We left for Richmond from my cousin's place in Northern, VA around noon on Saturday. Packet pickup for the race ended at 3pm. Under normal conditions, it would have been a 2 hour drive to Richmond. However, conditions were far from normal. There was a lot of snow coming down in a state where plows don't keep the roads as clear as we're used to.
We pressed on and made it to the packet pickup at 3:30 PM. The folks from Richmond Multisports were packing up the race day stuff and getting ready to head out. They were kind enough to grab our bibs, but they asked us to get our shirts and wine expo tickets either before or after the race.
The snowstorm spared Richmond, so once we got there driving was fine. As we arrived at the hotel, we saw people slipping and falling. It was incredibly icy in a city that doesn't understand that spreading salt will resolve ice issues.
After settling into the hotel, we made the treacherous 3 block walk to the Penny Lane Pub for dinner. The pub had tasty food - including a "Grown-Up Grilled Cheese". Alek ordered it, I had a bite. Best grilled cheese ever!
On race morning, we were just 2 blocks from the start line, which was also right outside of the convention center where the wine expo was held. We walked up around 8 to get the remainder of our race stuff and then walked back to the hotel to finish getting ready.
Love Rox long sleeve technical shirt
It was considerably warmer on Sunday, which made for mostly great running conditions. The race was supposed to start at 9:30, but I think it was closer to 10 by the time we started running. It was a two lap course, around richmond that included crossing a small canal through a park and then crossing the James River over some traffic bridges. There were a few hills, but nothing horrible. There was still some ice in the park and around bridges, so we all had to be careful when running. However, the worst part of the race were partial road closures on busy streets where cars were idling and runners were breathing exhaust fumes.
The course
The park with some icy patches
Race Start
Frozen Canal
The Richmond Police were out in full force directing traffic. The officers were saw were all happiness and smiles. It was great to have their support along with that of the Richmond Multisport volunteers while we were out there.
Alek and I finished in 2:33:19, shaving 17 minutes off of our Manhattan Half Marathon time. That's a huge improvement for one month! The course was less hilly than Central Park, but I think we made bigger gains in speed from actually training. I'll write a bit more about my personal training experiences later this week.
Finisher medal and bib
After my 21st half marathon, it seemed appropriate that we go taste some wines!
Wine Expo!
