Richmond Half Marathon Review

I had been waiting for this race for quite a while. Having registered in March, the Richmond Marathon seemed so far in the future. I actually registered for this half marathon prior to running my first one in April. After the Charlottesville half marathon, I backed off my weekend long runs through the summer. I wanted to be able to spend more time with the family on the weekends and I didn’t have any long distance races in the near future. I told myself that I would start back with my longer runs when the Richmond race got close. Well sometimes life gets in the way. Between the Virginia 10 Miler in September and the Richmond race, I managed to only get one 8 mile or longer run completed. Even though I was still putting in 20 to 25 miles a week, I didn’t feel like I was as prepared for my second half marathon as I was for my first.

 

To make matters even more complicated, after reading “Born to Run”, I decided that I needed to tweak my running form. I wanted to stop being such a “heel striker” and run more on my forefoot. I haven’t really discussed this change with anyone. It has been something I have been slowly doing on my daily runs. I first started running with my “new” form for the first 10 minutes of my runs. Once the soreness in my calves wore off, I made myself go add a few more minutes of my changed running style. I built up the ability to run on the balls of my feet for my entire 4 mile treadmill runs. My legs didn’t agree with my new running style, but the soreness finally went away and my legs have never felt stronger. Just a couple weeks ago, I ran a 8 mile run in Bedford while exclusively using my new form. Even though I was able to do the 8 miles, I knew my legs were not going to be able to handle the new form for 13.1 miles. So I didn’t know exactly “how” I was going to mix my two running styles in order to make the full half marathon in Richmond.

With these two issues weighing heavy on my mind, the family and I set off to Richmond for the weekend. Since I knew we had to travel and pick up my race packet on Friday, I went ahead and took a day of vacation to give us plenty of time. Our friend Haley was nice enough to let us crash at her house in Richmond for the weekend. This allowed us to save a lot of money on our travel plans. So after sleeping for a couple hours on an air mattress and a few more hours on a couch, my alarm went off at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning. I jumped right out of bed, got dressed, and ate my normal pre-run breakfast of a banana and Nutella on a slice of wheat bread. Haley was also nice enough to wake up early and drop me off near the race’s starting line.

 

After walking a couple of blocks to the starting area, my next concern was trying to find the bag drop off area. I brought along a backpack with a dry set of clothes to wear after the race and my cell phone to call Anna if I couldn’t find her after the race. It was in the 30’s on Saturday morning and I was not too happy about getting rid of my fleece jacket 20 minutes before the race, but I knew I would get too hot running with it on. So with 20 minutes to go before the start of the race, I was down to my long sleeve shirt, shorts, socks, shoes, a beanie, and gloves. I don’t know if it was the nerves or the temperature, but I was definitely getting a little case of the “shakes”, while waiting for the start.

By 7:15, I had made my way to my starting group “C”. I still had 19 minutes until my wave started the race, but I knew I wanted to go ahead and get a spot before it got really crowded. The next 19 minutes seemed to take forever. The combination of nerves, cold temperatures, and anticipation didn’t make the time go by any faster. Finally at 7:30, the first wave of half marathoners was released and we started walking closer to the start line. From this point on, my nerves seemed to calm down and I was able to start enjoying the experience. At 7:34, I was off!

The first few miles were straightest, flattest miles I have ever run. I was excited about this race because of the lack of elevation change, but this was starting out more flat than I could ever have imagined. The downside to the flat route was the fact that I wanted to run faster than I should have been running. After a quick check of my pace on my watch, I had to make myself back down a little. I was running in the low 7 minute per mile pace and I knew that was way too fast at this point. Even though I made myself slow down my first mile was covered in 7 minutes and 53 seconds. Seeing this time, I made myself slow down even more. I ignored the other runners’ around me and started to enjoy the surrounds. Running down Broad Street, there were plenty of things to see and this helped me get through the next few miles.

