Sunday, November 18, 2012

Race Day Richmond: Part 2

Yesterday I ran a nice easy 3.5 miles and did the stair machine for 20 minutes.  I tried to take a full week of recovery but only made it 5 days...And it felt great!! 

Ok back to recap:  The marathon start time was 8 am with the 8k and half marathon starting earlier.  We were only 7 miles away from the start so we figured if Danny dropped us off close to the start with 30 minutes to spare we would be good to go but our GPS took us 2 miles past the start and put us on W. Broad St. instead of E. Broad St.  Due to major road closures we were unable to get back to the start and at one point we ended up on the actual race course around mile 2 in our Suburban!!!  At this point Angel said "lets just run to the start".  So we had a nice brisk 2 mile warm up before the race even started.  We met a nice man on the way to the start who had the same issues we were having and agreed that this was a little chaotic.  It was very crowded and confusing to get into the corral and we were in the portapotty mid squat when we hear the announcer say "1 minute until race start"!!  Talk about adrenaline rush...luckily everyone in Richmond is SUPER friendly and supportive and the fellow runners open the gate so we snuck into the corral.  There was no time for race day jitters which was a positive!  I hit the 5K mark at 21:04 and told myself to SLOW down but when you are running with all the speedy people around you and heading downhill it is hard to slow down (rookie mistake).  At mile 6 I saw Katherine from NeonBlondeRunner.com and she gave me the boost I needed at this point.  She also was so gracious and opened her home to a lot of the NYC runners as well as had an amazing pre-race carb dinner on Friday night!  I have been following her blog since last year and am so glad we finally got to meet!  She is full of positive energy and so sweet!  Thanks Katherine!! 

Ok so from mile 6 to mile 16 is were it gets a little blurry!  After mile 6 is a big downhill then the "rollers" start.  Here in Delaware especially Middletown area it is fairly flat and unfortunately this training cycle I lacked hill training...I normally enjoy hills but mentally I was not prepared for them either.  This stretch of the race is also the most beautiful and you run past the James River and through gorgeous foliage and houses. 




I saw Danny at the halfway mark and apparently I looked like crap!  I was fighting my mental demons at this point and finally decided to suck it up and enjoy the race and all the amazing people around me! 
Feel the pain!
Uphill
 
Angel at the half
Mile 17-18 we crossed over the Leigh Bridge which was flat and beautiful!  The crowd support was amazing and I loved seeing all the creative signs....My fav "crapping your pants is a possibility!".  That made me laugh.  I hit the 20 mile mark in 2:35 and then started to walk the water stops and took some Honey Stingers for fuel.  I was on pace to get my goal time but mentally I began to bargain with myself.  From mile 20 to the finishline it was fairly flat and fast.  Katherine came out and ran with me for a few at mile 22 which was so kind of her!  The last .20 is straight downhill.  I just kept saying to myself  "if you fall, tuck and roll".   I knew I had a BQ (Boston qualifier) and this was a PR but I wanted to get a much better time...I will get my goal hopefully in January! 

The finishline was in a perfect spot and Anthem put on a great after party!  Look at that scenery!  I love the medal too:


LOVE my Mizunos!!!

They had the best massage therapist at the finish...His name was Norm and he should be at all the marathons around the world!
I also saw Katherine at the finishline and had the chance to meet Meggie who also races for Oiselle.
This was an amazing experience and I would love to redeem myself here at this race again.  I feel the course was challenging but yet fun and fast.  The people alone are worth coming to run this race.  Richmond is beautiful and the weather was perfect!  I hope to be back and catch up with some more VA runners very soon.
Flower from hubby!


I highly recommend this race...Make sure you train for hills and allow plenty of time for travel.  I would get there early Friday and drive to the race start or stay closer to the start of the marathon.  Also allow plenty of time to get to your corral on race day. 

See ya in the future Richmond!

Happy Running!

6 comments:

  1. Stacey, you ran an incredible finishing time on a pretty challenging course (I am a hill wimp and although I'm sure people would argue with me, I think Richmond is pretty rolly/hilly!)

    Loved seeing you at mile 6 and mile 22/23, you were so upbeat during your race, I couldn't believe it.

    Stil can't believe we didn't get a photo together! This means we will just have to reunite again at a future race :) Can't wait to be fully healed and do some more marathons! Maybe I'll see you (me as a spectator) at the Rehoboth half :)

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    1. I agree with you! Haha I always try to stay positive and remind myself why I run!

      Yes heal up so maybe we can catch up and run! I would love to see ya at Rehoboth and we can grab a bit to eat after!

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  2. Nice race! And what a fantastic time!

    I always have those "blurry" miles during a marathon too. Those exact miles seem to change for each race, though!

    Recover well!

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    1. Yes so true! I like to think of it as being in the zone haha! Thank you!

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  3. Awesome Recap....kind of makes me want to run it again without being sick.

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    1. YES!! You still amaze me that you kept going! Rockstar

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