2018 Richmond Half Marathon Race Recap

This was the second year I ran the Richmond Half Marathon.  (Here's my recap for the first year I ran the race in 2016.)  This year was slightly different because I drove down with my parents the morning before the race so I had the chance to go to the expo to get my packet myself and see the vendors.  I was also determined (and a little nervous) to hit my scary goal of 2:15 for a half marathon.

The expo wasn't really as exciting as I had imagined.  It had a lot of the usual running vendors, but the majority were local for home improvement, and LASIK eye surgery (two booths, right near each other too.)  So my Dad and I basically speed walked through everything.  I was excited to see a booth for 73 Threads and got to talk to the owners a little bit.  I also got to see Dan, another Balega employee who I used to see at a lot of the DC and Maryland race expos.  We then continued on to get our race shirts, which is another strong point for this race.  The shirt is a really nice quality moisture wicking fabric and the printed design is pretty similar to the medal and blanket you receive as a finisher.

The expo was also pretty unremarkable even in terms of freebies.  We got a bag of cashews and a first aid kit when we got our shirts and there were also coupons thrown in which we couldn't use since they were for the Richmond area.  (Like a coupon for Whole Foods that was good only at one specific location close to the race.)  From the vendors we got a cowbell, bandaids, and a tube of sunscreen that looks like lip balm.

So once we got checked into the hotel, I started to lay out everything I would need for the next morning.  The weather was going to be absolutely perfect--in the low 40s at the start when its been at or below freezing the last few years of this race.

Ready as I’ll ever be! Let’s do this 😀 Hoping to PR and it should be a good day for it! Low 40s at the start and sunny ☀️ . . #runrichmond #richmondhalf #oisellevolee #oisellevolèe #flystyle #balegaimpi #balegaimpi2018 #balegabestsocksever #hshive #nuunlife #pickybars #aftershokz #rungoodr #runhappy #flatrunner #oiselleteamdmv

A post shared by The Thrifty Runner (@thethriftyrunner) on Nov 9, 2018 at 7:20pm PST

Then I had dinner with my parents at an Italian restaurant within walking distance of our hotel.  (I highly recommend getting reservations ahead of time as soon as you can.)  Afterwards we walked back to the hotel and had a generally low-key evening in anticipation of the next morning.

I had a great view of the finisher's area from our hotel.  I woke up in the morning feeling decent, but not great.  My IT band was feeling a bit twitchy and spasmed a couple times during the night and woke me up.  I was not sure if my body would be able to hit a new PR, but mentally I was ready to see what my legs could do.  We were so close to the start that we walked over at 7am.  (Being able to use a real bathroom so close to the start was amazing!)  

Obligatory pre-race selfie!

My Dad and I essentially walked straight to our respective corrals since by the time we got to the starting area the race announcer was urging everyone to get ready to run.  All the waves (at least leading up to mine) left at the time posted on the website.  

The miles were kind of a blur.  I mostly followed the run/walk intervals on my Garmin (2 minutes of running, 30 seconds of walking) except if I was going up some of the hills that were steep.  (The race is generally downhill, but there are still a couple good inclines throughout, especially at the halfway point through the park.)  I aimed to keep my pace at or below the 10:17 pace needed to hit my goal of 2:15.  Generally I managed to keep it up or at least make up for lost time on some of the harder miles.  And I was pretty much ready to be done by mile 8/9, but somehow I managed to pull it together and kept that as my slowest mile the whole race.

I was super happy to see the small Oiselle race signs, because I knew it meant the Volee cowbell corner was coming.  Caitlin (one of the leaders for the DMV chapter of the Volee) managed to get a great picture as I ran past!

I was so happy to see a familiar face and knew that seeing her meant I was almost done.  That -5.5% downhill for the last tenth mile felt glorious, but it was also frustrating because people were clumping up while also slowing down so it was hard to get around them.

Once I crossed the finish I hit the stop button on my Garmin and was shocked.  It said 2:16:20!  So close to my scary goal.  Within sight of the scary goal.  At first I was really frustrated that I was so close.  If only I had gone a little bit faster per mile.  If I didn't slow down so much during mile 8.  I kept going over all the "what ifs" in my head as I got my medal, hat and blanket.  As I walked towards the bridge and post-race snacks I tried to shut down that talk.  I had an amazing race.  I had shaved off over 9 minutes off my previous PR from two years ago when I left the hotel room thinking I might not even get close to a PR.

I did the thing!!! Another PR in the books: 2:16:20!!! If my Garmin says I ran 13.22, and the last .22 took me 1:42...does that still mean I broke 2:15? 🤔 Had fun this morning and was a little unsure of what would happen. When I woke up this morning my it band was feeling twitchy and that’s when I started to get really nervous. (It was even feeling twitchy at the starting line so I did some stretches, massaged it, and tried some hip openers.) I still kicked this race’s butt and for the rest of the year it’s time for shorter races to focus on! 🙌 (Maybe I’ll finally hit that sub-30 5k I’ve been chasing?) . . #runrichmond #richmondready #oisellevolèe #oiselleteamdmv #richmondhalf #hshive #teamzensah #nuunlife #sweatpink #sweatpinkambassador

A post shared by The Thrifty Runner (@thethriftyrunner) on Nov 10, 2018 at 10:52am PST

Overall, I would totally recommend this race. The expo is probably the weakest part of the whole race.  The race itself is fantastic and basically made for PRs since it's generally downhill with a lovely downhill to the finish.  (The marathon bills itself as one of the top Boston Marathon qualifiers!)  The crowds are amazing.  The swag is always great too.  If you're thinking about it, just go sign up!