Philadelphia Marathon - RunMarathon


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Marathon
30F / -1C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 4h 44m 18s
Overall Rank = 5552/7300
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

I had a very tough week before the race. I ended up being sick, very tired and was unsure if I would even go the full marathon distance, but by sunday morning I felt I could give a shot

Up at 5:00 am. Had a bagel and coffee and out the door to the start at 6:15. Made it to the coral and hung out for a while right behind the 430 pacer till they verbally started the race due to a frozen air horn.
Event warmup:

Bounced around to the Rocky theme music.
Run
  • 4h 44m 18s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 51s  min/mile
Comments:

Being my first Marathon, I set my goal time at 4:30. The first 6-8 miles went great. I was right with the 4:30 pack. The crowds on Chestnut street were awesome. Maybe pushed a little to hard there, but enjoyed the experience. Miles 8-12 I actually began to pass a lot of people on the hills in Fairmont Park and was 1-2 minutes ahead of 4:30 pacer. At mile 12.5 I began to cough from breathing in the cold air and being sick. I began to cramp a little at mile 14-15. I tried to drink as much as I could at each aid station till mile 20, but this is where my race started to go downhill. My pace slowed and fatigue set in at the mile 20 turn around. I would not say I hit "a wall", but the last 6 miles were a struggle. The small crowds that were left on Kelly Dr were cheering us on and keep us going till the finish line was in sight, where I crossed just under 445.
What would you do differently?:

Hydrate better. I under estimated the amount of fluids I would need even though it was below freezing for the entire race.
Post race
Warm down:

Found my fiance, got my medal and took a few photos. Walked to our friend's hotel to shower and had brunch. The beer tasted great!

Event comments:

Good late season race. Nice flat course. Good cheering sections. I would recommened this to anyone who likes Philadelphia and wants to race in the city.




Last updated: 2008-08-26 12:00 AM
Running
04:44:18 | 26.2 miles | 10m 51s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/7300
Performance:
Course: Nice, flat tour of Philadelphia and surrounding areas on Kelly Drive
Keeping cool Good Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race? Ok
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