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….

Saturday was the usual sleep-in-a-little-late, enjoy a nice breakfast, head to the expo, back to the hotel for lunch, lay out the race gear, afternoon nap and then dinner at CPK for my lucky thai chicken pizza and a Guinness, before retiring to bed early in anticipation of the 5am wake up call.

For the most part everything went to plan. The metro ride to the expo took longer than expected due to huge crowds in town for a political rally at the National Mall, but packet pickup went smoothly and back to the hotel we headed. Lunch was just a simple Subway sandwich – no point risking anything fancy the day before a big race – and then it was time to lay out the race day apparel, nutrition and post-race gear for the drop bag. The afternoon nap never really materialized, but it was nice to close my eyes for 20 minutes and gather my thoughts.

Dinner was great. We met up with a couple of DailyMilers (Brodie W) and (Michelle J), and had a really nice time chit-chatting about all kinds of stuff. After a lucky Guinness back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes to Michelle and headed to bed.

The only other thing worth mentioning is a weird pain in the piriformis muscle that developed as we made our way around the expo. It seemed to get worse as the day went on, and despite stretching and foam rolling pretty crazily, I couldn’t make the pain go away. Sleep came pretty easily, and next thing I know it’s 5am and time to get up.

Breakfast was the usual Hammer Nutrition Sustained Energy which I sipped as I continued to stretch the niggly piriformis muscle. All I could do was hope the discomfort would disappear as I started running, so with that thought in my mind, we checked out of the hotel, jumped on the metro and arrived at the Athlete’s Village at the Pentagon just a few minutes later.

The hour or so before race start was fairly uneventful; just hanging out chatting with a friend, stretching and some easy jogging to loosen up the legs. 7:30am quickly arrived and it was time to dump the drop bags and head to the start line, peeing in the bushes on the way in the hope of not having to stop during the race as I’ve needed to do in the last three marathons.

After wishing Ally good luck, she made her way to her corral and I fought my way through the crowds to pick a spot a few rows back from the start line. A few quick stretches later and we were off sharply at 8:00am.

[Mile 1] – was all about getting into a steady rhythm. It’s kind of an odd first mile, with a two lane merge, a sharp right turn and a slight uphill. My goal pace for the race was around 6:24, but wasn’t really concerned when the Garmin beeped 6:33. Plenty of time to make it up in the remaining 25.2 miles!

[Mile 2] – another uphill mile with a split of 6:29. I found myself puffing and panting a little going up the hill, so tried to stay relaxed and not push the pace at all. I was amazed at how many runners were already struggling this early in the race – really breathing hard and flailing their arms in an attempt to propel themselves up the hill.

[Mile 3] – slight uphill, followed by a nice downhill stretch down towards the river. Didn’t try to force the pace (unlike others who screamed down the incline like they were in their final mile!), but still managed to log a 6:11 split. Hopefully this wasn’t too fast.

[Mile 4] – came just before we hit the bridge over to Georgetown. Another swift mile [6:08], but I finally felt like I was flowing and despite the nagging pain in the posterior (which, incidentally stayed with me the entire race), I’d found my groove.

[Mile 5] – grabbed my first cup of water before hitting the flat section along the river. Nice and easy 6:13. A little speedy perhaps, but everything felt relaxed and I made sure *not* to be dragged along by a wave of runners who’d picked up their pace. Stick to the plan Steve. Long way to go!

[Mile 6] – still along the river. Very scenic, nice and relaxed. 6:20.

[Mile 7] – shorter stretch along the river before making a 180 degree turn into the sun. Slight incline to negotiate, so I eased off a little, made sure to take in some Perpetuem and washed it down with water from the aid station. 6:30.

[Mile 8] – past the reservoir, and back towards Georgetown. Fairly flat section if I remember correctly, in which I chatted to “Gina” from Tuscon who was hoping to run a 2:46. She was running strong, so I let her go and figured it was too early for me to be pushing the pace. 6:13 – hopefully not too fast.

[Mile 9] – through Georgetown. Nice crowd support. Slight downhill. Another 6:13 split. Feeling good, but still a long, long way to go. Several shout outs early on in the mile from runners heading out on their Mile 5 gave me a nice boost.

[Mile 10] – think mile 10 was along the river, but don’t remember too much about it. 6:18 split.

[Mile 11] – heading towards Hains Point. Time for more Perpetuem and three Endurolytes washed down with water. Banking on the Endurolytes to keep cramps at bay for the remainder of the race. Bladder starting to feel full, so my thoughts turn towards when would be the best time for a pit stop. 6:13.

