This brings us to 2014-2015. I had seen the Festival of Lights 5k advertised over the years, but never had the chance to run it, as it is usually at 3pm, and the 10k has traditionally been at 1pm. This year, they moved the 10k due to issues caused by runners of the 10k course cutting it short and just doing the 5k. It would seem some of them may have had a bit to drink before the race and things went south early. To help reduce this type of issue, they moved the race to 10am, giving me a change to do the 5k later that evening. Yes, that would be a 10k, then 4 hours later a 5k, some partying, and then a 5k at 10am the next morning. It would seem that this was not hard core enough, as a few of my coaching partners pointed out a 4 miler at 6pm that they were running, and would I like to join them. They added something about being really impressed if I added that race. Who could say no, right? (other then a sane person).
New Years Eve Eve
Tuesday I ran around gathering all of my packets, minus the 10k packet, which could only be picked up Monday or on race day, and I missed Monday. I first grabbed the Reston 5k packet and headed out to Fairfax Corner for the Festival 5k packet. There I met the race director Michelle Newkirk. We had a chat on the race, where I heard about it, and my thoughts on the course. She also pointed out a possible 11:30pm race that I might add. In that same direction of thought, we talked about possibly doing a medal for people who do the four races. This would mean organizing between her (a small race), PRR, Pacers, and Ringing in Hope. I think it is a great idea, and I hope we can start those discussions and see if we can make it happen. At this point it was off to Pacers in Fairfax for the last packet, where I met a fellow Dopey runner behind the register. Dopey is a set of races at Disney (5k/10k/half/full) that are run on consecutive days at the beginning of January. In this case, eight days after I finished this craziness.New Years Eve
I had the benefit of the day off, so I slept in a bit, waking up at 8:30, getting dressed for the race, and walking the dogs. A quick caffeine hit from my normal morning source (Diet Pepsi) and off I went. My goal for the races was to use feel versus pace to run each race. This way I shouldn't push too hard trying to get a specific time or if I thought I was going too fast or slow. The watch would only be used for the final results and future data.Ringing in Hope 10k
The Brambleton course is a 5k course, where the 10k takes two laps. When I got there, it was cold enough to still need tights and a jacket, which is rare for me in races. The line for packet pickup was short, as I got there with 25 minutes left before the race. I grabbed my bib and went out to warm up. The 5k was released first, with a 10 minute buffer before they released us. At the start line, we listened to a local singer do an amazing job of the National Anthem, and then we were off. The race started with a climb up a long hill, then through the neighborhood. About three quarters of the way through, we started to catch the middle of the pack/end of the pack 5k runners, forcing us to weave a bit more then we wanted. At the 2.9 mile marker, the course split, with the 5k runners (and those 10kers that wimp out) turn left to the finish as the 10k runners keep going back around the course. I was warmed up at this point and pushed the pace a little more, as I felt good. The second pass around, we had a little out and back at the top of the hill to make up the .1 additional on the 10k. At the end of the race, I ended up doing what I normally do, which is not let anyone pass me, and sprint to the end. I also planned to jump and hit the Finish sign, but timed it wrong and almost tripped. All in all, it was a good start to the day, with a 47 minute finish. Now for breakfast, a change of clothes and a beer.
Adroit Theroy
My wife and I are members of a local brewery Adroit Theory, which is known for doing single barrel experiments that are very unique and usually dark. Today was their end of the year party, and final release for members. I headed there to grab our last set of beers of the year, and a growler of their Strong Ale. It was crowded, with food and beer flowing like water. I grabbed our beers and headed to the front for the growler. As I finished paying for it, the keg kicked, so I had to choose another beer. They had just featured a new ale, and thought I might like it instead. They gave me a glass to try. It tasted far too much like Bud or Miller, and after the glass I decided to go with the safe Saison. I grabbed some of their new marinade sauce and headed to Bull Run for the 5k.Festival of Lights 5k
The 5k was held at the Bull Run park, right next to the outdoor shooting range. It also used part of the Festival of Lights path. It was warm enough that I didn't need a jacket and could move to capris.
The course started near the main Festival, just south of the Ferris wheel. It did two loops around a sharp hill, then it released out to the Festival path for an out and back. For this start, they used a recording of the National Anthem, with the sound of gunshots from the shooting range in the background. It was surreal to say the least. We were then released up the hill. This path was gravel, so I took the edge where there was grass for better footwork and stability. I didn't see a reason to waste energy trying to push through gravel. After the first loop, I heard Michelle yell toward me, saying hi, and asked if I went to get a beer before the race, which I replied yes, and told her I had more in the car.
