Race Report: Richmond Marathon

DATE: November 16, 2024

DISTANCE: 26.2 miles

PLACE: Richmond, VA

WEATHER:  45 - 63F

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: Like Bruno will not speak of such things.

FINISHERS: 5058

SWAG: Finisher's medal, a cap, tech long sleeve, blanket, pizza, beer

Not so Quick takeaways:

Pre-race mantra: I just have to run five miles five times.

General ThOUGHTS:

While I was not prepared for this marathon, I'm glad that I powered through and completed it. Ok, so I did not really have a choice because I tried to downgrade to the half marathon, but the half was at capacity when I made this attempt.

Random KOS and VA trivia:

I share a birthday (June 25) with Virginia (my mother state). I guess technically I share my birthday with VA's first birthday. The state was admitted into the US twice, the original time and when it was readmitted after the Civil War, I guess the state has two birthdays.

First non-NYC Marathon:

After about 11 years for running a near-annual marathon, I finally ran one outside of NYC. Yay me.

MARATHON LOGISTICS:

Overall, I thought the logistics (from bib pick up to getting to the course) for Richmond Marathon were pretty easy breezy. Actually, I prefer the simplicity of this marathon (probably other non-NYC marathons too) compared to that of NYC Marathon. What do I mean? For my previous NYC Marathons, I would wake up around 3 am, make my way to the Staten Island Ferry by 6:30 am, arrive to the starting village by 7:30 am, and sit around until my wave started around 10/10:30 am. Put it like this: one year, the professional NYC Marathon runners finished the marathon BEFORE we even started. Basically, before you set foot on the course, you've already been up for 7+ hours. All of this is BEFORE you run 26.2 miles, so tack on another 4+ hours. With Richmond Marathon, I woke up around 4 am, dropped off my post-race bag by 6:45 am, and was off to the start by 7:30 am.

MARATHON LOGISTICS II (EXPO):

Overall, I thought the expo was pretty nice. I love an expo where you can buy random things like hair extensions. I must have arrived to the expo too early because there was not a lot going on. However, I wanted to be one of the 1st people at the expo on Friday to see if there was any chance that I could switch to the half marathon. Unfortunately, the half was at its 10,000-runner cap. Well...there were some charity slots, but I was not trying to pay $300 bucks for a charity spot.

While the expo was fine, I did not understand why it was held so far of the way. The expo was at Richmond Raceway (the site of many NASCAR races), which was about 30 minutes by car from the downtown area. I get that you need a lot space for bib pick up, vendors, presentations, etc. However, I did not think we needed THAT much space because I did not think there were that many registrants. I believe there were 6,000 for the marathon, 10,000 for the half marathon, and (maaaybe) 5,000 for the 8K. Also, it annoyed me that the expo was held at the Raceway when there is a perfectly good convention center in downtown Richmond that was empty over the weekend. At least the organizers provided a shuttle to/from the expo from downtown Richmond. If I had driven from Silver Spring, Maryland to Richmond, I guess I would not be complaining about this.

Also, a good chunk of this is my fault. At first, I decided to book my hotel accommodations outside of the downtown area. When I was looking up places to stay in June or July, hotel prices in the downtown area were starting at $300 a night. My cheap a** was like I am NOT paying $300 a night to stay in RICHMOND, VIRGINIA!!! So, I decided to find something a bit out the way with the intent of checking again to see if some of the downtown hotels' price would drop. Clearly, the second part of my plan did not happen. I did pick a place that was near public transportation, but I learned the busses were not super frequent. However, kudos to the city of Richmond because public transportation is free.

The course:

I thought the course's scenery was absolutely beautiful. For this marathon, we got a taste of the downtown area, many really nice neighborhoods, various historic districts, colleges/universities, and plenty of nature ;). Actually, I think we might have had too much "nature" because the John Smith Trial/State Park portion seemed to go on FOREVER.

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Unfortunately, that part of the marathon really did not have spectators, so it was a bit hard to stay motivated with the exception of an alien offering to transport us to the finish.

