I decided that for my 40th birthday I wanted to run my first Full Marathon. And less than a month after I turned 40, I was waking up bright and early in Richmond, lacing up my sneaks and mentally preparing for a cold, windy and hilly race. Parking was a little difficult, not being from the area we were not very familiar with parking, my husband dropped me at the start line and found parking in time for him and a friend to run the half.
I will say that it was a chilly and windy morning, but the miles sped by, there were so many runners and spectators that it made the run seem very easy. There was a band in the woods, tons of dogs to try and pet on your way by. I had a little shot of beer, some pickle juice. And the downhill finish was epic! I truly can say that I had an amazing experience for my first Full! There was definitely more elevation than what I am used to but I still managed to beat my goal time by 30 minutes!