2017 Love Run Half Marathon: Race Report

I'm a creature of habit.  Once I find races that I like, I tend to do them year after year. Haddonfield Adrenaline 5k.  Wissahickon Trail Classic.  Philly Marathon.  Rock 'n' Roll Philly Half Marathon.  These races and I go back years.

A few years ago, a new Half Marathon debuted in Philly called the Love Run, and I've been wanting to try it ever since.  Because I was planning to drop down in distance for my long run that day anyway, and because I'm not doing the ODDyssey Half Marathon this year, and in an effort to try something brand new, I signed up.

It ended up being a great decision.  It was a very well-run and fun event, and I could definitely see myself doing it again in the future.

Like a lot of Philly races, this one started at the art museum, so I took the train across the bridge into Philly on Sunday morning, then walked out to the museum with several hundred other people.  I'm part of a large running group on Facebook called Run856, and they had a tent set up where people could drop their bags, so I didn't have to worry about official gear check.

The weather was supposed to be cold and rainy for the morning of the race; luckily we only had to worry about the cold as the rain held off.  I ran in just a long sleeve shirt and wool hat which worked out perfectly.

I started in the first corral and set off at what I guessed was about a 7:30 pace (I didn't wear a watch for this race).  The first few miles wound through Center City before returning to the art museum and bearing left onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.  I was feeling pretty good throughout, even during the climb up to the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and short detour around the other side of the Schuylkill River.  As I fell into the homestretch in the last few miles along the river, I started picking up the pace.  I finished the last tenth of a mile in a dead sprint, which made for a nice picture:

Side note: I love it when races offer free professional pictures.

My time wasn't too bad either.  I've been running long this winter in preparation for Boston, of course, but haven't approached anywhere near the intensity that I would like.  Going into this race, I told myself I would be happy with anything under 1:40, so the fact that I beat that and managed to finish the last few miles with a solid kick is a win in my book.

I had a full set of clothes to change into, thankfully, considering how cold it was.  I hung out waiting for others to finish, and then got talked into redeeming my free beer in the beer garden.  Because you're not living until you're drinking beer (Yards, natch) at 9:30am outside in 45 degree weather after running 13.1 miles.

I then went to a nearby bar to get out of the cold and meet a guy from Who's Up? for another drink, followed by walking back to the train to return to New Jersey.

If you're looking for a good half marathon in the Philly area, I definitely recommend this one. There was a great turnout for such a new race, the course was beginner friendly with just one challenging hill in the back half, the participant perks are solid, and there were no major snafus of any kind.  Race management was solid all around.

Dare I say it?  I just might love this race.

2016 Rock n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon: Race Report

I've done this race almost every year for the last 11 years (I had to skip 2014 for a wedding). It's clearly one of my go-to fall races, and I was delighted when Stevie told me she wanted to run it this year as her first ever half marathon.  I immediately volunteered to run it with her and help her through it.

Between the intense heat we had this summer, and our move, and Stevie directing a children's theater camp, she didn't train as much as she wanted to, knocking out only one eight mile long run in her training.  As for me, my last long run was the ODDyssey Half Marathon back in June.  Though I continued my runstreak by running every single day of the summer, my mileage never touched double digits.  I figured I would be ok, though, because I knew I would be running at a slower pace than I am used to for this race (and yes, I know that kind of makes me sound like a speed snob or whatever, but I can live with that).

Stevie and I dropped off Neale at 6am at a friend's place, who graciously offered to watch him such an early hour, then made the drive across the bridge into Philly and parked near Eastern State Penitentiary.  We had plenty of time to use the porta potties and drop off our gear, then went up to the top of the Art Museum steps where I ran into Lauren from Breathe Deeply and Smile and Janelle from Run With No Regrets.  Lauren is based in Baltimore and Janelle in Philly, and they both write great running blogs, so check them out.

Stevie and I started in the 27th corral (out of 30), and I had no idea we would have to wait 50 minutes just to start (I had told her maybe 20 minutes).  The speakers playing music kept cutting in and out while we waited, and so we amused ourselves by playing freeze dance while slowly shuffling forward.