The course was pretty easy because most of it was very flat; of course there were few small hills, but it was nothing too crazy. I think maximum incline was like 200ft, which is pretty light (especially compared to NYC Marathon). Also, the finish was a treat because it was all downhill for the last 0.25 miles. Many say that this is an excellent course to qualify for Boston Marathon because of its flatness.

Also, the weather was absolutely amazing, which ranged from 42 to 64F. Virginia is one of those places where you can experience all four seasons in a span of one day. The morning was pretty brisk, but it started to heat up a bit by the afternoon. Around Mile 14 or so, I had to take off my tights, which were originally under my shorts. Normally, this would not be a big deal, but I tend to wear a jock strap for 10+ mile distances. So, I was literally assed out for a few moments after taking off my tights and putting on my shorts behind a dumpster. I probably should have changed out of my tights while we were in the wilderness for a good eight miles. Oh well, live and learn. Fortunately, I started the marathon with a long-sleeve shirt that came in handy because I draped around my butt so my ass checks were not expose while putting on my shorts.

I'm so glad that I did not toss away my long sleeve shirt during the 1st few miles.

My "performance"

Once I learned that I couldn't switch to the half marathon, I set the bar low...well, I set the bar as low as hell. My overall plan basically simply was to finish. Originally, I was going to push myself in the first half; however, that plan quickly changed when I passed a woman (somewhere in between the 1st and 2nd miles) on the ground and surrounded by a group of EMTs with one performing CPR. This terrified me because I've heard about these things, but I never actually witnessed something like this in person. I said a little prayer and thought about her during a decent chunk of the marathon. Seeing her on the ground was my second red flag telling me to take this marathon VERY easy. I saw the first red flag while having dinner the night before the marathon. There was a news segment discussing a man who returned to Richmond Marathon after going into cardiac arrest during last year's marathon.

You know, bad things typically happens in threes so I was very cautious running. The night after the marathon, I asked folks in one of my Facebook groups if they woman survived, and a couple of people said she did. PHEW.

Since i was taking it very easy, it gave me a chance to really "enjoy" the marathon. I think that I visited almost every person that was handing out beers and mimosas. While the crowds were not as plentiful (especially for us taking up the back), there were still quite a few folks out and about, especially in the neighborhoods, so it was nice to see people sticking around for the back of the pack folks.

Random, I definitely have been spoiled by NYC Marathon. With the exception of bridges and the 1st three to four miles, there are fluid stations at every mile. For this one, the fluid stations were located at every 2.5 -3 miles. Fortunately, I brought my own water bottle (like always) and filled it up (even if it was 9/10s full) at every station bc I did not know when I would cross the next one. Well, that's my fault bc I probably should have studied the course map a bit more. My other struggle, which also could have been prevented had I checkout the map. Some of you may know that I like a course with a few turns because it helps reset my mind. However, Richmond had VERY long stretches were we ran in a straight line (especially on Arthur Ashe Ave), which was making me go bonkers after Mile 15. At one point, I yelled how long is the freaking stretch to which another runner cosigned my frustration.

Where do I go from here?

While I've been kind of ambivalent about training for this marathon and running in general, I think this marathon revitalized my interest in becoming a better running. Since I'm drafting this entry few days after the marathon, this could be due to the remaining endorphins talking or rather, typing. In the very near future, I might be interested in signing up for a few coaching sessions just to get an idea of what I should do to improve my running. Typically, I play these type of things by ear, but it's quite apparent that my body's physiology has significantly changed from when I first stared running in 2011. Also, I really want to get my nutrition together because I would like to (well need to) lose a significant amount of weight over the course of the next few months. I'm getting to the point where I do not like how I look in a mirror while "wearing" my birthday suit. All that said, I need to strike while the iron is hot. Since I have 26.2 miles under melt (even though I walked a lot of this weekend's marathon), I would like to get back to running 10-15 mile long runs during the weekends even when I'm not training for something. Also, I would like to start getting back into my post-work 7-mile runs from my job to my apt. For this effort, I even bought one of these glowing vest since the streets in my parts of Maryland are VERY dark.

