Richmond Marathon 2009: Recap

Saturday morning finally arrived and Hannah was equally relieved and excited… with a bit of nerves thrown in as well.

The plan was basic for race day… run 7:00 pace for as long as possible.  Hit the half in 1:31:30… try to continue that through 18-20 miles and then see (like everyone in the marathon) what the body and mind have left. 

We talked over the last several weeks about ‘goals’ and based on her training, as well as the setbacks during the 9 week buildup, we thought 3:00 was possible depending on the day (but everything had to be perfect), but we also talked about 3:10-3:15 being respectable based on what her training log was ‘telling’ us. 

So the gun sounded and off we went.  30 seconds in I was tugging on her shirt… slowing her down.  For anyone that has run a marathon before, you know all too well… those first couple of miles are the easiest miles a runner will ever run. 

Here’s a breakdown of the splits with little side notes.

Miles 1-5:  7:02, 6:58, 6:58, 6:58, 6:57 - Flat opening section… perfect to get rhythm and zone out early. 

Miles 6-10:  6:59, 6:48, 6:52, 6:57, 6:58 (10 miles = 69:27) – Had to be careful here and not start rolling too fast. You catch a long downhill section (3/4th of a mile long) then cross the river to hit the flat and scenic Riverside Drive.

Miles 11-15:  7:06, 7:06, 6:59, 6:58, 7:00 – Tough section. You have a few decent climbs up from the river and then turn north to head back towards the city.  Long tiered climbs during this section kept the effort very honest. 

Mile 16-20:  7:10, 7:02, 7:06, 7:05, 7:11 (20 miles = 70:43) – This was rough. Crossed the bridge dealing with a brutal headwind and incline from 15-16. Then got to the 18-21 stretch which was directly into the wind coupled with the toughest hill on the course at 19.  We slowed here, but knew the flat finish and tailwind were only a few miles away. We conserved a bit to ensure a strong finish (good call as it worked out). 

Miles 21, 22:  7:14, 7:08 (14:22) – Knew the tough stretches were over as me made the southern turn for home at 21.5 miles. It was time to roll. 

Unfortunately (for me), at 22 miles I had to stop off at the bathroom and it ended up costing me some time. This ‘stop’ ended up being great for Hannah’s race, as she was able to put in major work the last 4.2 miles on her own and finish very strong.  Her last 4.2 miles solo were in 29:05, to average 6:55 pace.

I did manage to run some 6:00s after the stop to get within 150m of her by the finish, so I was able to watch her cross the line. 

In the end, she ran 3:03:37 (1:31:30 / 1:32:07) for 13th place… and won her age group - a very impressive outing in my (bias... she is my wife) opinion.

Looking back, and even during the race… I realize how big of an accomplishment this is for Hannah.  Considering the training (and lack of racing), course, conditions, etc (and I know it’s impossible to compare), but I strongly believe this race exceeds her 2:57 debut from Chicago 2005.

... time for her to enjoy some recovery before her 'coach' has her back training for a spring marathon.

* Timothy