Tomorrow is the first Summer Series event – the Countdown 4 Miler – and is traditionally a lot of fun. Here’s how it works:

The race clock will start at 60 minutes and begin counting down. You pick when you want to start the 4 mile run with the goal of crossing the finish line when the clock strikes zero. Everyone should finish together!

My plan tomorrow is to arrive early at the Botanical Garden, run my specific McMillan marathon training workout and then run the Countdown 4 Miler at around 7:00 to 7:10 pace – probably starting when the clock reaches 28:30. The usual problem is getting talked into running faster than necessary and waiting until the last minute before starting the four miles. Not tomorrow though, I promise….

It’s a really fun event (no official results are published) and a great way to spend a Tuesday evening. The finish line is usually the most crowded finish line you’ll ever experience too!

The Series is FREE to Tidewater Strider members (sign up at the event if you’re not a member) and starts at 6:30pm. Random prizes and gift certificates from Running Etc. will be given at each event to registered runners and volunteers. Food (fruit and pizza) and liquid refreshments (beer and soda) will also be available.

Note: there is a fee of $1.00 per person to enter the Norfolk Botanical Garden

The Tidewater Striders Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday evening brought another unexpected surprise. I knew I’d placed 2nd overall in the Striders 2008 Grand Prix Series – a 12 race challenge spread over 12 months and taking in race distances from the mile to the marathon – but I was completely shocked to be awarded “Outstanding Male Performance of the Year”. I guess my hard work and never-say-die ethic counts for something after all? Anyway, the award really meant a lot and was a tremendous way to round off a successful 2008 – probably my most consistent year of running ever.

Thankfully it wasn’t too late a night as Sunday had another challenge in store – the Colonial Half Marathon in historic Williamsburg, Virginia. The race wasn’t due to start until 1pm so it was nice to stay in bed a little later than normal and take a leisurely drive along I-64 to the College of William & Mary Campus where the race would begin. This race was one of the reasons I held back a little in the first loop of Saturday’s 30k, but seeing as though I pushed the pace in the final 20k, I didn’t expect too much in terms of time and resigned myself to an enjoyable run along the scenic course.

Once again, however, I surprised myself, and found the miles ticking by at quite a pace. My legs were certainly sore from the 30k, but somehow I was able to keep the cadence going at a nice clip. Maybe it was the constant uphill/downhill that the Colonial course offers? I’ll spare you the details but with a few miles to go I realized I might be in with a shot of beating last year’s finish time of 1 hour 22 minutes. Luckily there was a younger guy (who I remembered just beating me in a 5k last year) to keep me going and I spent most of the last 2 or 3 miles trying to keep him in my sights. Finally we reached William & Mary Hall and it was just a couple of quick turns to the finish line where the clock read 1:21:22 – 38 seconds quicker than last year after a very solid 30k just 30 hours previous! Fantastic! For the record I finished 21st place overall and 2nd place Master in a very competitive race.

Highlight of the afternoon was meeting fellow Welshman Nigel Edwards from Northern Virginia who also ran the half. He spotted my Welsh Dragon hat as I walked to the start line and we immediately hit it off. I saw Nigel during the race and it was great to cheer on a fellow countryman for a change. We also hooked up at the post race area, exchanged email addresses and phone numbers, and I’m sure we’ll see each other one day soon – either at a race in the DC area, Virginia Beach area or at some random pub showing a Welsh rugby game one Saturday afternoon…

Here the weekend takes a turn for the worse. After hanging out for an hour or two after the race, Allyson and I decide to head for something to eat. By this time it’s about 4pm, snow is falling and we’re both starving. After a well-earned lunch, we spend some time with our daughter who was working an afternoon shift and finally head for home around 6pm. We hadn’t even made it to I-64 when I started to feel a little nauseous. Allyson was driving and as I sat in the passenger seat I just thought my food hadn’t digested properly. However, with each passing mile, I began to feel worse and worse and desperate to get back to Virginia Beach.

Finally we made it home. I grabbed my bags, got out of the car, and headed upstairs to lie down. The rest, as they say, is ugly. I’ll spare you the details, but the last 3 days have been none too pleasant and quite a blur; a nasty bout of food poisoning has left me six pounds lighter and weak as a kitten. Thankfully the worst is over, but I still have no appetite and need to put some of the lost weight back on.

Needless to say I haven’t run a mile since Sunday and am thinking the Mud in Your Eye XC on Saturday is out of the question. What a bizarre weekend – two tremendous races, a wonderful performance award followed by the worst case of food poisoning I’ve ever experienced. It’s a funny old world….

