Race Information

Name: Richmond Half Marathon Date: November 11, 2023 Distance: 13.1 miles Location: Richmond, VA Website: https://www.richmondmarathon.org/ Time: 2:27:08

Goals

Goal Description Completed?

A Sub 2:15 No B Sub 2:30 Yes

Splits

Mile

Time 1 10:10 2 9:54 3 10:12 4 10:03 5 10:05 6 9:50 7 10:52 8 11:40 9 11:10 10 11:15 11 10:39 12 10:49 13 10:49

Training

I have never been athletic and actually hated sports/physical activity in my youth. This past year I took up running. It has become my sport and something I care about deeply. I used NRC training, specifically the half marathon training schedule with guided runs. I had completed my first race ever in the spring, a 10 miler, so never stopped running after that. During training, I never did a walk/run dance. I was very consistent at running the whole time, and this proved to be true during my 10 miler where I didn’t have to walk at all. I was pretty consistent getting at least 3 runs in a week but will be honest I fell off around the month out to race day mark. I lost motivation and was maybe averaging 15 miles max around this time. I was very consistent at running the whole time. I knew this was going to hurt me race day. Maybe it was a form or self sabotage? Who is to say. But the longest distance I ran pre-race was 10 miles. I was trying to convince myself the race energy would push me through.

Pre-race I had a Publix sub the night before and watched Beyonce’s Homecoming documentary to get pumped up. I actually slept pretty well, woke up and had a yogurt + some coffee. I take a medication in the morning that alters my heart rate, I was debating on not taking in the am but ended up taking. This might of messed up some things looking back. Ubered to the start line and it was COLD. Colder than I anticipated. I probably should of done some warm-ups because I couldn’t really feel my legs. I got to my heat and the emotions just started flooding in, was truly sobbing as I crossed the starting line.

Race Mile 1 was so emotional, I was crying for almost the full thing which messed up my breathing a lot. It was good tears, just proud of myself and in awe by the amount of support from strangers and the community. I made a friend who reassured me that the emotions are normal!

Miles 2-6: I felt good, my stomach was kind of churning and I was very burp-y. I also had a runny nose from all the crying so I was having trouble breathing there. I ran into mile 3 with no headphones but decided to throw them on after mile 3. We crossed over a huge bridge and into the neighborhoods heading towards Bryant park where the middle and meaty part of the race was. I was feeling good on my pace though and really tried not to come out too fast. I tried slowing down a bit in the park to make-up later. We were pushing through the park and finally coming out the other side. People were at the end of the park which was helpful and motivated me to get outta there. I finished the 10k at 1:04, which is exactly where I wanted to be.

Mile 7-10: After the mile 7 marker I needed a tissue bad. I asked some of the water stations if they had any but no one did so I had to stop at a porta-potty to get some toilet paper. I honestly think this screwed me. I blew my nose and got back into it but my body was feeling very tired. Mile 7-8 were in neighborhoods which was fun but it felt very crowded. I was not returning to my pace and I didn’t think I was going to at all. I started the walking/running game from mile 8 well into mile 10. My splits were absolutely crumbling and seemed impossible to get back. I threw the any goal of a time out the window and just pushed to finish. I put on a guided run through the nike run club app to try to distract myself, as these were super helpful in training. I knew my friends were at mile 11 so I pushed through to see them.

Mile 11-13: I was pretty over it but seeing my friends was a whole new wave of emotions. There were so many people lining the streets screaming and cheering but seeing my pals was just the best. I walked a little into mile 11 but promised myself we needed to run through mile 12. My airpods died at mile 10 so I put them back in the case and just let the crowd act as my music. I made the turn and hit the downhill for the last .6, not really feeling much of anything. I finally saw the finish and blasted through feeling relieved but also pretty humbled.

Post-race I walked through and got my hat, infamous blanket, and medal. I had no idea what my time was but honestly didn’t really care. I realized my airpods fell out of my belt at around mile 12 sadly. It was SO crowded at the finish and took me about 20 minutes to find my friends as there was no service for a while. After getting my time back I was relieved to see my 2nd goal was at least achieved but I know I can do better. My feet are full of blisters and I am definitely sore but determined and ready for another race.

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