What a race! I arrived in Richmond on Friday night around 7:30, dropped my bags off at my brother's apartment, and walked into Carytown to forage for dinner. My wife and I settled on Cary Street Café, which offered outdoor seating and pasta. We shared a hummus platter with loads of fresh vegetables. For dinner, I ate baked spaghetti with eggplant. I also had (tisk tisk)
one Guinness. My brother got back from work about 9:45 and we set off for the grocery store to pick out some fresh fruit for breakfast. We hung out for a while and I crashed about 11:00, pretty beat from a long day that started about 5:00 am.
I had a pretty rotten night’s sleep—waking up several times. At one point, my wife was sitting on the side of the bed looking out the window watching tow trucks moving cars from the parking lot I parked our car in. I got out of bed, ran out to the car, and moved it to a safer place. It was 1:30 am.
I got out of bed about 7:00 am, feeling pretty lethargic. I made myself some breakfast—a bowl of fruit (pineapple, melon, and grapes), Power Bar, and a glass of Gatorade. We left for the race at 8:00, parked at my brother’s office building, used the facilities, and stapled our bib numbers to our shirts. After all that, we walked a few blocks to the starting area in Moore Park.
The start line moved from the scheduled location due to a raging fire from Friday (which made national news). Plan B was to use last year’s start line, which worked out just fine. We warmed up trotting around for maybe 10 minutes, with another bathroom break in the middle. Then we made our way to our start group at about 9:00. The race kicked off and our group crossed the line a little past 9:06, as scheduled.
We started with a firm, but comfortable pace, clocking the first two miles at 8:30 pace. The advantage of putting ourselves in a faster start group made itself apparent from the get-go. The faster start group pushed us into a faster pace than we were accustomed to, and as we found out, a pace we could sustain. There were 14 bands (music) along the route, which certainly helped keep the pace up.
The course was beautiful. Monument Ave is split boulevard-like with a grassy median, with neighborhoods on either side. Folks watched the race from their lawns, the sidewalks, and the median. One group of friends setup a picnic table and chairs in the median, pouring out a pitcher of Bloody Marys--probably an enjoyable way to taunt the runners. The Hash Harriers had a stand with free beer for all takers (of legal age, of course). I didn't see many people reaching for their cups--and just the thought of beer made simultaneously laugh and cringe. Where the avenue intersected other major roads, both roads circled a giant statue in the center--Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, Arthur Ashe, among others.
By the midway point, we felt strong, but the sun was poking through the clouds and the air was getting a lot warmer. I checked my watch and realized we were on pace for a 52:30 finish time. We pushed on, picking up the pace a little—to the point where the splits did not look familiar and I couldn’t focus enough to do the mental math. By mile 5. I felt a little worn out and the sun was starting to crush me. At the next water station, I picked up two cups and poured them on my head. I took a third and guzzled it. Somewhere in that during mile 6 the road changed from asphalt to brick that was covered in asphalt, but still had the separations where the mortar used to be. That surface had a sucking effect on our legs, making it a little more difficult to maintain pace. We exchanged words of—don’t start a kick now, I don’t have the energy to pick up the pace for an entire mile. We were burning ourselves as brightly as we thought we could.
Alas, we passed the mile 6 mark, and started an all out sprint to the finish. At one point I thought I was pulling away from my brother, but he fought back, and we pushed each other to run as fast as possible to the end. We both finished at the same time: 50:54 (8:12 pace).
I learned a couple things: (1) I can run faster than my mind was letting me. My brother and I are confident that had we gone out at a faster pace, we could have kept an 8:00 pace throughout. In fact, with a little more training, we are definitely capable of a 7:30 pace this year. (2) Putting ourselves in a faster start group (by over estimating a finish time) is a must-do. Not only does the group push you to run faster, but it minimizes the amount of passing you have to do. When I ran the Army Ten-Miler, I ran much more than 10 miles in weaving around other runners. I also wasted a lot of energy doing that.
The winner finished in 28:07, a course record (see
story).
Other running bloggers also made it out to the races:
Ultrawalker racewalked the Texas Marathon in 4:56:57!
Richard ran his first 10k.
[Mystery Runners.com] is a website dedicated to two extraordinary men. Powerful, powerfully moustached men who quite literally refuse to stop. I first spotted 'the runners' in October 2002 in Wycombe High St. and have followed them ever since. I've witnessed at first hand their uncompromising refusal to be anything less than the best. And I've captured them in the raw: legs pounding, chests rising and overlarge manhood prominently flapping. Who are they? Certainly Britains best chance of Olympic Gold. Beyond that it's impossible to say. Despite the interviews and footage, the runners won't be pinned down. Certain patterns, however, do appear - the obsession with 'focus', 'grit' 'power' and 'determination', the unconventional training methods involving chickens, prams, toilets and old ladies. And the absolute, unshakeable dedication to being the best and the most hirsute.
Jesse Owens.
Runners doing what runners do best: Running...Jan busted out a great time at the Chilly Half Marathon in neighboring Canada. It was her second trip to the event and she bested last year's time.