[Mile 12] – across the bridge and into the traditionally lonely Hains Point section of the course. At least it wasn’t windy today and I remember looking across the river thinking how good I was feeling and how amazingly, I was almost half way done with the race. 6:17. I think there were a couple of overhead cameras in this mile, so I’ll be interested to see how the pics turn out.

[Mile 13] – time for the inevitable pit stop. No need to find a port-o-john at least as there were enough bushes and trees lining the road to shield me (I’m sure my ViZi-PRO Kinvaras were a bit of a giveaway though). I figured it was wise to stop now while my legs were feeling good, so I could get back into a rhythm before my planned attack on the second of the race. I guess I stopped for around 30 seconds, which accounts for the 6:40 mile split.

[13.1] – reached the half in 1:23:30; about 30 seconds faster than planned, but still feeling great. Hopefully I’d be able to pick up the per mile pace slightly and run the slight negative split I’d been dreaming about for weeks.

[Mile 14] – still in Hains Point. Passed one guy with calf cramps and one guy with his Green Silence shoe off, who appeared to be massaging his foot. Could have been blisters I guess. 6:17. Good enough.

[Mile 15] – 6:15; a bit of a struggle but nice to see a friendly face (Team in Training Bob) from Virginia Beach. Piriformis muscle caused my left leg to almost give way a couple of times. Weird sensation, so I switched to a bit of a heel-striking mode for a while in an attempt to utilize different muscles.

[Mile 16] – nice bit of crowd support as we headed towards the Lincoln Memorial. Managed a 6:10 to get back on track. Just over 10 miles to go. Anything can still happen, but a first wave of emotion hits me as I realize I’m going sub-2:50 today! Calm down Steve. Long.Way.To.Go.

[Mile 17] – dodgy camber and pot holes along Constitution Avenue, so I moved out towards the middle of the road for some better road to run along. 6:12 and for the first time in the race I’m having to force the pace to keep the splits where I need them.

[Mile 18 ] – along the National Mall. Good crowd support. Several shouts of nice shoes. Seeing my Welsh friend, Nigel spurred me on for a speedy 6:10. Still on track. Just over 8 to go.

[Mile 19] – around the Grant Memorial. “Bang on pace” shout out from Kevin from KaleRunning, who was manning the 30K timing, mat gave me a lift. Probably pushed a bit much on this mile [6:09], but more time in the bank at least.

[Mile 20] – more Perpetuem, Endurolytes and water at the aid station. Pressed on, but a little disappointed with the 6:20 split. Dug deep mentally, regrouped and promised myself a strong bridge crossing into Crystal City.

[Mile 21] – missed the mile marker, but the split was a 6:13. Much better. Passed several runners on the bridge. Getting thirsty, legs tired, but still managing to maintain goal pace. Just over 5 miles to go….

[Mile 22] – 6:16. Raging thirst, really dry mouth, but at least we’re off the bridge. Slowed slightly at the water stop to grab an extra cup of water and wash down the last of the Perpetuem. Digging deep now and aware of the grimace on my face. Tossed my empty Perp flask into a trash can. Great skill for this late in the race!

[Mile 23] – suffering in Crystal City and for the first time in the race the wind became a factor. I hit mile 23 in 6:17, but the legs had gone and it was time for survival mode to kick in. Dig deep Steve, like you’ve never dug deep before.

[Mile 24] – think there was another aid station in this mile, but can’t really remember. I *do* remember fighting the wind, trying to stay relaxed, but also pushing the pace. Didn’t look at my Garmin for the remainder of the race. Also tossed my home made pace band and the emergency Espresso Hammer Gel I’d been carrying in an attempt to feel as light as possible. Effort level was 110% and now it was just a step-by-step effort to the finish. 6:36.

[Mile 25] – close to home now, but oh so painful. 6:40 and struggling to maintain any kind of decent form. Hang in the Steve. The PR is there for the taking. Just keep moving as fast as you can….

[Mile 26] – another 6:40. The final mile threw me off a little. I was expecting to have to run along the highway, past the finish area before doubling back towards the Iwo Jima Memorial as per my last running of MCM in 2007. I was caught off guard on two counts – first of all, unbeknown to me, Matt Lofton had taken up position on the right side of the road. I heard someone shouting my name and “Sub-2:50 all the way!!!!”, looked over and there was Matt. He even ran with me for a while, which gave me a huge boost and a new pair of legs for a final push to the finish. Secondly, the course had changed from 2007, and now we just had to make a sharp left turn, negotiate the cruel final incline before making a right to the finish line. I knew the PR was in the bag, but after slowing in the last three miles, wasn’t really sure what the actual time would be. I was stoked to see the clock displaying 2:47 something…..

