Anticipating the 2026 Richmond Marathon

After my big 50K, I continued to train for the Richmond Marathon which is in a few days. I have no great expectations or bold goals for this race. Mostly, I just want to have fun out there sharing the streets of Richmond with thousands of my closest friends. My plan is to run the first hour and then switch to a 9/1 minute run/walk strategy which I have tried out in my last several training runs to great success. 

Last year, I felt so good when I started the marathon and clicked off some fast miles. I really felt too good and was cruising through the first half of the race. Then, suddenly, as can happen in these kinds of events, the wheels started to fall off. I had gone out way too fast and was not able to will myself to continue at that pace. 

As you can see from the graph below, I quickly slowed down and started to really suffer the effects of my stupidity and lack of self-control. 

My legs hurt and my energy level dropped immensely. I had several unplanned walking breaks and started to ask the all-too-familiar questions. Why am I even doing this? Is this supposed to be fun? Why did I go out so fast? Am I an idiot or what? 

I was able to pull myself out of the funk and started to focus on other people. I tried my best to take in the beauty of the day and to reframe things. I am so lucky to be able to do this. I started to feel better about the whole endeavor as I remembered my good fortunes. This mindset shift did not make me go faster but it did allow me to enjoy the day more. 

As I continued through the final miles, I realized that I was on track to finish in nearly the precise time that I had finished in the previous year's race. In 2024, I ran 4:19:19. I had done the same stupid thing that I did this year and gone out way too fast. You think I would learn. In 2025, I ended up running 4:19:23. Pretty wild to have almost the same exact time two years in a row. 

This year, I am hoping to have more discipline. After all, that is what this blog is all about. I know if I stick to my plan, while my time might not be a personal best, I will enjoy the latter parts of the race so much more. My course PR happened in 2023 where I ran 4:01:07. That year, I did my same 9/1 minute run/walk interval but from the very first mile. While that did end up giving my course PR, it was a bit stressful due to all the crowded leapfrogging I had to do. This year, I think running the first hour easy and then switching to the run/walk interval might alleviate some of the leapfrogging stress. 

Good luck to all the runners and walkers out there this weekend. Embrace the day and be present in the moment! My plan is to take it all in and enjoy myself as much as possible.