The Marathon: My Race in Richmond
Measurements of Success.
Thank You.
Before you embark on reading the final leg of this saga, some recognition is in order. I need to first thank my wife Elizabeth who has been incredibly patient and tolerant during my 12-week obsession. Having a spouse that is all in with you can make all the difference in the world. Thank you Elizabeth, without you I’d be lost. You’ve filled my love tank with this support and for that, I’ll love you forever.
To my children, who fell into the weekly monotonous routine of their Dad always going to go run did very well, even if I had to buy some Arepa’s, Pizza’s and food on the way home to make up for my continual absence.
To my friends in Clayton Area Runners who logged many, many miles with me. Robert, Dave, Renae, Jan, Dwayne, Anthony and Jon were just a few that were there for so many of these training runs. Thank you! During long-runs, you can learn a lot about someone. Sometimes it felt like I spent more time with my friends running than I did at home with my wife. I’m thankful for everyone in the club who ran with me over these last 12-weeks, rather that be 1-mile or 10. Every mile helped!
To my Marathon Coach, Amy Brown. She is a coach who cares about her runners and that is a defining intangible that is immeasurably positive. She was prompt with my training regime and responsive when modifications were necessary. She provided insights, wisdom and tips about nutrition, training and racing. Thanks Coach! She’s the fastest and strongest runner I know, truly leading and coaching from the front!
To you! To the readers of this blog! I did my best to capture the highs, lows and realities of this 16 week buildup and I hope it provided some laughs, insights and entertainment. Running over 500 miles can get monotonous, I tried to avoid reflecting that in my writing. Thank you for reading and following my journey.
It’s been 16 weeks, covering 529 miles and countless hours of planning, stretching, running, recovery and traveling. My training took place in NC, VA, TX, KS, OK and UT. I’ve ran next to rivers, through farm land, under overhead artillery rounds and college stadiums. Through cities, parks and wooded trails. 112 Days of Training, all leading up to one last long run. The Richmond, VA Marathon.
Race Day -1
There was a large contingent of runners from my club making the trek up to Richmond in multiple car pools staying in multiple Air BnB’s. This race wasn’t just the culmination of weeks of hard work, no this was a club event where friends would be together for a weekend of racing and celebrating.
I volunteered to drive the carpool to Richmond and would have three good friends with me on the way up. Robert, Anthony and Ryan made the ride up relaxing and interesting with discussions of race strategy and a reflection on 16-18 weeks of training. In our car we had all distances represented, with Robert and I racing in the Marathon, Ryan going for his first Half Marathon and Anthony doing the 8K. Anthony’s 8K was a last minute decision and we were all thankful he was with us. Anthony is the unofficial coach, mentor and motivator in the club. An absolute staple of CAR.
I’ve never been to a NASCAR track before, which is rather odd having lived in The South for over two decades now. Walking under the track and into the infield of the Richmond Raceway was pretty damn cool. The Race Expo was held in the garage space for the teams, a place I’d never been.
The race expo was decently large with a big variety of vendors and gear. The crowds were compact but seemed to be flowing through the event space good enough. While at the expo we ran into no less than 6 more of our runners from Clayton. Nobody won free Pizza from Papa Johns, as we were all hoping we would, but some in the group did get some good pictures and discounted gear before taking off to the Air BnB for the night.
Our Pre-Race dinner was a homemade tray of Lasagna by Robert’s wife Jennifer and it was absolutely delicious. She paired it with a spring salad with roasted pine nuts and bread, it was absolutely perfect for a pre-race run and hit the spot! The evening was laid back with great conversation followed by watching Talladega Nights before we called it a night. I was down for the night on my air mattress by 9:15pm as we had an early morning starting at 4:30am.
RACE DAY!
The plan was to depart the house at 5:45am, so I set an alarm for 4:45am to get my cup of coffee in, a little food and take care of that morning constitution before getting to the race start.
I’m old enough to remember when “surround sound” was a cool technology, nothing like listening to some Pink Floyd in surround sound! However, what was blasting on both side of my head at 4:30am was not that, it was two different alarms, both at the same blaring loudness in an attempt to rupture an ear drum. Damn these people sleep hard.
Thanks Anthony and Kristin. Your alarms got me up 15-minutes early.
No worries though, such are the circumstances when sharing a house with people. It became an opportunity to get up, make a pot of coffee and start the pre-race prep.
The house comes alive around 4:45am and by 5am, people are dressed, stretching, drinking and eating. We’re on target for a 5:45am departure! With 18,000+ runners in attendance for all the races, we’re really not sure what the parking situation will be. The plan is to get there early, hang out in the car, then get a group photo around 6:30am.