Official time – 2:47:20
Overall place – 58th out of 21873
PR by 3 minutes 40 seconds.

Fantastic way to cap off an amazing season of racing and to finally smash my marathon PR is like a dream come true. The sad thing is I know I can still run faster and am already planning another fast race at P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon in January.

Thanks for all the support, comments, and congratulations. Really means a lot having such a great army of friends!

Here’s a quick run down of how things panned out:

Walked to the start corrals with Chaz and Caleb where we agreed to run together and try to hit 10 miles between 1:05 and 1:07. This fitted in nicely with my race plan and sounded quite doable. C&C were both in corral #1 so I positioned myself near the front of corral #2 where I could keep them in sight and gradually catch them up.

Due to a niggly heel issue, my last long run (20 miles) leading up to Boston was three weeks ago and the sharp decrease in mileage had left my legs feeling pretty good and ready to race. The early miles felt great (as they should in any marathon) and it was enjoyable to run alongside C&C. We didn’t chat too much and for the most part it was straight down to business and settle into a good groove.

It was cool to cross the 5K timing mat knowing DailyMilers would be tracking us. The 10K mat seemed to appear in no time at all too. We were bang on pace but already at this early stage in the game I was aware of some heel pain. I think I dropped back a couple of strides a few times, not really struggling but not really feeling like I was flowing either. Chaz with his six sense glanced back to ask if I was okay and of course I replied “Yep, feeling good”.

I also needed a stop to relieve myself. I managed to hold on until the 11 mile mark, but at this stage I was also struggling a bit to stay with C&C and was in need of regrouping and settling into my own groove.

I think the port-a-john break was about 40 seconds, but boy did my bladder feel better! Definitely a wise move to stop. Wish I could say the same for my heel though, as on starting to run again, it felt pretty painful just to run normally. I hobbled through about half a mile and honestly thought about quitting. I’m not proud that the thought entered my head, but it was definitely an option. It was either stop and be taken back to the finish in one of the medical vehicles or run/walk to the finish and probably log my slowest marathon time ever. I even played through my mind that I’d have to sell my 2010 Boston jacket that I’d purchased just two days earlier — no way could I wear it with a DNF or an unBulldog like finish time.

Somehow, however, I managed to find a running gait that worked for me, although I definitely favored the toes of my left foot and the ball of my right. It felt like a fast limp and probably looked quite awkward. The flat sections and inclines on the course turned out to be the most manageable but the downhills were painful and definitely made me slow down.

Crowd support was so much better than I remember in 2000, and really helped me through those middle miles, but once through the crazy noise of Wellesley, I suffered a bit during 16, 17 and 18 (17 was actually my slowest split of the race). I felt strong though, and the momentum of passing people kept me on a bit of a roll. I dug deep, really deep and attempted to pick up the pace.
Somewhere just after Heartbreak the crowds swelled and the enthusiasm seemed to carry me along. I pushed the heel issue to the back of my mind and went for it. Finish line or bust. Runners all around me were struggling now; some hobbling along the side of the road, some stretching their calves and some trying to keep cramps at bay.

Finally the huge Citgo sign came into view and before I knew it were rounding the final couple of bends to the finish with just four tenths of a mile to go. Up ahead I spotted the blue singlet and shorts of Caleb M, but it was too late to catch him and snag a great finish line pic.
I crossed the line in 2:54:26 (the Garmin had died just after mile 24) and congratulated Caleb on a fantastic Boston debut. Chaz was also waiting a little further down the line. He’s finished about a minute ahead of Caleb and was looking good on his race. Good times.

So, overall, I’m really happy with my time — 10 minutes faster than my one and only Boston 10 years ago and my fastest marathon since November 2008. Can’t be bad eh? I’m not looking to use the heel as an excuse. Actually, the pain of mile 11 may have helped me from going too fast in the middle miles and unintentionally allowed me to hold something back for the final 10k. Who knows? It is what it is.

Congrats to C&C for a great couple of race times and for dragging me along for the ride in the early stages of the race. I’m looking forward to seeing the official photos where we were running side by side. Congrats also to all the other DailyMile Boston finishers and to everyone who tracked my splits, sent me messages or were out on the course cheering me on.

