Richmond Half Marathon Recap 1:31.03

Last year, I spectated the Richmond Half Marathon because I got injured with a hamstring injury shortly before. I never got the chance to run when I lived in Virginia and New Jersey, but the timing seems to work well now that I come back and visit just before Thanksgiving. I was hoping to run this year, and training had been going well.

I know, in my bones, that I am in sub-1:30 shape; it just has to be the right day and the right time. I was hoping that day would be Richmond. It was not, and now looking back I realize I was just beginning to get sick which is why I had a lack of energy.

Before the Richmond Half Marathon

Traveling back to the East Coast this year was kind of brutal. Because I wake up between 4:00–4:30 for work, going back to East Coast time isn’t usually terrible. For whatever reason, this time around I have been so tired. I’ve slept 11 hours twice. So waking up at 4:45 East Coast time (1:45 PST) has not been pleasant. We arrived in Richmond somewhat late, got our packets, and were in bed at 9:00 p.m. We opted to stay at a hotel that was walkable to the Richmond Half Marathon. 4:45 race day came early, and I woke up feeling exhausted.

Unlike the Las Vegas Half Marathon a couple of weeks prior, I didn’t wake up with, “I want to run sub-90 today.” I woke up with, “I am so happy I’m getting to run this one this year.” I got ready and got to the Richmond Half Marathon a bit later than I hoped because I was slow-moving. I did a 1-ish mile warmup and headed to the Richmond Half Marathon start. The Richmond Half Marathon start gets very crowded, and you are literally bumper to bumper, so I recommend getting there early. I waited and waited, and the race went off a few minutes late at 7:19.

Richmond Half Marathon Race

When I started running, I did not feel good. It was crowded, and my calves were so stiff and I just had a general lack of energy. I thought, Wow, it’s not my day today. I didn’t feel terrible, but I felt stiff, and my legs just felt heavy. I was immediately disappointed. I hit the first mile in 6:59, and I thought, Whew, if I can average 7:15 pace today, I suppose I’ll be happy. I tried to reason with myself that last year, I watched this race on the sidelines, so be grateful this year.

The next few miles were pretty uneventful. I was just plodding along. There are a lot of small hills at the Richmond Half Marathon, but there isn’t a “huge hill.” The small hills just add up. I ran 7:06, 7:04, 7:01, and mile 5 was a 7:07. When I hit mile 5 of the Richmond Half Marathon and saw the 7:07, I thought, Well, I guess today really is not my day. We were running through a beautiful park, and it was nice to enjoy some nature instead of the usual city streets.

I hit the 10K around 44 minutes and thought: That’s still faster than you’ve run many 10Ks in recent years. It was right on track for a 1:32 half marathon, and I thought: OK, well, that isn’t bad, especially because you’re not feeling it today. I was being hard on myself for literally no reason.

I ran mile 6 in 6:48 with all of the downhill and then mile 7 in 7:10 coming back up. At that time, I took a UCAN gel. Around mile 7, I realized I actually felt better than when we started. I didn’t feel bad at all. I never decided to “push it,” but I could feel myself picking up the pace when others were starting to fade. I began the famous runner countdown of six miles to go… then five. I also knew that around 12.5–12.75 was a steep downhill. So mentally, I began counting down to 12.5.

I hit mile 8 in 6:55 and mile 9 in 6:53. I was not feeling amazing, but I was feeling a lot better than the start of the race. We met up with the 8K runners, but Richmond does it well—half marathoners are on one side of the road, and 8K runners are on the other. This seems like a basic thing to do, but the number of races that don’t do this and just allow it to be chaotic is…a lot.

I started looking at people in the distance and just trying to catch up to them. I ran a 6:53 followed by a 6:47, and then 6:55. By the time I knew it, it was mile 12, and I knew I could push the last part of the race. Everyone always says don’t push the last half mile of the Richmond Half Marathon because you can injure yourself. Did I listen? No, even though I told myself to take it hard but not “too hard,” I ended up running 5:38 pace down the hill. I crossed the Richmond Half Marathon finish in 1:31:03.

Richmond Half Marathon Thoughts

I’m happy with my race at the Richmond Half Marathon. It started off rocky and I truly did not think it was my day because my calves and body just felt so tired. It was still my fastest half marathon in three years, so I can’t complain. Reflecting almost a week later, I was on the beginnings of getting sick so that is a big confidence booster. (Now if I can get over the sickness, that would be great).

I still believe on a good day I can run under 1:30, but that will likely have to wait until the spring. Anyway, they always say don’t judge a race by your first mile, but I just needed seven to warm up.

You can see more race recaps here and see Strava here.

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Questions for you:

What if your favorite half marathon?

Have you run the Richmond Half Marathon?