By 5:30am the house was awake, dressed and almost ready to go! Kristin made the astute observation that it was odd yet cool to be getting ready to run with a group of people. Almost always when we are getting ready to run, we’re alone. It was a great atmosphere to prepare for the run.
Out the door on time and in the parking lot was easy. Rather surprising honestly, there were plenty of open spaces and our two vehicles got to park next near each other. The only downside was that Thomas parked his truck with the headlights facing the back of my vehicle. So why is that a big deal? Well, I had to get lubed up for the race. As someone prone to chub-rub, it is essential that I get the gooch taken care of and get the lube all up in the grundle. I gave Thomas’s truck a heads up of what was about to happen, and just like that the headlights were turned off! Nobody wants to see that I chuckle to myself as I walked away.
Getting to the starting corrals was easy and approximately 30 minutes before the start of the Marathon we did our best to get a group picture! With 30+ runners in the club running 3 different races and dispersed between 3 different starting areas comprising of 18,000 people, we were lucky to get the picture we did!
After the group picture all the runners split off in their own directions for their starting corrals and times. The temps were near 40F so I kept my throw-away sweatshirt and sweatpants on until 5min before the start of the race. I moved into Wave 2 and was prepared and ready to get going as soon as the National Anthem was over. I hope my sweats and top go to good use and not just tossed.
The National Anthem is always a beautiful sound to my ears. I was overwhelmed with joy that they had a live singer at this event. Sometimes I feel like our societies Patriotism is waning, then you see thousands of people stand at attention or with their hands over their hearts for the Star Spangled Banner and my faith in Americana is renewed for a short stint. It was a beautiful sight to see and a great sound to hear.
16 Weeks! 112 Days of Training. Every. Single. Run. My only thought was: “Run a Sub 4 Marathon”. I started this journey at 234lbs and dropped that down to 215lbs on Race Day. I started in the hot, humid month of July and finished in November. It’s been one heck of a journey.
I only ran with my phone in case of an emergency or needed to get in contact with my wife. Which I did at mile 22, when everything hurt. She told me to KEEP GOING, I only had 4 miles left!
What I’m saying is, I didn’t take any pictures during the race. No fancy photos of mile markers or the cheer zones with massive speakers a live DJ and hundreds of supporters with signs, cheering on friends, loved ones and strangers. No video of the cheerleaders, or the college kids with garage bands set up in the streets doing their best to keep us feeling good.
I didn’t get any pictures with the “Free Beer” stands, of which I passed no less than a dozen of them and no I didn’t grab any. These were of course “Unofficial” hydration points, but my appreciation for the fans who supplied them was no less.
This blog would have been much more interesting if I had pictures of all the people in blow-up dinosaur costumes along the way or how many “Power Up” signs I saw. I hit EVERY POWER UP sign I saw, hoping it would propel me just a little bit more. I feel like it did. There were plenty of kids, reaching out into the course for a hand slap in hopes one of these runners would transfer the power of the Marathon over to them.
Around Mile 5 I saw a woman holding a sign that read: “WHO WILL CARRY THE BOATS!?”
My response: “You don’t know me son! You don’t know me son! You think this is a game!? WHO WILL CARRY THE LOGS!” - They yelled back in their best David Goggins, fuck laced motivation - “STAY FUCKING HARD!” After that little interaction I felt great. Nothing could stop me! I was set on a Sub 4hr Marathon.
The miles ticked along and at this point most of it is a blur with moments of great clarity and excitement followed by moments of letdown and disappointment. The below image sums it up rather well. Short, concise and honest.
Somewhere around Mile 2 my friend Thomas caught up to me. I think he must have started in a few waves behind me, had to of because he’s a much stronger runner than me. Well he caught up to me around Mile 2 and we had a short but good conversation at an 8’20” pace. He was looking strong for his first Marathon and I was suspecting he’d easily clear the 4hr mark. You want to be a better runner, run with better runners. Thomas is one of those people, a better runner and a great human in general. After a 1/4 mile it was clear I could not sustain an 8’20” pace with him and I slowed it back down to an 8’40” or so. I wished him a great race and I’d see him at the finish.
A mile or two later the 3:50 pacing group passes me. Soon after Robert catches me and we consult with each other about nutrition, health, how we’re feeling and goals. He’s feeling good and informs me he will not let that 3:50 pace man out of his sight! I believe him! There’s only one problem. A 3:50 Marathon is an 8’46” avg pace, the pace group in front of me is running an 8’20”!! I inform Robert of my observations but he is determined not to let them out of his sight. I slow back down to a reasonable pace and before I know it Robert is out of sight. I knew he’d finish in front of me, I just didn’t know how far.