Splits:
1 — 6:35
2 — 6:29
3 — 6:43
4 — 6:34
5 — 6:45
6 — 6:42
7 — 6:38
8 — 6:34
9 — 6:32
10 — 6:31
11 — 6:30
12 — 6:32
13 — 6:33
14 — 6:30
15 — 6:37
16 — 6:40
17 — 6:59
18 — 6:47
19 — 6:31
20 — 6:36
21 — 6:54
22 — 6:27
23 — 6:36
24 — ??
25 — ??
26 — ??

5K — 20:33
10K — 20:50
15K — 20:31
20K — 21:03 (pit stop)
25K — 20:19
30K — 21:18
35K — 20:35
40K — 20:34

1st half — 1:27:21
2nd half — 1:27:05

Splits: 13.1M – 1:30:07 (6:53/mile), 20M – 2:17:53 (6:54/mile):, 26.2M – 2:58:12 (6:48/mile)

Where do I start? I guess 6am on race morning is as good a place as any. Breakfast was my usual liquid Sustained Energy. I don’t do too well with solids before a long run, so I stick to the tried and tested 2 or 3 scoops of SE mixed in 24oz water; far easier to consume & digest then the traditional bagels, bananas & Gatorade than many runners favor. Race day gear was already laid out the night before so it was just a question of getting dressed and heading to the start line. Once outside the hotel I did feel a little chilly, but knowing I’d soon warm up once the race was underway, I knew I’d made a good choice with the CW-X compression shorts and Running Etc. singlet.

As we made our way to the UPS bag drop, I suggested we turn on our Garmins to lock in a good signal. Mine worked fine, but Ally’s just wouldn’t turn on. I tried everything I could think of, including a hard reset, but it was just dead. Great. We weighed up some options (go back to the hotel for a Nike stopwatch/wear my Garmin and I’d go without) but in the end Ally decided to just run it and use the on course clocks as a guide. To make the math easy we rounded up her goal pace to 10 minutes/mile and figured this would work almost as good as wearing a Garmin. Cool, panic over.

As you can imagine, time passed quickly and after waiting in line for a final port-a-john visit, it was time to head to the start. After a “good luck/be safe” exchange, Ally hopped into the 2nd or 3rd corral and I made my way to corral #1 to try to find Matt Lofton and a few other friends who were running the marathon. I spotted the crazy 3:10 pacer Tommy Neeson who was running/pacing his 6th marathon in 7 weeks and exchanged a few words. He knew my lofty sub-3:00 goal and joked “I’ll see you at 23 miles Bulldog!” Nice. By the way, if you ever get chance to run with one of Tommy’s pace groups….do it. If you can put up with the non-stop chatter and banter, he’ll definitely drag you along to your goal time. His pacing is superb!

I looked around for Matt’s “shaved head, tattoos and glasses”, but couldn’t find him. Damn. Maybe I should look for his Brooks Launch instead? Still no luck. Damn. Looks like I’m running on my own. With that, a guy in a woolly beanie and dark glasses appeared before me — “Are you Steve?” Cool, Matt had found me, and with just a minute or two left before the off, I started to think about the race.

As we crossed the start line, I pressed start on the Garmin and simultaneously held the two buttons to lock the bezel. I’d experienced some horrible Garmin 405 problems in the rainy Frederick Marathon earlier this year and definitely didn’t want a repeat. With the Garmin taking care of, it was time to find a groove and settle in for the 26.2 miles that lay ahead.

The 6:52 goal pace came as easy as the conversation with Matt and I remember shaking my head in disbelief at the steady stream of runners charging ahead of us. I think I joked with Matt that we’d be reeling them in later on and sure enough we definitely did. The first two or three miles were enjoyable but rather uneventful. The mood was relaxed and Matt and I were matching each others pace with apparent ease. Three miles turned into six and before I knew it we were heading down the first real “hill” where I’d [foolishly] trashed my quads a few years ago. The party zone was awesome, but I managed to contain the adrenaline and held myself back. No way was I running faster than a 1:30 first half this year.

Next up was the eight mile mark and the picturesque two miles along the river which is probably my favorite part of the race. Despite the cool conditions, I’d made sure to drink water at every drink station so far and by the time we reached ten, I realized I wouldn’t be able to make it to the finish without (a) some severe discomfort or (b) a brief stop, but I kept pushing through the feeling hoping it would go away.