I’ll spare you the details, but the race went well – very well. My previous best 25k time was 1:37:34 set back in 2007 (see below). Actually, looking back, that was the one and only time I’ve broken one hour forty minutes in a 25k. Today I ran 1:35:34 – exactly two minutes quicker than my best. How it happened I’m not sure, but somehow I was able to average 6:10 per mile and keep it going for 15.5 miles. It still hasn’t sunk in to be honest and despite a few aches and pains, I’m feeling great.

Time for a celebratory Samichlaus beer, which just so happens to be the last of my current batch. I’ll need to restock soon if my current form continues…..

Previous 25k race times:

2008 – 1:41:19
2007 – 1:37:34
2006 – 1:40:28
2005 – 1:46:40
2004 – 1:45:05
2003 – 1:40:36
2000 – 1:42:40

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…

I arrived about an hour before the 9am start time, leaving plenty of time to register, pick up the race packet and chat with a few friends. I planned on a 2 mile warm up but must have chatted for a bit too long; I asked my wife the time and it was already 8:32….

I made do with a 1.5 mile leg-stretcher before taking my place on the start line a few minutes before 9am. A few late registrants held things up slightly, but I used the extra time to stretch a little and focus on the 3.1 miles that lay ahead of me (click above photo for an enlarged view).

The horn started the race at 9:03am and we were off. 4 or 5 runners sprinted ahead (as seems to be the norm for most races these days), but I held back somewhat and settled in to a fairly comfortable rhythm. Without really trying I quickly caught one of the younger quick-starters, but the remaining 3 were still battling it out about 50 metres ahead of me. No need to surge at this stage in the race as I had a feeling at least a couple of them would soon be coming back to me.

I was right; one of them soon fell off the back and before I knew it I was level and then ahead of him. Another 75 metres of steady pace running put me into second place and now at the mile marker (which was a little long by the way) I was right on the tail of the lead guy.

This time I decided to surge and somewhat surprisingly, slowly but surely I pulled away. From here to the finish line it was really a race into the wind and against the clock. According to my Garmin, the first 2 miles were both 5:36′s. I slowed somewhat on the long straight road to the finish, but kept something in reserve in case the second place guy launched a comeback.

I crossed the line in 17:45, some 27 seconds in front of second place and feeling quite happy with my time considering the week of sickness I’ve just experienced.

As an added bonus I was presented with $25 cash at the awards ceremony for the first place finish, which to the best of my knowledge wasn’t advertised on the event flyer; a very nice surprise after a confidence-boosting race!

Results – courtesy of Tidewater Striders

Garmin GPS info – courtesy of Garmin Connect

By the way, McMillan Running Calculator has me at 2:53:02 for the Richmond Marathon based on today’s 17:45 time. Let’s hope my strength is still in the longer event…..

Well, I did it. In my last race as a 41-year old, I finally set a new personal record (PR) for the mile. I guess the McMillan Marathon Training Plan is working pretty well….

As for the race, I sat in the pack for a couple of laps, trying to save something for the final half mile. With two laps to go I glanced over at the clock and was pleased to read 2:31. The third lap is always the toughest, but I hung on as best I could and unleashed a kick with about 450m to go – maybe a bit early, but the cheering crowd was spurring me on.

With 100m to go, I sprinted with everything I had and crossed the line as the clock ticked past 5:03….

So, first and last PR as a 41-year old and hopefully things are looking good for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in a couple of months and the Richmond Marathon in November.

Just for the record I was 8th overall male and 1st in the master’s division.

Also, my wife Ally had a great race – first place in her age group with a 7:45 mile and she was also a member of the second place random relay team. See? Consistent training does pay off….Well done!

PS I’m really going to enjoy my celebratory beer tonight – a bottle of 14% Samichlaus which I’ve been saving in my refrigerator since March 2007 for an occasion just like this…

To kick off this Tidewater Striders Distance Series 30k race report, here’s a quote from yesterday’s post:

“Last year I ran a crazy 1:56:48 which I think was a PR by over 3 minutes. If I can somehow get close to the magic 2 hour mark tomorrow, I’ll be ecstatic.”

Somehow I did manage to get close to the magic 2 hour mark….but it was close!

Race conditions weren’t perfect for Saturday’s 30k, but it’s been a lot worse in the past and I’m sure it will be less favorable for future races too. The secret is to take what you’ve got and make the best out of it.
Sure, it was windy (roughly 16mph winds out of the NE), but it wasn’t raining and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds to brighten up the day.

The race was due to start at 9am, so I set off around 8:15 to warm up and see how the conditions may impact different parts of the course. 3 miles later, I was back at the car, suitable warmed up and ready to race. Unlike 99% of the runners, I stripped down to singlet and shorts, performed a few last minute stretches and made my way to the start line with a couple of minutes to spare.

