Vermont City Half Marathon

Burlington, VT

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Wow, just wow!  Super thrilled with this race!  Sure, I could lament the fact that I had signed up for the Vermont City Marathon, as in full not half, and it was reduced to a half (at same full price) as a victim of COVID, or I could choose to be positive and count my blessings that it was held at all, especially given that several other fall marathons were canceled outright.  Yeah, I'll go with the latter and focus on the silver linings, thank you very much.

Race day minus 1:  Went to the small but well run mandatory expo and packet pickup the day before.  This was the first time ever that I was requested to show my vaccination card.  No problem at all.  In fact, at first Jana and I inadvertently went to the wrong sign in table, and showed up at a vaccination clinic.  Reservations were not required, and Jana asked me if I wanted to get our booster shots while we were there.  I didn't want to take any chances at all with side effects pre-race, so I declined.  (N.B. - we have our boosters scheduled for November 1 back in RI.)

Due to COVID supply chain issues, shirts were not available for us and would be mailed.  Again, no problem, but I'm sorry for the extra mailing costs imposed on the organizers.  It was nice to get the bib the night before, as I could attach it to my race shirt and have everything laid out and ready to go.  One less thing to worry about race morning.

Before going to bed, I have my bib
pinned to my race shirt and gear check bag
ready to go.

Went to bed rehearsing my race strategy, target mile splits (with a small buffer built in), and parts of the course including the one significant climb (125') at Mile 7.  Went over them in my mind including calculations at slightly different paces, until I just fell asleep.  Does anyone else do that?  (Mental focus or perhaps obsessive focus on race aspects, that is, not the fall asleep part.)

Race day prep:  With race start at 8am, and only 1/3 mile away from the hotel, I felt comfortable setting my alarm for 6:15am, and even hitting snooze once for another 9 minutes.  I don't need a lot of sustenance for a half-marathon, but I do need something.  Went downstairs to grab and toast a bagel and get an orange juice, which I later learned cost me $14!  Oh well, it was convenient and available.  Had many trips to the bathroom (TMI?) as this was certainly a race that I was very nervous about and had perhaps over analyzed and planned out in my head, probably giving myself undue stress in the process.  Took Brady out to take care of his morning business as well, and then as Jana was going to the fitness center, I took my leave for a short warmup to the start, plus a little extra (ended up with 1.6 miles warm-up).  As it was 36° and I would be wearing a singlet and short shorts for the race, I kept my quarter-zip on for as long as I could, and then about ten minutes pre-race placed it in a pre-check bag and dropped it off at bag check.

Race - southern loop (Start to Mile 7):  At precisely 8:06am, my wave took off.  (Wave 1 at 8:00 was for relay runners running an overlapping but different 5 mile loop; Wave 2 at 8:03 was for wheelchair racers.)  I had lined up in row 3, as I had zero desire to blast out with the leaders, and it was a chip-timed race.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the local and state police had blocked and closed the roads to automobile traffic.  Yes!

Start of the 2021 Vermont City Half Marathon:
Can you see me in the race?
(From race FB page)

How about now?
I am quickly dropped back to about Row 5, as runners blast past me.  That's OK, I told
myself, just run my own race.  As you can see, the guys ahead of me are just a "few"
years younger than me anyway.

In Mile 1, I felt I like I was both cold and struggling.  The first mile in a half or full is always a struggle for me to set a consistent pace and it usually gets a little easier from there.  Although in this case I was targeting a very aggressive pace, one that I had never run before in the dozen or so half marathons I've run to date.  Specifically, my "A" goal was a PR, which means I had to beat the 6:06 average pace I ran in the 2014 Surftown Half Marathon (1:20:47).  Thus my target pace today was 6:00-6:05.  I'm seven years older now and pushing 60; is this even possible?

Mile 1 split was a 5:56.  OK, but I have a long ways to go and don't know if my target pace will be sustainable.  About this time a tall younger guy starts running side-by-side with me, and this definitely helps.  On hill climbs, I drop back, and on hill descents, I go ahead of him.  Assuming you're familiar with my running strengths and weaknesses, hardly a surprise there, right?

In Mile 2, I momentarily panic as my average lap pace rises up to 6:10.  Am I out of contention for a PR?  Should I focus instead on my "B" goal, sub-1:23?  Fortunately, I push myself and get my pace back down, and the next three miles on neighborhood roads tick off nicely:  6:03, 5:59, 6:00.  5K official split (timing mats) is 18:11, which is fast for me even in a 5K race these days, never mind in a half marathon.

I make a mental observation that unlike at the Jamestown Half Marathon, the Burlington community really supports this race!  Besides so many people at the start cheering us on, and roads being closed, another factor I noticed as a difference is unlike Jamestown where virtually no one was cheering us on (other than start/finish), there were many houses here in Burlington where even on this relatively cold morning the local residents were out in front of their houses cheering on runners, putting up signs, etc.  Do I need fan support?  Probably not.  Do I appreciate fan support?  Absolutely!  I believe it pumps you up and often leads you to slightly pick up the pace.

