I ran the Steamtown Marathon last year attempting to qualify for Boston, and squeaked in under the wire with a 3:15:27. Then the BAA changed the admission process and it turned out my time was not fast enough. This year the qualifying standards are more stringent, and for me I needed a sub 3:10. I'd run a 1:29:07 stand-alone half marathon six months ago, so why not go for a sub 3:10.

Just like last year, the event was well run and organized. The Philly organizers did a top notch job. I started in the maroon corral and when the US Troops counted us down and we started, I was across the mat in a few seconds.

The first three miles were through the heart of Philly, then down beside the Ben Franklin Bridge, and adjacent the Delaware River. I settled into a comfortable groove and was averaging a 7:00 flat pace.

Miles four through six bring you on a slight incline up through South Philly. The crowds were decent here and I hit the 10k mark in 44:10, 7:06 pace. I had about :50 seconds banked against my 3:10 pace wristband.

Mile seven is the first decent climb and real hill up 30th St. I stayed within myself and ran my own race up to the top. We then went down a nice downhill past the Philadelphia Zoo and made a left-hand turn into the picturesque park. The Hill at mile nine started sapping some energy from me and it was the first time I felt myself not holding my pace. I had a good idea at this point that my 'banked' time was gone. Exactly as my foot crossed the Mile ten flag, I was dead even with my 3:10 pace bracelet with a time of 1:12:28 - 7:14 avg. I was hoping this was a positive omen cause I knew I had a few nice downhills leaving the park. And sure enough by Mile eleven I was able to get :10 seconds back. But that's when my GI issues hit.

Around eleven and a half miles, the beautiful Schuylkill River to our left, my lower abdomen started gurgling. The strawberries, perhaps? I needed to find a port-a-potty, and quick!! This was very disheartening but I knew I had little control over the situation. I started seeing the signs that read "Marathoners Stay Left/ Half Marathoners Stay Right." At the same time a herd of runners came up behind me. I figured it was a bunch of half marathoners kicking hard for the last mile. Nope. It was the 3:10 pace group. I was instantly engulfed by thirty or so runners following a 3:10 sign surrounded in white and red balloons, bobbing up and down. I didn't even know there was a 3:10 pace group! Okay, here's my chance to just feed off the group around me. I buried my head and just let the group carry me along as I tried to ignore my worsening abdominal cramps. The cramps didn't let up and I had to let the group slip away. My sole focus was scanning up ahead for the nearest port-a-potty!

I passed the 13.1 halfway mark at 1:34:30; :30 seconds ahead of my pace band time of 1:35. The 3:10 pace group stayed right in front of me for the next two miles, the cramps went away temporarily and I still held on to my BQ hope. But then the cramps came back, and my pace for the last few miles was averaging 7:30's. UGH. Mile sixteen was an 8:45 mile due to my port-a-pit stop. The gig was officially up.

I resorted to Plan B, a sub 3:20, 8:00 pace. It sucked giving up the pace and my BQ dream but it just wasn't meant to be. I decided to make the best of it though. The same time I gave up the ghost my left groin that I aggravated a few weeks ago started complaining, and my quads started feeling sore. At mile nineteen my right hamstring started cramping and I thought, "Oh shitt, this may be a very long last 10k." But then I remembered my salt caps and I immediately swallowed two of them.

The last 10k was pretty much a death shuffle. I was in a decent amount of pain. Aerobically I was fine. I had plenty of energy because I took a gel every 45 minutes. But my groin was hurting and my legs in general were hurting. Badly. I walked three times. I had a few 8:45 miles, but mostly 9:30's with a 10:00+ mile at mile 25. I've had my fair share of road races and triathlons where I've finished strong, passing everyone; and many like this. I've always learned more from my dreadful finishes.

Finally I saw the 25-mile mark, and knew sub 3:20 was long gone, and I just needed to finish this thing up. So I buried my head and ran the entire last 1.2 miles and just let the roaring, supportive crowd carry me in. I was happy to see that finish line, and was even happier that I didn't have to sprint to beat anytime. As soon as I crossed the finish line I saw my wife and kids and all was perfect in the world. :)

1.) Not eat strawberries on race morning.
2.) Not start a marathon with a nagging groin injury.
3.) Not let myself get this fat before an endurance event. I raced a solid 8 pounds above my average race weight.
4.) And most-importantly: Not fake marathon training! Despite a two-year consistent running base of roughly 2400 miles; that base just allowed me to finish the distance. It didn't attribute to any marathon-specific speed at 15+ miles. To race your best stand-alone marathon, Pfitz suggests base training for a month at around 25 to 30 miles per week, and then commencing an 18-week Marathon Program. Silly me had maybe five or six weeks of marathon-specific training, and a groin injury from building up my weekly mileage waaay too quickly. Of course I know better.

What limited my ability to perform was a lack of marathon training. For me, I can't specifically train for Ironmans and Marathons. It just doesn't work for me. So my focus over the next few years will be Ironman triathlons, and when the time is right, I will set aside five to six-months for marathon-specific training, and I'm confident I'll be able to qualify for Boston.


I'll take the Philadelphia Marathon over the NYC Marathon any day. It's one of my favorite marathons. It's a tour through American history. It's picturesque. The course is fast. Just an awesome city and awesome race all around.