There’s only three runners left behind me from the club. Renae, who I suspect will pass me sometime soon. It’s her first Marathon but I’ve ran with her enough to know she’s a much stronger runner than I. I had this gut instinct she’d pass me eventually, I just didn’t know when. Then there was Dwyane, also on his first Marathon. Dwayne is a sleeper and could easily pass me if he wanted to, it all really depends on how his body holds up. Then there was Tony, who in his 70’s was making an attempt to qualify for Boston! Tony is an incredible runner who logs well over +1500 miles a year and is amazingly consistent with his training. The entire club is hoping he can make it to Boston!
My level of anxiety and stress over having to use a porta-john was simply irrational. If you’ve been reading this blog, than you know when mother nature calls, it’s a damn 911 emergency that requires immediate reaction. This had me anxious leading into the race as I didn’t know when that call would happen.
Sure enough, the call came in. Right at Mile 12.5, which worked out almost perfect because at mile 12.8 were the porta-johns. I ran straight to the porta-john praying it was unoccupied and stocked with toilet paper, however I was prepared to use my cloth gloves if need be! Luckily for me, it was void of any person and full of TP. I handled my business and that slowed my Mile 12 down to an 11’52” but I’d make up for it.
I picked up the pace to make up for that slowdown and logged an 8’44” mile at Mile 13. I knew I set a new Half Marathon PR with that Sub 2hr, but that wasn’t my goal. My goal was a sub-4hr Marathon, I didn’t have the energy to concern myself with my time at the half. I had bigger fish to fry.
The course was beautiful with the fall foliage in full color, it was something out of a movie to be honest. At one point I found myself running next to a river for a few miles. The road was under falling leaves with great views of the river and the runners were spread out. I remember remarking to myself how incredible this little road was and how lucky the homeowners were to be right on the river. It was great.
The decline started around mile 15.4, that’s where we started running across the bridge and towards downtown Richmond. It was roughly two miles of sloping uphill and most of that visible in front of me. From miles 15.2 to 17.5, it was uphill and it beat me down. I made it across the bridge which felt like it took forever, then made a left hand turn into downtown Richmond and the route continued uphill. I was fucking heartbroken. Stupid damn hill. My pace drastically fell and my hopes of a Sub 4 hour Marathon with it.
Once at the top of the hill my hip flexors were hurting. It was more than discomfort, they straight up hurt. It was from Miles 18-26 that I continued to decline and fall into the pain cave. It was horrible.
Somewhere in there, around Mile 20, Renae caught up to me. She ran past me and looked very concerned as I was walking, trying to eat some salt licks. She asked if I was ok and I believe my response was “I hurt, but I’ll finish!”. She continued on and I didn’t see her again, not at the finish line or at the brewery drink up afterwards. (That’s another story!)
With pain setting in, I really lost track of where I was and what was going on. I just remember thinking. “KEEP GOING”. I was in the pain cave and it was getting dark. Around mile 22 I pulled my phone out and texted my wife. “Mile 22, EVERYTHING HURTS! My ankle, My knee” The only response I got was “Only 4 miles left! KEEP GOING!”. I’m glad she wrote back so quickly. It helped.
With that little bit of motivation I put my head down and continue the trek towards the finish line. I mean hell, what’s 4-miles. I run that all the time! It was near this time in my mental fog I glance up and see a sign that says “CAR” on it. I thought, “how fucking weird is that. Must be another club around here like ours. CAR. Weird”
A split second later I realize that the sign is being held by a face I know! Hey, that’s Chrissy’s Daughter and I see Chrissy and Jan!! They are cheering me on! This is incredible, Chrissy isn’t even running! She made a 2.5 hr drive, on a Saturday morning, to hold a sign in the cold with her daughter and cheers us on. This is a great human and a great runner in the club! I was in the hurt locker when I saw the sign. It pulled me up and out of a dark spot. I believe this was around mile 24 but you’d have to ask Chrissy for the exact details.
I put my nose down to the grinder and kept pushing. It was soon after seeing them, being filled with joy that I look down at my watch and it hits 4:00hrs.
“That’s it” I tell myself. 4hrs. I’ve failed. I didn’t hit my goal.
Just a few steps later I was in full on tears and thankful I was wearing glasses. I’m glad my friends didn’t see me crying. Through my tears I tell myself to suck it up and keep fucking going. I HAVE to finish this Marathon and just maybe I can pull of a sub 4:20, Just maybe.
I push through the pain, the tears, the disappointment and make it to the famed “downhill” finish. On the website a downhill finish sounded great! After 26-miles pounding my legs, this steep downhill finish is painful. I’m afraid I’ll stumble, fall, and embarrass myself in front of hundreds if not thousands of spectators and become some viral video online.
