Yesterday’s Tune-Up Series 20k, held on Fort Story Army Base, is the first of three races intended as a “tune-up” to the Shamrock Marathon on March 22nd. The three races are 20k, 25k and 30k in distance but there’s also a 10k, 15k and 20k series for the people hoping to take part in the Shamrock Half Marathon on the same day.

Many of the entrants simply use the races as their weekly long run – after all it is easier to run long when you’ve got company isn’t it? I choose to race the distance which let’s me know where I am in my training and what I need to do in preparation for the upcoming marathon.

The 20k was due to start at 9am which meant a 6:30 alarm call. Breakfast for all my races and long runs consists of 3 scoops of Hammer Nutrition’s Sustained Energy mixed in 24oz of water. I refrain from eating solid foods before a race and choose to fuel-up with a liquid breakfast instead. For me it’s far easier to drink 24oz of Sustained Energy than attempt to consume and digest a bagel, power bar, oatmeal or whatever else is considered a “normal” breakfast. In case you’re interested, 3 scoops of SE provides 343 calories made up of 73g of carbs, 10.5g of protein and 1g of fat. I also take a couple of Endurolyte capsules to help keep cramps at bay and my usual daily ration of Tissue Rejuvenator which is a great product for superior joint and tissue health.

Anyway, enough about the Hammer Nutrition products. We (my wife was running the 10k) arrived at Fort Story just after 8am, allowing plenty of time to register, collect our race packets and warm-up. I jogged about 1.5 miles and took an Espresso Hammer Gel around 8:50am before performing a few 50m sprints. My body was definitely ready to race, but due to the amount of traffic trying to get on the army base, the start time was pushed back 20 minutes to 9:20am. Not ideal, but the time went quick as I chatted to friends and did a bit more stretching.

Eventually both races started and we were off. My rather lofty goal pace was somewhere between 6:15 – 6:20 per mile and it was cool to hit the first mile feeling pretty good in 6:14. I was accompanied by Billy Chorey who wasn’t sure what pace to run at and asked if I minded him tagging along. Actually it was great to have company and time passed quickly as we chatted our way through the opening miles.

Mile 2 and 3 were a bit quick (6:07 and 6:06) but I still felt good and we ran through the water stop towards the four mile mark, which thankfully came in a little slower at 6:27. Just after the four, we made a right turn and tackled the first hill of the course (photo courtesy of TriDuo.com Sports Photography). I love the hills of Fort Story and noticed we were now gaining on several of the other runners ahead who’d started the race a little faster.

Mile 5 and 6 felt great (6:14 and 6:08) and as we approached the end of the first loop, I sensed Billy drop off the pace and fall a little behind. Judging by the ease Billy was running I had a sneaky feeling he’d be back soon. Mile 7 was the fastest of the race (5:50) and faster than the third mile of my 5k on New Year’s Day – crazy really! I also moved into 3rd place as I passed another couple of runners right at the seven mile mark.

Mile 8 (6:07) was into a slight headwind, but I still felt good and as predicted Billy caught up to me. Things were still ticking along nicely at mile 9 (6:04), but at the 15k mark my legs started to feel heavy and I sensed the cadence dropping. I urged Billy to press on as I knew I’d reached my limit and didn’t want to hold him back.

The next two miles slipped away from me slightly (6:16 and 6:24) and I frantically tried to work out my finish time. Sometimes the simplest calculations cause the mind to go blank, but it was somewhere around the 11 mile mark I realized I was in with a shout of hitting another PR (personal record). I dug deep, urged my legs to turn over faster and headed towards the final hill.

My wife Ally (who incidentally had a great 10k race) was at the bottom of the last hill to take a few pictures (bottom of hill and 0.3 miles to go) and cheer me on. Ally’s support was the perfect lift at a tough stage of the race and certainly helped me stride on to the finish.

I could see the clock as I approached the line and knew a PR was in the bag. Amazingly I’d shaved off over a minute for a 1:16:19 finish time! Billy was there to congratulate me as was Pete Gibson who ran a fantastic race for second place and was there to cheer me on to the finish.

I often wonder when my streak of PRs is going to end (surely I can’t keep this going much longer?), but in races like this it’s all about enjoying the moment and basking in the feeling of everything falling into place on the day.

Good times….

The 20k is part of a three race series designed as a “Tune-Up” to the Shamrock Marathon in March. The other two races are a 25k and 30k spread a few weeks apart.

My previous times are listed below with my best effort coming two years ago when I was arguably in the best shape of my running career.

1999 – 1:19:59
2001 – 1:25:06
2002 – 1:20:13
2006 – 1:20:41
2007 – 1:17:27
2008 – 1:19:53

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Watch this space for an update…

Today was the day for the first event in the Tidewater Striders Distance Series – a 3 race series designed to be used as a tune up for a Spring marathon. The 20k race consists of 2 x 10k loops on Fort Story Army Base – home to both old and new Cape Henry Lighthouses. The route features 2 short “hills” per loop, (which is actually quite unusual for a race in flat-as-a-pancake Virginia Beach) and starts/finishes right next to the original lighthouse which was built in 1792.