After settling in on a good pace in the 8 minute per mile range, the next few miles seemed to go by very fast. Before I knew it, we were heading into Bryan Park. Somewhere in the park would be the halfway mark and this gave me a really good feeling. Around 55 minutes into my run, I started to eat the Gu gel pack that I had in the pocket of my shorts. Thanks to my friend Lindsey for providing me with a couple gel packs at the packet pick-up area on Friday! I slowly finished off the gel pack over the next mile of running. I don’t really like eating the gel packets, but I knew it would help me finish the last few miles strong.

Through the entire course of the race, I passed a number of special needs people being pushed in large strollers. There were teams of 4-5 people taking turns pushing these individuals through the entire half marathon course. The names of the riders were written on poster board and hung on the side of their rides. The combination of the bravery these individuals showed by taking part in the race and the determination of the team of runners helping these people was very inspiring. It was very hard for me to feel sorry for myself 8 miles into a race when possessed the physical ability to run. I made sure to encourage each of the riders by name and also say a few words of encouragement to all the running teams. Seeing these groups of people working together to bring someone else so much enjoyment was very moving. It was truly one of the most inspiring parts of the entire race.

The extraordinary people were not only limited to the runners and riders taking part in the race. There were countless numbers of bystanders that were very encouraging. There were many shouts and cheers that helped keep my feet moving. There were also many creative signs with various phrases and messages. Of course I cannot remember most of them now! I do remember one lady holding up a sign that read, “Hit here for extra energy”. I definitely switched sides of the road just to hit her sign. It didn’t work, but at least it took my mind off running for a few seconds.

Around mile 10, I hit a wall! I knew it was coming. I had set a very fast pace for myself and it had finally caught up with me. I didn’t have any pains anywhere, I was just fatigued. I was having a hard time keeping my feet turning over like they were for the first 10 miles. I knew if I wanted to post the time I was shooting for, I needed to keep my pace the same as it had been all race. I knew the last half mile of the race was downhill to Brown’s Island, so I just kept telling myself that there was only a little bit left. Rounding one of the final turns, there was a gospel band going to town on a stage just off the course. This was very uplifting and their Godly words of encouragement were just what I needed.

 

Before I knew it, I was heading downhill! The end was near and I tried to finish strong. The downhill section was more difficult that I had imagined though. My top half wanted to go faster than my bottom half could muster. So I had this feeling that I was going to fall on my face! I finally found a comfortable speed to maintain as the finish line came into sight. I had done it! I come across the line in 1 hour 49 minutes and 33 seconds. My time was just under the 1:50, which was my goal. I was very excited about reaching the goal I had set for myself even though I didn’t put in the training I had wanted to do. I was able to run about 75% of the race with my new running form. I had to revert to some bad running form a few times because my calf muscles were beginning to get very tight.

After making it to Brown’s Island, I quickly found the food. I must eat right away after long runs or I will get light headed very quickly. I was able to get a banana and a slice of Papa John’s pizza in my system. I had not seen Anna and the boys at the finish line. So I was trying to keep an eye out for them. After about 15 minutes, I was starting to get pretty cold from my wet clothes. I decided to make my way to the bag pick-up area and get my dry clothes and cell phone. I was finally able to call Anna and they ended up being less than a block away. We went back to Brown’s Island and enjoyed some more food and music.

The Richmond Marathon has been coined as “America's Friendliest Marathon”. After my experience this past weekend, I believe that is a valid description. Whether it was the volunteers, the bystanders, or the other runners, everyone was very hospitable and encouraging. Hopefully I will be able to take part in this race weekend again in the future. Now it is on to the next race for me. I just have to figure out what that race is going to be.

Charlottesville Half Marathon



After a lot of training and planning, I finally took part in my first half marathon in Charlottesville today. It went as expected for the most part. The one thing that I was not ready for was the hills. I wasn't expecting the course to be as "rolling" as it was. There were a lot more hills than I had thought there would have been. I even checked out the elevation profile of the course before hand. Here is a quick description of my race.