When it was finally our turn to toe the starting line, the MC exclaimed "What a perfect day for a race!"  No.  No it wasn't.  Sure the temperature stayed relatively cool throughout the morning, but the humidity was off the charts, and runners were falling left and right all day as a result.  Get your shit straight, MC.

I ended up suffering from GI issues all morning, going to the bathroom no less than 6 times before/during the race.  That's the first time that's ever happened to me, so thankfully it wasn't during a goal race.

Aside from two quick bathroom breaks, Stevie ran straight through ten miles before finally taking walk breaks.  Stevie is in great shape from frequent cardio in the form of DVD workouts, but her lack of running caught up with her and her legs started to hate her in the latter miles.  I offered what encouragement I could while trying not to be obnoxious (Stevie later told me I was a great running partner).

Mile 12.5

Before long, the art museum loomed, we crested the last hill and rounded the last bend, and held hands as we crossed the finish line together.

Finish Line

If ever there was a race photo to make me part with my hard-earned money, this might be it.

Afterwards we hung out on the lawn drinking Michelob Ultra and watching Guster, a band I was obsessed with in college and haven't seen live in 16 years.  This was probably the first time I've ever been excited for the post race show at a Rock n' Roll race event.

Guster!

Despite the awful humidity, I had a great morning racing with my wife and hanging out afterwards.  I was proud of Stevie for setting a goal and finishing it.  Stevie claims this was her last half marathon ever and will focus on shorter distances in the future.  Overall, it was a great bonding experience, as I'd hoped it would be, and a day I won't soon forget.

2016 ODDyssey Half Marathon Race Recap

This was my fourth year in a row running this race.  Race reports from previous years:

2013
2014
2015

Race organizers gave runners who had run three or more years a free mini growler, which unfortunately did not include any beer inside of it.  Or a cap.  Thanks guys?

Also new this year was a relay option.  Runners could do the entire half, or join a team of two and break the race up into two 6.55 mile stretches.  Kim and Erik from Who's Up? decided to do just that.  Erik would run with me for the first half, and Kim would run with me for the second half.  Kim was one half of the dynamic duo that paced me in the final miles of last fall's Philadelphia Marathon, and I promised not to relive those profanity-laced miles this time around.

The heat will almost always be a factor in a distance race in June, and last Sunday was no exception (though as luck would have it, the very next morning was gloriously chilly and humidity free).  The race started on time at 7am, and Erik and I took off with the 7:00 pacer.  I already knew two miles in, however, that this was going to be a difficult day and it would be unlikely I could stick with him the whole way.  Before the halfway point we let him go.

We reached the halfway point in about 48 minutes where we saw all of the relay runners waiting for their partners to come in.  Unfortunately Kim was not one of them.  She was nowhere to be seen.  Erik ran with me for a few hundred yards, and I jokingly asked him he felt like running a half marathon today.  Instead he turned back to wait for Kim.

As it turns out, one of the buses transporting the relay runners to the halfway point was late. Erik only waited about three or four minutes for Kim to show up, but it meant I had to run the second half of the race by myself.  I've done plenty of races on my own, so not a huge deal, but it can still be a mental blow when you're expecting someone to run with in tough conditions only to find out they aren't there.

Not cool, ODDyssey.

I slowed down a fair bit in the second half and finished the race in 1:42:01, far from my course PR of 1:33, but not terrible.

Once I reached the finish line, I grabbed my free beer and pint glass and downed the beer as quickly as I could.  Unfortunately something had come up at home and I wouldn't be able to relax in the beer garden like every year, which is usually the best part of this race.  I had to leave only ten minutes after finishing the race.

After having a few days to reflect on this year's race, I'm left wondering how much longer the ODDyssey Half Marathon is going to last.  A few years ago they sold out a week before the race.  The following year they sold out a month before race day, and it seemed like this trend would continue indefinitely.  On the contrary, the ODDyssey Half Marathon appears to be on the decline.  It hasn't sold out in the past two years.  The expo, while efficiently run, is never in the same location from year to year.  There seemed to be fewer carnival games than ever on the course this year, and the addition of the relay race seemed like a last ditch effort to add more participants.  They also now have more competition from the Love Run Half Marathon in April, which I've never done but from what I've heard has an easier course and better weather.

