The Wrinkled Runner
The Wrinkled Runner
I Ran Richmond To Prove I Could Go The Distance Again- When Letting Go of PRs Brings Running Back to Life
Hi Running Friends!
I tested a no-PR approach at the Richmond Marathon to bring back joy and confidence after months of gear-related pain.
Resources from the Episode:
The Wrinkled Runner Podcast:
A Small Gear Change Solved Big Running Pain
The Wrinkled Runner Website (Blog):
My Surprising Discovery: Could Your Running Belt Be Causing Glute Pain
Other Resources:
Allianz Richmond Marathon November 14, 2026
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
I am also a Personal Trainer, and offer virtual training as well, in addition to Nutrition Coaching.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. Sign up over on the blog for the once-a-month newsletter! If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
Hey, so today I am going to recap the Richmond Marathon for you, which I ran in November of 2025. So if you listened to my podcast episode last week, I talked about how a running belt was causing me so much pain during my runs that I had to not run anything over four or five miles, which of course would totally interfere with marathon training, and it totally did. And after I discovered that, I was able to train for a fall marathon and train through the summer. And so I chose the Richmond Marathon to do after I had to defer the Buffalo Marathon until next May. My intent in doing this marathon was to see if I could cover the distance again, especially in training. I didn't want to get a PR, I wasn't going for anything. I just wanted to see if discovering the reason for the pain that I was having was could translate into me being able to run marathons again. So I set out some very minimal goals, which I wanted to maintain a six mile per hour pace to reach 18 miles in three hours. That was pretty much what my goal was as far as during the marathon. I also wanted to see if I was able to keep back uh for the first 10 miles. My my strategy was kind of doing, you know, the 10, 10, 10. I'll talk about that in a little bit as well. But as far as a goal, I did not have a time goal for this. I just wanted to see if I could go the distance. So the expo was really well organized. Uh there's 21,000 people that actually do the three races that they have on the day. So there's an 8K, a half marathon, and a marathon. And I believe there was a tick over 4,500 people that did the uh that did the marathon. It was, you know, you went in, you they had the signage that was really, really well done. You could go up to anybody because they assigned your bib when you got there. Sometimes I've been to a packet pickup where they're like sifting through all of these names, and you have to line up by last name F through K, and then they sift through, and your bib has already been assigned to you. So they have to find the one that is associated with you. So what they did is you got a QR code sent to you through email, and you took that to the expo and they scanned it, which then was your particular QR code, then that was assigned whatever bib they had. So however the technology is that they hooked that all together, you just got it right away. There was, I don't know how many lines, I maybe eight lines of people that you could go up to to do this. And so there's literally no waiting. There was maybe four people ahead of me, and we were able to hop over to a line that didn't have anybody, and so it was very, very well organized. And the swag in this is really, really cool. So you get a medal at the end, of course. You also get a hat and a blanket and a long sleeve text shirt. So it's really, really well worth it if you are someone who likes the swag. And it's really nice to have a blanket when you're done. Uh, if you're like me, you know, when I finish a marathon or I finish a really long run, really hard workout, I kind of feel, I don't know, fluey, I guess, where I get the chills and it don't feel so great. And so having that blanket at the end was really, really cool. Because you get the hat and the blanket at the end of the race. Uh, you go and pick those up. So on the day, the race day, it was really great weather conditions. It was uh started out, I want to say 48 to 50. It's at seven in the morning. So it potentially could have been really, really cold, but I it was really, really comfortable. It was warmer later. I I don't know what it was when I ended. I think it was around 65, 66 when I ended. Uh, but I love racing in the heat, and so none of that bothers me. Sunny day, it was it was a beautiful, beautiful day. The race is really well marked. There was no confusion. I don't know if you've read about there was a race in Canada or the international race that I had read about right before this, where the bike in front that was marking the trail for the front runners went in the wrong direction. And I mean, it was just a mess. And so I actually read the course, you know, looked through the course beforehand, keeping that in mind. But um I really didn't need to. It was just really, really well marked. Uh, there were hills, it it's not hilly. Like I ran Charlotte in 2023, and I consider that one hilly. Uh, but this one does have hills. Uh, I had heard somebody behind me, I think it was around mile 12 or 13, who was complaining that someone had talked about this hill that they have between mile 16 and 17. And he's like, Well, what about the hill at mile 10? Like, I mean, he was kind of laughing, but kind of not, because I think people had told him that it was flat. This is not a flat course. There are flat places in the course, but there are definitely hills that you're gonna have to deal with. Uh, the ending is a really steep downhill, which, you know, sometimes I'm like a four-year-old, you know, when I'm running down the hill, I just get out of control. So sometimes that's actually harder for me to keep some of that control, especially when you've been running for 26 miles. So I would say I think it's probably the last point to oh that is straight downhill. Note to everybody when you are going to travel for a marathon, make sure that you are checking out what that elevation is. If you're like me, I live in Buffalo. We do not have a lot of hills here. You have to be very intentional if you're gonna find anything hilly. If the race conditions are going to be different than what you're training in, you really do need to be aware of that and do some training with the hills or not hills or downhills or whatever it may be. So make sure that you are aware of what the conditions are going