Colonial Road Runners Online

After a year that has been plagued with race cancellations, I was thankful that given the most recent local data, the Sleighbell 5k still occurred, albeit in a new location. Rumors were that the course was dead flat and the weather conditions were looking ideal. So with some strong competition lining up, it was looking to set up for a fast day.

Like many others, my race season was abbreviated - this only being my fourth race of the year. After patching together modest run training with a foot injury and opening with a 16:24 at the Jamestown Swamp Run I had the opportunity to take a massive amount of time off to heal it completely once the March shutdown occurred. Once I re-emerged on the racing scene in October, I was fully healed and ready to go! My next two races were extremely consistent, finishing in 15:58 and 15:54, and given very similar training since then, I expected that I would be capable of a similar pace, perhaps a second or two faster given the course and conditions.

Roger Hopper, Andrew Osbourne, and a few younger high school and college runners were lining up, so I expected the pace to be hot right out of the gate, and sure enough, that’s what transpired. After the first quarter a group of five separated ourselves and almost effortlessly covered the first mile in 4:56. Hopper led the charge, and I was the caboose of the group, unsure about how a sub 5 minute mile would affect me later in the race. Just past the mile, our tight knit pack started to string out a bit, and by the time we hit the right hand turn into the Landfall neighborhood Hopper had stretched us out into a line that spanned about 15 meters. I was still tailing the group at that point, but knew if I didn’t react the race would quickly get away from me. So throughout the course of the next half mile I worked my way up, passing 4th and joining the smaller chase group hovering about 2 seconds behind Hopper. We reached the turnaround in roughly 8:00, which threw up my first red flag that the certified course was likely a bit long. I was settling into 5:00 mile pace, and I was still feeling good, so I kept that rhythm and moved into second place on the road by the time my watch clicked off two miles in 9:59. However the two mile marker was still roughly 20 seconds up the road, so at that point, I knew it was going to be a bit long. I just continued my focus on bridging the gap to Hopper and hopefully dispatching those in my tow. I managed to catch Hopper on the left turn out of the Landfall neighborhood and despite the heavy fatigue, I decided to make the pass and try a bit of a surge to gauge how he was feeling. The attempt failed to create any distance between us, so I relaxed a touch and Hopper immediately surged himself, which did create a bit of separation as I was still recovering from my own effort. By this time we were nearing the end of the race, so I did what was needed to stay in touch through the 3 mile marker, and as I closed the gap, I decided to make the pass as violently as I could, if anything surprising Roger and buying myself a second or so in case he did respond. To my great surprise, my legs responded really well to the change in cadence and effort, and I was able to hold the kick, running the final quarter mile in roughly 4:40 mile pace and the last downhill tenth of a mile at 4:10 pace. The effort was a massive one for me, as I set second-best all-time running heart rate peaks at 10:00, 5:00, and 5 seconds.

Although the overall time did not show it, this race was a huge jump in race performance for me over the past few months, as my final time for roughly 3.17 miles was 15:58, which would have been just under 15:40 for the 5k distance.

Congratulations to all who finished, but especially to Roger Hopper who had an incredibly strong PR-quality race and was the catalyst for my breakthrough performance on the day. I’m looking forward to continuing this upward trend in run fitness throughout the winter and being a presence once again on the local road racing scene in 2021.

I love a good race! While the likes of local greats William Thompson and André Gallant weren’t running, the Colonial Sports Sleighbell 5K was shaping up to be a barnstormer. I was going for a PR, and I would have plenty of company to help get me there. Adam Otstot is always a force to be reckoned with, and a handful of fast young runners were also looking to PR. The weather was near-perfect, no wind and just a little warmer than ideal in the high 50s, and the stage was set for one of the best races of the year.

Coming off a 32:25 Turkey Trot 10K and 53:37 Yorktown Battlefield 10 Miler, I knew I had sub-15:40 potential and my PR of 15:44 was ripe for besting. It would take close to 5-minute mile pace, but I had recovered well from the grueling 10 miler a week prior and I was ready to roll. The race started well and I hit the first mile in a slightly fast but surprisingly comfortable 4:56. I was committed, and continued to press the pace. I could hear other runners just a few seconds back, keeping me running scared, which is always ideal for running your best time.