I chuckled as I went past one sign in a homeowner's yard that originally stated:

• Please slow down.

And was hand-modified to:

• Runners, please do NOT slow down!

Yes, I'm easily amused.  Anyway, in Mile 5, we take a sharp left turn off roads and onto the Burlington Bike Path, where we'll spend the next two miles.  This is where my running partner of the last three miles pulls ahead.  The Bike Path is fast, for sure, and a slight downhill in this mile, but still, I am already running a 5:55 pace for this mile and I feel I can't risk going with him as I might blow up later in the course if I push much harder.  There is one 200' section of the Bike Path that is under construction and is dirt and there are marshals along here advising of the change in surface and change in grade, but as a trail runner, this was just nothing to me.

Along the bike path,
while running sub-6 pace.

Mile 6 ends this section of Bike Path running, heads back into the downtown streets, and starts the biggest and really only significant hill on the course at a climb of 125'.  Mile 6 split 6:04.  Towards the end of Mile 6 is a water stop, and this seems like a good time to take my only GU, which is actually a challenge because I have to momentarily take off one glove to unzip my shorts pocket, make sure I don't drop the glove, take out my GU, and open the GU, all while racing.  

Towards the end of this Bike Path section,
with Lake Champlain behind me

In Mile 7, the hill is fairly gradual, as the climb lasts for 1/2 mile.  It's actually a pretty neat mile.  The three-block section right through Church Street Marketplace is really cool, and then turning onto Cherry Street it's a slight downhill past our hotel, with Lake Champlain in full view ahead and drummers playing at a small park.  Going past the hotel, I see Jana and Brady on my left.  I am really tempted to call out to Brady, but as I know that will make things difficult for Jana as he would undoubtedly whine and tug on the leash, I refrain from doing so.  End of Mile 7.  Because of the hill, this will be my slowest mile.  6:17.

Approaching Jana & Brady towards the end of Mile 7
(Pics by Jana)

Now heading on to the north half of the course.
Even the main thoroughfares are completely closed.

Race - northern loop (Mile 8 to finish):  OK, the race is half over now.  The next two miles are on a fairly nondescript straight road (North Road), with a mix of older homes, multi-tenant homes, and small businesses.  There is very little fan support in this section.  Mile 8 is a disappointing 6:08.  This was a flat mile with nothing exciting and I just naturally slowed down.  6:08 is not going to cut it, I tell myself gruffly.  I need to double down and re-focus.  Then I see the trail cutoff that Brady and I took yesterday and the thought pops in my head to end this hard work and jump off into the trail and have fun.  No!  Stop those thoughts.

Rounding the same intersection
as above photos taken by Jana,
as I start the northern loop
---
Drummers to my left

Mile 9 is a slight downhill and that helps me to get back into the game.  I finish the mile in 5:55.  That's more like it!

At the start of Mile 10, I am relieved to see that we turn off the main busy road partially open to traffic, even though we had plenty of room with a cordoned off lane.  We're back into a residential neighborhood, with a number of residents out cheering.  At one corner, there is a mini-block party going on with at least 20 people cheering on runners and as I go by, they are blasting out The Rolling Stones' "Can't Get No Satisfaction".  Awesome!  I give them a thumbs up, as I am certainly getting satisfaction out of that!

And speaking of satisfaction, shortly after going past the party house, look who I see in front of me - it's the tall, younger guy that I ran lockstep with for Miles 2 - 4 before he pulled away!  Towards the end of Mile 10, I pull right up to him.  Should I run with him again?  No, I use the inertia I have just to pass him and keep going.  Mile 10 6:01.  Official timing at 10M is 1:01:11, 31 seconds faster than my fast Blessing 10-Mile race time this year!  (Although I didn't know that at the time.)

We turn left back onto that same busy road (North Road), but fortunately in 1/10 mile we turn off for the road for good and into a park (Leddy Park).  I am very surprised when the pavement ends and we're on a dirt trail.  The section is so short (1/10 mile?) and what's actually more of a factor is after running in bright sunshine it's almost dark in here and my eyes are having trouble adjusting.  We exit the park onto a short section of road, and after a very wide turn, we are back on the Bike Path, where we will be for the remainder of the race.  I catch and pass another old guy here, and hope I stay ahead of him now.  Mile 11 split 5:59.

Apparently, Binney was the "old guy" that I passed here, 
and based on these post-race comments, I'm sure glad I did.
(He is "only" 52, so not in my age group, but I'm still happy to win 50+!)

I only have two miles to go, but I am really tiring now and can feel it and am breathing pretty hard.  One runner just blows by me, and since he's obviously decades younger than me, it's easy to dismiss, but I need to re-focus again, especially as I see Mile 12 split is a 6:07.  Ugh.  Come on!  Get it together, would you?

