On our nation's birthday, I had the opportunity to race the Heritage
Festival 5 miler in Fredericksburg, VA, for my 2,500 career race. When I'm
able to reach a milestone such as this, I try to make the race somewhat
special for me. Being told that the course was flat and fast, I was excited
to run, but when the morning temps were in the 80s, I knew that smart pacing
was going to be the key.
As I did a very short warm-up (almost none was needed with this heat), I was
thinking about how much fun I've had with racing. When I was a kid, I used
to enjoy playing any game that was going on, either at the playground, or in
the parks that the local recreation department would put on in the summer
evenings. Whether it was Frisbee tag, dodge ball, a pickup basketball game
or soccer match, I joined in with reckless abandon, and always had a blast.
I always wondered if those days would last forever.
Well with running, they have. I train hard for certain races and to meet
goals that I have set for myself, and push my body and mind to the limits,
but most of the time, I feel like a kid again by just lacing up my shoelaces
and going out for a run. That was the mindset I had for this race, knowing
that the time will not be my best due to the conditions, but I still want to
put in a good effort and have some fun. So off we go at the start, and I
just ran fast yet relaxed, saving something for the later miles, and trying
to not overheat.
Within a mile, the leader is away with a large gap, and the 2nd and 3rd
place runners are together, pacing each other, just about 30 meters ahead of
me. They start to pull ahead even further in the next mile, and I just try
to relax, and thinking back on my pre-race thoughts, try to have a good
decent run, and just play like when I was small boy. I could feel the
pressure of trying to catch the runners ahead just melt away, and felt so
comfortable in the zone I was in. I was enjoying the fitness that I had
worked hard to obtain, and it was like I was on automatic pilot, just
letting my legs carry me along.
We reach the halfway mark, and someone was coming up from behind, but at the
same time, the 3rd place runner was starting to falter. By mile 3, the gap
had narrowed, and I moved into 3rd, but the runner from behind was holding
on, chasing me down. So just like when I was boy having fun playing, I
decided to just run and let the chips fall where they may. My experience
from 2,500 races told me that with this heat, any moves that I would make at
this point could have dangerous consequences near the end, so holding back
and enjoying the moment was the best way to go.
The course was extremely fast and flat (and I found out afterward that Debi
Bernades had designed this course; great job, Debi), and the only
significant hill was just before the 4.75 mile mark. After the climb it was
a 400 meter downhill sprint to the finish, which was a great way to end the
race. Unfortunately for me, the runner trailing me throughout the last
couple of miles made a move at the top of the hill, where he found the gear
that I was hoping to have, and opened up 7 seconds in that last quarter
mile, thereby taking 3rd place, and leaving me in 4th. No regrets on my
part, as I felt strong the whole way, and was told by another runner
afterwards that I had set a Master's course record. I'll take it!
All in all, for a milestone race, I was extremely pleased with my effort, had a great time, and really felt fortunate that after all these years, I still enjoy racing as if it were a new game for me. And as importantly, I recalled some memories of when I was just a kid, playing with no cares in the world, and doing the best that I could. Racing has provided me the fun that as a kid growing up, I wished would never end.