I'm going to take a week off from running to get through my soreness and get back to some sort of a routine. Well, I am thinking about registering for this half marathon in Annapolis.

Would I run Richmond Marathon again?

HELL YES! I need a redemption Richmond Marathon. Also, I really liked how this marathon was on a Saturday so runners could have Sunday to recover. Also (part 2), I'm glad that I requested PTO for the following Monday, because I really needed on extra day for recovery. However, I do not think I will run Richmond next year, because I want to run the Marine Corps Marathon for my fall marathon. I was supposed to run that last fall, but my back injury changed that plan.

Thanks again, Richmond Marathon!

Playlist:

These are the songs that were playing when I hit each mile marker.

Race Report/Rant: DCFR Pride Run 5K

DATE: June 07, 2024

DISTANCE: 5K

PLACE: Congressional Cemetery, Washington DC

WEATHER:  83F

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: 32:14/ 10:22 min/mi

FINISHERS: 1297

SWAG: Tech T, medal, beer, dancing, random nibbles, annoyance ;)

General Overview:

Last friday was my first (and probably last) Pride Run as a resident of the DMV. The race was organized by the DC Front Runners (DCFR), and it took place in a cemetery of all places. According to the DCFR Pride Run website, on the why of having this race in the Congressional Cemetery.

“Beyond the Historic Congressional Cemetery being a beautiful and peaceful place to hold an event, it’s also rich with history.  Not only is it the burial site of members of Congress, Civil Rights leaders, Women’s Suffrage leaders, and notable members of the FBI, but the cemetery is also the final resting place of Leonard Matlovich, an American Vietnam War Veteran, recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal, and a gay rights and AIDS activist in the 1970s and 1980s.”

I hate to be one of those folks who always compares one city to another, but I have to say that I think Front Runners NYC (FRNY) does a better Pride Run than DCFR. However, I think DCFR solely organizes its Pride Run, whereas FRNY collaborates with the New York Road Runners (NYRR), which has more resources, to organize its Pride run.

I don't know, but it felt kind of weird running in a cemetery. Actually, I take that back, it felt a little disrespectful to run a race in a cemetery - especially when some folks were using tombstones as spots to place their post-race beers and other post-race crap.

Ok. Yes, I did see that the Congressional Cemetery was the location of the race. BUT, I assumed that the race would be held in a park or the neighborhood NEAR the cemetery, not inside of the cemetery. Well, I can cross running in a cemetery off of my bucket list. Wait! Well, I can put running in a cemetery on my bucket list, then cross it off of the list. ;)

The Course:

Hee Hee. Is it me, or does the course kind of look like a snake?

Overall, I thought the course was a hot a** mess. I'll qualify that statement by saying that I thought the course was a hot mess for the number of folks (~1200 runners). Why? For about 90% of the race, there were limited places to pass, and we were pretty much on top of each other until the last 200 or so meters. The worst part: about 1.75 miles into the race, there was a hairpin turn so what was a one-way "street" became a two-way "street" with even less room to move when the faster runners were returning to the cemetery.

Another thing that made this race a congested mess: The organizers did not have any sort of corralling system, except for the folks that were running at a sub 7-minute/mile pace. Of course, many folks nowadays do not have any self awareness. So, folks lined up near the front of the racing field knowing that they were either very slow runners or were planning to walk. I do not understand why people do this. If you know that you are planning to walk a race, LINE UP IN THE BACK. There was absolutely no reason for folks who lined up near the front to start walking as soon as they crossed the start line. I'm actually surprised that there were not more injuries. During the race, I almost tripped a few times because some folks would just come to an abrupt stop before walking. Also, the fact that most of the course was on cobblestone and uneven paths did not really help matters.

Other than those two (major) issues, I had a bit of a blast. ;) I'll say that it was a different experience running a race at 7 pm . . . Well, the organizers started late, so we didn't begin running until 7:30 pm. Ugh, the humidity in the mid-Atlantic is no joke because it was still humid AF at 7:30 pm. Man, I cannot wait until I lose enough weight so I will not be too self-conscious over running shirtless.

