Today's Run - 10/13

Emily, my Dad and James left our hotel at 6:15 for the race. We stopped grabbed a bite to eat and were downtown shortly by 7am. We found our way to the starting line just as the 8K race started. James ran the Richmond 1/2 Marathon, we looked for a spot out of the wind and cold to wait out James start. I also got to see Laura, Marty, Heather and Kyle before they started their speed walk of the 1/2 Marathon. It was a great to see them before the race started.

After the start of the 1/2 Marathon, I checked my runners bag and headed to my corral. It was starting to warm up and I felt good standing in the mass of runners with the sun shining. I waved to Emily and my dad as I headed out.

I worked to start slow, but it was tough as the crowd was moving pretty quick. But I was able to start with 9:30 mile and work down from there. Early into the 2nd Mile I bumped into a CTC Marathon Training member Zen. We ran worked together to maintain a 8:30-9:00min pace. We ran together for the first 13Miles or so but got split up. After 17Miles I started to struggle, I was still wearing my hat and racing sleeves, so I worked to shed those to cool off. At mile 16 I was able to see my friends Trish and Cheryl. It was a huge pick up as I continued to work through and mile 21, I started to get a few leg cramps forcing me to walk for a few stints. I continued to battle the leg cramps through Mile 24.5 where the pull to the finish kicked in. I turned the final turn onto the downhill stretch down Cary St. As I ran down the road I saw my friends Doozie and Dawn cheering me on. Another block and I saw my Dad, Emily with Ella and Wes, James, Jim and Liz. I slapped my dad's hand and headed to the finish line to cross with a chip time of 4:17:26.

I really enjoyed this weekend and the support from family and friends. We were able to celebrate my Mom's birthday, and James and my running. As a birthday gift I dedicated the last 2.2 Miles to mom. I am happy with my race even though I did not break the 4Hr mark. I improved my time Marathon Time by more than 11Mins. Looking back at the race, the thing that stands out is I was over dressed with my hat and racing sleeves as the temps went from the 30's to the 60's. I will take these lessons learned and incorporate into my training for March.