to be. Read several race recaps when you sign up for a marathon or are going to sign up for a marathon. Sometimes there's just some people who, oh, it's it's pancake flat, it's super easy. Oh my goodness, this is the best, easiest, fastest, and and it might not be the case. So make sure you go to several sources to find out. The website for Richmond is actually really good at showing you the elevation, it shows you different views of the course. I was well prepared in knowing that this was not going to be a flat course. Race day before the race, we got there. There's lots of parking garages around there. We didn't have any trouble getting into a parking garage, finding where we were supposed to go. There were tons of port-a-potties all along the start, and then also along the way, there was also port-a-potties situated throughout the whole race. I don't love how there's always a long line of port-a-potties, and then there's all these different lines of people in front of four or five different porta-potties, and you kind of got to know which ones are your territory and which ones are the next line's territory. I believe in that study that has they've done where if you're familiar with Marshalls or TJ Maxx or whatever, and you go in one line, and then you have your bank of cashiers, and then cashier number four, please. And that's actually been studied and the best way to get a cue through. So I wish races would have all the porta potties lined up in such a way that there was only one line, and then as soon as somebody popped out, one person went in, and then you just kept going that way instead of this kind of dance to figure out which porta potties you're supposed to be going towards and what ones you're in line for. And that's just me. But there's huge community support in this race. When I was running through, it was so cool because I would notice people who would actually be at a spot. They would be cheering you on, and then they'd be traveling to a couple of other different spots throughout the race. So it's just really cool to see the community support. The fueling stops were plentiful, both from the race and from the community. There were uh ample water stops, Gatorade, uh noogs, uh, which is a like a gummy kind of thing, it was one of the um fueling choices from the race. There were goos from the race. But then you also had people with cut-up bananas and oranges and candy. There was champagne, there was beer, there was fireball if you were so inclined. Uh, the support was really, really cool to see. So you never didn't have an opportunity to refuel or get water. Uh, you know, people from the community had their own water stop set up. So that was just really, really cool. Uh, the race itself even had a junk food stop, which let me tell you, once you're through 16 miles, 18 miles of the same stuff, it's hard to take that in again. And so to be able to grab a little cup of MMs to toss down for some quick energy, really good, really good. They also had a pickle juice stop at around, I can't remember if it was mile 23 or 24. Now, I've never done that before, but I do read up on the things that are, you know, they're really showing that pickle juice can really help with the cramps. But I know that for myself, I was starting to cramp in my hamstring and I took some pickle juice. And it was funny because I mean, it was wow. Uh yeah, it was a shock to the system. But I also think that it was kind of a nice jolt to the system because after I took the pickle juice, I did feel like my cramps were getting better. It could be a psychological thing, I don't know. But it also allowed me to take in another gel and more water and Gatorade at that point where I hadn't really felt like doing that before. I loved it just for the shock to my system. And there were bands along the route, you know, lots of people were pumping music. The best. They had a marching band. I don't know, I'm sure I could look it up uh from what high school, but there was a marching band on the course. Oh my gosh, it was so cool. Just it was just super cool to have a marching band while you're running. Yeah, they had party zones, they called them, along the way. They had directions to get to each one. So even though Dave, my husband, isn't familiar with Richmond, the the spectator information that they had available was so great that he was able to get around the city and meet me at these party zones. My daughter-in-law was with him. And, you know, they just went and and there was just tons of people at each of these. They'd have bands there as well, music blasting, lots of fun. So it was a party as well for the spectators, not just for those of us who are running. So my marathon strategy, usually I run for usually about the first six miles or so, slower than what I want my actual race pace to be. I'm just trying to get a groove in, trying to conserve some energy, trying not to be so anxious that I'm zigzagging along the route, trying to pass people, which just adds more mileage to an already very long uh run. And in for this marathon, though, I wanted to hold back for the first 10 miles. So I wanted to be just shy of the 10-minute mile mark for the first 10 miles. Now I there were times where I would look down and I'd be like running it in like a 915, uh, 920, and I would deliberately slow myself down. I did not get into the mindset of, oh, I'm feeling really good. I'm just gonna go for it. I'm just gonna run. I I knew that because of the training uh that I got in the last month wasn't optimal. I missed some long runs uh because of life and whatever. I knew that I was risking blowing up later in the marathon if, you know, at my eight, I'm trying to take off. So it was a very deliberate attempt for myself to make sure I was at around a 9.55 pace. I wanted to make sure I got the six in for the first hour and you know, six miles in per hour. I deliberately walked through every aid station. I stopped to finish my water or Gatorade, depending on what I was drinking at each station. I wanted because I was uh taking in Huma. They're chia seed energy things. Um they're more smoothie-like, they're not like gels. One of the things is though, with them is there's a lot. It's it to me, it looks like double the amount that you have to take in, other than a gel. Gels I just can't get into though. And so these were the best for me, but it it did make carrying them. I did carry my uh vest, my running vest or my hydration vest, but I took the bladder out of it. So I did not carry water with me. I've been having to carry a hydration vest because I can't wear anything