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….

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….

Monday (Day 8): Circumstances dictated a treadmill run on Monday. I wasn’t really looking forward to being stuck inside but oddly enough, it turned out to be quite a pleasant change from my usual road routes. Stuck to the McMillan “easy pace” and felt comfortable throughout. Hopefully normal service resumes tomorrow and I’ll be back outside running my intervals….

Plan: 35 to 50 minute easy run
Actual: 6.6 miles in 49 minutes

Tuesday (Day 9): Pretty much the same workout as last Tuesday except for the striders being 25 seconds in duration instead of 20 seconds.

I think yesterday’s treadmill run drained a lot of my energy – the legs definitely felt a little heavy today. Met the required goals though, so all is well on the marathon training front.

Plan: 15 to 30 minute warm up, followed by 8 to 10 times 25 seconds with 1 minute jog recovery, 15 to 30 minute cool down.
Actual: 30 minutes warm up, 8 to 10 x 25 seconds fast (one minute recovery), 30 minutes cool down.
Splits: 7:38 7:24 7:13 7:23 6:48 6:54 7:09 7:17 7:01 7:03

Wednesday (Day 10): Marathon training Day 10 called for 50 to 70 minutes at 7:05 to 7:35 pace. Didn’t look at my Garmin until Mile 4 and by that time I was two minutes faster than planned. I backed off a little in Mile 5, but the slower pace felt awkward so I sped up to a more “natural” rhythm. Then, with about 10 minutes to go I remembered I have a challenging Pace-Booster workout tomorrow, so shut things down and cruised home to the finish. I’ll probably regret this run on Thursday afternoon, but I shouldn’t complain about a solid 10 miler.

Plan: 50 to 70 minute easy run
Splits: 7:12 6:55 6:54 6:50 7:02 6:52 6:45 6:42 6:44 7:11

For the record, the temperature was 88°F at the start and 84°F at the finish. To help with hydration, I carried a handheld full of Melon flavored HEED, popped a couple of Endurolytes midway through the run and had 24oz of Recoverite waiting in the fridge for my return. Loving the Hammer Nutrition on these challenging summer runs….

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…

With just 19 weeks to go until the 2009 Richmond Marathon, I figured it was time to start adding a little focus to my training and kick off the plan. So, for the next 133 days I’ll be following Greg’s workouts as close as possible and hoping his expertise will pull me through to a new marathon PR – anything under 2 hours 51 minutes will do the trick.

Last year I came oh-so-close, but missed the PR by just 27 seconds. This year, I intend on training just as hard, and coupled with my usual focus and determination, hope that I can put something special together on November 14th.

More as a point of reference than anything else, here are my training paces based on Saturday’s Independence Day 5k (adjusted due to the slightly long course):

Endurance Workouts
Recovery Jogs – 8:05 to 8:35
Long Runs – 7:05 to 8:05
Easy Runs – 7:05 to 7:35

Stamina Workouts
Steady-State Runs – 6:14 to 6:25
Tempo Runs – 5:59 to 6:14
Tempo Intervals – 5:54 to 6:06

I also have optimal training paces worked out for Cruise Intervals and various Speed Workouts, but the figures listed above make up the majority of my training plan.

One thing that stands out (and I need to remember) from Greg McMillan’s training guidelines is that:

Adaptation does not occur during stressful workouts, it occurs during the rest/recovery periods. With optimal stress and optimal rest, we will achieve optimal progress!

So, here’s to the next 19 weeks of training. I’m sure it will be a fun journey and hope you’ll enjoy tagging along….

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….

#1 – $250 check from Richmond Sports Backers for my 1st Place Male Masters at the 2008 Richmond Marathon. I actually received the hardware award towards the end of December but had almost forgotten about the prize money. Nice surprise……

#2 – Cast your minds back to April 2008 when my MINI Cooper S was broken into during a cold, wet Sunday morning 20 miler. Long story short, the police caught the guy a couple of weeks later (there were 12 other victims during a 2 week period) and he was finally found guilty of credit card theft, attempted grand larceny and 2 counts of grand larceny just before Christmas. Looks like I’ll be receiving restitution for some of the loss at a rate of $50 a month – good for a couple of race entries, eh? It seems like the break-in was such a long time ago (even though I’m still finding shards of glass in my car), so it’s great to put the event behind me and know that justice has been done.

Hope you’re all having a great week…

Actually, the last five weeks have been equally satisfying to me. First off, there was a 35:56 PR (personal record) performance at the Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving Day – my first time under the 36 minute barrier. Next up was another solid 10k – this time a 36:19 at the annual Army/Navy 10k held on Fort Story Army Base. To cap off a great post-marathon month and a very enjoyable and successful year, I blasted away my previous 5k lifetime best with a surprising 17:09 finish at the Santa Claus Shuffle 5k.

Training is going well and I’m really excited about racing in 2009. It also dawned on me this morning that I’m exceptionally fortunate to have such a supportive family and group of friends; not just friends in the real world, but also in various online communities too. Not that I take this for granted, but there are so many great people around and I wouldn’t be who I am today without their support.

I’m also really lucky I can make and afford healthy food choices, have enough exercise apparel and equipment to satisfy my “fit and healthy” craving and have access to all the training tools, technology and gadgets a man could possibly ever need. All I’m left to do is get out and log the miles……

Hope you all have a great Christmas and a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Thanks for reading!

–Steve
–a.k.a. British Bulldog

If you completed the race, here’s how to get your FREE (well, I guess it’s included in the entry fee somewhere) Richmond Marathon Finisher Certificate:

• Head over to the Richmond Marathon web site.
• On the right hand side of the home page you should see the “Richmond Marathon News” section.
• Click on the “FREE Finisher Certificates for all Full and Half Marathon Finishers…”
• Enter your Bib Number (if you can remember it) or Last Name and click the “Show Photos” button.
• Hopefully your name will be listed under “Here are the entries that match” on the next page. Click your name if it is.
• Now you should be looking at a page containing your photos from the Richmond Marathon. Click on the “Order Official Finisher Certificate” thumbnail image.
• On this page you’re presented with two options – “Free Official Finisher Certificate” and “Official Finisher Certificate with Photo”.
• Not surprisingly, I chose the FREE option and clicked the “Add To Cart” button.
• Don’t worry about the photo on the next page, just check the quantity is 1, the price is $0.00 and click “Check Out”.
• Complete the shipping information, click “Submit Order” and your FREE Official Finisher Certificate will soon be on it’s way to you!

Last year mine took just 7 days to arrive from the time I placed my order, and I must admit the quality is excellent. The certificate is printed on Kodak ENDURA Professional paper and is sized at 8″ x 10″. Can’t wait to receive this years…..