My GPS watch was bang on 1.00 at the mile, so I was pretty surprised when it read 1.59 at the turnaround of the simple out-and-back course, and not the 1.55 I expected. I was hoping to reach this halfway point in about 7:45 or so – my watch read 7:59, a bad omen. I didn’t think I had let up the pace much since the 4:56; maybe a little, but certainly not enough to be 14 seconds behind 5-minute pace. GPS watches aren’t always 100% accurate, but I knew myself and my fitness well, and this wasn’t adding up. The turnaround revealed I still had company just a few seconds back, so I soldiered on, trying to ignore the temporal anomaly.

Sure enough, my “second mile” split was 5:27, and my watch told me it had been 1.07 miles. 5:27 was way off, I had recently consistently run 5:03-5:07 for my second mile in multiple 5Ks, and I was running similarly in this race. I did some quick mental math - 5:27 for 1.07 miles is about 5:06 pace. That made sense – I wasn’t running that much slower, instead I had run extra. Still, nothing to do but press on. Especially when I heard labored breathing steadily approaching behind me…

Of course it was Adam Otstot! He caught me with about ¾ of a mile to go, and I was in a pretty bad spot, drained from leading the whole race so far in a PR effort. He seemed similarly uncomfortable, and we ran shoulder to shoulder for a bit before I conceded the lead with about a half mile to go. My plan was to gather myself for a bit and then make a big push to the finish. About 30 seconds later I began executing this plan, passing Adam and driving for the line. I was hurting, but there was just a quarter mile to go.

The 90-degree turn from the service road onto the last road to the finish struck me in a devastating way. It was as if the lactic acid in my legs had been elevated tenfold in that moment, and I could feel my pace slipping and Adam moving back up on my shoulder. I tried to push through the pain, but Adam was unleashing a kick that was far outclassing my pitiful lactic saunter. I had a slight lead with a tenth of a mile to go in 15:30, but Adam put over 5 seconds on me in that closing section. I moped through the line in 16:03 for 2nd. Now to figure out what happened with that course distance.

Turns out I was not the only one disgruntled by the race length. My watch read 3.17, the distance from the “2 mile” mark to the finish had been precisely 1.10, as it should’ve been. Adam was one of many whose watch read 3.20 or similar, and he and I agreed with each other’s perception that we had averaged nearly 5-minute pace the whole way. Turns out someone had incorrectly placed the turnaround cone and we had run extra – but how much extra? GPS watches are hardly 100% reliable, although my watch’s perfect measurement of the first mile and last 1.1 indicated it was very accurate throughout the race.

I re-ran the course during my cooldown, and with the admittedly imperfect methodology of using my GPS watch and comparing efforts, I was actually able to, to my surprise and delight, precisely recreate the 0.07 mile discrepancy. I found the little orange circle on the side of the road indicating the proper turnaround point right at 1.55 miles from the start and finish, right where I expected it to be based on my GPS watch distance during my cooldown. I compared this point with the turnaround we executed during the race and determined that the extra distance we had run was almost exactly 0.07 miles.

But how much time is 0.07 miles worth? At Adam and my pace, about 21 seconds. For the rest of the field, divide your time by 3.17 miles and multiply this by 0.07 to determine the approximate amount of time you should subtract from your finish time to get your 5K time. Round your 5K time up since 5K is actually 3.105 miles and so 3.17 is actually only 0.065 long, but also it was 0.065 miles extra you had to hold your 5K pace, which is not negligible. Also, for a certified course you round up anyway, no matter how small the decimal. I’ve done this for some of the top finishers listed below, and I am very confident in these results, give or take a second or two if you must:

This is simultaneously encouraging and disappointing to see since I know Vogel and Warner were trying to break 16 for the first time, I’m sure Mark and Luke Tompkins were trying to break 17, and I was trying to PR and even break 15:40. Had the course been accurate, there’s a decent chance we all would’ve seen our accurate splits and dug a little deeper to reach these thresholds. Then there’s Steve Chantry, whose time certainly would’ve broken the state men 65-69 record of 19:53 had the course been accurate. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, but hopefully everyone who reads this and has anything to do with setting up certified race courses in the future will take this to heart and do a more careful job than they would’ve otherwise. Sure, there will be other opportunities, but with variable weather, ever-looming injuries (especially at Chantry’s age), and the still ongoing COVID situation, not to mention the fact that few small local races have this high quality and deep of a field of competitors, it is a shame to essentially waste a great racing opportunity like this. At the level at which those listed above are running, hundreds of hours are spent running thousands of miles, hundreds of dollars are spent on race entries, shoes, clothes, and other gear, and countless sacrifices are made in many aspects of our lives in order to prepare for a PR or record race. To have all of that preparation rendered largely for naught by a careless mistake that was completely outside of our control is extremely frustrating. Sure, there is a bit of solace in knowing roughly what would have been, as outlined above, and “these things happen”, but hopefully next time they don’t. Hypotheticals don’t make the record books.