around my hips, which, if you want the story of that, listen to last week's episode. So it was very important for me to stop at every water station and drink that water because you really are not supposed to take in your fueling without water. So I timed out my taking in a fuel to right before I would hit an aid station. So my strategy in doing all this was so that by the time I got to mile 20 and I had the final 10k, if I was able to go a little faster, it I wouldn't, I'd be able to do that. I wanted to run the whole marathon, not have to walk unless it was absolutely that's what my plan was, like walking through the aid stations. So the 16, the first 16 miles were honestly they're very, they were very easy. I kept them that way. It was by design, but they flew by. I wasn't trying to do mental math on how much longer I had to go. It went by really fast. The only math I had to do in my head was making sure I was getting six miles in for the first three hours. And that's about all I can handle mentally anyway without a calculator. So that was that was good. So when I got to mile 18, it was a I think it was two minutes shy of the three-hour mark, which I which was huge for me in training. And you know, I'm deliberately going very slow in my long runs, but in training, I had done an 18 miler in three hours and 37 minutes. So even just doing the uh 18 miles in the three hours was a huge thing for me, and I felt like that was that was a big deal for me. That was kind of a big goal. So between mile 18 and 20, I was just kind of whatever, I was just kind of running. The final miles, the last 10k, they'd alternate between I felt good and I felt not so good. The last two miles was really tough. I did get a second wind after I did that pickle juice and you know, kind of smack myself in the face. There's a couple things that really got me through the toughness. First of all, I know it's not popular to say anymore, but I uh smile. Smiling really helps me to have a good attitude. People are yelling for you, they're cheering for you. I try to wave and smile back because I want the spectators to feel like it is worth it for them to get up early, to be out on the streets, to be playing the music and putting out the the drinks and whatever it is that they're doing. I want them to know how much we appreciate it. So I would smile. I wave, I've heard I heard comments from people of, oh, you're still smiling. That's great. Sometimes it's not so easy to be smiling. Oh, I don't want to be smiling. Uh, but it does really help my attitude when I'm smiling. The other thing that keeps me through is one of my clients is a he just grits through everything and gives it his all no matter what. And I kept thinking of him during the last two miles because one of the not so great things about your goal being let's get through 18 miles in three hours, is then afterwards it's like, okay, I did it, like I can walk now. A kind of a secondary goal was I did want to get under a certain time in to finish. And I was able to do that, and I was only able to do that because he kept popping in in my mind, and I'm like, if it was him, he would go. I can still run. I am not, I'm not debilitated, I don't have a stress fracture, it's just I'm tired and I'm sick of this. You can do this, you can just keep running. And so I I got through it, and because of that, I was able to then also have my secondary goal of getting under a certain time. And I was able to do that. So post-race, I had some pretty big blisters. It was like there was like a blister, and then it kind of had like a little channel of more blister to another big blister. It was really weird. It felt like uh like later in the marathon, it felt like maybe my I wear those super feet orthotic kind of things that this this area of my foot was maybe getting trapped between the wall of the sneaker. And that orthotic, maybe I'm not I'm not 100% sure. I am blister prone anyway, and so uh that was yucky. It's the slowest marathon I've ever done. And so, but it but weirdly, I am very, very satisfied with what I did. It was kind of freeing to not be thinking about PRing, BQing, you know, getting in this certain time or whatever. It was, I was able to really enjoy this and just enjoy the fact that I was able to do the distance again. So I kind of recommend if you're someone who's constantly going for certain times, maybe do a marathon where you're just going for it just to enjoy the scenery or just to get through it or just to have fun. It was really cool to be happy having run the slowest marathon I've ever run. Uh and uh yeah, it was it was weird, weirdly satisfying in a way, but I can't, you know, I recommend doing that actually. I do know now what I have to focus more on because I will be having some time goals uh in the future. And I really honed in more on endurance, and I really want to enter in some speed work and really nailing down getting back into having certain goal times. Yeah, it was a great race. I'm I'm thinking of possibly doing this one again next year. Uh, but I do also like to travel around, so I will hold off on signing up for this one. I'm already, I've already signed up for the Buffalo one, so I will be doing that in May. And this has really made me excited about doing all the things, sticking with not having this big gap between marathon training or gap between running. I used to take like a month off after each marathon. Doing this has just given me this renewed passion for running distance again. And so I'm planning in all the different uh strength training that I can do because now that my the issues have been resolved with the pain I was having, even with strength training, I can really hone in on hey, these are some areas that I am weaker in that I need to strength train. Here's some areas that I need to stretch. Here's some drills that I can do. Uh running this marathon has really renewed my passion for running marathons and putting the work needed into running marathons. So that's what I'm focused on now. So if you are in the Virginia area or if you like traveling for races and you are interested in the Richmond Marathon, I'll put a link in the show notes. I will also put a link in the show notes for the Buffalo Marathon if you are so inclined to do that. This year they've introduced a hospitality tent kind of thing where you have private bathrooms and things like that. I did that. So that would be a great place to meet up if you are going to do Buffalo. So if you have lost kind of your love for the marathon, maybe go out and do one with no goal, no intentions just to run the marathon.