So I'll just lay out some pros and cons:

Pros:

• Free race pictures.  I wish all races did this.
• Quick and efficient expo (though one year it was held over a week before race day for some reason).
• Free, quality beer (Sly Fox) and custom ODDyssey pint glass at the finish.
• Shady beer garden on the grass right next to the finish line.
• Free post-race massages.
• Costume contest.
• Games on course (very few this year, though).
• Cool medal, if you're super into collecting race bling.
• Amazing race volunteers.
• Pace groups starting at 7:00 and all the way up to around 12:00.
• Decent price.  I forget the exact price, but if you sign up early enough I think it can be as low as $60.

Cons:

• In the middle of June.  Heat and humidity almost always an issue.
• The course has some serious hills.  It is not a very beginner friendly race.
• Two years in a row now of bus snafus, with no apology or acknowledgment afterwards.
• Parking is tough.  You have to get there over an hour early to get anywhere close to the start/finish area.  There is no public transport, though the race does offer a private bus from Center City.
• Very little crowd support beyond the race volunteers, if that is important to you.

The question always comes down to whether or not I would recommend a race to someone.  I think the pros still outweigh the cons for this race, and someone who has never done it before would love it.  I would recommend that a Half Marathon virgin try a different race for their first, though.

Will I be back for a fifth year?  If money were no object, then I would say yes.  But with an ever shrinking annual race budget, I'm forced to reevaluate how much I enjoy the ODDyssey Half Marathon.  We'll just have to wait and see about next year...

2015 Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon Race Recap

It's only rock and roll (half marathon) but I like it!  Huge day for me in my life of running.

This morning I set a PR in the half marathon for the first time in over four years by running 1:26:05.

As I grow older, personal records become increasingly harder to come by in any distance, and frankly I don't know how many PR's I have left in me.  So I'm ecstatic to have finally taken down my PR from 2011.

Let's get into it, shall we?

Normally this race is run towards the end of September, but because the Pope was in town at the same time this year, Rock 'n' Roll changed the date to Halloween.  I've run this race for the better part of the last decade, starting back when it was known as The Distance Run, though I missed last year to attend a wedding out near Pittsburgh.  Sadly, my dad's friend whom I mentioned in the last post who has completed every iteration of this race for the last 38 years, had to end his streak this year due to pneumonia.

I took the train over to Philly this morning leaving at 6:10am for a 7:30 race start.  Met my dad on the train and walked over to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the race started and finished.

Logan Square at 6:30am
Photo by Wayne Partenheimer

Close to start time
Photo by Wayne Partenheimer

T
Two years ago I arrived at the starting area 35 minutes before the start, only to have to wait 40 minutes in line for a porta potty.  I ended up starting in the 8th or 9th corral which I'm pretty sure cost me a PR that year because I spent so much time dodging and weaving around runners going at a different pace.  So imagine my horror to arrive at the starting area and find myself reliving the exact same situation, standing in line for the port potty freaking out as the line inched forward and the time ticked closer to the starting gun.  I can't tell you how close I came to dropping my shorts and going in the bushes outside the Rodin Museum.  In the end I stayed in line and made it into the corral with about 90 seconds to spare.

The start
Photo by Wayne Partenheimer

F
For the first half mile I had to repeatedly slam on the brakes to not hit people, but it didn't take long until I was surrounded by people running a similar pace.  The first half mile was the only crowding I experienced in the whole race.

The course had been altered slightly since the last time I ran it.  I have to give credit to whoever created the course, as it was almost 100% flat with long straightaways ideal for cruising speed.  I loved the course.  It did, however, make it difficult for spectators to access the course for the majority of the race, so there was little crowd support, but this didn't bother me as the bulk of my training runs are done alone, so I'm used to the solitude.

