Unofficial Richmond Marathon

So, this past weekend, we (my wife Ally and I) decided to head to Richmond to run my long run. Several friends were taking part in the 8K, Half Marathon and Marathon, so it was a good excuse to provide some unexpected support for them and to log some solid miles for me.

The trip to the State Capitol called for a 4am alarm call, and after a quick Sustained Energy breakfast we were soon on our way. Traffic was naturally very thin on the ground and we made it to Richmond just after 6am. Parking was straightforward, and even better, a bargain at $3 for the day!

We made our way up the hill, past the Virginia State Capitol and towards the race start area which was bustling with thousands of runners. Long story short, we watched the start of the 8K (missed two of our friends, but luckily the other one – Mel J – spotted us spectating on the side of the road), before tracking down another local runner – Kim S – who was counting down the minutes to the start of the Half Marathon.

Ally hopped into the second or third wave of the Half to run her planned 12 miles or so, and I waited on the side of the road to cheer for Kim. Once Kim was on her way, I limbered up a little before heading up Broad Street to run a warm up mile.

My warm up mile ended a little bit before the official one mile mark of the marathon, so all that was left was to wait for the lead packers to speed by before hopping onto the course to start my long run. I guess about 100 runners ran by before there was a big [safe] enough gap for me to mingle in with the racers. My initial plan was to run most of the course at around 6:50-7:00/mile pace, before heading back along West Broad Street to the finish area to make up an approximate 21 miler.

The early pace was good, and I was able to maintain a pretty consistent pace with no problems at all. [6:46, 6:46, 6:45, 6:50, 6:53]. It was nice to chat to other runners and enjoy the course and the many locals who had left the comfort of their homes to cheer the runners on.

The next three miles were a bit quicker [6:42, 6:46, 6:47] as we made our way down one of the early hills and along Riverside Drive; one of my favorite parts of the route.

Somewhere around the mile 11 mark, a fairly large pack of runners came up from behind. I guess they’d picked up the pace some, as my pace was still pretty consistent [6:51, 6:56, 6:50], but I tacked on to the back of their group just to make sure I had some company for a while.

The group wasn’t overly chatty, but I did find out most of the guys were shooting for a sub-3:00 marathon. After a 6:42 13th mile, we went through the half in 1:29 something – bang on course for their goal.

For the next 5 or 6 miles, I felt like an unofficial pacer. I headed up the pack with a runner either side of me, and several guys tucked in behind trying to stick with the pace. Every time we caught a fading runner, we shouted words of encouragement and urged him/her to jump on the back and hold on.

Mile 14 and 15 were a bit quick [6:29, 6:31], but I remember feeling so good and milking all the support from the great crowds. The more they cheered, the more I smiled and I guess the more the pace increased.

The Robert E. Lee Bridge wasn’t an issue this year (it can be pretty windy), but one by one the pack started to break up. Once we’d crossed the bridge Bart Yasso was on the side of the road and his “Looking strong!” comment inspired me to push on a little. The pace felt great and I remember thinking what a pleasant change this made over the traditional Sunday morning solo long run.

I’ve never run a race as a bandit before, and I must admit I was a little worried that someone may say something or I’d offend someone. Looking back though, I didn’t interfere with anyone’s race, I carried my own fuel and without blowing my own trumpet, helped many a runner with their own private battle against the marathon.

Anyway, back to the long run. At this stage in the “race” I was having so much fun that I started to think about completing the whole marathon course instead of cutting back along West Broad Street. I’m so glad I did. At mile 22 I took advantage of a shot of beer and a dixie cup of gummy bears – naturally something I’d never consider doing in a real race- and in the last three miles I was able to pace and encourage several runners who were really hurting and fading badly.

Splits for the latter miles are as follows, and I must say I’m really pleased with how consistent I ran with hardly any “checking the Garmin”.
[6:41, 6:47, 6:54, 6:45, 6:45, 6:48, 6:45, 6:46, 6:39, 6:47, 6:40]
The two Hammer Gels (coupled with the gummy bears and beer!) were just enough fuel for the long run, but I do remember feeling like my quads were on the verge of a cramp in the last couple of miles of the “race” – something I haven’t experienced for a very long time. It was only when I was getting changed into some warm clothes after the run, that I realized I’d forgotten to take my 6 Endurolyte capsules that I ALWAYS take during a marathon to help keep cramps at bay. I guess they *do* work as advertised, and it’s not all in the mind like some of my friends keep telling me.

Anyway, I ended up running my 2010 Unofficial Richmond Marathon in 2:57:40, which looking at the results would have given me a 55th place overall. Not too shabby for a “long training run”.

The run was a ton of fun, and it was really cool to run with and help many of the real racers. Richmond is one of my favorite marathons and I look forward to returning in a year or two to once again race the course proper.

Now to keep things ticking over for the Cayman Islands Marathon in early December….