What a pleasure it was to finally race outdoors again! The last time I toed the line was early March at the Jamestown Swamp Run 5k. At that time, I had been coddling a foot injury and while it was good enough to run on, it wasn’t fully healed. Once the pandemic hit and everything shut down, I also shut my running down to let my foot fully heal. I spent 12 weeks sans running, instead spending a large quantity of time riding my bike. I resumed running at the beginning of June, and have been gradually building the run miles while maintaining the cycling workouts.

Going into this event, I had no performance goals. I simply wanted to run hard and get a good baseline having done practically no speed work since the Swamp Run. I decided that since I had very little idea of what pace might be appropriate, I would focus on heart rate instead. I planned to peg 167-170 bpm for the first two miles, and then let it rip the last mile with whatever I had left.

As the race started I got out well, just behind Will Thompson and another racer for the first 400 meters. Around 2 minutes in, I took over the lead and my heart rate had stabilized around 167 bpm. Perfect, time to get into a good rhythm and roll. I had lost the close footsteps of all of the other racers by the time I passed the first mile in 5:04. Honestly that surprised me quite a bit, as I was definitely not expecting to be running that quickly. I felt good, and my heart rate was still controlled where I wanted it to be, so I pushed on. All the way to the second mile marker I kept the pressure on until my HR hit 170, and then I eased off a touch to let it recover. It was a fun game to play with myself and ended up netting me a 5:09 second mile. Naturally the stress of the race was catching up with me, and the last mile was all about protecting the lead I had built on Will and the rest of the racers. With multiple turns on course, I was able to gauge my lead and respond accordingly to keep that lead large enough to eliminate the need for a massive kick at the end. Will didn’t make it easy on me, as I believe he ran the last mile in 5:04 and came back at me a bit, but with a 5:06 third mile, I held on to a roughly 10 second gap. That was enough to manage the finish without digging too deep in the well.

Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to be able to come out and run a 15:58 today, but it proves that some easy running coupled with a lot of intensity in non-weight bearing activities can really do wonders. For those following – a couple of stats:

• From June 8-October 3: Avg 15.1 miles per week of running
• Out of that running time, 97.2% of it was spent in either zone 1 or zone 2 HR
• In contrast, in that same period of time, I spent just over 9 hours a week cycling, completing roughly 2-4 bike races per week and improving my lifetime best max power outputs from 5 seconds to 1 hour during that span.

All that is to say: if you’re injured, trust that you can maintain your running fitness to a great degree with cycling, swimming, or any other cardio activities that you CAN do, and you’ll be surprised, as I was, at the level of your running fitness once you’re all healed up.

Now that I have a much clearer picture of my run fitness, I can do a few targeted workouts to get me a little more prepared the next time out. Thanks to the CRR and the Virginia Fire Chiefs for a safe, fun race.

The stage was set for my first race against Will Thompson since he handed me a 17-second defeat at the Run for Mental Strength 5K in June. I was feeling good coming off a PR 15:44 5K at DOG Street 2 weeks prior, but it would be foolish to be too confident while racing Will. Weather was just about perfect - mid- to high-50s with little to no wind. I'd run the Powhatan Creek Trail 5K twice before and warmed up on the course - while not exceedingly challenging, there are a couple of significant hills and some tight turns on slick bridges that require some caution to navigate safely. Decelerating and accelerating again on the bridges would be to the detriment of my time. Still, I figured sub-16 might be in the cards, and if not, certainly Will's course record of 16:13 from last year. Of course I had little doubt Will would also be under 16:13, and thus whoever won the race would also get the record.