I was running consistently in the 6:20 - 6:30 min/mile range, and I honestly felt like I was holding myself back.  I decided to continue this pace until I hit the turnaround point at the Falls Bridge around mile 9, and then ramp up the pace a little.

I was concentrating on hitting the tangents, alternating between water and Gatorade at the aid stations, and picturing myself celebrating a new PR as I ran.

By the time I reached the turnaround point, though, I had developed a side stich under my right rib.  By mile 10 the pain was excruciating and breathing was difficult.  I considered turning this into a war of attrition; who would break first - me or the race?

Me.

At mile 11 I couldn't take it anymore and decided to slow down to about a 7:30 pace.  I was worried that the side stitch would unravel me altogether in the final mile, so I figured I could run mile 11 at a slower pace, then ramp it back up again during mile 12.  When I hit mile 12, I did just that.  The final mile of the marathon ended up being my fastest one of the race.

Mile splits:

Mile 1: 641
Mile 2: 6:53
Mile 3: 6:44
Mile 4: 6:31
Mile 5: 6:28
Mile 6: 6:38
Mile 7: 6:32
Mile 8: 6:35
Mile 9: 7:05
Mile 10: 6:30
Mile 11: 6:40
Mile 12: 6:31
Mile 13: 5:50

After finishing, I collected the various food on offer - a banana, water, chocolate milk, chips, protein bars, etc.  My dad and I had arranged a meeting spot, but he was able to find me easily enough before I even exited the runners' finisher area.

Proud owner of a new medal and new half marathon PR
Photo by Wayne Partenheimer

Father and son

W
We didn't stick around long for the festivities and missed the Gin Blossoms play their extensive catalogue of 90's hits.  Instead we walked back to the train and headed home to New Jersey.

Once again, I'm ecstatic to have lowered my time in the half marathon.  A lot goes into a PR, such as luck.  The conditions today simply couldn't have been better: temps in the 40's, sunny skies, no wind, no humidity and dry streets.

But at the end of the day, the biggest factor in setting a PR is the hard work put into training.  I may often question whether I am training as hard as I could be, but there is no doubt I am training hard.  I came into today's race confident I could run a PR, and in fact it's kind of odd how effortless it all felt.  It didn't feel like some grand heroic struggle like some of my other races.  Aside from overcoming the side stitch, it was all rather mechanical and business-like. I simply set out at a sustainable pace and maintained roughly even splits for the whole race. That's all there was to it.

My time today is only 3 minutes away from a New York Qualifier.  It makes me wonder if it might be worth it to concentrate on that goal for 2016.

As a PR is pretty rare these days, it would be nice to celebrate properly tonight, but I'm already putting it behind me and training my focus on the Philly Marathon 3 weeks away.  As nice as today was, it is only a minor detour in the larger journey to a sub 3 performance.

Big thanks to my dad for coming out today, for spectating and holding my bag.  I'll never get tired of bonding over running.

2015 Rock n' Roll Philly Half expo and race goals

I took the train into Philly this afternoon to pick up my bib from the expo.  To be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by the whole thing.  It seemed smaller and less flashy than expos of the past, and I was surprised they didn't play up the Halloween theme a little more.  Gone were the goofy photo ops and the guest speakers that I enjoyed at Rock 'n' Roll expos of the past.

I did see this sign honoring the legacy runners, including my dad's longtime running friend Mike Geiger:

It's nice that Rock n' Roll honors those who started back when the race was still known as The Distance Run.

In case you want to know what a runner looks like:

I was in and out of the expo as quickly as possible to get back home.  Fatherhood calls.

I'm looking forward to this race because I'm going to try to PR, and I'm fairly certain I can do it. Normally when I run this race, I'm still towards the beginning of my marathon training regimen. But this year, I've had some extra time to get some solid speed workouts in as well as drop a few lbs.  

Also, conditions look like they should be perfect tomorrow.  The course has a few annoying turns throughout Center City in the early miles, but the majority of the race is out and back on both sides of the Schuylkill River, meaning I can take time to warm up and by the time the course straightens out, I'll be able to run at cruising speed and on auto pilot for a bit.