I'm not sure if my finishing time is truly reflective of my effort. On one hand, I probably could have run faster, but I did not want to risk injuring myself or others while running in the congested pack. On the other hand, maybe I ran faster than anticipated because whenever there was some free space or an opportunity to pass a group of walkers or slower runners, I took it.

I'll say something nice: I thought the medal and T-shirt were nice.

Although there was a post-race party, the hubby and I decided to drink our beers and head to the nearest spot to find food. Also, I did not really want to stick around, because I thought it was a bit weird to have a post-race dance party in a cemetery. Fortunately for us, there was a nearby bougie food court that had a nice selection of food options. This worked out well for me because I was hungry AF, but I did not know specifically what I wanted to eat. I pretty much had a modest spread of post-race bites.

Concluding Thoughts:

While I think it is/was great (and important) to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride (especially because I'm in the community), I do not think that I will run this race again. Maybe next year, I'll donate what I would have paid in registration fees to an LGBTQ+ organization. OR, I'll register with the intention of walking the 5K, BUT I will be sure to start at the back of the pack.

Something that I noticed. While living in NYC, I joined FRNY after chatting with some FRNY runners during the post-race party of my first NYC Pride Run, which was held in Central Park, NOT in a cemetery. Upon finishing the DCFR Pride Run, I had no interest in chatting with any of DCFR members (absolutely no shade to DCFR), I simply wanted to finish my beer, change into a dry shirt, get a feeding, and go home. Actually, I thought it was interesting that DCFR did not have a booth or table for attracting potential members. Maybe they had a table or an area, but I did not see it since I left shortly after finishing the race.

Playlists:

Race Report: Frederick Half Marathon

DATE: May 05, 2024

DISTANCE: Half Marathon (13.1mi/21km)

PLACE: Frederick, Maryland

WEATHER:  52F and rainy

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: 2:27 / 11:15 min/mi

FINISHERS: 2452

SWAG: Sweatshirt, medal, two post-race beers, and random bits and pieces from the post-race festival

Woo hoo! My first official Maryland half marathon as a resident of Maryland. This half took me to the town of Frederick, which is about 30-40 miles from Washington DC.

EXPO:

There really wasn't much to the expo, because I picked up my bib and bounced. Actually, I take that back. I just realized that I picked up my race stuff at an off-site at a local running store rather than picking up my materials at the official expo. For me, it did not make much sense to drive 30 miles to Frederick to pick up my bib, drive 30 miles back to Silver Spring, then make that same trip one or two days later. I guess I should be grateful that the organizers had a couple options to pick up race materials outside of the expo.

Pre-race:

To be honest, I was over the half marathon before starting it. While driving to Frederick around 5 am, I was very concerned with the early morning downpours. There were a couple of times during my drive that I considered turning around. One time I had this thought was when I had to pull off onto the shoulder of the interstate to pee in the rain. Some folks may know that I absolutely HATE running in the rain. I don't really understand why because I tend to sweat a lot, so it's not like I'm NOT going to get wet while running. Maybe it's my fear of slipping on wet surfaces. In Frederick (about 30 min before lining up), I had to internally tell myself: Look! Stop complaining about the rain. Either shut up and run the half or get in the car and drive home. I think my internal pep talk help. ;)

You know, this is the first time that I've seen corrals marked with pace rather that letters of numbers that's supposed to represent a pace cutoffs.

Actually, I think this a better way to assign corrals. IMO, I think runners would be a bit more "honest" (or rather, cognizant) of their running level/state when the corral's pace is clearly visible. A pace is consistent from race to race, but Corral letters/numbers are not. For instance, Corral E might have a pace cutoff of 11 min/mi for one race, but Corral E might have a pace cutoff of 10 min/mi for another.

The Course:

Overall, I really enjoyed this course because it was very flat and had a few twists and turns that allowed us to explore the historic town of Frederick. I don't know why, but I really appreciate a course that has a few turns. I think it's a mental thing for me because making a turn kind of gives me a mental reset.