The many high schoolers in the field would provide an interesting backdrop to what was sure to be another battle with Will, and from the start 3 of them were out very fast. Will and I hung with them and hit the first mile in 5:09. Considering the bridges, this split was somewhat satisfying, but perhaps a bit slower than I wanted considering the significant elevation drop over the first mile. I was feeling good, so I decided to push the pace. I figured stretching out the field at this point might serve me well in case of someone slipping on a bridge at some point - didn't want to get caught up in a pileup! My move was decisive, but somewhat to my surprise I was soon alone in front, about 10 seconds or so ahead of Will, and ever further ahead of the fading high schoolers.

I maintained a steady 5-10 second lead on Will for the rest of the race, perhaps hearing his approach a few times, spurring me to keep pushing. I missed the 2nd mile mark, but my 1st-3rd mile split was 10:24, so I'm guessing I ran about a 5:05-5:10 2nd mile and 5:14-5:19 3rd mile, considering my 2nd mile move and the bridges and uphill in the 3rd mile. With Will still right behind me, I kicked wildly up the final hill, out of the woods, and past the 3 mile mark in 15:33 - the course record was in reach, lactic acid be damned! I finished in 16:05, a satisfying 23-second PR for me on this course, and sure enough, Will was right behind me in 16:10. There's nothing like a close race to remind you why you love the sport and keep punishing yourself by coming back for more!

Turnabout is fair play. During each of the previous three CRR races I ran this year, I had the luck to be running against great runners in similar shape to me, thrice against Will Thompson with one-time appearances by Patrick Wachter and Adam Otstot. I was able to execute the perfect race plan each time to not only win the race, but run my very best, with even or negative splits. I benefitted from Will setting the pace for about 65% of each race, then gathering myself to kick for the finish and the win. This time, Will employed my exact strategy against me, and there was nothing I could do about it.

After winning the Virginia Regional Ballet 5K at First Colony by 33 seconds over 2nd place Will just a week prior, and seeing no new competition, I was somewhat confident I would have what it took to win again. I wasn’t underestimating Will by any means, but 33 seconds is a lot to make up in just a week, even for a runner of Will’s caliber and experience. No one was thrilled about the 9 AM start with temps in the 80s on top of humidity to deal with, but we were all up against the same elements. A lot of the same runners in the top 10 from last week, including some Salem High School runners I coach, were present again.

The race started off and, unlike last week, everyone seemed reluctant to take charge, so I quickly moved into the lead. I tried to stay relaxed as all of the runners except Will fell off the pace one by one. We hit the mile in 5:14, a satisfying mark that was a couple seconds faster than last week. Will was having no trouble keeping pace. The heat started to catch up with me during the second mile, but surely Will had to be feeling the same way. Thanks to two downhills, one gradual and one steep, as well as me running scared with Will just behind me, we split about 5:04 for the second mile.

Just after two miles, Will made his move, and I was helpless to respond. I tried to keep contact but it just wasn’t happening – the early pace had been honest, the heat was bearing down on me now, and there was no picking up the pace in my legs. Will quickly had a 5-10 second lead before he was heading up the hill, and he continued to pour it on the rest of the way. The better runner won in 16:09, with me 17 seconds back in 16:26 after a subpar 5:28 third mile. Will’s time was particularly impressive because it was faster than the 16:12 I posted a week ago in much less unfavorable conditions. Good race Will, I look forward to the next one! Win or lose, a good battle on the course is always fun.

Big thanks as always to the CRR and race organizers, especially in these uncertain COVID times when there are almost no other live races going on. It was great to have another opportunity for my Salem runners and I to compete. Despite the adverse conditions, the Salem boys were all pretty close to their PRs, and Salem’s lone female runner, Sidney Sindt, PR’d in 24:09! I can’t wait to see what they can do at the Tidewater Strider Scholarship 5K in July!

Let me start off by expressing my massive appreciation for Rick Platt and everyone else who helped make this race happen. It has been a long 3.5 months since the last race in Hampton Roads, and with most races in the region through July and beyond being cancelled or postponed, it was a huge relief to finally have an opportunity to compete, not only for myself, but also for the Salem High School runners I coach. We train to race, and it seems like we’ve been just training forever! I’m proud to be a part of the resilient running community that came out and made this event a success.