We cruised the next three miles and crossed the 13.1 timing mat in 1:30:06. Excellent! I knew a few of our DailyMile/Twitter friends were tracking us and felt good knowing that we’d executed the first half of the plan almost perfectly. Matt joked we should say that we didn’t find each other at the start line, we just ran our own races and the matching half split must have been a coincidence. At this point, I need to stress that this was one of the most enjoyable 13.1 miles I’ve ever run. I tend to enjoy my own company when I’m running long or racing hard, but having Matt at my side helped the miles fly by and definitely helped keep the pressure off. Cheers Matt!

I think I managed another mile before the urge to pee took over. I believe I’m right in saying Matt thought it was 16 miles when I stopped, but I’m sure it was nearer 14. Anyway, I remember telling Matt not to slow down or wait for me and if he needed to pick up the pace, to go for it. I really didn’t want to stop, but I *had* to if you know what I mean. Luckily the port-o-johns were empty (yeah, Ally, I know there’s usually a queue when you pass by), and the pit-stop only cost me about 45 seconds. However, as I looked further along the road, the 45 seconds was enough to put Matt well out of sight.

I tried not to panic and run a crazy fast mile, but did make a concerted effort to pick up the pace with the hope of reeling in Matt and the other runners who’d leapfrogged me. Despite the extra effort however, the next two mile splits were the slowest of the race so far. WTH? How can that be? I can’t remember what mile the bridge comes into play, but this was when I caught sight of Matt and his orange Brooks Launch. Actually, the Launch turned out to be quite a winner on the course, with several “Cool shoes!” comments and one “Halloween was last month” remark. Nice.

I know others have commented on the severity of the wind on the bridge, but it actually felt okay to me this year. I remember looking down to my left at the fast-flowing river and just focusing on fast legs and good form. Sure, it was windy, but I guess us little guys are better off than most.

The next point of interest was the lame “Wet Washcloth” station. My fingers were sticky from my hand-held flask of Perpetuem and I was REALLY looking forward to a cold, refreshing towel. Mine, however, was bone dry and rough as an old sack. I tossed it back to one of the volunteers and just about managed to grab another from the last table. This one was just as bad as the first. Oh well, can’t win them all. I guess sticky fingers are better than a lot of marathon ailments.

Just ahead I noticed good friend and local runner Jon Leiding who appeared to be struggling a little. I shouted out to let him know I was approaching which seemed to do the trick and get him going again. We ran side by side for a while until the 18 mile water stop, which was another turning point for me as I experienced a huge wave of adrenaline. Not sure where it came from, but it really spurred me on. Just before the 19, I finally caught up with Matt. I’d been watching him from a distance for several miles and his stride was still fast and his form pretty good. He also stood out from the crowd as one of the stronger runners. So many were fading at this point, but he kept chipping along just like in the early miles.

I’m not sure how far we ran together, but I remember asking how he was doing. His reply “I’m not feeling good or bad, I’m just feeling….” summed it up I guess. I could also tell it was a bit of a struggle to chat and at one point Matt explained the “feeling of nauseousness” every time he tried to speak. My 19th mile split was a 6:40 and the fastest of the race so far. After working so hard to catch Matt, I was really in a good groove now. The momentum was tremendous and I couldn’t really help but push the pace. Now, post-race, I feel a little guilty that I didn’t try harder to coax Matt through the rough patch he was experiencing. Sorry Matt. I just couldn’t help myself.

Mile 20 was a little slower at 6:48, but I managed to speed up in the next mile and record another 6:40. I must say the crowds underneath the arch into Pope Avenue (?) were fantastic and in a slightly bizarre moment, just past Mile 21, I remember announcing “ONLY five miles to go!” to an enthusiastic group of spectators. What an idiot. Who says that in the closing stages of a marathon? It was weird though….I really felt like it was *only* five miles to go, unlike last year when the last five miles felt like fifty.

Now my focus turned to the runners ahead. I imagined each runner to be in my age group and concentrated on reeling them in one by one. The next three miles were wonderful – 6:31, 6:22 and 6:28 — and were probably the best of the whole race. I experienced a slight lull in Mile 25 (6:32), but the lure of the Masters runners ahead kept me trying oh so hard. If you haven’t run Richmond before, the last mile is something special.

