Still a bit speechless at this one to be honest. I mean, the goal was to break the magic 10 miles in 60 minutes for the first time in my life. I ended up knocking 2 minutes 20 seconds of my best time, and felt absolutely fantastic in doing so.

The race took place in Richmond, VA. I set the alarm for 3:30am and was on the road by 4:00am – plenty of time to find a parking spot, pick up my race packet and prepare myself in time for the 7:30am start. I probably could have slept in another 30 minutes, but didn’t want to take any chances. The drive was fairly uneventful — not much traffic on the road and plenty of good tunes to keep me company. Anyway, I arrived, as planned, in plenty of time and was able to enjoy an easy 3 mile warm up with strides, butt kicks and skipping to get the blood flowing.

I planned to go out at 6:00/mile pace for the first six miles and if everything felt good, pick up the pace in the last four miles to record a sub-60 minute finish. The race started promptly at 7:30am and within seconds I found myself in about 10th or 11th place. Amazing speed! I settled in to what seemed like goal pace, but had to back off quickly when the young guy by my side said he was shooting for a 55:00 finish. Oops. Maybe a bit quick? My next thought was that I’d end up in no-man’s land — unable to close on the speed demons ahead and too fast for the runners behind. Thankfully, not long after the thought, a pack of 8 or 9 runners closed in on me and it turned out to be a very efficient group.

Mile 1 was a 5:54, slightly ahead of the goal, but way too early to be concerned. The pace was comfortable and the pack still together. Mile 2 came in at 5:56. The pack had moved around a little, but not a single word had been spoken. Quite eery really, with everyone glancing around eyeing up their competition. Very cool.
The pace quickened in the next couple of miles — 5:50 and 5:47. I’d happily taken my turn at the front of the pack and couldn’t help but push things along a little. I also sensed a few of the group were starting to struggle, but didn’t look back to check. Eyes ahead, 100% focus. I don’t remember much about mile 5 to be honest, but do remember crossing the timing mat at the halfway mark — 29:10. I think the 29:10 scared me a little. Just 3 months ago this would have been within a few seconds of my 5 mile PR.

I think the pack was down to 5 or 6 for the next mile. We slowed a little to a 5:48, but I remember thinking “Come on Steve, you can do this.” We were also closing on one of the early front runners who still looked smooth, but was fading fast. I decided to push the pace, try to catch the guy and then start surging for home. Mile 7 *felt* a lot faster, but my Garmin split shows a 5:47, so not sure what happened there.

Fatigue started to settle in during mile 8. I had to use every trick in the book to get my legs moving and keep the momentum going, so on reflection the 5:48 is a good one. Really pleased with myself for digging deep at this stage of the race, when the easy option would have been to back off and coast home.

With two miles to go, I knew, barring a disaster, the sub-60:00 was in the bag and decided to through caution to the wind and put the hammer down. I didn’t check the Garmin at the time (actually, I hardly looked at it during the whole race), but am stoked at the 5:38 split for the 9th mile — the fastest of the whole race.

The final mile was tough. I knew the final quarter mile was a *downhill* to the finish line, but no-one mentioned the cruel uphill to reach the downhill. I felt my cadence slow quite dramatically, but still managed to pull away from the other 3 members of the pack (one of whom was a very strong female runner who ended up winning the women’s race). Eventually, the short, steep climb leveled off and it was time to get the legs back for the final half mile. I rounded the final corner, caught site of the finish line in the distance and kicked it in as quickly as possible, crossing the line a few seconds after 58 minutes for an amazing 58:02.

Kevin (from KaleRunning.com) was there to great me and congratulate me on the finish. We chatted briefly before I headed back to the car to cool down, change clothes and get in line for the free massage. Nice!

I ended up winning my age group, and picked up a rather cool pewter “Jefferson Cup” and a pair of Adidas Supernova Glides for my troubles.

First class event. Perfect weather. Unbelievable finish time.

Surely my amazing streak must end soon, but I’m ever-hopeful I can keep it going another month at least. The marathon PR is there for the taking and I’m desperate to get it at the Marine Corps Marathon in 4 weeks time. Stay tuned for the outcome….

Thanks as always for the support, good wishes and congratulations.

1st 5 miles — 10th position 29:10
2nd 5 miles — 8th position 28:51

Quick post to record details of yesterday’s tremendous 10 Miler in Suffolk, VA — the 2009 Race for Literacy. If you didn’t venture out to Suffolk for this great race, I would definitely recommend adding it to your calendar for next year.

As for my race, going into it I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d only logged two “long” runs of 10 and 14 miles and knew endurance would be a factor. I was also unsure of a goal pace to shoot for, but kept a challenging 6:30 per mile in the back of my mind just in case things went well.