Temps in the low 70s were ideal for late June, and zero wind is always appreciated, but high humidity was less than desirable for the first race in over 3 months. With Will Thompson, a large assembly of talented recent graduates and current runners from high schools across Hampton Roads, and myself on the starting line, the men’s open heat was shaping up to be a competitive one. A couple of those high schoolers, including Warhill’s Cary Caldwell, who I recognized from his runner-up finish to me at this race last year, took the race out fast, and we came through the first half mile in about 2:35 or so. The youngsters all quickly faded though, and once again it was Will and myself leading the way, a familiar situation (see previous race recaps for reference).

Will and I hit the mile in about 5:16, and I was surprisingly comfortable considering the conditions and my perceived fitness – I’m not quite at the top of my game right now. Will mostly lead the way while I pulled even for a couple of moments. We hit 2 miles together in 10:32, and I was still feeling somewhat comfortable while Will seemed to be fading a bit, so I decided to see what we were made of. Shortly into a 5:10 3rd mile I was all alone in 1st. I rolled to a 16:12 win, 9 seconds slower than my solo effort last year but satisfying nonetheless. Will was 2nd in the 16:45, but the best was yet to come.

Salem junior Draven Fernandez came blazing through the finish in 3rd overall in the 17:23, an impressive road PR for early summer. Another Salem junior, Robert Cummings, PR’d in the 18:27. Salem grad Jarrett Sindt PR’d in the 18:45 and his sister, Salem junior Sidney Sindt, PR’d in the 24:21. It was a great day for the SunDevils! Especially considering all of these athletes were finishing running their peak lifetime weekly mileage just a week ago. I can’t wait to see how they run on fresher legs and better speed work later this summer and in the fall, and they’ll get a chance to improve next week at the next CRR race, the Run for Mental Strength 5K at the fairly fast Eastern State Hospital road 5K course.

To anyone else thinking of trying to beat William Thompson in a race any time soon, be warned – it is not for the faint of heart! After our epic duel at the Toano Icy 8K (I managed to win in 25:21 to Will’s 25:39; both of us were well under the old course record) and his fantastic 1:12:15 at the Colonial Half, I knew that I would have my hands full and be lucky to come away with the win again. The stage was set for another classic battle.

The weather was cooperative but not great, perfect temps in the low 40s but a bit on the windy side as I’m sure all runners in attendance will attest. The race started and Will was off at a startling pace that reminded me of his fast start at the Christmas Town Dash 8K, where he defeated and demoralized me. I stayed calm and set out to gradually make up the deficit, which I achieved by the first mile marker. Our first mile split was right around 5 flat.

Now on Will’s heels, I could feel myself struggling to hang on. He threw in a few brief surges, which I was able to manage. Thinking about my goal of breaking the M25-29 age group record of 16:00 (my last chance as I am 29), and perhaps the course record of 15:44, I collected myself and briefly considered pushing the pace and going for a pass, but the narrow trails would barely accommodate this and the pace was certainly nothing short of honest. I settled in, covering surges and biding my time for a passing opportunity that might not even come – Will was running strong today, and I was already digging deep. After what has always been a slow section of the course for me in years past, we hit the second mile marker at 10:08 – significantly faster than the 10:24 and 10:19 I had split the past two years, when I ran 16:14 and 16:20, respectively. We were on at least age group record pace, and still flying.

We navigated the tight turns and narrow bridges of the swamp and I was still barely hanging on. Then the pace seemed to be slowing a touch, and Will hadn’t surged in a few minutes; perhaps it was almost time to make a move. As we crested the small hill before the pond, the pace slowed a bit more, the trail opened up, and I realized my opportunity. With between three quarters of a mile and a mile to go, I picked up the pace, eased past Will on the left, and went for broke.

My initial thought just after I picked up the pace was that I had gone too fast, too soon, but my body surprised me and was carrying well. I opened up about a five second gap on Will by the time we hit the paved trail again. As I turned right and headed up the incline though, and especially once I hit the uneven grassy terrain headed toward the baseball fields, my legs started to markedly resist, but with less than a half mile to go and the age group record hanging in the balance, I pushed wildly onward. Undeterred by diminishing form and sloppy terrain, I hit the track in 15:02, and I knew I could cover the last 300 meters in 57 seconds or less. With less than 150 meters to go, I stole one last glance back at Will – I was clear, but I still had to push to ensure the age group record, not to mention to maximize my impending PR.