Despite a somewhat ambitious goal of 2 hours for the 30k (18.6 mile) race, I decided to just go with the flow for the first couple of miles and see how I felt. Mile 1 was a comfortable 6:34, which I followed up with another 6:34 for mile 2. Heart rate was only around 156bpm, so I stepped it up a little and pressed on for mile 3 and the clock at the 5k mark. The third mile came in at 6:17 and I hit 5k at about 40:12 – a little slower than 2 hour pace, but there were still 15.6 miles to race.

As is usually the case at these distance series races, the field had already strung out and I was running pretty much on my own – a small group ahead and a larger group a short distance behind. Some runners prefer to have the company of others during a race, but I’m perfectly happy in my own little world. The next three miles were fairly consistent – 6:29, 6:23 and 6:26 – and at the 10k mark I clocked a little over 40 minutes, still outside target pace, but only just.

The second 10k loop started with three strong miles – 6:22, 6:22 and 6:18. One of the runners had escaped from the group behind and I think having him for company made me push the pace a little. As I approached the 15k mark I decided to take an espresso gel which would hopefully kick in a few miles down the road. My split at the halfway mark was 1:00:11 – just 11 seconds off pace and still over 9 miles to race. Maybe I could break the magic 2 hour barrier after all?

I traded places several times with the escapee before deciding to make a move of my own. The 10th mile contains a nice incline and I enjoyed powering up the hill and striding out going down the other side. Despite my best efforts to drop him, he was still stuck to me, so I decided to just focus on myself and let the race unfold ahead of me.

The last 3 miles of the second loop were quite tough for some reason. The boost I was expecting from the gel didn’t happen, and I was left “treading water” and struggling with my form and cadence. Splits for mile 10, 11 and 12 were 6:23, 6:20 and 6:25, and with the 20k mark fast approaching I knew I had to dig deep for the final loop.

A quick glance at the finish clock at 20k gave me an instant boost – I was under 1:20 and for the first time in the race on pace for a sub 2-hour finish. Also, a quick glance back at the water stop confirmed I’d put about 25 yards between myself and the “escapee”. Looking ahead it also appeared I’d gained some ground on the only 2 runners I could see ahead of me – both of whom were way ahead of me in the overall series standings and far better runners than I’ll ever be.

Spurred on and feeling somewhat rejuvenated (maybe it was the caffeine in the espresso gel?), I surged on and recorded the two fastest mile splits of my race – 6:12 and 6:10. The 15th mile was slightly slower (6:21) and as I passed the 25k clock I told myself “only 5k left to race”. I took another gel at this point and was so wrapped up opening the foil pack that I missed the 25k split. I was also too busy looking at the two runners ahead and counting how many seconds they were ahead of me (45) to notice.

I knew I had little chance of running 15 seconds per mile faster than the guys ahead, and even if I did catch them they had the ability to step up a gear and drop me in a heartbeat. I decided to focus on myself and maintain the 6:26 pace to take me to a 2 hour finish. Mile 16 was the slowest since mile 2 and I panicked slightly, but I dug deep and somehow recorded a 6:23 and 6:24 17th and 18th mile. Finally the last hill was behind me and I gave it everything in the last .6 of a mile to the finish line, painfully aware that the clock was counting down the seconds. The wind cruelly seemed to pick up and I was also having to dodge some of the slower 30k runners on their second 10k loop and the 20k runners who were approaching their own finish line too. I sprinted to the line watching the clock tick away the seconds – 1:59:50, 1:59:51, 1:59:52…….and out of the corner of my eye I think I saw it tick over to 2:00:00 as I crossed the line. After 18.6 miles of racing, I’d nailed my prediction to teh second! Nice…

My overall position in the race was 5th and I’d managed to close the gap to the 4th place guy to just 23 seconds. Maybe another 5k and another espresso gel and I could have caught him

I immediately headed back to the car to put on warm clothes to help prevent getting a chill, and it was only when I stopped that I realized how cold and windy it actually was. Typically after a race I cool down for at least a mile or two, but today all I wanted was some warm food and a hot drink. I headed inside to fill out my race card and have to admit the cool down never happened. Actually it was really nice to relax and chill out with a few friends, and enjoy the hot soup and drinks….

Later in the day when the results were posted, I was somewhat surprised to see myself listed as the third overall male finisher with a combined series time of 5:01:11 – a nice little bonus after 3 hard marathon tune-up races.

Now I just to need to run 8 miles on Sunday to log 52 miles for the week and record a slight increase over last week’s total. I wonder how my legs will feel tomorrow??