You know, 50F weather is kind of annoying because it can feel too cold or too hot. I was planning to run in a short technical T-shirt, but I figured that it would be too cold for that. Fortunately, I packed a long-sleeved tech shirt. Unfortunately, my long sleeve shirt was too tight to put over my regular shirt, so I put the long-sleeved tech shirt under my short-sleeved tech shirt and thought nothing of it. About 3/4 of a mile into the race, I realized that I was going to become too hot running with this set up. Begrudgingly, I had to stop and rearrange my outfit, which involved:

• Finding a spot off the course to change.

• Taking off all of my shirts and putting the long-sleeved tech shirt around my waist. Since I really like this long tech shirt (I think it's from one of my NYC marathons), I didn't want to toss it.

• Unpin the four safety pins and transfer my bib from my shirt to my shorts. I did this just in case, I would need to put my long sleeve tech shirt over my t-shirt.

I guess doing this took longer than I thought because I was VERY far in the back of the pack by the time I finished.

Ha! I think there were about 10 runners and course sweepers behind me by the time I finished dealing with my wardrobe "malfunction".

General Recap:

In previous half marathons, I typically will run 0.8 miles and walk 0.2 miles intervals. For this half, I tried to push myself a little bit by running 0.9 miles and walking 0.1 miles. I'm not sure if it made a HUGE difference, but my time for this half marathon (~2:27) was a bit faster than the one I ran in March (~2:34). Around Mile 7, I decide to push myself a bit more by walking my 0.1 miles after running 2 miles instead of after each mile. Also, I incorporated fartlets and 0.25 mile "sprints" during Miles 8, 10, and 12.

I wonder if Cow Tales are anything like Duck Tales.

At the post-race festival, I learned that Cow Tales are a chewy candy. Although this candy has been around since the 80s, I don't recall ever seeing them.

I'll say that for 80% of the race, I did not feel like I was struggling. I didn't feel super strong, BUT I did not feel weak while running. I hate to admit this, but I think the rainy weather might have had something to do with my improved performance because the rain prevented me from getting too hot while running.

HA! I was ecstatic to run past Olde Mother Brewery, which produces one of my (newly) favorite beers.

Once again, I will say that I was quite impressed by the city of Frederick, and I would not mind visiting again for a day trip.

I'll say that it was very interesting to finish up the half marathon on a racetrack (for motorcycles, I think).

Post-Race:

Overall, I thought the post-race festival was very nice because there was plenty to do...on paper. However, the rainy weather kind of put a damper (pun intended) on the festival because the festival area was full of mud. I remember almost slipping on a few occasion while making may way from point A to B to C...

However, I did not let a little mud stop me from enjoying my post-race beers.

Because of state or city mandates, they had to open and serve BOTH cans of beers, so I guess everyone was double fisting beers. While the race and post-race party were organized very well, I think in the future they should provide runners with 21+ wristbands. Many runners were turned away from grabbing their post-race beers because they did not have an ID. So, folks had to walk a bit to go to the back check (which was outside of the post-race festival area), get their ID, and return for their beer. Had it not be for the mud and coldish weather, I would have stayed a bit longer at the festival.

However, I was getting cold and really wanted to get my dry bag to put on my sweatshirt.

I have to LOL about the sweatshirt. When I picked up my race materials at the "expo", I thought that it was kind of dumb to provide a sweatshirt for a May half marathon. However, the sweatshirt definitely kept me warm after the race, AND it's a very nice really nice sweatshirt. I thought it was kind of funny that I saw so many discarded race sweatshirts along the course. Maybe these folks have run this half marathon a few times and didn't need (or want) another sweatshirt.

Luckily for me there was a Planet Fitness about a few miles away. I decided to hit up the Frederick Planet Fitness, to stretch, use a hydromassage table, take a shower, and change into clean clothes. After that, I drove by home, picked up the husband, and had brunch (fish n grits and mimosas) at a local Creole (or as my friend says "Beyonce Creole, not Haitian Creole") restaurant in Silver Spring.

