| Author |
Topic: First Timer in Richmond RR |
perchcreek
Cool Runner |
 posted Nov-10-2007 09:42 PM
   
Short Version:3:39:08 BQ for 2009
49/249 M50-54 AG
679/3783 OA
1st half 1:49:26
2nd half 1:49:42 pretty even! Long Version:
I signed up for the Richmond Marathon last fall when they had a $30 special. Since then I ran and BQ’d (for ’07 and ’08) at Myrtle Beach (3:35:49) in February only to get severe Plantar Faciitis (PF) on my right foot while training for Boston. I not only had to cancel my first Boston but the injury took months of rehab. Richmond was to be a test/training marathon on the path to running Boston in April 2008. My goals were simple:
Run easy or at least safely (injury wise) and..
1. Complete the marathon injury free so I can train for Boston
2. Beat 3:45:59 for a BQ for 2009 (kind of a get out of jail free card)
3. Best case 3:3X:XX This was my 6th marathon and I have to say, the most enjoyable in terms of the course, crowd support, and the way it was run. Extra special was DW and DD1 came and cheered me on. First time they’ve been to a marathon. We stayed at the Omni, race headquarters whih was right at the finish area… sweet! We arrived on Friday and hit the expo and met up with Tramps and Vista. Tramps has a great recap in his RR here (very nice guys!): http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/Forum13/HTML/011598.shtml Saturday morning was the easiest marathon preparation yet. Up at 3:30 for a banana, bagel with PBJ and honey, Hooh bar and poweraid. Then back to bed til 6:30. Got ready and headed out of the Hotel at 7:30 wearing my throw away jogging outfit and carrying a Tyvek jumpsuit (bought for $1). It was a balmy 45F so I checked my throw aways and donned the Tyvek. Perfect for the breezy morning. Ditched that 5 min before the start and we were off at 8:00 slightly up hill into the wind. Wind was a steady 10 mph, not bad but annoying in spots. I wanted to hit 8:40 and then bring it down gradually and keep HR in 158-162 range. Here’s what happened:
Mile / pace / (HR)
Mile 1: 8:41 (155) perfect but HR was up there already!
Mile 2: 8:35 (163) HR high but this is that uncomfortable first miles.. and uphill a bit
Mile 3: 8:28 (162) OK.. HR going down, pace faster… good
Mile 4: 8:25 (162) stable, heading towards 8:20 (3:40 finish pace)
Mile 5: 8:17 (160) a bit of down, finally feeing good [note first 6 miles rise 150 ft]
Mile 6: 8:17 (160) cool! Feel great!
Mile 7: 7:57 (154) pretty winding downhill.. nice break!
Mile 8: 8:16 (159) very scenic run across a long bridge high above the James River
Mile 9: 8:11 (157) wind down to the river then follow the shore, feeling groovy! Beautiful rapids, waterfalls, woodsy..
Mile10: 8:25 (156) wind uphill at end of mile through wooded road.. pretty
Mile11: 8:29 (159) winding up more then parallel the river from above
Mile12: 8:19 (158) parallel the river (out of sight) pretty flat here
Mile13: 8:12 (158) slight down and rolling
Mile14: 8:10 (156) heading back down towards the river
Mile15: 8:13 (152) good downhill before Lee Bridge
Mile16: 8:26 (158) uphill across bridge directly into 10 mph north wind (shorten up and focus!)
Just beyond mile 16 DW and DD1 shout and wave. Perfect timing! The next miles were tough
Mile17: 8:28 (159) still climbing gradually
Mile18: 8:18 (158) leveled and wind at an angle… 2 more miles til the “no wall”
Mile19: 8:15 (157) pretty level but straight into wind.
It was this mile that I found a Richmond Runners marathon pacer guy with 5 gosslings. I tucked in with them to draft. They were going such a nice pace and heading woards a 3:40 finish so I hung with them Miles 18-24. That was a big help. One of the pace group members e was a guy in my age group trying to BQ with a sub 3:45:59 and he was heading to closer to 3:40.
Mile20: 8:28 (160) wind and hills, hanging with pace group.. “no wall”
Mile21: 8:35 (159) just going the pace groups pace
Mile22: 8:18 (161) feeling good still, no foot or leg issues, not tired
Mile23: 8:21 (161) some uphill, maybe just going with the group flow
Mile24: 8:23 (161) pace group pace. At mile 24 they told the guy trying BQ to go on ahead and he’ll BQ for sure as long as they are behind him. I hung with that guy.
Mile25: 8:41 (164) getting hard! … up hill? Tired?? Still with the BQ guy
Mile26: 8:24 (164) final downhill stretch…. left that BQ guy in the dust.. DD1 and DW cheered me on just past Mile26!
Mile26.2: 7:09… sprint to finish to break 3:40.. did it with spare change! 3:39:08 BQ for 2009 by almost 7 minutes! No wall, even splits, perfect race. I’m thrilled! There was only one thing better than crossing the finish today and that was being seated at the Cheese Cake Factory following 4 hrs of mall shopping with DW and DD1 and an hour wait to be seated at the restaurant…. NOW my legs are tired  So all goals were met, 100%. Foot never complained.. until the 4hrs of mall walking!
Thanks for reading! P.S...
FR: blue race ready shorts, white drifit tee, blue/white Asics 2120’s, beige gloves with velcoe water bottle (8 oz) which sticks to the gloves for hands free operation!