Getting to the Start line: Since the race started at 6:30 am, I had planned to walk from the hotel to the starting line. It was going to be just over 1.5 miles. I figured it would be a nice warm up and it would be good to get my legs loose. So, I got up at 5:00 am and quietly got dressed without waking the boys. I used some hot water from the hotel's breakfast area to make some oatmeal that I brought from home. I knew the hotel would not be serving breakfast that early, so I planned ahead. With my oatmeal in hand I set out to start my walk. After only a quarter mile, a fellow pulled over and asked if I wanted to ride to the race. I usually don't like riding with strangers, but the temperature was in the 30's and I had shorts on. So, I climbed in. He was a very nice gentleman with an eastern European accent. He was the first one to warn me of the hills on the course. He told me that he had tracked the route the day before and said that there were lots of hills. After getting to the race an hour earlier than expected, I found a seat at the bar at the Main Street Arena and watched some Sportcenter. I checked my bag at 6:00 am and started to warm up.

Mile one: The start was very crowded and everyone had to funnel through a small starting gate. I didn't try to push my way to the front of the starting group, so it took me about 4 minutes to get to the gate once the starting gun sounded. Then the runner dodging began. I zig zagged my way through slower traffic, trying not to clip anyone's feet along the way. My plan of keeping my splits in the multiple of 9 range failed at mile one. I started my iPod with the starting gun, so my first mile was clocked at over 11 minutes. So much for that plan.

Miles two and three: We passed through part of the UVA campus during these miles. It was early enough in the race that I actually just cruised and took in the sights. We passed by The Rotunda during this section of the race.

Miles three and four: I got my first water stop during these miles and almost choked myself to death. I tried to drink a cup of water without slowing down and it definitely didn't go down too good. I think some came through my nose at some point. This section of the race took us across Rt. 29 and into the horse country of Albemarle County. The course turned into a winding two lane country road. Even though the scenery was beautiful, this was the section of "rolling" hills that I was not expecting.

Miles six and seven: During the second water stop, I decided to actually walk and drink my water! Then it was off to tackle some more hills. The hardest hill came during this section of the race. Just past the top of that hill was the course turnaround. Then we got to back track the same road back into town. It was somewhat reassuring to know that no big course surprises were left. I would know all the roads that were left because we were just returning the same road for most of the remaining miles. I decided it was a good time to take a GU gel, so I started to slowly eat a packet. Even though I charged my iPod the entire night before the race, it decided to die on me. So I no longer had any way of getting split times and I didn't have a watch either.

Miles eight, nine, and ten: It was during these miles that my legs really started to tighten up on me. I felt like I was really struggling to keep the same pace I had been running for the first half of the race. Coming into the race, I told myself that I was going to keep a consistent pace through 10 miles and then kick it up a notch for the final three. I was really starting to question whether or not I was going to be able to do that now.

Miles eleven, twelve, and thirteen: These were the miles that I had planned to really push my pace. But when I finally got to this section of the race, I had hardly anything left in my tank. I tried to pick up my pace, but my legs would just not move any faster. Coming into the race I had a primary goal of just finishing the race. My secondary goal was to run a sub two hour race. It was at this point in the race I really started to doubt that I would accomplish my secondary goal. I felt like my pace was already falling off and according to my iPod during the first few miles, my pace wasn't too good to start with. So, I concentrated on just finishing the race as well as I could.

The Finish: The finish line really snuck up on me. I didn't see the 13th mile marker and I thought we had a few more hills to run. But as I turned a corner, the finish line was in site and to my surprise, the clock read 1:51. I was going to make my sub 2 hour race after all. So, I pushed myself through the finish line. My gun time was 1:54:07 (8:43 pace) and my chip time was 1:50:55. I was so happy that I accomplished both of my prerace goals. Then I heard Eli shouting "Daddy". I turned around and saw Anna and the boys coming down the sidewalk. They had made from the hotel the finish line in time to see me cross. Eli snapped the picture below and then drank my free chocolate milk. Coy enjoyed my post race banana. It was great to be able to do my cool down walk with Anna and the boys.