After a quick right turn, followed by a quick left turn, the finish line comes into view, and from this point on it’s all downhill with wall to wall spectators. My right quad was on the verge of cramping, but there was one more guy I just HAD to pass. I let everything go and stormed down the hill to the finish, comfortably beating the guy I’d set my sights on. I can’t wait to see the grimace on my face in the official photos — I’m sure they’ll be ugly

I grabbed some water, proudly accepted my medal and turned to wait for Matt to finish. Three hours came and went but no sign of Matt. I hoped nothing serious had happened but went to grab another water to have ready for him all the same. Seconds later, Matt comes charging down the hill for a new PR by a huge 5 minute margin. I handed him the water, congratulated him and backed off to give him some space…..that finally-finished-a-marathon feeling is a weird one and sometimes you just need to be left alone. I also knew he’d be waiting for his best friend to finish up too, so I congratulated him once again and made my way to the post-race food. This time I bumped into good friend Jon who actually ran faster than his Boston earlier this year (3:07) and his wife Christine who ran a great 1:54 half marathon. Excellent work!

Finally I was able to collect my bag from the UPS truck, head back to the hotel for a quick shower, DM/Twitter update before heading back out on the course to cheer Ally home. I arrived back at the finish line just as the four hour racers were finishing. The commitment from these runners trying to break the magic four was amazing. You really can’t fail to be inspired by anyone who signs up to challenge the mighty 26.2!

Anyway, back up the hill I go to pick out a “quiet” spot to cheer for Ally. Minutes later, here she comes – big smile on her face and looking very comfortable. She’d smashed her sub-4:30 goal and done it without watch or Garmin, and more importantly for her….injury free. Congrats Ally — very proud of you!

My official finish time was 2:58:12 — 51st place overall and 3rd in the 40-44 age group. (Luckily two of the guys in my age group were promoted to the overall Masters category, leaving me with an award of some sort.) However, the stat I am most pleased with is as follows:

11th place in my age group at 13.1 miles, 8th at the 20 mile mark and a very satisfying 3rd at the finish. My last 10k was probably one of the best in 26 marathon attempts and gives me great confidence as I plan my future races.

Thanks to everyone on DailyMile for the amazing support. 16 weeks ago I broke my foot and was forced into six weeks with zero running. DailyMile has helped me stay motivated and provided me with constant encouragement and good wishes. It’s been a tough four months, but I finally feel like I’m back. Not quite to my best, but it’s a good start and definitely something to build on.

10/12 – 10/18: Mixed bag of easy cycling and running before jumping on a plane on Friday and flying to Wales for a much needed holiday. The week ended fantastically as I ran the Cardiff Half Marathon in a surprising 1:20:42 — not bad considering six weeks previous I was still wearing an aircast boot for my 2nd metatarsal stress fracture.

The event was tremendous, with perfect weather conditions and numerous family members all showing up to cheer me on. I also have to mention the support of Les Croupiers Running Club too — such a friendly, enthusiastic and passionate-about-running group of people. Thanks everyone!

10/19 – 10/25: Spent the week with family in Wales so not too many opportunities to run, although we did walk miles over the course of seven days. Think I fitted in 4 x four milers which took in some of the nice Cardiff hills. I miss the hills!

10/26 – 11/01: The week started with a full day of travel; leaving Cardiff at 7am UK time and arriving home in Virginia Beach just past midnight. Tuesday was back to work, collect the dogs from the kennels and generally playing catch up from being away for ten days — too tired to even think about running to be honest. Wednesday rolled around and I realized there were only 19 days to the Richmond Marathon — time to start training!

The next three days I ran an easy four, seven and six respectively before lining up for the Great Pumpkin Chase 5k on Saturday 31st….Halloween. I managed to duck under 18 minutes for the first time in a while, but I think that had more to do with the slightly short course than my speed. I was, however, pleased with my consistent pace and mile splits of 5:53 5:52 5:53. Second place overall was a nice bonus too.

Sunday was a desperate attempt to regain some endurance and despite a nasty blister on my left foot, I managed to battle through 20 miles in 2 hours 26 minutes.

11/02 – 11/08: Typically, two weeks out from a marathon I’d usually be tapering — decreasing the miles, the intensity and the frequency. However, my non-typical situation (i.e. still really in recovery mode from the stress fracture), deemed that I keep logging the miles in the hope of gaining some kind of endurance and resilience. I started off the week with an easy seven on Monday and a steady nine on Tuesday. Wednesday I stepped it up and ran ten, which I followed up with a confidence-boosting eight miler on Thursday and an easy six on Friday.

