From: Chris Smith (cswriter@adelphia.net)
Subject: Chatham, Virginia, 5K race report
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 16:32:09 GMT

Chatham (Virginia) 5K race benefitting area charities
Saturday, Oct. 12, 9:30 a.m. start
Number of participants: 150 in the 5K, approx. 50 in 1 mile run
Winning times: 17:09
My result: 23:57, 42nd place overall, 2nd in 45-49 age group.

This race probably will never be surpassed as the most convenient event
of my running life: the start/finish line is less than a block from my
front porch, and the final stretch of the race happens directly in front
of my house. Chatham is in extreme south-central Virginia, a town with
fewer than 2,000 residents but with more than enough charm and history
to go around.

The weather at race time: overcast and about 65F degrees. I switched my
marathon-training long run this week (half-marathon distance) to
Wednesday and rested Thursday-Friday to accommodate the 5K race, the
only official race event all year in the town. So, in effect, I am
sliding into my two-week taper toward Marine Corps Marathon a little
early.

The course for the 5K is highly varied, beautiful and challenging, a
mostly tree-lined, winding loop in neighborhoods just west and then east
of Main Street.. Starting near a corner of Main (which is the "business"
portion of Highway 29 through town), the first third of a mile is
slightly downhill to flat through a business and then residential
neighborhood, followed by a sharp uphill quarter-mile through the campus
entrance of a local military school. Thankfully, the rest of mile 1 and
almost all of mile 2 is flat to very slightly rolling terrain.

At about 1.5 miles, runners enter the campus of another private school
in town, this one more wooded, and there's a peaceful third of a mile on
a two-track dirt and gravel road, very easy running indeed. The rest of
mile 2 took us through the paved, circling drive out of the campus, and
back onto town streets. Mile 3 is a bear: very slight uphill for a bit,
then more steeply uphill until a turn generally toward the finish at
about 2.5 miles.....a deceptive two or three tenths of a mile flat to
down a gentle hill, then a turn to face a very steep uphill (the town's
favorite sledding hill in snow season) for a block back to Main Street,
then a 90-degree turn left onto (thankfully) flat asphalt for the last
two-tenths of a mile to the finish line.

The two short but difficult uphill blocks (in mile 1 and mile 3) and the
half-mile slight but steady rise at the start of mile 3 have made this
course an excellent addition to my training runs in recent weeks. They
made the race challenging to say the least.

I had a typical early breakfast of cereal, coffee, juice and a bagel and
was dressed and ready for the race more than an hour early.....no
problem since it's a 2 minute walk from my front porch to packet pickup,
so I came back to the house to pin on my number and drop off the goodie
bag..

I felt somewhat creaky, especially my left knee, during my pre-race
warmup jog of about 800m, but after the jog and some mild stretching all
was well. Start was reasonably smooth, with lots of high school age
runners bolting down the hill and leaving some nice space for the rest
of us to get into a rhythm.

I had the pleasure of running along with my brother for the first couple
of miles, and we hit the 1 mile marker at 7:45, the second mile marker
at 15:45, and turned the corner for the gritty ascent back to Main
Street. I pushed ahead and was running alone for most of the last mile
and a tenth, and passed about half a dozen runners during that stretch.
A final steep hill and then a turn onto Main Street, and I felt better
than expected. Past my house and cheering family members on the porch.
When I turned the final corner for the last few yards to the finish
line, I could see the clock ticking dangerously close to my 24:00
goal....23:47....23:48....and I had enough gas left to turn on the jets
and hit the finish in 23:57, a PR. The winner in my age group finished
in just over 19:00 I think, so there was a big gap from first to second
in the group.

I was a little surprised to get a trophy for second in my age group (my
brother was third), but I think there were only about a dozen men in the
40-49 group....but it was fun, I have to admit, to hear my name called
among the "winners." Accomplishing the sub-24 was my real prize--hey, I
also won a door prize, a black Runners World gym bag.

Volunteer support and race organization were good, with well-marked
turns, more than enough people and supplies at the two fluid stations--I
was well-hydrated in advance and didn't take any liquids during the
race, and I felt not slowing to drink really helped me stay in rhythm.
Plenty of water, fruit, fig newtons and sandwiches after the race, both
for runners and spectators.

It was more than fun after the race to be able to walk one block and sit
on my front porch! Woohoo!

Chris