For the second consecutive year, the weather forecast looked bad for this race. “I’m a lumberjack, and I’m OK; I sleep all night, and I work all day.” Rain was forecast all day. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold rain.
I prepared the day before, expecting to get wet. The start line is less than a half mile from my house. I would usually run to and from the race. To navigate around private property, I would have to travel about a mile, which is a good warm-up distance. With the expected rain, I wimped out and drove to Pratt Park.
To add to my stress, I decided to go to the UVA football game on Saturday night. I stayed until halftime after the home team’s weak first half. I got home around 11 pm, listening to a better second half on the radio.
In 2020, I measured this 10km course on River Road and through Pratt and Brooks Parks. I ran Veterans Day races on this course in 2020 and 2021. As part of the measurement, I certified the 5km location, and in 2023, I ran a 5 km Memorial Day event.
Taking a new drug that interacted with Flecainide, I was not to do any strenuous planned exercise. A 10 km with a walking heart rate isn’t strenuous. I asked for an early start because I expected a 17- to 18-minute-per-mile pace. My goal was to average under 100 bpm, with small spikes on the uphills, and not exceed 120 bpm. My AI inquiry predicted dire consequences if I pushed too hard.
In the days leading to the race, I was the only participant 70 or over. Finishing would put me first in my age group. On Saturday, another oldie registered. Even on my best day, he would finish ahead of me. A second-place finish would be good.
I arrived in the parking lot around 7:20. River Road was closed to traffic at 7:45, so I headed to the start five minutes earlier to start at that time.
Race weather was 65 degrees, with light rain, cloudy skies, and a 63-degree dew point.
I wore shorts over compression shorts, a short-sleeve shirt, a rain hat with visor and back cover, and my older Saucony Triumph 22 shoes. These are the shoes I use to run in the rain, not caring if they get wet. Because I was walking the entire route, I wore an overshirt to avoid getting too cold. I also wore my single-bottle belt to drink every mile.
I classify the course as challenging and strategic. The course starts heading north on River Road for 0.7 miles, which includes a 30-foot drop.
Turning around, the next 1.8 miles match the final 1.8 miles of the race. We hit the one-mile mark before heading back up the hill. My first mile was 16:59. The course continues south on River Road, then turns around before reaching Route 3 and heading up another incline. Turning around, I reached the two-mile mark with a 16:55 split. My heart rate was highest of the day as I headed up the hill after the one-mile mark. I needed to slow down.
After a short distance, we turned onto the Belmont-Ferry Farm trail, heading uphill into the park and crossing the finish line for the first time. The climb into the park is about 60 feet, and the water table is in this section. When I crossed the line, I noticed my time showed exactly a 16-minute head start. My heart rate was 113 bpm. Higher than I wanted. It was an uphill. I had to slow down.
Past the finish line, the path was level, and my third mile was 17:46. The uphill added some time. Around the 5 km mark, I was at 53 minutes. I calculated a 1:48 finish time. Past the 5km mark, the course turns into the woods toward Brooks Park, with some rolling ups and downs. The rain had changed from light to steady. My overshirt was saturated, and my hands grew cold as I pulled up my sleeve to check my heart rate.
The second water table was 3.7 miles in. I topped off my bottle. My next planned walking break is the 30-foot climb on River Road. I passed the four-mile mark with a 17:41 split.
Within a tenth of a mile, a set of switchbacks includes a 90-foot drop. Back on River Road, we were on the repeated segment. I walked slower on the hill than I did on the first lap. My fifth mile was a 17:47.
The 2km is mostly uphill. I checked my watch and slowed my walk. It’s all uphill to the finish. I wonder who created this course? Back on the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail, my sixth mile was 19:01, and my last 0.21 miles were 4:10. There’s a lot of climbing in the final two-tenths.
I finished in 1:50:22, placing 119th overall, 50th among males, and second in the 70 and over age group. I was over 40 minutes slower than last year, which was my last race before starting Flecainide.
My average heart rate was 106 bpm with a maximum of 119 bpm, higher than I wanted, but I’m still alive.
I didn’t finish last, last male, or last in my age group. Another old guy registered late Saturday night and was the only person I was ahead of.
I received a finisher medal, a glass, and a River Rock certificate for finishing second in my age group. Right now, it’s good to be 70 to finish second in my age group, running 11 minutes per km. To remember those days of 4:12 per km in a 10km.