Heading into the weekend I was feeling good and looking forward to the Saturday morning Yorktown Battlefield 10 Miler. The race went well, and after a difficult-to-find-a rhythm couple of miles, I finished strong in just over 61 minutes. My second half of the race was faster than the first and I actually felt like I could have maintained the pace for a couple more miles. For the record I finished 7th overall and 1st in the 40-44 age group in what turned out to be a pretty strong field.

Sunday should have been a rest/recovery day, but again with the marathon just one week away, I was desperate to log one more long run before beginning my mini-taper. I headed to First Landing State Park and ran a solid 20 miles in 2 hours 23 minutes — no real blister problems this time and definitely feeling better at the end than the previous week. Oh yes, the 20 mile long run put me at 75 for the week, which somewhat surprisingly is my highest ever week of mileage. I guess it’s a PR?

11/09 – onwards: This week is all about easy running and preparing as best as possible for the Richmond Marathon on Saturday. So far I’ve just shaken out the legs with a four and a five miler, and don’t intend on doing much else at this stage in the game.

Race goal and prediction: Just over nine weeks ago, I was still wearing an aircast boot to help protect my broken foot. Hopes of running Richmond were slim, but I kept the thought in the back of my mind anyway. Over the weeks my goal has changed from getting to the starting line in one piece, to crossing the finish line in an uninjured state. Last week I posted on DailyMile that my plan was to go out at 6:52 per mile pace with the aim of reaching halfway in 1 hour 30 minutes. Of course, with my lack of endurance I would expect to fade in the second half, but would do all I could to minimize the inevitable slowing down. A 3:05 would be a pretty lofty goal and a creditable performance I thought.

Since Saturday’s race and Sunday’s long run, I’ve started [foolishly] to think a sub-3:00 could be possible. I must admit it would be pretty sweet to gain revenge over my Frederick Marathon humbling earlier this year, but maybe I’m getting ahead of myself? To complicate things even more, if a sub-3:00 finish seems impossible, I’ve even started thinking about a 2:56 goal which would give me my fastest marathon of 2009. Sound doable? I’m not sure to be honest, but I’ll have a better idea when I cross the 13.1 mile mark on Saturday morning.

Anyway, long story short, here’s the plan –

Goal #1 — finish the marathon with a smile on my face and a happy left foot. Naturally this would be a major victory after spending six weeks of the summer in an aircast boot and the last nine or ten weeks building up from a one mile walk to a 26.2 mile attempt.

Goal #2 — run the first half in 1 hour 30 minutes and fade as little as possible to a marathon finish around 3 hours 5 minutes.

Goal #3 — run the first half in 1 hour 30 minutes and maintain pace for the second half to record a marginal sub-3:00 marathon.

Goal #4 — run the first half in 1 hour 30 minutes and pick up the pace in the second half to finish in 2:56 or quicker.

Now that they’re down in black and white, I’ve made myself accountable…..and I like it that way. Of course, a smarter runner would stick with Goal #1 and be happy with it. I, on the other hand, am obviously not that smart and will be “going for it” from the gun. It may get ugly towards the end, but to be honest, it’s the only way I know how to run.

Finally, if you’re interested in tracking my progress on Saturday, the marathon starts at 8:00am. You can sign up for text/email alerts at the Richmond Marathon web site — just search on my last name “SPEIRS”. Also, good luck to wife Ally who is running her 2nd Richmond Marathon (9th marathon in total). I have a sneaky feeling she’s going to do rather well herself….

It usually takes a while for qualifying times to be verified and the $130 entry fee (increases to $180 after February 1st, 2010) to be processed, but I hope to be listed as one of the registered entrants some time in mid-October. I’ll also be looking out for my official postcard from the B.A.A.!

Anyone else entered the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010? Maybe I’ll see you there…

Enter the PaceTat Marathon Pacing Tattoo!

PaceTat 2.0 (which is the update to the original PaceTat) includes the following features:

• Additional Finish Times
• Larger, easy-to-read text and numbers
• Mile splits with metric splits every 5 kilometers so that you can use PaceTat 2.0 in shorter races in addition to marathons
• Alternating background color to help differentiate each mile goal

PaceTat Miles – is the long awaited update with splits that are listed in miles only. PaceTat Miles gives you pacing information for every mile on the course in addition to the half-way point, 13.1 miles, and the finish, 26.2! New finish times have also been added as requested by many runners. There are now 20 different paces to choose from!