My pace slowed a little down hill out of caution and I finally get to the finish line!!!
COROS Marathon: 4:19:43 | COROS Course Time: 4:21:35 | Chip Time: 4:21:32
My COROS Pace 2 measured my course at 26.41 miles long, whereas the Race Measurement is by the “shortest route possible”, which obviously I didn’t run as I took some wide turns, etc due to crowds, fans, etc. This the variance from my COROS Marathon and the Chip Time (Course time).
After I crossed the finish line, there was a photographer right there and I had to get a decent finish line photo.
Grown men cry. My wife has only seen me cry a few times. My kids, maybe once or twice. My friends, almost never. But on this day a handful of strangers would witness my emotional break down and were kind enough to ask if they could help, bring me a water or anything. I never got these strangers names, but I was grateful for their caring nature and offering help.
The next 20 minutes after the finish I was an absolute wreck. The texts to my wife were crazy. I was embarrassed to see my friends in the run club. I didn’t want to see Robert or Anthony or Thomas or Mandy. I felt like a complete failure. I felt ridiculous for completing 16 weeks of training and actually thinking I could run a Sub 4hr marathon. I was so disappointed with myself, I was crying for 20 minutes.
After I pulled my shit together, I found my friends and they were more than supportive and wanted to celebrate all of the PR’s I’d set. I heard them, I appreciated their support and they pulled back up.
My Personal Record List:
10K: 53:38 | 8’38” pace. (After 40 PR)
15K: 1:20:53 | 8’41” pace. (After 40 PR)
10-mile: 1:27:26 | 8’45” pace. (After 40 PR)
20K: 1:51:52 | 9’00” pace - LIFETIME PR
13.1 Half Marathon: 1:57:52 | 8’59” pace - LIFETIME PR
30K: 2:51:00 | 9’10” pace - LIFETIME PR
26.2 Marathon: 4:19:48 | 9’55” pace - LIFETIME PR (COROS Timing, not chip)
My Friends: (Not all, just some of the 30+)
Robert: 4:07:45 Marathon - LIFETIME PR (2nd Marathon)
Thomas: 3:39:35 Marathon - LIFETIME PR (1st Marathon)
Dwyane: 4:50:13 Marathon - LIFETIME PR (1st Marathon)
Renae: 4:06:03 Marathon - LIFETIME PR (1st Marathon)
Tony: 5:15:46 - 2nd Place in his Age/Gender cohort!
Keith: 4:43:00 Marathon
Mandy: 1:39:38 - Half Marathon - LIFETIME PR
Ryan: 1:57:25 Half Marathon - LIFETIME PR (1st Half Marathon)
Anthony: 36:06 - 3rd Place in his Age/Gender cohort!
Kristin: 2:19:16 - Ran 2 Half Marathons in back-to-back weekends.
Tina M: 2:48:02 - Half Marathon
Carrie: 2:59:11 Half Marathon - SUB 3 HOURS!! This is huge!
Jan: 2:00:26 Half Marathon - LIFETIME PR (1st Half Marathon)
**To all my CAR runners, if I missed you it’s not because I dislike you or forgot, I simply stopped looking people up! If you PR’d and would like to be in the list above, just let me know and I’ll be more than happy to put your name up there!!
Following the post-race celebrations we ate the rest of Jennifer’s Lasagna, which was absolutely glorious! Thank you! It was perfect and none of it was ruined by melted ice thankfully. After that we went to a local Richmond Brewery (Hardywood) and met up with a handful of other runners in the club and commenced into our post-race celebrations!
After a few days of reflection and talks with my wife and friends and coach, I’m proud of my performance. No, the final result wasn’t what I wanted but I’m proud of the 16 weeks of hard work I put in. Losing 20lbs and gaining endurance, speed and keeping accountable. Most importantly I logged hundreds of miles with my friends in training, I traveled to Richmond with my friends, Raced with my friends and celebrated with them.
My friendships improved and I’m grateful to have gotten to know more people on a more personal level. This 16 week adventure turned out to be much more than just a 4 hour race. I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I can improve on my next race. I really do love CAR and all my friends in club. Thank you.
So what’s next?!
I signed up for a 50K Ultra Marathon for January!!! THE LONG RUN CONTINUES!!!!
Awesome marathon recap Jesse!! Marathons are hard. They require so many variables to fall in your favor. Each time that I've ran one, I've learned something new about myself and what I'm capable of achieving. So proud of your effort in your second attempt and I'm fully expecting another sub-4 hour tryst. I'll be there, rooting you on.
"Not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win" - John F. Kennedy Moon Speech, 1962