It's been over 4 years since I've last rung that PR bell in the half marathon, so here's hoping tomorrow is the day to make magic happen.

2015 Odyssey Half Marathon Race Report

I ran the Odyssey Half Marathon this morning for the third year in a row.  Race reports from previous years:

2013
2014

Left the house around 5:30am and made it to the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park by 5:50.  Found parking pretty close to the starting area and headed over.  It was nice arriving with so much time before the start of the race, because I had time to pin on my bib, apply Body Glide, do a warm up jog, stretch, visit the port-a-potties twice, and just sit around people watching.  I also met up with Tom from Who's Up and hung out a bit with him.

I had timed everything for a 7am start - bathroom visit, warmup jog, last bit of water and first Gu - but at 6:55 they announced a 30 minute delay due to runners stuck in traffic.  So it was rather annoying to get myself psyched up to begin and then have to wait more.  It was also supposed to be hot today, and any delay was only going to make for a hotter race.

Months ago I had targeted this race as a PR attempt, but as race day approached, I knew my training wouldn't cut it.  My secondary goal became to beat last year's time (1:33), but when I realized how hot it was going to get, this was scrapped too.

While waiting in my corral for the race to start, a man came up to me and asked if I was the guy who had BQ'd at Philly a few years ago and made a YouTube video about it.  He was ecstatic when I told him it was indeed me, and shook my hand and wished me luck.  It's always flattering to be recognized from the internet, so thank you sir.

At 7:25 we finally set off.  The first two miles absolutely flew by.  I had settled in with the 7:00 min/mile pacer and stuck with him until around mile 9 when he pulled away.  Is there anything more depressing than watching a pace group pull away and not be able to do anything about it?  I ran without a watch during this race, and as the only clocks were at the start, finish and midpoint, I wasn't sure how fast I was going other than following the pacer.

I was drenched in sweat by mile two, and my shoes started squelching around mile 9.  It was just a gross morning.  At mile 10 I saw a woman on the side of the road throwing up.  There was already a man kneeling beside her and a police motorcycle on its way, so I kept moving.

The course meanders around Fairmount for a few miles before veering down to the Schuykill River.  There are some nasty hills in the course, but the nastiest comes at mile 12 with a half mile slog up a cliff face.  Or at least that's what it feels like by then.

I remembered how great it was to finish early last year and have the beer garden almost to myself, and that was the only thing that kept me going this year.  The latter miles felt less like running and more like trudging, much like Boston last April.

When I reached the homestretch, I sprinted like a maniac past two more runners, and could have sworn I saw the clock at 1:33.  I was shocked to have run the same time as last year. But when I checked my official race results later, I saw that my time was actually 1:34:48.  I had finished in 47th place, but was later demoted to 53rd place.  Looks like some faster people started after me.

But no matter.  It was finally time for my favorite part of racing: the post race beer.

Nothing better than beer at 9:30am after racing 13.1.

Sly Fox.  Amazing stuff.

Like last year, I was one of only a handful of runners in the beer garden set up near the finish. We sat at a table in the shade and talked about the race while drinking Sly Fox beer in our new pint glasses.

The beer garden filled up quickly, but I'm happy to report that Sly Fox finally came up with a system to keep up with demand.  No ridiculous lines like years' past.  They were even giving out free refills.

Sly Fox is delicious, by the way.  It took every ounce of will power I had to resist a third beer.  I figured three beers before 9:30 would be pushing it, especially since I had to drive home.

Soon Tom finished, and we sat around talking for awhile.

Despite the snafu at the beginning of the race, the ODDyssey Half Marathon is a seriously great event.  It's well-run, organized, and fun.  And if you like beer after running (and what kind of person are you if you don't), you'll love the beer garden.  Put this on your race calendar, and I'll see you next June.

Runner's World Half Marathon: Race Report

I woke up at 6am this morning and immediately took a shower.  I usually shower before a full or half marathon, not to get clean necessarily, but to loosen myself up and wake up a little.

