This is a half-marathon that almost didn't happen.
I signed up for this race because it was the day after my association's annual convention ended, and I thought it might be fun. I also realized that it was a late-season race that was well into my grad school semester, which might make training challenging--and it was. I fell down on my training in the face of multiple school projects, and I really debated whether I should run the race because I felt seriously undertrained. Then, of course, there were some benefits to being undertrained, as some of the aches and pains that I'd been experiencing faded away. But there was another unanticpated challenge: walking about 3 miles for three days in the convention center with professional footwear. My feet were really sore and felt like they were developing blisters and my legs felt like they were developing shin splints.
My husband came up to Philly and we enjoyed ourselves, carbo loading at a nice Italian place. Frankly, I think he just enjoyed spending some quality time with me! He ran the Rothman 8K the day before, the first run after the Marine Corps Marathon several weeks earlier. They started the race by playing the theme song to Rocky, which got my husband off to a really fast start and a PR.
My race was the next day. I still couldn't believe I was going to run 13.1 miles! The race was an opportunity to upgrade my winter running attire and I had a new Sport Hill top that was both cute and very practical with a zippered pocket in the back.
We headed over to the race start in darkness and I walked around and warmed up and then got into the corral. This was the largest race I've ever been in, and somehow it never dawned on me how long it would take for my race to get started--I didn't cross the starting line until a half hour after the gun went off. The sun was up now and it was a beautiful cold fall day.
My whole goal was to keep running until mile 10. I knew that if I could get to that point without major pain, I could finish. I started conservatively, setting an easy pace.
I've run the Baltimore half-marathon twice, so to me, despite what the race elevation chart said, the course seemed flat except for a 2-mile stretch between miles 8 and 10 which was pretty much a long uphill climb. People started walking, but I was determined to power through and keep on running.
I really enjoyed running through the streets of Philadelphia and seeing all of the homes and businesses in the different neighborhoods. The crowds were very supportive. Around mile 6, I felt like eating a Shot Block, but decided to wait, but at mile 7 my hand reached in my back pocket. I had another at mile 8. Then, at mile 9-10 there was Gu. I normally hate the taste and texture of gels, but decided to try it. The vanilla Gu wasn't that bad. I washed it down with a sip of water or gatorade at every stop. By the time I got to the band playing at mile 10 in Fairmount Park, I was amped up on all the Shot Blocks, gel, and gatorade and I was feeling pretty good.
I decided it was time to play the passing game and began to pass people as I headed to the finish. And at about mile 12, I was really ready for the race to be over and began looking for the place where the marathoners split from the half marathoners. At the very end of the race, we headed out of the park and back into the city toward the finish line and I was done.
The whole race was really well organized. After the finish line, runners went into a chute where they received post-race food and drinks and could pick up their bags, and there were no lines.
I finished about 3 minutes slower than a previous HM on a much hillier course. I was really glad that I ran the race. Sometimes, just being in the game is what counts.