Final mile.  Come on!  Push it!  I neither pass anyone nor get passed here, and just keep telling myself to push hard despite the fatigue.  I can hear the sounds from the race finish and announcer now, and that helps.  I hear my watch beep Mile 13, but it's a ways before I can even see the Mile 13 marker.  Oh yeah, that effect of I will be running more than 13.11 miles.  The course naturally is NOT long as it's certified, but I cannot run a straight line with tangents for 13.11 miles!  How much of a factor will this be?  I'm concerned as despite all my pre-race analysis and planning, I failed to factor in an estimate of how much more distance I will run.  Mile 13 split is 5:56.

Around the next bend I see the Mile 13 marker, and shortly thereafter I see the barriered off entry to the park and finish line.  Running across the grass, I hear my name and "Westerly, Rhode Island" and I see the clock ticking "1:19:5x".  While I unfortunately cannot get under 1:20 (barely), I am super psyched knowing I broke my PR!

Final stretch ...

Giving it all I have.

And I'm done.
Pretty cool finish line electronic board above me!

Final results:  1:20:01.  17th overall out of 430.  Lifetime PR!  2nd master.  1st 50+.  1st in age group (55-59).  Full results here.

While I got a lot of support from my Strava running friends,
Bob's analysis and comments here made my day!

As soon as I cross the finish line, a race official walks up to me and asks me my age.  I am panting and have trouble speaking anything multi-syllabic, and just grunt "Fif ... ty  ...", and then he cuts me off, and says "You're fifty years old?".  So I try again:  "Fif ... ty ... sev ... en".  He asked "57?", and I said "Yes".  Then he just said, "Holy cow!".  

I'm hoping he meant the "Holy cow!" as in that's a good time for my age, and not out of surprise that I'm still alive and kicking at my advanced age.  He hands me two cards, which state to come back for awards ceremony at 10:15am, and that I likely but not guaranteed came in 2nd master and 1st veteran.  

I exit the finishing area, and catch up with my big supporters, Jana and a very excited Brady, on the grass field.  But I soon get cold and as it's about a 50-minute wait before awards ceremony, so I go to claim my quarter-zip pullover and also go back to get a heat shield.  Between those two items and the brilliant sunshine, I stay warm enough even with temps likely only up to about 40° by now.

The awards ceremony is fairly short in that they don't go through all the age groups, and only have awards for top 3 overall, top 3 masters (I'm 2nd), and top 50+ (I'm first, but only because I passed that 52-year old at Mile 11), and top 60+.  What is unique about the awards ceremony is that they interview each of the first two categories (top 3 overall, top 3 masters).

Immediately post-race with Brady.

On the podium.  2nd master!
(from race FB page)

Awards ceremony:  I didn't know I would be "interviewed".

Didn't know what to answer for the "any training tips"

question or want to come across as pedantic,

so just answered positively about the race course.

I got my bling.  Now I'm getting cold.  Time to head out.
What a great day!

I'm very happy (in fact ecstatic!) with my results on their own merit, but just for curiosity, since age-graded results were listed as well, I decided to check out where I stood in that regard in the pecking order:

1st overall out of all 430!  Just ahead of the overall 1st place male and female finishers.
I know, age-grading is not a perfect science, but let me go with it.  Just adds to my happiness with today's race.

When I check my time reported the next day (race day is two pics above),
versus my time when I checked today one day after the race (pic immediately above),
there is a difference.  It's one second, so no big deal.
As long as they don't add one second every day, I'm still very happy!

Overall, a great race venue, very well organized race, and enthusiastic volunteers.   As for my own race, almost unbelievable that I came away with an all-time PR seven years after the last one, and by 46 seconds at that!  I've been scratching my head as to how is that possible.  Some factors that I believe contributed in a positive manner:

• I'm seven pounds lighter than I was a year ago, 20 pounds lighter than I was when I started running in my late 30s, and I am at my lightest weight now since high school almost 40 years ago.  (Maybe the 7 pounds was the chunk they took out of my head in surgeries this year?!)
• This is MY kind of running weather!  At 36°, some racers added an extra layer up top, and/or a pair of tights, and maybe a wool hat.  Don't get me wrong, I also added extra clothing, but my extra clothing consisted exactly of a pair of very lightweight running gloves.  Sure, I was cold standing around in my short shorts, thin singlet, and thin gloves, and also cold for the first mile, but then felt great!
• Being in the middle of marathon training.  (Remember, this WAS supposed to be my fall marathon.)
• I really wanted this PR and pushed hard to get it.  This was not a walk in the park for me.  Several times I just naturally slowed to 6:1x pace, and during those points it would have been so easy to just readjust my goals and accept a slower outcome (as I've done at races many times), but this time I just dug down deep and pushed myself mentally and physically.