I arrived fairly early, registered and headed out for an easy three mile warm up with Fergie (who incidentally is in fine form at the moment and keeps getting better with every race). We ran the first mile or so of the course, chatting away before realizing we’d covered over 1.6 miles and needed to turn back. The pace felt brisk, brisker than I would have liked, but not uncomfortable. Turns out we’d logged a couple of just over 7 minute miles without thinking about it.

Back at the car I stretched, changed into my race gear and waited for Ally to return from her extended four mile warm up. I also had time to watch the end of the Kids Mile and chat to a few friends as we waited for the off.

The first mile felt good as I concentrated on my form and tried to get into a rhythm. Fergie looked comfortable leading the field as I settled in to about 5th place behind a couple of guys and eventual female winner Kelly Taylor. The first mile split was a little quick (6:15) but I wasn’t worried at this stage in the game — plenty of time to slow things down. Mile two headed out to the TCC and by this time I’d caught the leaders and was in my own little zone. 6:08 was probably much too quick this early in the race, but it felt good and I just went with it. Great to see Ally and DailyMiler John A as I headed back to the three mile mark.

The next two or three miles are a bit of a blur. I remember wishing it was a shorter race — an 8k would have been nice — but I dug deep and tried to enjoy the tremendous neighborhoods we ran through and slight breeze off the James River. I think at this point Joel (wearing the William and Mary singlet) was leading with Kelly Taylor and myself battling it out for 2nd and third, closely followed by Fergie and a couple of others. Kelly was naturally leading the women’s race and looking strong. Splits for three, four and five — 6:17, 6:19 and 6:14.

Foolishly I’d skipped the second water stop, and with temperatures rising, I was now desperate for a drink. I asked one of the bike leaders where the next drink table was located, but she wasn’t sure and offered me a sip from her bike water bottle. Just as I declined for fear of an “outside assistance DQ”, we both spotted the six mile mark and a group of enthusiastic volunteers at a water stop. Perfect timing! That’s me on the left, trying to drink on the run without spilling a drop. Thanks to Billy Chorey for taking the pic and providing much needed encouragement on the course!

The six mile split was a solid 6:18, but more importantly, the cup of water perked me up and I decided to go after William and Mary guy. Step by step I tracked him down, but it was more him fading than me getting quicker. Mile seven was another 6:18 and I was relieved to only have another three miles to go.

The next mile or so took place in another impressive neighborhood and around the South Links Circle. I must admit I was really tempted to look behind, but knew at the nine mile mark there was a turnaround point and if I could wait that long, would get to see whomever was my closest rival. Things were getting tough, but I reminded myself that only 4 weeks ago I was resigned to watching the Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon from the sidelines and how lucky I was to be racing again. Despite the difficulty in keeping the cadence going, the 6:19 eight mile split showed only minimal slowing down and gave me confidence I could last another two miles.

After one more much-needed cup of water, we left the neighborhood for the last time, and I knew there was only just over a mile to go. At the turnaround point, just past mile nine (6:21), Fergie was right behind me — closer than I thought and looking very strong. I dug really deep and gritted it out along Harbor View Drive, thinking that any minute Fergie would charge past and pip me to the post. Finally the finish line was in sight and there was enough left in the tank to kick it in and punch the air in the delight — I’d won my first race of 2009 and totally exceeded all expectations I’d had about the race.

I’m not usually a showy guy, and I hope my celebrations didn’t offend, but I must admit it was difficult not to contain my emotion after being out for six weeks with a stress fracture and spending the last four weeks methodically progressing from a walk, to a walk/run, to a run and more. Thanks to all for their constant support and encouragement over the last 10 weeks — don’t think I could have done it without you!

Congrats also to wife Ally, who finally broke her 4th place hoodoo and picked up a cool Bobblehead award (pictured above) for taking third in her age group. Her consistent training is definitely paying off and I’m convinced there are more great times to come. Proud of you Ally!

For the record: finish time 1:03:08, average pace 6:19/mile, 1st overall

Radcliffe, competing for the first time since her disappointment at the Beijing Olympics, won in 51 minutes 11 seconds; 30 seconds faster than the 17 year old record held by Jill Boltz.

Actually, at one point, the 34-year-old looked set to break the world record, but narrowly missed out by 21 seconds.

Now Paula will attempt to win the title for the third time in her career and judging by her post-race comments, she’s pretty hopeful of a good showing:

Sometimes, at the end of a race, you feel really sick when you are warming down. I don’t feel like that today, I can run a decent time and still come away feeling that there is more in the tank. I eased down for this race and I’ll ease down more for New York, so, hopefully, I’ll be even fresher then.