This would be the 6th time I’ve run this particular race since 1999, with finish times ranging from 1:17:27 last year to 1:25:06 in 2001. Two days ago, based on my current fitness level after a fairly lazy December, I made the following prediction:

This year I’m definitely not in that kind of shape, and I’ll be more than happy to get close to 1 hour 20 minutes. With this in mind, my race goal is to start off at 6:26 per mile and run the first 10k loop in about 40 minutes. How I feel at the 10k mark will determine what happens in the second loop I would love to speed things up a fraction, but if I can maintain the same 6:26 pace I’ll be satisfied.

Conditions for the race were very good – sunny, about 40°F with 6-10mph SW winds – and after an easy two mile warm up and removal of 3 clothing layers I was ready for the off. Fort Story always brings out the worst in people (and I don’t mean that in a nasty way). So many runners at the start line psych themselves out before the race is even underway. Some of the comments I heard were “It’s always so cold and windy here”, “I wish this was a flat course – the hills are really tough!”, “I hate running 2 loops”, “I’m so out of shape at the moment”………the list goes on.

I, on the other hand, seem to thrive in the conditions:

• The wind and the cold doesn’t bother me. As long as I warm up properly and wear gloves during the race, I’m fine.
• I try to use the hills to my advantage – catch people on the uphill section and cruise down the downhill section. The change in incline also uses different muscles which is always a good thing!
• I use the 2 loops to help my pacing strategy and break the race up into smaller pieces.
• I’ve accepted my current fitness level after a busy holiday period and am looking to use this race as a platform to build on

I was conscious when the horn sounded not to start off too fast, and reluctantly watched as the leaders disappeared into the distance. Some were actually running the 10k race (one loop of the course) so I decided not to panic and stick to my race plan. Mile 1 was completed in 6 minutes 22 seconds, a few seconds quicker than planned, but it felt very easy and my heart rate was just 156 beats per minute.

For the first four and a half miles I had the pleasure of running alongside Charlie who authors the excellent Running Nowhere Fast blog. He’s on a real high at the moment and every race seems to be a new PR for him. Having company made the time go fast and I was pleased with the mile splits we were ticking off – 6:37, 6:27, 6:32 and 6:27.

My race prediction called for a first 10k in 40 minutes, so I decided to pick up the pace a little, wished Charlie good luck and pressed on. Mile 6 was slightly quicker (6:12) and would turn out to be the fastest of the race, but it allowed me to complete the first circuit in 39 minutes 58 seconds – perfect!

By now, many of the runners ahead had run through the finish chute and completed their 10k races, which left a pretty spread out field ahead of me. I grabbed a quick drink of very cold water, before setting off on the second, lonely loop. I was able to catch and pass one runner between the 7 and 8 mile markers, but the other runners ahead were definitely out of reach. I decided to concentrate on my form and maintain a quick cadence.

Although I gradually slowed for the next 4 or 5 miles (6:20, 6:22, 6:24, 6:28 and 6:34), I always felt in control of my race. A Raspberry Hammer Gel I’d carried since the start and consumed at the 15k mark took a few miles to kick in, but I’m sure boosted me sufficiently to finish with a 6:24 last mile.

My wife Ally, who ran a solid 10k race herself, came back to cheer me on and take a few photos – a nice surprise and another boost! With a final spurt towards the finish line, I finished in 1 hour 19 minutes and 53 seconds – 11th overall and 2nd in the 40-44 age group. After quickly doing the math, I worked out my second loop was completed in 39 minutes 55 seconds – 3 seconds quicker than the first one. How’s that for even pacing and how’s that for meeting my goal?

The 20k race wasn’t easy (my heart rate maxed out at 177 beats per minute towards the end of the race), but it’s given me some confidence and a nice platform I can now build on. The 12.4 miles was also the longest run since my 10 mile race in November and my biggest training week for a while too.

Next up – the Mud In Your Eye 5k XC race in 2 weeks time…

1. Run the race at planned marathon pace.
2. Run the race like it’s the most important race of the year.
3. Jog the distance to put the miles in the bank.
4. Run with friends and make it a Saturday morning fun run.
5. Any other way you like….

In true bulldog fashion, I usually run it like it’s the most important race of the year, and give it 110% and push myself to the limit. This year however, I’m going to be a bit more thoughtful about the race. My previous race times for the 20k are as follows:

6th January, 2007         	1:17:27  	  	6:14/mile
18th December, 1999 		1:19:59 		6:26/mile
21st December, 2002 		1:20:13 		6:27/mile
January 7th, 2006 		1:20:41 		6:30/mile
December 15th, 2001 		1:25:06 		6:51/mile

Last year, after coming off a very successful winter, I managed to run a two and a half minute PR (personal record) and finish with an average pace of 6 minutes 14 seconds per mile for the 12.4 mile distance. This year I’m definitely not in that kind of shape, and I’ll be more than happy to get close to 1 hour 20 minutes. With this in mind, my race goal is to start off at 6:26 per mile and run the first 10k loop in about 40 minutes. How I feel at the 10k mark will determine what happens in the second loop I would love to speed things up a fraction, but if I can maintain the same 6:26 pace I’ll be satisfied.

Another fact about the Distance Series 20k: it’s the first event in the 2008 Tidewater Striders Grand Prix Series – a 12 race series open to Strider members who battle it out in events from 1 Mile to the classic 26.2 Mile distance. I’m also quite proud of the fact that I haven’t missed a Grand Prix event since October 2005.