the 21st edition of the Rescue Run.
In 2004, the Fredericksburg Area Running Club added the race to their Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix series, the first time I participated in their event.
My alarm went off at 4:30 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, 118/73, and high enough to take my Metoprolol without fainting.
The weather was for June, with a lovely morning to run. The temperature at the start was 67 degrees, with a 56-degree dew point, partly cloudy skies, and no wind. We’ve been lucky this spring for excellent racing conditions.
I left my house at 6:20 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. My race plan consisted of one minute of running and three minutes of walking.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, my FARC singlet, a ball cap, and my Saucony Triumph 21 shoes.
I joined “Team Cat” again this year. I’m not a dog person and have not had a cat for 28 years, but the t-shirts were cat or dog-specific.
I got to the start line with 15 minutes to spare and threw my bag under the Arsenal Events timing table. I walked a little more and did a few short runs.
Race organizers asked people with dogs and strollers to line up in the back and not run during the event. I lined up in front of all the people with dogs, which was further forward than my anticipated pace.
I started my Timex Ironman on the gun or whatever made the strange noise at the start. Before reaching the start line, I started running my interval timer on my Timex. Finally, crossing the start line, I started my Garmin.
After 50 seconds, the interval alarm went off to start walking. People with dogs started running by. Apparently, rules don’t apply to dog people,
However, it was a SPCA event. As long as I wasn’t bit, tripped, or stepped in something, I was willing to cope with the situation. Unfortunately, within the first quarter mile, one large dog had drug its handler to the ground. My only opportunity in the first mile came from a little one jumping from the grass back onto the road in front of me. I stayed upright.
My one-minute run portions went well, passing many, who, in return, passed me while I walked.
Before I reached the one-mile mark, the leading runners were already returning. My first mile was 13:02.
I gave the returning runners the tangent under the Falmouth Bridge, lengthening my route a little. I stayed to the left of the center line. The returning field was spread enough that only a person running too far would have collided with me.
I hit the right tangent and then the straight line to the left tangent on Riverside Drive. This path took me into lane 1. Except for the one lady who stayed behind me, everybody else ran in lane 16.
I turned left on Welford, expecting to see the water stop. Nothing was there. Next was the left on Hanson and the water table in the middle of the Woodford and Hanson intersection. I needed to avoid a few dogs and took no water.
After turning back onto Caroline, I took the right tangent and went through the 2-mile sign with a 13:25 second mile.
Caroline Street is not a straight road. Once you get past Armaret Street, you see the far right tangent before Ford Street. Sighting a straight line, the shortest route goes first to the left of the center line before hitting that tangent. As usual, all the runners in front of me are to the right of the center line. And, before reaching the right tangent, they all move to the left. I still can’t figure that out. Being old, I run using the straight line and, once past the tangent, target the sign at Herndon.
I continued the interval pattern, and my third mile was 13:40. With only .10686 miles to the finish, I ran that last segment in 60 seconds.
With my finish time of 41:09, I was 231st overall, 115th male, and 15th of 18 males in the 60—to 69-year-old age group. I was 15 minutes slower than last year.
My average heart rate during the run was 117 bpm (64%), with a maximum of 130 bpm (77%). For mile 3 to the finish, my pace was 9:13. Now, I need to build back to that pace for 5km.
My 13:09 was only 37 seconds faster per mile than my Historic Half-marathon run in May. I can’t wait until my doctor takes me off the 85% of maximum heart rate restriction.
Looking back at my 29 runs on this course, my fastest time was 20:28 at the 1995 River Run. That year, I was 69th overall and 65th male. In the 35 to 39-year-old age group, I was 16th. Putting that time into today’s race, I would have been 19th overall.
Another note from that 1995 race: 272 finishers were under 30 minutes, and the remaining 29 were in before 35 minutes. Keep plugging away.
I now have a 50-race active finish streak in the Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix. Up next is the Fallen Heroes 5 Mile on July 4.