Richmond Half Marathon Pt 1:The Key

I didn't even hear my watch beep with the mile split, and even if I had, I doubt I would have even bothered to look down.  My eyes were fixed 10 yards ahead of me, my mind was another 200 yards further up.  The last mile of a half marathon is usually a painful place, and when you start your kick at the 8 mile mark, pain is a guarantee.

Approximately 24 hours earlier OntheBusRunning and I had been talking race plans, our training leading up to the race, and our mental preparation.

"One advantage that you have is your ability to go deep into the pain cave, you're not afraid to hurt."

I had been thinking about that statement on my last tune up workout earlier that week, and I had already realized that wasn't completely true.  I hate pain just as much as the next guy, but I also knew I had willingly suffered before.....the reason had always eluded me.  After all, in the sport of distance running, ones ability to suffer is a badge of honor.  As I let my mind wander during my cool down on that early Tuesday morning tune up, I realized it wasn't my love for pain.....it was desperation.

A desperate person will endure things a normal person would never dream of.  A desperate person will start pushing with 6 miles to go in a marathon when he knows he only has 1 mile left in the tank.  A desperate person is dangerous....and in a moment of mid run clarity/honesty, I knew I had not raced desperately in almost a year.  I also knew the last time my desperation actually worked out in my favor was July of 2013.

As my alarm went off, I was already stretching my legs and assessing how they felt, which was great.

onthebusrunning was already awake, and had been for quite some time.

"How are you feeling?"

"Oddly, really good!" was my quick response.  "You?"

As suspected he replied "I had a hard time sleeping, the nerves."

Brad was going after a marathon PR with a goal time of 2:35, I was trying to finally break the 1:20 mark in the half.  Surprisingly, I wasn't all that nervous.  I had put in the work, I knew I had never been more fit in my entire life, and I knew (as my SIL Becky had told me before a bus ride up to the start of a marathon back in 2011) "there is only one way to find out" if I was ready.

The first few miles felt awful, I had found a rhythm, but the pace was much slower than planned. And as I came thru the 10k mark on the course, the clock read 38:27, a 6:11 pace (far from the 6:05 pace I needed) and over 40 seconds behind.  The goal was to come thru around 37:55, slightly behind my current 10k PR of 37:44.  It was my moment of truth, the voices of doubt were deafening.  If I am being honest, I was 100% sure I wasn't going to hit my goal.  I was upset, I had put in a year of hard work for this very moment.  I had had a horrible 5k that June, and a very disappointing 10k at the end of July (Which ironically was a 38:27) and this race looked to be more of the same.  Then I recited one of my favorite poems.....

Listen to the MUSTN'TS child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLE, the WONT'S
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then Listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.




I was speaking directly to the inner voices in my head.  I still was 100% sure I was going to miss my goal, but if I was going to fail again, it wasn't going to be without a fight.  My legs kept churning away....


If I had looked down at my watch for that final mile split I would have read 5:52, but I didn't bother to look, I was desperately clawing my way towards the finish line....at a 4:23 pace....