While the mimosas were delicious, my fish n grits were off because the dish was way too salty. Although Sunday was Cinco de Mayo, I really did not want to go to a Mexican or margarita spot for my post-race feeding...and drinking. I was tired and did not want to be around a million and three people guzzling down margaritas, wearing sombreros, and being loud.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

-The half marathon did not go as well as I would have liked (weatherwise), but I definitely want to run this half again next year. Also, I might be interested in checking out one of race challenges.

-The quaint, historic city of Frederick is very nice and deserves a non-racing day trip.

-While I did not achieve the time I wanted, I am somewhat happy that my time improved from my last half. Actually, I take that back because I never set a time goal for this half.

Playlists:

Since Eurovision 2024 is this week, I gave the Class of 2024 one more complete listen before the contest's kick off.

Race Report: Spin in the Woods (4 mi)

DATE: March 30, 2024

DISTANCE: 4 miles

PLACE: Wheaton, MD

WEATHER:  mid 40s F

OFFICIAL TIME (mm:ss) / PACE (min/mi): 44:26/11:03

FINISHERS: ???

SWAG: Nada

LOL. This weekend's "impromptu" race was my first official trail race in my 10 or so years of running. What do I mean by impromptu? Recently, I joined Montgomery County Road Runners Club (link: MCRRC), but I had forgotten that the club organizes what they call "low-key" races throughout the year, which are free for members. Last week, I was randomly looking for some races for April and saw that there was a race in a couple of days. Since I was supposed to run 10 miles over the weekend and the location of the race was a couple of miles from my apt, I figured why not add a race to my long run.

I kind of like the concept of the club's Low Key Race Series. For these, there are no medals, no shirts, no swag bags, and no huge expos, you pretty much show up, grab your bib, run the race, and go home. ;) These races kind of remind me of my cross country meets during my high school years.

One minor drawback to these races, I'm responsible for keeping track of my red tracker for the entire race season. I didn't know folks still used the tracking chips that you have to attach to your shoes.

The Spin in the Woods took us through two loops in Springbrook Forest. Since I'm training for another half marathon in May, I sandwiched this race between a 2-mile pre-race run and a 2.5-mile post-race run.

Ha! A couple of deer even "greeted" me along Sligo Creek Trail during the 2-mile pre-race run.

I know that deer are pretty peaceful animals, but they do scare the sh*t out of me when they just randomly cross the path and stare at you before running away.

While I was supposed to run 10 miles this weekend, I did not feel like adding another 1.5 miles to the 2.5 mile post-race run . . . especially bc I was really close to my home. Looking back, I kind of wish that I pushed out that those extra 1.5 miles bc I do feel a little guilty about not running them. Oh well, there's always next weekend's long run.

Overall, I thought the trail race was nice, and I have no complaints about the course and organization. I will admit that I was VERY nervous about tripping and/or twisting my ankle on rocks, tree roots, or the uneven surfaces. Fortunately, I did not trip over anything and bruise something like my ego. ;) Since I'm a bit slower these days, I was also a bit nervous about getting lost somewhere in the woods after the thinning of the pack. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The course was a little challenging because there were a couple of hills (the blue circle in the pic below indicating the race's elevation profile), but it wasn't anything that I could not handle. Actually, the hills kind of surprised me because I did not look up the course's elevation since it was "only" four miles.

All in all, it was nice to try something new, and I'm open to running another trail race in the future. However (at least for now), I think that I prefer road races over trail races. I thought the MCRCC did a great job with marking the course because there were plenty of orange flags throughout the course. I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were a couple of water stations along the course. I wasn't expecting that because 1) it's a low-key race; and 2) concerns over runners tossing their paper cups into the wilderness. This experience reminds that I have to remember to sign up to volunteer for one of the club's races in the near future: 1) to the return the favor of the volunteers for this race and other races; 2) to meet some new people in the area.

Playlist:

Speaking of trying something new, I decided to listen to Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album while running this race. In this album, Beyonce is doing something a bit different and taking a crack at Country music. I thought it was a decent album; however, I wasn't blown away by the album. I have to admit that I don't really listen to Country music, but the album sounded more Country-Pop with R&B and hints of Trap music.