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Philadelphia Marathon - RunMarathon


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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
United States
Philadelphia Marathon
60F / 16C
Sunny
Total Time = 3h 56m 14s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Run
  • 3h 56m 14s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 09m 01s  min/mile
Comments:

Saturday morning I woke up and dropped Jack off at doggy day care and headed up to Philadelphia with my friends James and Mike. Once we got to Philly we checked into our hotel which was the Best Western right next to the start/finish line! I had booked hotel in center city near the theater district about a mile from the race but I saw this was available last minute and jumped on it! Great decision!

After checking in and unpacking, we headed down to the race expo to get our packet and race bibs. Check in there was a breeze since it was in a giant convention center and they had about 1000 volunteers. We checked out a few things at the expo and they didn't have a hoodie in my size (the only thing I knew I wanted to buy) so I just ordered one online later. :)

After picking up a couple other things (including a race pace bracelet which would come in very helpful on race day) we headed over to Reading Terminal Market right next door and met Mike's friend Lynn for lunch.

Lunch was followed by a walk back down to the hotel and a tour of the start/finish line and a quick climb up the infamous "Rocky Steps!"

The rest of the day we spent relaxing in the hotel and then headed out to dinner at a local italian "hells kitchen" style Pizzaria a few blocks from the hotel for some carb loading. I had plain chicken and pasta which was a great prerace meal.

I thought I would be able to sleep ok but because I was so intent on the sub four hour marathon goal, I had a lot of trouble and spent most of the night sleeping lightly and tossing and turning. 5:00AM could not come soon enough.

Sure enough race morning finally arrived and James and I spent the morning leisurely getting ready for the race. We had laid everything out the night before so there wasn't much to do besides shower, eat, use the bathroom, and head down to the start line!

The start was great and very easy to get to (2 min walk) from the hotel! Because it was a giant race there was a long wait and a ways to walk before getting to the actual start but Mike had started in the wrong corral so I saw him at the beginning and we crossed the start line together. One thing I found out at the expo that I thought was hysterical was that my wave (gray) was for all people who had listed 4:00:00 exactly as their expected finish time!

The first part of the marathon went through downtown Philly. My goal was to keep a 9min pace per mile for the whole race and I was successful during this first part. The weather was perfect for the race (low 50s to start and low 50s to finish - party sunny and a little breezy).

There was a section of the first part (miles 6-8 maybe? - I have trouble remember what parts came when on the course since I was in a zone) that went through downtown and the streets were lined with tons of people like a parade. It was really cool but it made it hard to get into a good rhythm. I was happy though because my pace during the first half was a bit faster than my goal pace which allowed for the fade at the end.

There were some hills that I didn't expect towards the middle of the marathon around the zoo and in other places but for the most part it was pretty flat.

By the time I got to mile 17 I decided to take a quick pee break which probably cost me a minute of time (and cost me the sub 9:00min/mile pace!) but I still think it was a good decision.

I kept to my nutrition plan of gatorade/water at all stops and gu every 4 miles (more towards the end) which worked really well. I also saved the caffeine GUs towards the end as well.

Miles 18-26 were some of the hardest miles I've had physically and mentally. My body wanted to shut down and walk but I wanted the sub 4 hour so bad that I wouldn't let it. Otherwise I would probably have stopped and taken all day to get back to the finish line.

Luckily at mile 22 my friend Pam made a surprise visit on the course! She had come up from DC and surprised us on the course! She ran with me some and it couldn't have come at a better time because I was in a pretty bad place mentally and physically around that place. So that gave me something to get me to mile 23 and only 5K left.

Miles 23-26 were a bit of a blur but I remember them being long and hurting. I tried to only walk a few steps while drinking at the water stops because it hurt so much to start back up. But by the time I got to mile 25 and knew I only had one mile left, the crowds, my music, and my sheer mind-over-matter determination were the only things that kept me going.

Crossing the finish line was definitely a cool experience in this race - definitely not like my first, and definitely not like the Ironman, but it was a giant crowd, and I knew I was happy for reaching my sub four hour goal... it is kind of hard to REALLY enjoy and appreciate that moment when your body is in so much pain.

After crossing the line and getting my medal I knew I had to keep walking. I couldn't stand still to get in line for my picture, and I couldn't wait in line for food. I basically paced around in a circle a while and finally got some pretzels and saw James standing near the exit! He had a great race and we compared notes while my legs were in probably the most pain I've experienced after a race ever.

After some more walking and time my legs finally felt better and I came out of it to start experiencing the post - race high. I was so happy and proud of my accomplishment and even more proud of this year of racing! :)
Post race



Last updated: 2011-08-11 12:00 AM
Running
03:56:14 | 26.2 miles | 09m 01s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance:
Course:
Keeping cool Drinking
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall:
Mental exertion [1-5]
Physical exertion [1-5]
Good race?
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

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2012-01-10 10:55 AM

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Subject: Philadelphia Marathon
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