I had no idea what the parking situation would be like, so I arrived around 7am and found parking easily about halfway between the start and finish lines.  I spent the next hour huddled with the masses inside the ArtsQuest building to avoid the cold.  It was 48 degrees this morning, and somehow I didn't think it necessary to bring a long-sleeved shirt.  I had no choice but to run in just a short-sleeved shirt.

The starting line was about a half mile from the finish line where everyone was gathered, so about 15 minutes before the start we all walked over together.  David Willey, Runner's World's editor-in-chief, addressed the crowd, we heard an amazing rendition of the National Anthem on the violin, and we were off.

I started the race right by Mark Remy and thought I might try to run with him for a bit, but before long I decided to speed up a little and he ended up finishing a few minutes behind me.

This was probably the toughest half marathon I've ever done due to all of the hills (and the biting cold and wind didn't help either).  I knew the hills were coming after reading race reports from previous years, not to mention the biking I did yesterday, but I told myself I would be ok because I train a lot on hills.  But training on a few hills once or twice a week does not compare to the rollercoaster that was the course today.

The course took us down Bethlehem's main street, out by a golf course and beautiful houses where we were cheered on by marching bands and cheerleaders in addition to the random spectators.  For a small-town race, the spectators were amazing.

The hills calmed down a bit in the latter miles, and when we crossed the bridge and I could see the steel stacks in the distance, I started my kick with a few miles still to go.  Just beyond mile 12, the course came within a hundred yards of the finish line, only to veer away for the last mile.  This was a bit of a tease.  I pushed hard and headed into the homestretch with the usual feeling of euphoria I can only experience through physical exertion.

My time was six minutes off of my PR, but I was happy with it due to the tough course. Around this time last year I ran a 1:30 half, and last June I ran a 1:33, and now a 1:35.  It's tough to think about just how easy it is to lose fitness after painstakingly building it up.

But it was a gorgeous day, and Bethlehem really is a beautiful town, and the spectators were amazing, and the aid stations plentiful.  At the end of the day, Runner's World puts on a hell of a festival and race, and I'm happy I finally got to come out and participate this year.  I'm sure I'll be back next year.

2014 Oddyssey Half Marathon Race Report

Two races in one weekend.  Overkill?  Not when the races are this good.  Wissahickon Trail Classic yesterday, and 5th annual Oddyssey Half Marathon today.

I ran this race spontaneously last year when a free race bib came my way.  I didn't worry about time and stopped at most of the carnival games along the way, and the great course through Fairmount and the post race atmosphere all brought me back for more this year. 

I will probably be coming back for many years to come, and here is why:

• It started back in April when the race director, Carl Ewald, took the time to cross the bridge and make an appearance at my local running store to promote his race.  It helps that he brought his race day beer provider, Sly Fox with him, and offered discounts for in-store sign up.  I think I only paid $60 to register that night.
• It's easy to drive to and park relatively close to the starting line (located outside of the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park).
• The course is gorgeous, taking in both Fairmount Park and the Skuylkill River.  It is mostly flat but still includes some wicked hills, including one in the last quarter mile.
• The post race atmosphere is amazing.  They set up a beer garden with free beers and pint glasses for runners, along with free massages and live music.

I didn't run a PR today, given the heat and my lack of speed training lately, but still finished in a respectable 1:33:22, good for 48th place out of close to 3,000 finishers.

But PR's just weren't important today.  It was the sheer amount of fun I had on the course.  It felt so good to be out on a course, running relatively hard, and I just had such a positive racing experience for it.  

During the race I was trying hard to photobomb other runners whenever possible (sadly I can't find any of the pictures, perhaps because I was behind them and my bib was obscured). When that failed I tried to strike a pose on my own.

Serious race photo
Penn Images

Not-so-serious race photo
Penn Images

When a group of spectators clapped for me as I ran past, I bowed while yelling, "thank you, thank you... and for my next trick..."

When a spectator yelled, "go runners!" I yelled back "go spectators!"

