Marathon Training Team Q&A: Shihan Wijeyeratne

Welcome to the latest in an occasional series on Sports Backers staff members participating in the Marathon Training Team, which leads up to the Anthem Richmond Marathon on November 14, 2015. Get to know Shihan Wijeyeratne, Community Outreach Coordinator for Bike Walk RVA and a chocolate milk aficionado.

Q. How many marathons have you done?

A. I’ve done two, so this will be my third. I did ‘Run the Forest’ in Los Angeles in August of 2011, and the Anthem Richmond Marathon in November of 2012. ‘Run the Forest’ only had 40 people. My current PR is 2:50, which I did in Richmond, and the goal for my next marathon is 2:45.

What’s it like running a marathon with 40 people?

Lonely. But also kind of nice at the same time. The aid stations were really personal – they know your name really well by the end because you pass them so many times.

What kind of training did you do for those marathons?

Lots of running, mostly on the roads but some speed work on the track too. For Richmond, I did a lot of training on Grove Avenue. I ran with a few friends sometimes, but it was mostly by myself.

How is the Marathon Training Team group dynamic working?

It’s good, it helps the group runs go by faster and helps keep the pace honest. It helps keep the pace from getting too fast or too slow, which is good.

How is training going so far?

It’s going well. It’s nice to have a group of people that are running the same pace, it’s nice to have a route already planned, and it will be nice to have the aid stations during the runs once they start to get a little longer.

So you’re pretty fast. And I assume you want to run a fast marathon. How is the training team preparing you to meet those goals?

You tend to run faster when there are fast people around you. The people in my group help push each other during training runs. It’s important to get the long runs in, especially in the summer when it’s hot and the group element helps keep everyone accountable and motivated to keep working.

You grew up in Los Angeles and came here for college at the University of Richmond. Yet you say you also enjoy running in the cold weather. How did that happen?

Freshman year of college was the first time I’d run in cold weather and the snow and I enjoyed it because it was better than running when it was hot. I also like running in the snow because it’s a great workout.

What’s your favorite thing, or things, about the Anthem Richmond Marathon?

The crowd support on the course is awesome – having people cheer you on is really great when you’re pushing yourself. The course also has two of my favorite views of the James River, from Riverside Drive by the Huguenot Bridge, and then crossing the Lee Bridge downtown.

Making the turn onto 5^th Street and being able to see the finish line, and then coasting to the downhill finish and the post-race party on Brown’s Island is pretty great as well. And I enjoy seeing the reactions of people as they cross the finish line – it’s really inspiring.

What is your finish line reaction going to be?

A smile and a happy dance (editor’s note: he refused to demonstrate his happy dance, so we have to assume it looks something like this).

What’s your favorite post-race food or drink?

Chocolate milk.

How much chocolate milk do you plan to drink when you’re done with your next marathon?

Probably about a gallon.

What’s the most chocolate milk you’ve ever had after a run?

Oh man. Let me think about that for a second…probably 3 or 4 glasses.

Rapid Fire

Favorite place to run in RVA: Buttermilk Trail

Favorite music to listen to while running: No music for me. I like the sounds of nature.

Best piece of encouragement during a race: Just yelling and applause. That’s all I need. Also, being told “you’re almost done” when you are actually almost done.

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