I ran the 2015
Petersburg Half Marathon in Petersburg,
Virginia this past weekend. I needed to get in a long training run, and knowing
my track record lately, I knew that I needed to register for a race if I wanted
to guarantee getting that run into my schedule. I decided to run Petersburg on
pretty short notice, just a week or so ahead of time. It was just south of
Richmond, not far from home, and looked fun.
I drove down to Petersburg after work on Friday and met up
with Letty for dinner at a local pizza place,
Vincenzo’s. The pizza was good
and I got to try some beer from Richmond. Letty was kind enough to share her
hotel room with me, and we got some sleep after dinner. The next morning, our
drive to the start area was not far. We managed to park a couple blocks away
from the start/finish and met up with Sid.
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| Before the race with Letty |
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| Pre-race pic with Letty and Sid; you can see the cobblestones |
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| Union soldiers at the start |
We congregated near an old train station. They did a nice
job with the civil war theme, having reenactors dressed up in both Union and
Confederate clothing at the start. I was worried that the start corral was on a
cobblestone road. Thank goodness it quickly switched to pavement.
I was a half mile or so into the race when Jen and Pam from
Shirlington Running Club spotted me. We chatted for a few minutes until I
tripped on an open drain pipe and face-planted. Yes, again. I had just tripped
on uneven pavement the previous Sunday at the
Cherry Blossom. This time my shoe
came off because it momentarily lodged in the pipe. I scraped my knee and my
elbow and banged up my right hand, which was just starting to heal from the
previous week. You might think I’m pretty clumsy, but I've been running since
2004 and until this month I had never fallen on asphalt. On trails, yes...on
ice, yes...but not on a regular road. Let’s hope this fluke luck is behind me.
Pam and Jen made sure I was OK, then I told them to run on as I dusted myself
off and put my shoe back on. Thankfully, I had packed a large Band Aid, which I
needed to put on my bloody knee. The bloody elbow was ugly too, but at least it
wasn’t dripping. I washed it off at the aid station.
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| Selfie with Jen and Pam |
The first couple miles of the race were on city streets and
a stretch of highway. Then we entered the
Petersburg National Battlefield.
These were the most scenic miles of the course. We ran on rolling hills through
woods and past historic landmarks and monuments. Civil War reenactors were our
entertainment. It was a refreshing experience, quite different from the usual
rock bands that provide on-course entertainment at many races. I was trying to
run this race easy with consistent run/walk intervals. But I had to do more
walking up the hills in the battlefield. Conversely, if a walk break fell on a
downhill portion, I chose to run it.
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| In the battlefield |
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| Here comes Sid with the flag, watching the reenactment |
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| Reenactors in the trench |
After the battlefield, we had more highway and city miles.
We ran through a historic district in Petersburg. Sadly, many of the stately
houses had fallen into disrepair. But, I was still able to appreciate their
architecture. And through this stretch, I smelled the most amazing flower
blossoms. I don’t know what they were, but they permeated the air for several
blocks and added a nice springtime note to the race experience.
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| Just one of the historic homes we ran past |
There were also a couple miles through some not-so-nice
neighborhoods. While the scenery wasn't much to look at, at least the folks on
the street were friendly. There was also a police officer at just about every intersection, so traffic was well-controlled, and most of the cops were friendly too. In the last few miles I saw Pam and Jen again. By
then, the sun was out in full force and we were hot. Everyone just wanted to
finish. The last mile was a tease. At about Mile 12 we ran
practically right past the Finish line. But we had to go on an out & back to
make up the last mile. There was a steep hill, and an interesting, run-down but
seemingly historic set of houses, and another field with reenactors. As I came
in for my finish, I saw Sid starting on that last out & back with two
Team RWB
runners, so three flags coming my way.
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| Nearing the end of my race, Sid still had a mile to go when I spotted him with these RWB runners |
Finally, I made the last turn, crossed the railroad tracks,
and finished the last few yards back on the cobblestone street. I was very
careful not to trip, so I may have come in somewhat slowly. I was fine with
that. I waited for Pam and Jen to finish. Then it was time for beer and meeting
up with Megan.
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| What an awesome medal! |
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| With Megan, Pam, Jen and this soldier after the race; Jen and I did not plan the matching of our Blerch shirts |
The finish festival was nice. They had local Virginia beer,
pizza and pancakes. There were various small tents with vendors or services
being provided. I didn’t check everything out, but it seems they did a good job
with this race. I had some beer and chatted with my firends until it was time for
them to head back to their hotel and for me to head home. This was not an easy
course, but it was a good race experience, and I would do it again. I don’t run
a race just for the medal, but this one was pretty spectacular. It was large
and beautiful, and very unique. It suited the Civil War theme perfectly.
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