Richmond Marathon

I haven't written for a little while, mainly due to being busy and a lack of desire. But now I feel like the break has been invigorating, and I feel like writing again.

The last month of training for Richmond was going well up until the taper. I did something to my left hamstring, and it didn't feel quite right the last three weeks or so leading up to the race. The top of the hamstring felt tight and a little sore. Still, it didn't keep me from running, and I had registered for the race and paid for the hotel room, so I decided to go ahead and run the race.

J and I drove down to Richmond the night before the race. We checked into the hotel, picked up my stuff at the expo, and then went to dinner at The Olive Garden. I ate the same meal I did last year. I got to bed about 10:30.

I got up a little before six on race morning and took a shower to help me wake up. I looked out the window and saw that the rain had stopped but it seemed a little blustery. The temperature was in the low 40s. Our hotel was about a mile from the starting line, and I walked over. I jogged for just a few minutes to warm up and then dropped off my excess clothes and made my way over to the starting line.

The race started and I went out conservatively. I passed the first mile in barely under seven minutes. I was a little concerned that I wasn't feeling a good as I did last year. I sped up over the next few miles, running them in the 6:40 range. During these miles my stomach started bothering me, and I had to make a pit stop at the porta-johns at mile six. I felt better after that and made my way downhill to the "Party Zone" at mile seven.

After the seventh mile, the race goes up a hill and over a bridge. Going up the hill I felt a twinge in my hamstring. It felt tight and I backed off my effort. Over the next few miles my pace slowed and people started passing me. My leg was still tight and I began to think about dropping out. I knew J would be somewhere around mile 16, so I concentrated on getting there and seeing how I felt. I passed halfway in 1:35:XX, and was almost positive I was going to drop out. I wasn't going to seriously negative split the course and break three hours, and I wasn't going to kill myself just to finish. The last straw came when I went over the second bridge. I was running into a strong wind and ran my slowest mile, and after I came off the bridge I really started to tighten up. About a mile after the bridge, I saw J and dropped out.

I wasn't terribly disappointed about dropping out. I certainly wasn't having my best day, and the risk of further damage was not worth trying to finish. I haven't run since the race, and my hamstring still doesn't feel quite right, especially when it gets stretched in certain directions. I'm resting for a little while, and then looking to run another marathon in the late spring.