I consider the entire race weekend a success. I met both of my personal goals while completing my first half marathon on a very challenging course. Plus I got to hang out with Anna and the boys.

Eli took this picture with his camera!

Random Thoughts

Thoughts before my first half marathon:

While thinking of a topic to use for my inaugural “Random Thought Thursday” post, the first thing to come to mind was my first half marathon this weekend. Thoughts on this topic have been dominating my mind all week anyway. Why not write about a few of these emotions? As I wrote in my latest post, this half marathon has been a goal of mine since last year. I have been anxiously waiting for this weekend to get here for some time. But now that it is so close, three distinct questions have been on my mind. What do I need to do this week to get ready for Saturday? What is my plan for the actual race? What do I do once this much anticipated goal has been met, or not met?

I have raced in three different races since last November, but they all had something in common. They were all local races, which allowed me to sleep in my own bed the night before. This weekend is going to be different. Since the race is in Charlottesville and since the start time is 6:30 am, there is no way I can stay at home the night before. In preparation, I reserved a hotel room in Charlottesville weeks ago. So this race is technically a destination race, even though it is only about a couple hours from my house. This requires additional planning and packing. Back when I use to play football, I was that guy that would check his travel bag 100 times to make sure all the important stuff was there. My biggest fear was that I would get to the away game, only to realize that my helmet as back in our locker-room.  I have already made a list of gear and clothing I need to pack, which items I need to take with me to the starting line, and which items I can leave in the car. I am very happy that Anna and boys are going to be able to come too. But as any parent would know, taking a trip with kids brings stress too. Plus, Anna and the boys will be leaving the hotel after me and will probably need to checkout too. I am trying not to get too worried about the logistical details of our trip, but it is almost impossible not get a little stressed.

So that leaves me to start thinking about the actual race itself. Once all the planning and packing are finished and I actually have to run the longest race I have ever run. Since I am new to the running world, I do not know enough about planning a race to be too worried. I have told myself that I was going to just run at a comfortable pace with my only goal of actually finishing the race. But the competitive person I am, I can’t help but shoot for a specific time in my head. Since any time would be a personal record for me in the half marathon, I shouldn’t be too concerned with meeting any set time goal for myself. I use my iPod as my watch when I run. It works pretty well for me because I can hit a single button and the nice computer voice tells me my time. So, I am going to use my rule of 9’s when keeping up with my pace. I am sure someone probably already coined this term, but I like the way it sounded. So, I am going to try to set my pace so that every mile split is a multiple of 9, or less. So after mile 1, my split should be 9:XX, followed by mile splits of 18, 27, 36, etc. Hopefully that will get me to over 10 miles with enough energy to push myself a little bit more in the last few miles. Plus, it is easy enough to keep track of while huffing and puffing down the road.

So hopefully all my logistical and race planning will lead me to accomplish my ultimate goal of completing a half marathon. Which leads me to my last question, what next? This is the one question I am not going to stress out about too much. I have actually already signed up for a 5k trail race next Saturday, but I did it more for experience of running through an apple orchard (more on that race to come in later posts). I just plan to take a couple easy runs next week to try and help my legs get over any soreness. Other than this race, I have signed up for one more trail race (10k) in May. So after those two races, I am going to continue to get my weekly runs. But more importantly, I am going to enjoy my summer with Anna and the boys. If I miss a run, I miss a run. I will not get overly concerned as long as I missed the run due to a family function and not due to laziness.  I do want to try and ride my bike more this summer and also start a little weight training. Once the end of summer comes around, I will concentrate on getting ready for the Virginia 10 Miler in September.

So, as long as I can get to the starting line at 6:30 am on Saturday, everything should work out. I will continue to try to not sweat the small stuff and try to enjoy the experience. Hopefully I will have great stuff to write about when we return home.