This past weekend, my husband J and I headed to Philly to run the 8K as part of the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend. I had originally planned to run the half marathon but my work schedule and cranky hip flexor hindered my long runs and had me shifting my registration to join my husband in the 8K. I was excited to return to Philly Marathon Weekend and to have my hubby joining me was a great bonus!
Pre-Race/Expo:
We flew into Philadelphia on Friday morning and were happy to find out that our hotel room was ready early! We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn which is next door to the Reading Terminal Market and basically across the street from the Philadelphia Convention Center, home to the expo.
Packet pick-up was quick and easy though I was struck by the lack of volunteers for t-shirts and bags – I felt for the woman who was hustling at the 8K t-shirt distribution. J and I took a spin through the expo, including stopping to check out the Garmin watches and chat up the rep on the features of the Forerunner 255 Music which I have been eyeing. It’s on my wish list 🙂 We had lunch at the Market and then chilled in the room for the afternoon watching college football. We grabbed dinner at a local pizza place – so good.
Reading Market photo courtesy of Visit Philly.com
Race Day
The 8K didn’t go off until 11 AM so the morning was relaxed and easy. We were about a 1-mile walk to the start and headed out just after 10 thinking we’d have plenty of time to get to the corrals and warm up. (Given the temps in the mid 30 plus the windchill we were hoping to avoid standing in the cold for too long.) We arrived to find a crazy long line for the security check-in. The line seemed to go on forever and it was not moving. I can honestly say that I have never been in line for security while listening to the race announcer count down the start. Runners were annoyed, it was a cluster! We eventually got through security and headed to a break in the barriers to get to the start.
In the hustle to get to the start, there was no final dynamic stretching and I forgot to take my GU. But we were off and excited to get going. J, who was easing his way back into running, did not want me to wait and encouraged me to run my own race so soon after the start we separated. Without the benefit of the corraled start, I spent a good bit of the first mile or so weaving around walkers and slower runners, but I was feeling good and enjoying the crowd support. Most of the course was an out-and-back along Kelly Drive, which was a great opportunity for runners to high-five and support each other along the course.
There were some really cold gusts of wind off the Schuylkill River, but I was pretty pleased that I had nailed my layering game. The miles ticked by, I stuck to my 4/:45 intervals and enjoyed my playlist. I hit the turnaround and was heading back when a woman ran up alongside me and asked if I was RunAttitude, it was Courtney from Eat, Pray Run DC! I then spotted J making his way up to the turnaround and we high-fived. As I passed the 4-mile marker my hip flexor reared its ugly head, an extra walk break was needed, but I powered on. I knew I was close and I did not want to lose momentum. Soon I saw the banners marking the final stretch and I pushed through to the finish. Always feels good to cross the finish line with a smile.
I was handed my medal and a heat wrap and then waited for J. Once he finished we snagged a couple of photos and then headed for the food tent – an offering of bananas, granola bars, orange juice, and chicken broth. Oh, that hot broth felt so good! We hung out for a little bit and then walked the mile back to our hotel.
Final thoughts:
Overall I really enjoyed this race! The security lines were a complete cluster and made the start more chaotic than it needed to be. I was also surprised by the lack of enthusiasm from the volunteers at the water stops. They seemed stressed and I didn’t hear the encouragement of runners that I often hear in other races. Maybe they were just cold. That aside, the course is a good one, relatively flat, along the river. It was fun to be a part of the Philly Marathon Weekend! I would run this race again.
I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.
Have you participated in the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend?
