Richmond Marathon Race Report

Richmond Marathon (Richmond, Virginia)

Some context:

November 10, 2012 8:00am
Weather: ~43deg at start, warming to ~60 by my finish
Race Kit: red shorts, knee high white compression socks, shoes-orange Kinvara 2s, Final Kick navy blue race singlet (on back "Stay Calm & Rock On"), white headband, bib #281 [slightly off center to my right...noticed this about 3miles into the race...how annoying]
Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins/cinnamon/honey, sweet potato with honey, sipped on Nuun, half of a Biestmilch tablet 30-minutes before the start
Bathroom visits: [too much?!...ok, ok]

...let that awesome image soak in....got it?! Okay...now the details of my very first marathon...

Minutes before race start 

Dropped my bag off and realized I had to pee again (2nd time in about 20minutes).  DJ played some inspirational music as a bunch of runners [me included] hopped over the metal barriers to get up to the front of the corral ignoring desperate pleas of the race director.  Few dynamic stretches while secretly wishing DJ would play "Call Me Maybe"...no such luck.  Gun shot...dropped to the ground [we were in Richmond - can you blame me]

Miles 1-6

Felt like this...

I'm to the left of the screen, just out of view...
[I spoke with the camera man after the race,
he assured me it wouldn't happen again...time will tell]

I was happy to get through this section of the race feeling strong because only 4 days before the race I had done a short 6-mile run that included only 3 miles at marathon pace and I couldn't wrap my head around how the hell I was going to run that pace for 24 more miles...10k split was 43:57

Miles 7-13

There were some rolling hills along this section, nothing too bad though.  This section includes a very pretty stretch along the James River that helped me stay in my happy place.  I just tried to focus on staying in control, being conservative and hitting my splits.  Legs were still feeling good, a few little aches started to crop up, but nothing that affected my pace. 

This was my head space...

This kept interrupting that head space...

Kept thinking I had to go [again] but just kept pushing on, feeling eventually went away.

13.1 mile split – 1:32:38

Miles 14-21

This was a nice stretch for me.  It included the most significant downhill and uphill section of the race and I felt strong going into the final 5-miles of the race.  There were some good areas with bigger crowds and DJs playing good music that kept me rolling. 

I kept looking down at my shirt expecting to see this...

Little did I know that I was about to enter an invisible kryptonite cloud...

20 mile split – 2:20:53

Miles 22-25.6

At this point I was about 30 seconds up my 3:05 goal finishing time and everything was going great.  I was writing my Boston Marathon qualifying speech (I could be wrong, but I dont think they have such a thing).  I knew I had a little ways to go, but my body felt strong and I felt like...BAM...I literally turned a corner [metophorically it was more like a dark alley]...but seriously...I turn onto a new street and almost instantaneously my body starts whispering..."slow down, I'm tired."  I'm like..."shut up legs" & "be water: flow" & "embrace the suck"...desparately trying any mantra I can think of.  I kept things together through the end of mile 22, pushing hard to maintain my pace.  And that's when...

...the wheels rolled off...

[In case you were wondering, I'm in car and the the wheel is the "Boston-qualifying me"]

Those last 4 miles were pretty tough.  I kept looking at my Garmin and watching my pace fall further and further behind.  I buckled down and regrouped and kept putting one foot in front of the other (albeit slowly). 

This is what my legs felt like...


Miles 25.7-26.2

The last 1/2 mile was downhill and you can really let it rip.  My quads were screaming, but I pushed hard and finished strong.  I was even able to high-five Kerry right before the finish!

Finishing time - 3:08:24 (3:24 off Boston qualifying time)

Overall, I was very happy with my race performance.  Most importantly, I finished the race and did so with a smile on my face.  I executed my race plan perfectly and everything went very well...that is until mile 22.  I'm obviously a little disappointed that I did not meet my goal time, but considering it was my first attempt and that I had an abbreviated build-up period I can't complain to much.    

It was a great experience and definitely makes me even hungrier to qualify in the future! 

It's definitely on the schedule:  me vs. marathon, round 2, date and time TBD

THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR SUPPORTING ME ALONG THE WAY!!

Now its time for some of these...

Cheers!