And when I crossed the finish line, there were no runners up to 20 seconds behind me and 20 seconds in front of me.  For the first time in a somewhat large race, I had the finish line completely to myself.  The crowd gathered there cheered solely for me, and the announcer called out my name and my hometown.  It was one of the greatest race finishes I've ever had.

Penn Images

The medals aren't too shabby either.

It was a hot and humid day today, and after the race I drank two bottles of water one after the other.  I then made a beeline for the beer garden where I was one of the first people to get a beer.  Ice cold beer from Sly Fox Brewery in a brand new Oddyssey pint glass while sitting in the shade watching the finish and shooting the breeze with other runners.  At 8:45 in the morning.  It doesn't get much better than that.  It made me thankful to be able to finish early in races, because by the time I left the beer garden, the line for beer was obscene.

Thanks for a great race guys, and see you next year.

2013 ODDyssey Half Marathon

I ran the 2013 ODDyssey Half Marathon this morning.  Very little training involved, but like yesterday, I didn't have to pay for the bib, because my friend Amy had signed up months ago but then hurt her foot and couldn't run.  No way I could pass up a half marathon bib.

Another 6am wake up call this morning.  Fast and furious drive out to Fairmount Park in Philadelphia to meet Amy's roommate Meg on the steps of the Please Touch Museum for the bib handoff.  The race started late at 7:15.

There were people in costumes (including a dude in a Borat mankini), carnival games throughout the race, an ODDyssey pint glass and a medal/bottle opener at the finish, and a gorgeous course all over Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill River... This was a fantastic race, and one that I will probably sign up for next year.

I had to stop twice to use the bathroom, and stopped at several of the carnival games, so my time wasn't great.  1:48:23.  But it was a fantastic race, my longest in months, and nice to be doing so many races again.

Meg and me after finishing

Half photos

Here are a few photos from last weekend's half marathon:

As you can see, I was in a fair amount of pain at the end as I sprinted like mad in the homestretch.

It was worth it.

Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon race report

I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon this morning, and had a great time as always. I've been doing this race for years and always have a great time, and today was simply business as usual.

Rode PATCO over to Philly this morning after only six hours of sleep.

With Suze on the train over to Philly.

Last year the train ran late and I ended up jumping into my corral with seconds to spare.  This year we arrived at the starting area with a leisurely half hour till GO TIME.

I went into this race not expecting to run well, considering my lack of training effort over the summer.  With a new job to prepare for and plenty of days with awful heat, my running was lackadaisical at best.  I thought I would run today with little more purpose than to enjoy the atmosphere.

If you know me at all, or have read this post, you know that's not exactly my MO.  When I started out today, I was immediately amazed at how good I felt coming off a reduced training schedule and with  less sleep than I would have liked.  I decided I might want to go for a PR after all.  I crossed the halfway point in just under 45 minutes, and I decided I had a chance at breaking 1:30.

The bane of any runner's existence is trying to mentally calculate mile splits in the latter miles of a race, which is what I started doing at the nine mile mark.  I realized I had to run the last four miles no slower than seven minutes per mile in order to break 1:30, and I decided I couldn't.  I could feel the strain in my legs and the exhaustion starting to creep in.  "I can't do that," is what I told myself. Then I decided to try anyway.

Ladies and gentlemen, pardon my French, but fuck "can't."

Stevie and me after the race

And congrats to Suze who ran her very first half marathon, which means she PR'd as well.  Any race in which a new PR is achieved is a tremendous feeling, and I leave you today in very high spirits.

Run your hearts out, friends.  Always.

At the expo

Went into Philly this morning to pick up my race packet from the expo for tomorrow's half marathon.  Got to see John "the Penguin" Bingham speak, which I always enjoy.  

John "the Penguin" Bingham

He's made a name for himself by representing the back of the pack and encouraging people to take up running no matter how slowly they do it.  He wrote a column for Runner's World for many years and now writes for Competitor.  In addition to being a talented writer, he is a great public speaker.  I listened to his talk at last year's race as well.

