2018 Fairfax Four Miler

Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.

Prologue

This would be my sixth time running the Fairfax Four Miler (2010, 2014-2018).  It’s been a fun way to say good-bye to the old year before going out to celebrate the new one.

I started training for the 2019 Boston Marathon three weeks ago following the Hansons Marathon Method with some adjustments.  In the days leading up to the race, I ran a 14-mile long run on Saturday and 6 miles easy the day before.

Goals

Personal Records:

• 4 Mile PR & Course PR: 27:48 (6:57 pace) at the 2010 Fairfax Four Miler.
• Most Recent 4 Miler: 30:33 (7:39 pace) at the 2017 Fairfax Four Miler.

Likely: Sub-29:00 (7:15 pace).  Based on my time from the 2018 New York City Marathon, and my speed workout from Week 2, I thought this would be in my range.

Strategy: Run by feel and see how it goes.

Course

The course is a lollipop.  It starts by Old Town Hall in Fairfax, Virginia on University Drive.  After about Mile 0.75, the course does a loop through the George Mason University campus.  There’s a short out and back at Mile 1 and Mile 2.3.  The terrain is rolling with gentle up and downhills throughout.

There’s one water stop at Mile 2.5.  Crowd support is non-existent as the student are away on break.

Playlist

For this race, I recycled a playlist of uptempo music that I pulled together before the 2018 Alexandria Turkey Trot.

 

Pre-Race

I worked on New Year’s Eve but tried to just stay off my feet during the day.  Even though I thought it might be a bad idea, I had a salad at Sweetgreen for lunch because I didn’t want to eat anything heavier.

I left work at 4pm, got home about 45 minutes later.  Rushing to get ready for the race, I wasn’t sure what to wear.  Temperature-wise, it was warm enough for a light shirt and shorts – about 45 degrees.  But, it was raining lightly which made me think I might be cold.  I opted for a long sleeve and capri tights but packed a lighter set of clothes in my gear bag before hurrying out the door around 5pm.

The drive to Fairfax was only about 25 minutes but with the rain, I worried about traffic delays.  During the drive, I suddenly realized… I forgot my wallet!  Luckily, I’d packed my checkbook to pay for the race.

Packet pick-up and race day registration was at the Pacers store in Fairfax.  The line was a little long and by the time I got back to the car to drop off my race hoodie, race start was less than 15 minutes away!

From the garage, I jogged to the start line.  I didn’t get far before I encountered some friends from a local running club.  I hadn’t seen them in a while and stopped to chat.  One of them asked how I felt and I sincerely said, “Great!”  But when he commented on my long-sleeve, I knew I probably over-dressed.

Soon, the announcer started counting down the minutes and then seconds until the race start.  Then, we were off!

Weather

Compared to last year’s race, this weather was a dream – 46 degrees and no wind but with a light rain.

The Race

Miles 0 to 2

The race started with a slight uphill on University Drive.  My legs felt good but I wished I’d done more of a warm-up because my lungs burned a little.  After a half mile, the terrain leveled off and the course went left through a neighborhood.  Around that time, I noticed I had side stitches.  I couldn’t believe I was having them so early in the race!  The course took a right off University Drive for a short out-and-back near a parking garage.  Usually, I can cheer for my fast friends but they were too far ahead already.

Back on the main road, Patriot Circle, I started the loop part of the lollipop and knew I must have missed the first mile marker.  I checked my Garmin 645 and saw it read 1.37 miles but ignored the pace.  I lengthened my stride on the downhill.  Soon, I saw the banner for Mile 2 and realized why I missed the first – it was black.

Splits (by course): 14:52 or 7:13 pace.

Mile 2 to 3

The course climbed a little after Mile 2 so I backed off the pace.  A group of three people who had been running just behind me decided to pass.  The next out-and-back was about a quarter mile later on Mason Pond Drive.  I ran past the only water stop and felt a burst of speed.  After the turnaround, I sped up a little to re-pass the trio but found myself trapped behind them.  Another runner said, “You can pass me on the inside.”  But, I had already moved outside to go around them.

Splits (by course): 7:43.

Mile 3 to 4

When I reached Mile 3, I still felt pretty good.  A few runners passing me on the uphill but I didn’t feel the need to push harder.  Vaguely recollecting the course from past years, I thought it’s all downhill for the last half mile so I should just sit and kick.  Less than a quarter mile later, the course returned to George Mason Boulevard and just as I thought, with a half mile to go, the grade was a steady downhill except a small bump just before the finish.  With just a few feet to go, I got out-kicked by one of the girls in the trio I had passed in Mile 3!

Splits (by course): 6:54.

Post-Race

After the race, I grabbed a slice of pizza in the town hall and a carton of chocolate milk that I didn’t drink.  Back in my car, I checked the results and decided to skip the awards ceremony because I wasn’t top three in my age group.  Back home, I realized the app listed 10 year age groups but the race might have used five year.  Oh well.

Unlike previous years, I was too tired to go out for New Year’s Eve so the race was my celebration.

Result

My time was 29:29 (7:23 pace) [Log Details]. I was 142nd out of 1,222 finishers (top 12%), 32nd female out of 611 (top 6%), and 6th out of 148 in my 10 year age group (top 5%).

Epilogue

As usual, it was a well-organized race and a great way to end the running year.  And, I have my throw-away hoodie for the 2019 New York City Marathon.

As far as my time, it boosted my confidence to see it was almost the exact time that I ran two years earlier!  I thought, “You were fast in 2015.”

Next race: 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon on Saturday, March 9th. (My Complete Racing Schedule.)

Abridged Version

As usual, it was a well-organized race and a great way to end the running year.  Going into the race, I felt great!  The speed-work in the Hanson Marathon Method had my legs feeling ready to go.  I got side-stitches early in the race but ran through them.  It was a little congested in the middle miles but I navigated it.  I got out-kicked at the finish line, though.  I finished in 29:29 (7:23 pace).