Notes
Goals
3:25 YES
3:30 Yes
Training
I followed Hanson’s Advance Plan almost to a tee. I reworked a few weeks to accommodate races (notably the Iron Horse and Bourbon Chase), but other than that hit every run as prescribed. I had by far the fewest injury issues of any training block I’ve done; just a couple minor calf issues and some very mild aches in the top of my right foot.
I was fairly pessimistic about this race during the summer, particularly after a poor performance in the Bluegrass 10,000. Following the 10K I set my goal at 3:40 and set my training paces accordingly. Once September rolled around and the weather cooled off, I had a crazy explosion in my training, leading to a half-marathon PR at the Iron Horse. Based on this race I reevaluated my goal to 3:30 and bumped up by training paces. Following an incredible Bourbon Chase and continued improvements in my training, I also decided to tack on a stretch goal of 3:25 for Philly.
Pre-Race
I tried to take it as easy as I could in Philly in the couple days leading up to the race, but also still wanted to experience the city a bit. We went to Independence Hall and a Flyers game. I tried to be mindful of my diet, focus on getting in carbs, and getting to bed early. I slept pretty well the nights leading up to the race and was up before my alarm around 4:45 race morning.
I had a cup of coffee, banana, and a Honey Stinger waffle for breakfast. Erin and I made the short walk from our hotel to the starting line a little before 6am. Security was pretty easy, but the lines for the bathrooms were rapidly devolving so it’s a good thing I got there early. Took a pre-race gel, ditched my throwaway hoodie gloves, and I was ready to start.
Race
Weather for the race was absolutely perfect. There really isn’t a knob I could turn to dial in better conditions. The race started out around 40 degrees and got up to around 50 by the end, with clear skies and little wind. My fueling plan was to take a total of 6 gels, one every four miles to start. I ended up drinking at every water station except the final one, usually grabbing water but sometimes I’d grab the Nuun sports drink in the 2 mile intervals between gels.
Miles 1-2
Finally through the starting line! As expected, it was pretty congested starting out. I didn’t let myself get too concerned about starting out a little slow. I didn’t want to waste energy weaving so I just tried to be patient until things opened up. At the last second, I somehow managed to spot Erin waiting for me around the fountain and she cheered me on.
Running through the Center City was really fun and it was immediately obvious the city really turned out for the race. The crowd support was incredible. I ended up running in the 7:40s for the first few miles, which was faster than planned, but it felt pretty good so I decided to roll with it.
Miles 3-8
I was cruising pretty well down the Delaware River section, but around the 3 mile mark and I heard an absolutely stampede behind me. I turned to find the 3:30 pace group rapidly gaining on me, and shortly thereafter they swarmed and absorbed me. It was pretty annoying because it seemed like they were going quite a bit too fast for the 3:30 and I wasn’t really trying to run in a pace group. Unless I was committed to running *even faster* than 7:40 it looked like I didn’t have a choice though.
As we turned onto Washington Ave, the pacer motioned to a water station and it was absolutely chaos trying to get over to the right in order to grab a cup. I’ve never dealt with so much jostling in a race and this experience really made me resolve to try to escape the group when I could. Unfortunately, that would be a while. The pace group completely spanned the width of the road as we snaked through the Old City and I just could find any openings, especially with the huge crowd closing in on all sides. Finally the group started to slow around the 6 mile mark and I found a crease to slip through. Sweet freedom!
It was just in time, too, as I heard my name yelled and looked over to find Erin yelling “YOU’RE AT 10K!!” So glad I wasn’t lost in the pack at this point! I’m not sure if I was because I was excited to have running room or if the buildings were throwing up my GPS, but this ended up being my fastest split of the race. I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard or anything, but it was a little confusing to see my watch showing sub-6 minute pace for a bit.
Finally, hit the Walnut Street bridge to cross the Schuylkill River into University City. Shortly after the bridge I briefly found myself running behind one of those ATVs with a cameraman filming from the back. He was pointed directly at me so I briefly felt like one of the elites I see on TV!
Miles 9-13
The race got a bit hillier during this section as we moved into Fairmount Park. Honestly, it was a little hard to keep my bearings since we did a lot of circling, but mostly I was just focused on staying consistent and hitting the tangents. I was still feeling pretty good and the hills didn’t really bother me a ton, which seemed like a good sign.
The crowd support was more sparse on this side of the river, but there were still pockets. However, the bridge heading back over was PACKED and I really tried to soak it all in. At this point I began noticing people cheering for me by name since it was printed on my bib. I always tried to yell thanks or give them a thumbs up. At the halfway point my legs were definitely getting heavier and I had to focus a little harder to maintain the same pace, but still nothing terrible.
Miles 14-20
More roundabouts in Fairmount Park and we finally got to Kelly Drive and began the long pilgrimage to Manayunk. Maybe I should have looked at the course map more because I had no idea what I was in for here. The stretch seemed to go on forever, and what was more concerning was we seemed to be going downhill nearly the entire way. Faster runners were going the opposite direction so I knew I’d have to run back uphill the whole way. I just bargained with myself to keep up the 7:50 pace and I’d deal with the uphill when I got to it.
The turnaround in Manayunk at mile 20 was absolutely lit! The ground was amazing and they really crammed both sides of the street. They were playing the Rocky theme, handing out shots of beer, and just generally having a party. I got reinvigorated for the long trip back to the art museum.
Miles 21- 26
The final 10K is a bit of a blur. My legs were definitely getting tired and I was really having to push, but I was also pretty certain I wasn’t bonk or anything. I could feel a blister forming on the bottom of my left foot, but it wasn’t anything that seemed overly concerning. It felt pretty awesome to keep cruising when it was obvious most others around me were really starting to slow down. I passed a ton of people during this stretch and really just focused on picking off the next person and the next. To my surprise it felt like I was again going downhill even though I was certain the opposite direction was also downhill. It turns out this stretch was basically flat, so I guess my brain just perceives that as down.
With two miles out I tried to pour everything I had into a speedy finish. The crowd really started to swell and about a half mile around I ran into the craziest wall of sound I’ve ever experienced in a race. It was insane how loud the crowd was in the homestretch. I wasn’t certain how far off my watch was so I kept searching for the finish line, but it just never seemed to appear as I rounded the art museum. Finally I spotted some banners and stuff, and I figured that must be it. I threw in what little kick I had left in me and finally crossed the line!
Post-Race
I stood around for a bit and tried to absorb everything that had just happened. I knew I’d broken my 3:30 goal, but didn’t immediately look at my watch to see what my final time was. Strangely, I wasn’t as overwhelmed as my first two marathings, but I just felt very satisfied at a job well done. I knew what I was capable of, came in with a plan, and executed it like I knew I could. I found Erin waiting for me at the back of the shoot and gave her a hug. She told me I did it, but I just thought she meant I finished. When I saved my activity waiting in line to take pictures at the Rocky statue, it flashed up 3:24… I’d even hit my stretch goal! She was like that’s what I meant by YOU DID IT. Well hot damn!
I kind of sort of did a Rocky run up the museum steps and we took more pictures. I really just tried to soak it all in as we took in the sights of the race below with the city skyline in perfect view in the background. What a great race and great experience. I hope I can find another race that stacks up to this one. Maybe we’ll have to come back!