Fueling: Poweraid at 2,4,8,12,16, 24. Water+gu+e-cap at 6, 10, 14, 18, 20, 22
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CNYrunner
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 09:50 PM
Congratulations and way to rock another BQ. I am so glad your foot behaved and you had a great race and overall experience. CNYrunner
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Peter NC
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 09:53 PM
Steve, congrats on your great finish! What else can I say but your plan went perfectly. I liked you mile by mile descriptions and your consistant splits are any marathoners dream. Great job! ------------------
Me - Saucony Hurricane 8/Asics GT-2100/New Balance766 - FR305
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wa5yom
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 09:57 PM
Congrats Perch on the 2009 BQ...Sure is nice to have it in the Bank..huh...You ran a finally tuned race with great splits .....with a sub 8 thrown in.... Now..remember the hill training for Boston...hehe Good luck and congrats again.
Tim,
Ardmore, OK.
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JJJessee
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 10:28 PM
Great run Perch!
Sounded as smooth as silk, not a wrinkle one.
You made it look easy.
But you made this one outta August and September weather. There was nothing easy about that.
I just wish Tory could have been there to run a few miles with you..
Congrats on consecutive BQs
jjj
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arf 1
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 10:42 PM
...No wall - even splits - perfect race - I'm thrilled! ......You made my day Perch! Huge congrats on this most excellent race, and I was really happy to hear your beautiful wife and daughter were there too! Sweet! arf
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divechief
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 11:15 PM
Yep, what everyone else said, nice even effort, well run, and congrats on teh BQ in the bank. It's a good feeling
Dave
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Sans Souci
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-10-2007 11:25 PM
Perfect race ... you bet, Steve! You're always so upbeat and positive about your training (even when injured); I'm really happy that everything came together for you in this marathon.Hope you reward that well-behaved foot with a nice break before you start preparing for Boston. Very kind of your cheerleaders to treat you to 4 celebratory hours at the mall.  
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evanflein
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 12:46 AM
Hey, you gotta think all that pool running really paid off in spades, no?
What an awesome race... your mile splits were most impressive. Congratulations on a well performed race and excellent rehab/training. You should write a book on it... Nice job.------------------
evanflein
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WillRunForBeer
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 12:53 AM
Even splits?? Who does that? Oh, smart runners like perch, that's who. "3. Best case 3:3X:XX". ding ding ding ding -- we have a winner! See you in beantown, buddy!
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mariposai
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 01:55 AM
Great rehab. Great race. Great report...what else can we ask?????????
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mcsolar99
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 06:28 AM
shopping after a marathon... what are you crazy??? congrats on a great run perch... you nailed it. great fueling plan, great pacing, heart rate, and nice racing response at the end! you'll remember this one for a while; use that smart approach in your training for the next one, which is in new england someplace i gather 
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tselbs
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 06:28 AM
perch, I don't see how it could have been much better, even splits, good time, BQ, and family. Congratulations.TomS ------------------
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hopeful4ever
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 06:58 AM
Perfect race indeed Steve!! BQ after BQ for you sir - and well deserved! I can't believe you went shopping after that. Congratulations!! ~Mary
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hally
Moderator of Boomers and Beyond |
posted Nov-11-2007 07:08 AM
Great report and way to hit your goal!! I can't believe all the details for every mile , it must have been pretty easy for you to remember all those details Hope the pocketbook didn't get hurt at that mall afterward. Barb
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TheProFromDover
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 07:23 AM
Training run, I guess! Sheesh you make this marathoning thing look easy. Perfect execution to plan. See you in Boston! Several years coming I guess. Craig
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MarkGuy
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 08:13 AM
Perch, very impressive recovery from your injury. I felt terrible this spring when you bailed on Boston. This has to make up for it in some way and it looks like you are all set for 2008. Great job.
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RunsTheBitterroot
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 09:20 AM
Hi Perch! Another great comeback! Congratulations on your pr and BQ! Amazing job on your splits. Larry------------------
"If you see a man running up a mountain trail in Montana with a fly pole attached to his back, you are probably lost. LDD
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millbot
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 09:34 AM
Perch, a most impressive race! Congratulations on the repeat BQ! You really have the marathon figured out.
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mrsribs
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 10:33 AM
There's a man for me...a marathon in the morning and shopping in the afternoon.Way to go! Mrs. Ribs
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evryday
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 10:37 AM
Fantastic!executed your plan perfectly. Yes, the mall walking get's me everytime. Actually, I think it's the standing around part that does it. ------------------
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Tramps
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 10:41 AM
So that's how you're supposed to run this race! Man, I've got a lot to learn. Great job; congratulations on another BQ. I'm glad you seemed to enjoy the race; I'm prejudiced, but it is a nice one. Great to meet you and the family!
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Econo
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 11:40 AM
See ya in Boston '09! (heh -- that's a little econobravado)Very, very very nice job, perch -- my PF buddy. Smart recovery, smart training, smart racing!
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Elaine3112
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 12:03 PM
PC
What a great result for you and so richly deserved after your disappointment earlier in the year. I'm so pleased for you and you got to spend quality time with the family too, even if it was 4 hours shopping! Well done Steve and rest up well now.
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Spareribs
Cool Runner |
posted Nov-11-2007 01:26 PM
It is a pleasure to see someone go into a race with a perfect plan, after perfect training, execute it well and have such an upbeat report. You have paid many dues with injuries and recoveries, so this is a lot of fun to read. Well done Steve. Spareribs
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