Today’s 25k was my fourth race this month. Earlier in the week I was definitely looking forward to another race at Fort Story in Virginia Beach and seeing how close I could get to my predicted finish time courtesy of the McMillan Running Calculator. Based on my 20k time earlier in January (1:19:53), the calculator spewed out a predicted finish of 1:41:29 which is 6 minutes 32 seconds per mile – quite manageable I thought.

Training was going well and after an easy 4.5 mile treadmill on Thursday evening before The Spirit Of The Marathon movie, I felt hopeful of a good race. However, Friday would soon change my positive outlook on the race. Sometime during Friday morning my left ear starting hurting and the pain got so bad I decided to leave work early – something I rarely do. I slept for a few hours in the afternoon but still felt rough when I woke up. I contemplated not racing on Saturday morning, but to be honest didn’t want to pull out and ruin my streak of running in every Tidewater Strider Grand Prix race since the end of 2005. I decided to sleep on it and make a decision when I woke up.

Saturday morning soon rolled around and even though my ear still hurt, I decided to run. I planned on wearing a hat during the race to keep the cold out and hoped everything would be ok. Fast forward a couple of hours and I find myself warming up for a couple of miles wearing a warm woolly Welsh hat! The wind wasn’t too bad and I figured I’d be fine during the race.

At 9:00am the horn sounded to start the race. Actually it didn’t sound much like a horn, it was probably suffering from the cold like most of the runners lining up at the start. Warming up I decided to disregard the predicted time from the McMillan Running Calculator and just run by feel. To be honest, I just wanted to complete the 25k distance and feel as good as possible throughout the race – no need to really suffer today.

The first couple of miles felt great. I was able to run with Charlie from Running Nowhere Fast and enjoyed a pleasant conversation which helped the miles pass quickly. I found out Charlie wasn’t feeling great either, but he was running like he was on top of the world.

A couple of miles into the race I was aware of a scratchy feeling on my right ankle. I looked down and noticed the electronic timing chip I was wearing was rubbing the tendon on the back of my ankle. I had two choices – put up with the annoying scratching or stop, adjust the velcro strap and continue. As it was still really early in the race I decided to stop, so I checked behind me before pulling off to the side of the course. It probably took about 10 seconds to undo the band, pull it further up my calf and then re tighten it. Wearing gloves didn’t help As I adjusted the strap I noticed my ankle was bleeding quite a lot and quite a deep welt had appeared. Oh well, no time to worry about that now…

I made sure I didn’t sprint to catch the runners I was previously running with and just settled into a comfortable pace. After all, there were still 13 miles to race! Another mile down the road (around the 3.5 mile mark) the timing strap loosened and slipped down my calf – this time I decided to put up with the annoyance and carried on running.

I ran most of the second circuit with good friend and experienced runner, Charlie Schindler. We ran stride for stride, time passed quickly and I concentrated on keeping up with his great pace. I felt like he was in control of our dual and this was soon confirmed as he surged up one of the classic Fort Story hills, somewhere before the 8 and 9 mile marks. I surged back, drew level with Charlie then moved slightly ahead of him. It was only when I looked behind me just after the 15k mark that I realized Charlie was no longer with me and I was on my own with 10k to run.

20 seconds up ahead were a couple of runners trading places on a regular basis. I decided to try to catch them, bridge the gap and maybe challenge their position in the race. The next mile was a quicker 6:18 mile (compared to miles in the 6:30 to 6:35 range) and I closed the gap to about 8 seconds. After an even faster 6:17 mile I was just 1 second behind one of the runners – the other one representing the British Army had surged ahead. I tried my hardest to stay with the mystery runner, but he was too strong and gradually pulled away. I felt quite weak after my 2 quick miles and was disappointed not to be able to respond to his surge.

Time was running out in the race, but the Army runner appeared to be slowing down. The mystery guy had caught and passed Army guy which gave me a renewed enthusiasm and motivation. Somehow I managed a surge, and was able to catch Army guy and fellow Brit at the bottom of a hill with just a couple of miles to go. We ran stride for stride up the hill, but once again I felt weak and he pulled away on the downhill. From here it was just a question of survival for me.

The last couple of miles were tough, but I maintained a good pace and finished strongly with a time of 1:41:19 – 10 seconds faster than McMillan predicted based on my 20k time a few weeks ago. According to the astonishingly accurate calculator I’m looking at a half marathon time next week of around 1:24:10 and a 30k time of 2:03:14 in mid February. We’ll see I guess.

All in all, an enjoyable race, despite not feeling 100%. However, the Shamrock Marathon is only 7 weeks away, and although my weekly mileage is increasing, I really need to get in some long runs.

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.