I crossed the finish line in 15:50 to set a seven-second PR and break Mark Tompkins’ 15-year-old M25-29 age group record by 10 seconds. I've set huge PRs at almost every distance except 5K over the past two years, but this was my first 5K PR since DOG Street in April 2018. After a disappointing 26:07 for 4th place at the One City 8K last weekend, this was a much more satisfying result. I only missed the course record by 6 seconds, but that is okay – always good to have something to keep you hungry for next year.

The morning of the race was perfect with exception of the strong winds. I thought about how I was going to run this race as I warmed up and stretched. When the race started I almost didn't get a good start due to zoning out a bit. Once I got moving I felt I was around the group of the runners I wanted to be near, and I was running at the 6:30 pace I wanted to. When we got into the woods I ended up boxed in, but before one of the short wooden bridges I made my move and got around the few runners I was behind. I came across the first mile at 6:31. So far so good, but as I continued around the main loop of the trail I could feel my pace slowing down. I crossed the second mile at 7:13. I knew I needed to pick up the pace if I wanted to finish the race under 21 minutes. I made the sharp turns off the two long wooden bridges as clean as possible. I lost a tiny bit of momentum when we had to make the turn off of the paved path and onto the grass because I lost my footing on the muddy embankment. I recovered and quickened my pace. I hit the third mile at 7:03. I made it onto the track for the last 300m and started speeding up. As I made it around the curve I started my sprint. The sprint was a bit rough with the headwind, but I gave it my all and crossed the finish line at 20:59. This was my best result for the Swamp Run since high school!

Trail races: they are fun. I used to enjoy them as a runner just because it gave me a break from the roads, and I've done all sorts of them: from the 5k+ events to 24-hour runs. I decided as this is a trail race, and race-walking this course does not even resemble what I would actually do in race-walking on a flat road or a track...I would run it instead. So, I entered as a runner. I figured I would get disqualified 10 times over and get transferred to the running category (I registered as a runner, but I thought it was a good pre-race joke, and everyone was on it anyway...good times, LOL). It was cold and windy. As I warmed up with the Andersons (thanks for the push late in the race, David!), I noticed that we would be finishing on the Jamestown High School track (it's a nice track actually!). Finishing on a track is great for that last kick, but there was wind blowing against us. Talk about resistance training! We ran 4 laps on that track to warm up, get that mile in! I was hoping that the organizers would reverse the finish part of the course, so that we would not run into the headwind, but that was not in the cards, oh great!

Well, the start was on a grassy, muddy patch, and away into the woods. After getting over some swampy hills over the course and jumping over some puddles, I was thankful that I did not enter as a race-walker. I just said to myself "y'all have fun with that one"! Running felt a lot better, especially as I knew that I would either DNF, because I am not used to racing and it was cold, or finish sooner (if I run slower than I walk, we got a problem)! I felt better once we got into the woods, as it was still cold, but it was not windy.

As far as my race went, I got what I expected, more or less. I was not pushing it, as I did not want to aggravate any exercise-induced asthma issues (I recovered from that, as I survived four 24-hour ultra-marathons, but running for speed or a faster pace is a different beast), so I just tried to keep it as consistent as I could. I also was recovering from a 12-miler that I did on Thursday (8:11/mile pace, which convinced me that I was somewhat ready for this one). So, I wanted to get my cardio workout in. And this is the thing: as I started race-walking, I was spending a lot of time on technique, but I would get tired during the race because I felt like I started losing some of my cardio. Even during the race, my mind knew what to do, but my body was just kind of on its own. The pace was not bad, it's the fastest I've done in years, but my cardio is definitely not where my endurance is, or at least they are not in sync. Still, my effort of 22:08 got me 1st in Male 35-39 division, so I cannot complain too much.. Oh, and the medals were awesome. I am definitely keeping this one, as I have similar ones from other trail races and ultra-marathons that I've done. Beautiful, cold, and slightly muddy day to get out and run.

