I’m two years removed from my last good 5km race. With my new drug regimen, I ran better than I had envisioned,
On this course in March, I was using the same drugs except for the timing of my beta blocker, That day, I ran 36:59, primarily impacted by Flecainide reducing oxygen to my legs. Perhaps the combination of Flecainide and a beta blocker was the issue.
In 2023, my finish time was 27:04, with a chip time of 26:56. I finished 68th overall, 49th among males, and 8th in the 60-69-year-old male category.
The FredNats Salute to Veterans 5km finishes inside their stadium and is the tenth race in the 2025 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix.
My drug cocktail is providing consistent results. With eye surgery in the next couple of months, I don’t want to change anything until those surgeries are complete.
My goals for the day were to run until my legs tired, rest by walking, then run again. In March, my legs began to tire before the first mile. I’d be happy with any finish time,
During training, my heart rate never exceeded 140 beats per minute, likely due to the effects of Flecainide.
I attended the UVA-Wake Forest football game last night and arrived home around 12:30 am. The race started at 10 am, which helped me get 6 hours of sleep.
I left my house at 8:45 am and arrived at the stadium around 8:55 am. I looked at the in-stadium course setup, which was excellent.
I took part in the 9:20 am club group picture and then completed a 20-minute warm-up, arriving back at the start with 10 minutes to spare.
A consistent pattern in the 2025 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix races was a forecast for rain, followed by the rain stopping before the race start. With an early morning rain, the forecast called for 58 degrees, a 44-degree dew point, and a slight wind with cloudy skies. I wore shorts over compression shorts, my white FARC singlet, a ball cap, gloves, and my Saucony Triumph 23 shoes. I tied an overshirt around my waist to be prepared for the worst.
About 3 minutes before the gun, I mixed into the crowd well toward the back.
The race director fired the starter’s pistol on time, and we were off. It took 21 seconds to reach the start line. After the initial downhill, we turned uphill onto Carl Silver Parkway. I felt well, better than I expected.
After turning onto Gordon Shelton Boulevard, we headed downhill, and the pack started to thin.
I completed the first mile in 10:32. My legs felt good, not great. I maintained a pace to the bottom of the hill at the turnaround.
Reaching the slave museum memorial garden, we turned around and headed uphill. I walked uphill until it flattened. On the uphill, Ralph Arquiette, with his two replacement hips, passed me. I gained ground on the flat until the course headed up again, then I walked. The second mile is in the middle of this second hill, which I covered in 12:09.
The final mile starts flat or down until a sharp up after rounding the traffic circle, which I walked. After reaching the top, I could see Ralph about 100 meters ahead of me. I knew the remainder of the course was either down or flat.
I was able to push downhill on the road behind the stadium. We went through the external access gate onto the field by the left foul pole. Mile 3 was right after the entrance, and my time was 10:11. Looking ahead, Ralph had 100 feet on me. I opened my stride and pushed as hard as I could. Rounding home plate, there were a couple of roadblocks ahead of me, which I navigated with an “On your right.” I caught and passed Ralph about 30 feet from the finish. His target helped me run faster than I thought I could. My last tenth of a mile was 45 seconds, and my Garmin reported a 6:03-minute-per-mile speed.
My finish time was 33:38, and my chip time was 33:16. I finished 172nd overall (the same place as in 2024), 110th among males, and 18th out of 27 in the 60-69-year-old male category.
I was happy with my result and strong finish. My heart rate maxed at 154 in the final stretch and averaged 132 bpm. My Garmin distance was 3.16 miles, and I achieved a 1km and 5km Garmin PR. My Garmin PRs are post-procedure.
After finishing, I took a little cool-down and hung out at the awards ceremony.
This race marked my tenth finish in the 2025 Coldwell Banker Elite Grand Prix, and my current finish streak stands at 68 races.