Philadelphia Marathon - RunMarathon


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Marathon
40F / 4C
Overcast
Total Time = 4h 45m 37s
Overall Rank = 5323/
Age Group = W 50-54
Age Group Rank = 77/
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4am. I was back and forth on the decision about what to wear due to the weather. I had planned to wear pants and a white long-sleeved shirt (Lehigh V. 1/2 shirt). I changed into shorts and a long-sleeved black shirt. I ate banana and ww mini bagel with peanut butter. Left the house with Fred at 5am. Carrie decided not to go due to the forecast of rain and sleet (good decision). We drove to our usual parking spot across from Hahnemann Hospital. We waited a few minutes in the car so we would be as late as possible taking off the extra layers. Then I had to go to the bathroom, so we left.
Event warmup:

Walked to the race area about 1 mile away. Stood in line for port-a-potty. We started to go back to the car to stay warm, but decided we really didn't have enough time. So. we stood in race line close to the 4:30 pacer and jumped up and down to stay warm. It was very cold and windy! (I really could have worn pants!).
Run
  • 4h 45m 37s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 54s  min/mile
Comments:

I was freezing at the start. I really wished I had worn pants! But, too late to worry about that! We started off slow since it was so congested through the narrow streets of Philly. I guess if you are trying to get a BQ, you would need to start up much further in the pack. It was fine because we were worried about starting out too fast. It took a while to warm up due to the chill. The rain stayed away for the most part. We had freezing, drizzling rain and wind on and off throughout the race. Philadelphia streets had lots of spectators who were awesome....loud and enthusiastic. The race really should not be described as flat and fast....it has several hills. Fortunately, I was prepared for the hills in the first half, since I ran the half-marathon last year. The hill at Memorial Hall went quite well. It was far easier than the hills from last weekend 10 miler at South Mountain! We ran all the hills. That felt great! The second half of the race went very well. The surprise was the turn off Kelly Drive for Lemon Hill. That went well, also. The run through Manayunk was great. The people on the street were fabulous. There were offers of beer (Manayunk Brewery) and brownies (Le Bus). Great enthusiasm. I felt re-energized at the turnaround (20 miles). We ran for a little while with a short guy with red hair and a red bushy beard. He was very entertaining. He kept telling the people who were still heading down to the turnaround to forget about the brownies and get excited about the turnaround. Fred and I really picked up the pace for the last 3 miles. My left foot, right hamstring and back were really giving me some trouble at this point. I didn't want to stop for the foot cream because I thought I could just gut it out. My hamstring was extremely tight and my lower back felt sore. It is really true that the last 6 miles are all mental. I kept switching from feeling terrific and energized versus wanting to stop and lie down! I just kept telling myself that I was sooo close and could make it the last 30 min, then 15 min, then 5 min, then to the 26 mile marker, then to the finish. That last 0.2 really does suck! (someone held a sign that said that....so true!). I couldn't see the finish from the 26 mile marker, so it made it even tougher to get there! My watch said it was 27.05 miles, which made the end that much more difficult, since I believed it should be over! At the end, Fred and I celebrated! I felt great, then immediately started getting stiff, since it was so cold. Overall, a great race! WOOHOO!!
What would you do differently?:

I felt great! I am very happy with my race. I improved my time by 41 minutes! A new PR!
Post race
Warm down:

We had to walk about a mile to the car. It was FREEZING!!! I felt very stiff by the time we got to the car. The drive home was also tough. Lots of traffic. My left foot hurt and it had to stay on the clutch for most of the ride!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Early congestion through the city prevented us from being able to stick to our pre-planned 10:30 pace. We were averaging closer to an 11:00 pace for the first 5-6 miles. Then we were able to get into the groove of a 10:30 pace. Kicked it out for the last 3 miles.

Event comments:

Philly did a fabulous job with this race. They really took the feedback from last year and made positive changes. There were lots of water stations. Plenty of food at the end. The volunteers were wonderful. Great organization. Terrific race. Even the weather held up until we finished. (Thanks to the Man above!) The full rain started as soon as we got to the car! How about that for timing?!!!




Last updated: 2007-10-05 12:00 AM
Running
04:45:37 | 26.2 miles | 10m 54s  min/mile
Age Group: 77/
Overall: 5323/
Performance: Good
just a note....my garmin read 27.05 at the end!
Course: Started at the Art Museum. Ran down Ben Franklin Parkway into the city streets. Ran past Dinardos (my favorite restaurant!)and down past the water front to Chestnut Street. Took Chestnut Street to Drexel U. Campus and turned on 33rd Street (or 34th). Ran past the zoo, then up the hill to Memorial Hall. Then down a hill on to West River Drive. Took West River Drive back to the Art Museum for the end of the first half. Turn around past the Art Museum and down Kelly Drive a bit. Turned off Kelly Drive to go around the loop for Lemon Hill. Returned to Kelly Drive and ran the length of it to Main Street. Ran through Manayunk (awesome) to the end of Main Street where we turned around. Back down Main Street to Kelly Drive and to the front of Art Museum for the finish.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4