The 2020 Toano Icy 8K was setting up to be a great one. With William Thompson, Patrick Wachter, and Nathaniel Peterson as competition, I was looking forward to a fast pace. The weather cooperated, as forecasted rain ended early in the morning and race weather was nearly perfect: 45 and cloudy with minimal wind. I have to admit, I was more than a bit intimidated; my 2019, and even 2018, races against these 3 were hotly contested. Will had Patrick and me running scared for the first half of the 2018 Run for the Hills 10K before we finally pulled away, and then I subsequently outlasted Pat down the home stretch to the finish. Pat was right on my heels at the 2019 Colonial Half Marathon, then beat me at the 2019 DOG Street 5K. Nate was only 4 seconds behind me at 2019's York River Park 5K. Finally, Will beat me by 26 seconds at the 2019 Christmas Town Dash 8K. It would seem we were all fairly evenly matched; the stage was set for an epic showdown.

The race started and Will and Pat unsurprisingly jumped out into the lead. I hung back with Nate for the first minute or so before working my way up to the fast starters. Will, Pat, and I hit the first mile in 5:07 and the second in 5:06.5 - so far, so good, and right on pace for my goal of breaking 25:30. After the first 180 turnaround (gotta hate those!), Patrick started to fade just a bit on the gradual uphill around the halfway point. Will and I kept pushing and hit the 3-mile mark in 15:14 (5:00.6 mile split!) with Patrick just a second or two back. I was feeling good and knew from running this race the past 5 years that the 4th mile was always the toughest and slowest, so with a massive PR hanging in the balance, I picked up the pace and passed Will, starting an almost 2-mile drive to the finish.

I was thrilled to hit the 4-mile mark in 20:23 with a 5:09 split when in the past years my 4th-mile split was always in the 5:20s or slower. I dared to peek over my shoulder and see Will looming just 5-10 seconds back. I continued to press, and the almost half-mile downhill after the 4-mile mark aided my effort. With a little less than a half mile to go, at the right turn onto Richmond Road, I stole one more glance back - I had bought myself a little more time on Will. Still, I needed to finish the deal, and I pushed on up Richmond Road to a 4:59 last 0.97 split and victory.

When it was all said and done, the race lived up to my perceived hype. Will, Pat, and I all broke my course record of 25:58 from 2019 in what had to be the most competitive CRR 8K ever. I had a shiny new PR of 25:21, which I believe to be the new all-time men's 25-29 age group 8K record, breaking Tommy Holland's 25:31 from the 1998 Ford's Colony 8K. Coming in at a lifetime-best 83.63% age grade, my 33-second PR was easily my best race ever. Many thanks to the CRR, race organizers, and competitors for the opportunity and for pushing me to my goal - many factors came together just right, and I couldn't have done it on my own.

I was glad the rain that was forecasted for the day had moved out early. The weather was absolutely perfect, but I won't lie I was a bit nervous before the race. Last year this was the race where my hip flexor issues had started until I completely aggravated it at the Colonial Half Marathon. As soon as the race started I got out a bit quick to get ahead of most of the crowd and then settled down into a good pace. I felt great with my pace for the first three miles (6:51, 6:43, 6:53 respectively). I was dreading the two turn arounds as I came upon them because I usually get slowed down a tiny bit. I made the turn arounds pretty cleanly this time around and stayed on pace. The fourth mile was a bit slower (7:20) and I was starting to feel worn out. I got a second wind once I came up on the 4 mile marker and with Jim Thornton and Sorenna Jean still in my sights I pushed the pace once again to try and catch up as much as I could. I finished with a 6:51 for the last mile. I was happy with my time of around 34:40 (which was just a minute off from my PR last year) and it's the best start to a season for me so far. I'm looking forward to the rest of this season and reaching new goals!

In 2019 there were 22 CRR Grand Prix races, plus several other races that CRR runners participated in or volunteered at. Two new races were held this year - Ram Fam 5K in March and Miles of Kindness in May - while a major change came to an old favorite - Powahatan Creek Trail 5K moved from a hot July to a cool (but still wet!) November. There were 90 course records broken this past year, with 3 of those also being overall records for that race distance and age group. Many familiar faces surrounded us on the course and at the finish line, but there were also many fresh ones. 70 new members joined CRR in 2019, giving us nearly 350 members at the current time.

We are ready for the new year, celebrating the many accomplishments from 2019 at the annual CRR Banquet in late January before the 2020 Grand Prix begins in Toano on February 1!