PaceTat pacing tattoos are easy to apply and will stay in place for a good 3-5 days. Product support is excellent and the company is always open to receiving feedback and ideas for new product updates.

Run Bulldog Run readers can also take advantage of an exclusive 10% saving when you use the following coupon code on checkout at www.pacetat.com.

Coupon code: Bulldog2009

Be sure to enter the code on the cart page, click submit and then check out as normal. You should see the 10% savings on the Shopping Cart summary.

Many thanks to PaceTat for making the code available to Run Bulldog Run readers!

Don’t forget, you can follow PaceTat on Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest product news! If you’re not into sending Tweets, feel free to use the traditional contact form on the PaceTat web site.

PaceTat are also running a cool competition on their web site. Once you’re purchased one of their pace tattoos, send them an email with a link to your official race finish time and your PaceTat order number. Each month, the person who finishes closest to their PaceTat goal will receive a $15 gift certificate to their local running store!

Day 5: A very enjoyable, controlled easy run. No problems at all meeting goal pace (7:05 to 7:35) and great to have some recovery miles after yesterday’s Pace Booster Run.

Splits: 7:20 7:17 7:15 7:08 7:03

Day 6: In honor of 7-Eleven Day (7/11) I ran past 7 different 7-Eleven’s on my longish run today. The temperature was a balmy 80°F throughout and I treated myself to a free 7.11oz Banana Fanta Slurpee at the last 7-Eleven on my route. Felt absolutely tremendous throughout, and ran faster than the planned 7:05 to 8:05 pace. Oh well.

Splits: 7:09 7:14 7:03 7:03 7:02 7:02 6:58 7:02 7:00 6:56 6:57 6:52

Day 7: Pleasant morning run to finish off the week. Goal was 40 to 60 minutes in the “easy zone”. No problems hitting the target but for some reason it didn’t feel as comfortable as yesterday’s longer run.

Splits: 7:58 7:43 7:37 7:23 7:08 7:02

Summary: 62 miles for the week – most since February or March I believe. All workouts completed as per the plan with no real challenges. 18 weeks/126 days until the Richmond Marathon…

Official word from Sportsbackers.org is as follows:

The Marathon Challenge, which is billed as a premium community-oriented program built around an exclusive 16-week training plan created by Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso, will be highlighted in Runner’s World Magazine and online at www.runnersworld.com/challenge through the November 14th SunTrust Richmond Marathon.

“Runner’s World recognized that the SunTrust Richmond Marathon is ‘America’s Friendliest Marathon,’” said race organizer Jon Lugbill. “And now they’re honoring us by putting their feet on our streets where they will benefit firsthand from our spirit groups and bands and enthusiastic crowds.”

Participants in the Runner’s World Marathon Challenge who would like to run the SunTrust Richmond Marathon on November 14, 2009 with the Runner’s World editors will pay $250 for a race entry as well as elite admission to the Runner’s World clubhouse–the central hub where marathon challengers will gather pre and post race, pick up their numbers and check their bags. They will also receive a well-earned post-race massage.

Fourteen Runner’s World editors, including Editor-in-Chief David Willey, Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso and Editor at Large Amby Burfoot, will make up the Marathon Challenge contingent headed for Richmond. They’ll also be training alongside participants by sharing their best tips on nutrition, injury-prevention, health issues and other essential training topics in the magazine and the website. Readers will be privy to videos, podcasts, and articles to help achieve their personalized training goals. RW editors will
also share their personal stories and experiences to help inspire and train participating runners for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon–coined one of the best marathons in the U.S. by Runner’s World.

Info at www.richmondmarathon.com

I’m already signed up for Richmond (along with my wife Ally), but I’m also intrigued by the “Train With Us, Race With Us” package. Not sure how this would work though as the deal includes a race entry fee which I’ve already paid. Maybe I’ll email the Sports Backers and see what they suggest? It would be cool to hang out with Bart Yasso for a while….

The wait is finally over as today I finally received word of my official 2009 London Marathon rejection. The email from Race Director Dave Bedford was short and straight to the point:

We regret that we have to advise you that your application to run in the 2009 Flora London Marathon has not been successful due to massive over-subscription.

Easy as that…but at least now I can start thinking about other plans for the 2009 marathon season.

Did anyone else get in using the Overseas Ballot? Seems like the running forums are flooded with people who didn’t get in, but I haven’t read one message from someone who was actually accepted. Good luck to you all….