After the first two loops, I pushed down the Festival path. Again, running by feel alone, I kept my breathing under control and what I felt was threshold pace. At the turn I started cheering for everyone behind me, though no one seemed to want to high five. The last bit was back uphill, and then sprinting to the finish. The field here was only 106, which was great, and allowed for very little bunching during the race. I ended up with a finish of 22:48, a minute off my fastest time, but still good enough for a first place in my age group. After talking a bit with a few racers who would also be at the 4 miler, and giving my feedback to Michelle, I headed off to Fairfax City for the last race of the day.
Fairfax 4-miler
Once in Fairfax City, I parked in the closest parking garage and changed clothes. It had gotten cold again, and I needed to put the tights back on, and use a new, dry jacket. I was also a bit tired, with sore legs and just a tired feeling. While the total distance will be a half marathon by days end, the continual starting and stopping was taking its toll. After changing, I headed out to the starting area to see if I could find a few friends, but only running into the guy I met at the Festival 5k. Unlike the last race, there were 1700 runners for this night time race. To keep things festive, I put on my Frosty hat, because you can never have enough frosty.
The race started on time and up a hill. To avoid closing most of Fairfax City, the race used the George Mason campus as its course. It was mostly lit, with a few places that were dark, on uneven asphalt. I purposely started in the middle of the pack, to allow myself to warm back up, and to keep me from trying to stay with the lead pack.
This didn't work out as well as I had hoped, as the darkness meant a higher chance of tripping over people, and the head/hand lamps people had were very detracting. After we entered the campus I pushed to get ahead of the middle group to get more space to breathe. This also allowed me to see the strangest of runners. With a mile and a half left, a guy passed me at a decent rate of speed. I then ran into him again a few minutes later walking. Again he passed at a fast clip, but this time I saw him stop and start walking. Each time he did this interval, the sprinting became shorter and shorter, until he never caught back up to me. With a mile to go, I felt tired and didn't want to push hard to the end, so against my inner competitor, I watched as people started to pass me. Not many did, but those that passed caused a pain in my ego. As we got to the top of the last hill, you could see the finish line, and at this point, a guy charged past me. My ego couldn't take it any more, and I sprinted to catch up, then pass him, as well as a few others that had passed me earlier. So much for keeping a steady pace.
After a piece of pizza and some water, I headed back to the car, as I was freezing. It would seem I didn't have much energy left to keep myself warm, so tomorrow would be interesting. Once home, I showered, changed, and Sallie and I headed out for parties.
Some time after 1am, we got home and went to bed, knowing that we would only have a few hours of sleep before tomorrow's race.
New Years Day
Sallie woke up a few hours before the race, with the intent of eating breakfast. I chose to sleep in, and with an hour left to the race, I got up, changed into my running clothes and headed off. I was sore and still a bit tired from yesterday, so it was run by feel again. Our intent was to meet Nate from DTP there, run the race, and then get a drink.
Reston New Years Day 5k
When we got there, it was a bit windy and cold, so we quickly warmed up and headed to the start. I ran into a bowling friend Chris and his family who were running the race together. We talked a bit and then each continued to warm up. Then it was off to the actual start line. I ran into Shannon Doherty there, and then Coach Tonya from DTP Ashburn. We talked about, and by the end Tonya pointed out that, even after yesterday, she expected me to beat her. I disagreed, and started to talk about the Bills with a fellow runner when they started the race. I should have been paying attention, as I was not a bit behind and in the middle of the pack. For this race, that is bad because it is crowded. I quickly picked up the pace to get some room, but it was still crowded as we hit the turn. Tonya was still ahead of me, and I waved and she went by, point that fact out.Saying that, I then caught her 3 minutes later. We chatted for a few and I started to pull ahead. As we got to the last mile, where there was a water stop, the woman ahead of me decided to get water at the last minute and stopped. We almost collided and she dropped the water and started running to avoid the collision. As we rounded the towncenter and up the last hill, I picked up the pace a bit more. I knew we had a downhill finish, and my legs were warmed up and wanting more, so at the top of the hill I sprinted to the end, jumping to hit the finish line. Sallie finished a bit later, commenting on how she will never again drink a lot the night before a race. We then spent time looking for Nate, and when we did not find him, we headed to World of Beer for a New Years Day lunch and beer.
A fun 24 hours of racing, and I look forward to trying it again next year!
Happy New Year Everyone
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