Race report to follow after a hot bath and something to eat 🙂
Coming so soon after the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th, the Richmond Marathon was always going to be tough. I’d never previously attempted 2 marathons in 2 weeks, so the territory would be all new. Going into the race, I wasn’t experiencing any soreness or fatigue, so was hopeful of a solid race. However, numerous articles online hinted that anything could happen on the day and that a full recovery from a marathon less than 2 weeks ago was almost impossible. The articles also suggested the older the runner, the longer the recovery time needed – another factor I’d need to be aware of.
I really only know one way to race, and that’s to pick a goal time and go for it. If all goes to plan – excellent! If it all blows up on the day – at least I know I gave it my best shot. With this in mind, I chose [rather ambitiously, and perhaps foolishly] the same goal as my Marine Corps Marathon race 13 days ago – 2 hours 51 minutes, which is 6:30 per mile pace for the 26.2 miles.
Ok, fast forward to race day. The marathon would start at 8:00am with the drive to Richmond slightly less than 2 hours. I also planned on arriving 2 hours before the start to collect my race number/goodie bag and allow enough time to warm up, stretch and do all my other pre-marathon rituals. This meant an alarm wake-up call for 3:45am so I could hit the road at 4:15am – no problem for me, but I’m not sure how popular this was for my wife and daughter who were coming to support me 🙂
The drive was uneventful, but I could have done without the rain. Visibility wasn’t great but at least there wasn’t much traffic on the road at that time of the morning. We arrived in plenty of time and found a place to park several blocks north of the start area/host hotel. Packet pickup was smooth and before I knew it I was checking my gear onto the baggage truck and lining up at the start line just several rows back from the elite runners.
The temperature at the start was about 42°F – almost perfect in my book – but the wind was gusting out of the north up to 15mph – just a little stronger than most people would prefer.
The gun fired at 8:00am sharp and we were off. Halfway through the first mile it sunk in I was running a marathon. I know that probably sounds crazy, but the hours leading up to the race were quite busy and it was quite a rush to get to the start line. I actually felt very relaxed and not pressured at all.
Mile 1 was bang on pace at 6:30. The Starbucks alongside the mile marker looked very inviting, but no time for an espresso for a few more hours. Mile 2 was slightly slower at 6:37, but I made up the lost seconds in mile 3 – 6:25. So far so good.
Mile 4 was a comfortable 6:31 and I was able to enjoy the support from the neighborhoods we ran through. At mile 5 [6:24] I was exactly on pace and a couple of minutes faster than the same point at Marine Corps 2 weeks ago.
Almost like clockwork I recorded another 6:30 for mile 6, but had to pay a visit to one of the port-a-johns just past the third water stop. I’d probably taken on too many fluids before the start in the hope of staving off cramps and dehydration later in the race. The stop wasn’t a long one, but the people I was running alongside before the stop seemed far away in the distance. Not sure if I panicked, but I sped up with the hope of making up the lost time. Looking back it wasn’t the smartest thing to do!
Mile 7 was a long downhill stretch to a bridge crossing the James River. The faster speed and cadence brought on a slight hip pain, but I figured it was just the grade of the road. Despite the stop, I recorded a 6:38 and followed it up with a speedy 6:24 and 6:26 along the river trail – probably the most scenic part of the course. Mile 10 was a too-fast 6:25 and coming off the trail I was dismayed to still be feeling the hip pain.
I tried to put the discomfort out of my mind, and focus on leg turnover and upper body form. At this point on the course there was a steady climb, and although my breathing was labored, my hip actually felt a little better. Must have been the change in elevation. Mile 11 was a 6:37 and mile 12 a 6:32 – nothing to worry about at this stage and a level stretch of road ahead. A quicker 13th mile [6:24] meant I reached the halfway mark at 1:25:12 – 18 seconds faster than my pre-race 2:51:00 goal!
Despite increasing discomfort in the left hip area, I managed to stay ahead of pace for the next 2 miles. Maybe the slight downhill helped the cause, but it was nice to record miles of 6:25 and 6:23. From this point however, things started going wrong. Mile 16 across another James River bridge was probably the windiest section of the course. It was tough, but I still managed to pass several slowing runners and wasn’t too despondent with the 6:45 split.
Mile 17 and 18 were just as tough, if not tougher – 6:44 and 6:47. I must admit at this stage of the race I contemplated pulling out. I didn’t want to risk further damage, and every stride was now a painful one. On the other hand, I didn’t want to record a DNF (“Did Not Finish”) and was still keen on finishing my 20th marathon. The other driving force for continuing was the hope of seeing my wife and daughter at around the mile 19 mark. Maybe this spurred me on for a 6:39 mile?
After muttering “I’ve got hip problems” as I ran past my loyal supporters, I decided to focus on the remaining miles on a one-by-one basis. Somewhat surprisingly I was only a minute off goal pace at the 20 mile mark [6:53], but I knew there was no chance of a miracle recovery. Powerade at the water stops helped me feel better, but the problem was my left hip (and now my left knee), not my level of hydration.
Mile 21 would be my last sub-7:00 minute mile [6:55] and the next four were all progressively slower – 7:12, 7:13, 7:49 and 8:02. I’d worked out that I could allow myself the luxury of running 9 minute miles and still be able to break 3 hours for the marathon. I knew I could walk the water stops and still finish in around 2 hours 57 minutes.
Hopefully I’d be able to last the course.
The final mile is mainly downhill – great for a fast finish when your legs are feeling good, but not so good when you’re almost shuffling along as I felt I was.
I “sped up” to a 7:25 26th mile, and with the finish line in sight, allowed myself to relax and enjoy the moment (yeah, right!) – marathon #20 in the bag and another sub-3 hour finish…..just.
Official finish time: 2:57:12
Overall position: 53rd
Age group position: 4th
Marathon Starters: 3,783
I made of point of moving around immediately after the race and tried to eat some post race food even though I didn’t really feel like eating – it always helps the recovery process. Rather kindly my wife drove back to Virginia Beach, which allowed me to relax and stretch out my legs. Now, several hours and a hot bath later, I’ve had time to reflect on the race and the condition of my left leg.
I’m happy with my finish time. I’m happy I finished the race. I’m also happy I broke 3 hours in my 20th marathon. I must say however, I’m most happy with my race start and how I gave it everything I could possibly give.
My hip is sore, but it could be a lot worse. The pain seems to have moved to the outside of my left knee, so I’m hoping it’s not ITBS (Iliotibial band syndrome) which I suffered with in 2005. I’ve stretched the area and rolled it on a foam roller and will see how it feels when I wake up in the morning. I think it could be ugly.