Richmond Marathon Race Report

Sorry for all the race reporting, just remember this is for my own records.  Feel free to skip right over this post as the pictures aren't nearly as fun to look at as the ones of my favorite little munchkins.

I never thought I would be able to say this: I just ran my second marathon!!

Amy and Travis (Amy's hubby), Travis' brother Bryan, and I all loaded up and headed to Richmond around 1pm on Friday.  We stayed at a nice Hilton right next to the starting line, which was very convenient, especially on the very chilly morning of the marathon.  We were able to get in our pre-race potty stops before we even went outside.  The weather was perfect, about 35 degrees to start, and it warmed up quickly.  Probably in the 60s when we finished.  The course was really great, very pretty in places.  The city was really cute and the spectators were extremely friendly.  Amy, Travis and I stayed together for the first 7 miles or so (we were all eating Bryan's dust from the start), and then when we went through an aide station, Amy fell back to take Gu and I didn't see her again until the finish line.  I kept a brisk sub-8:25 pace for a long time. Every mile or so I would notice that I was still hanging with Travis.  I really thought he would pull ahead of me by the halfway point.  At about mile 16, I saw this cute little boy in a yellow shirt rolling down a hill.  I thought "man that looks alot like Simon...wait!! It is Simon, and Millie, and Justin and Noah and there's Neal!"  My biggest fan threw all four of our kids in the car and drove 2 1/2 hours just to see me ONCE and give me a boost of positive energy!  Yes, my husband is THAT AWESOME!  It was just what I needed before I hit the gradual hill that lasted the next 3-4 miles, and the agony of muscle cramping and fatigue set in.  I was able to choke down my 4th serving of chomps just before I hit mile 23.  I noticed Travis wasn't next to me anymore around mile 19, not sure exactly when he dropped back.  I had to talk myself through the last 5 miles, literally, my legs were screaming at me! The coolest thing about Richmond is the last half mile...a downhill finish.  Finish time 3:48:15  PRd by over 5 minutes!  My muscles were hurting as soon as I stopped running and throbbed more than I can ever remember for days to come.  They just reminded me that I pushed my personal limits and it felt amazing!

I know I am repeating myself because I felt the same way after my first marathon but I will say it again anyway: One of the best things about marathon training for me is the hours I get to spend with my amazing friend Amy.  She is a extremely loyal and dependable running buddy and it's so rejuvenating and therapeutic for me to chat with Amy on our runs.   The really cool thing is, Amy has now completed 12 marathons.  She said she was done at 10, but she went for 2 more with me!  She is an extraordinary person and I feel so blessed to have her in my life!  Thanks Amy!  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we will take advantage as long as we can!   

18 Mile Run from Vienna to the National Mall.  One of my favorite point-to-point runs ever!  The weather was perfect!

20 Mile Run (and some change) to Lake Accotink and back.   Freezing fall morning and we got a little lost, but a fun adventure.

23 Mile Temple Run: For old times sake!  A fun marathon training tradition!  Definitely not on my game that day, I ran the last 13 with a screaming side-ache.

Richmond Marathon:  I snagged some of these pics from their website, which is why they are pixelated.   

Finished!!