Unfortunately Kara Goucher and Frank Shorter weren't speaking until later in the day, so I had to miss them.

Brooks took up half of the expo space with an old timey-syle carnival, complete with an automated fortune teller, a caboose of curiosities, and a vaudeville show featuring the Human Jesus Lizard.

God bless the people in charge of Brooks marketing

I've decided Brooks has won me over for life.

Running is big business these days, if the popularity of Rock 'n' Roll events is anything to go by, not to mention the size of this expo.  When one tires of guest speakers or the tomfoolery of the good people of Brooks, one can browse dozens of booths giving out free samples, promoting future races, or selling all manner of merchandise.  Sports drinks guaranteed to deliver more electrolytes, headphones guaranteed never to shake loose from your ears, books and magazines, athletes everywhere, all drawn to this cavernous space and its overgrown spectacle by the most elemental activity in human existence.

And then I saw this:

Rock 'n' Roll Philly Half Marathon

E-mail from Suze regarding the Rock 'n' Roll Philly Half Marathon: "Did you sign up yet?  Stop slacking!"  Good news, Suze: I'm officially in.  I couldn't in my right mind miss Brett Michaels headlining the post race concert.  Duh, winning!

Suze had given me extra incentive by taking the reigns on organizing a meet up with other Philly/South Jersey bloggers.  There's talk of a pre-race Olive Garden invasion and/or tailgating somewhere after the race.  Always nice to connect with other runners/bloggers.

As for the race, I've run it several years now.  It was founded over thirty years ago as the Philadelphia Distance Run, and just last year it was taken over by the Rock 'n' Roll series, consequently earning it the scorn of more serious runners.  An old high school acquaintance recently wrote on Facebook,  "I think they ruined a great race.  It's more about the razzle dazzle of a race, and not about actual running... it replaced the PDR with something the PDR was not. That's my beef."

I believe I fit into the category of "serious runner" myself, but I'm not terribly bothered by the changes.  The Philadelphia Distance Run had bands and cheerleaders just like the current Rock 'n' Roll incarnation.  All that's changed is perhaps more bands, more runners, and of course a steeper entry fee (*sigh*... entry fees are going to keep climbing for a long time, it seems).  As far as the perceived loss of competitive racing with the change in stewardship, I believe you can be competitive in anything.  I can race my heart out regardless of an increased party atmosphere or not.  Afterall, I ran my current half marathon PR last year at this very race.  All you have to do is start far enough ahead in the corrals.

In a little over a month, we'll see if I can race my heart out again.

Bucks County Half Marathon: race report

Woke up at 5:30 this morning and drove out to Bucks County, PA for the 2nd annual Bucks County Half-Marathon, located in beautiful Tyler State Park.  This was the starting line:

A fellow teacher told me about this less than a week ago, and I decided to sign up with her.  She picked up my race packet at the expo for me yesterday, but told me she wouldn't be running afterall because she was sick.  Her husband would run in her place and meet me before the start to give me my packet.

Everything went swimmingly for most of the race.  All anyone could talk about beforehand were the hills, and I was glad that this gave me an excuse to not stress over chasing down a PR.  In my opinion, it's important to decide weeks beforehand if you're going to attempt a PR and prepare accordingly.  Or just have one of those lucky days when running feels effortless and the PR is broken with barely a thought afforded it.  I didn't do the former, and I wasn't counting on the latter.

When I hit mile three of the race, it dawned on me that I had forgotten to apply bandaids and Bodyglide, and forgot to put a Powergel in my shorts pocket.  It was straight up amateur hour out on the course today.  Fortunately I managed to sneak by with only light chaffing.  I have no idea if not having the Powergel in the middle of the race made a difference or not.

When I crossed the halfway point, I realized I was on track to set a PR by 2 minutes.  I felt great for the next several miles, but the hills from miles 10 - 12 killed my pace.  I was gritting my teeth and wincing from the pain in the last half mile from running so hard, and I finished in 1:35:46, just over a minute over my PR from last fall.  I finished 15th overall out of close to 400 runners, and 7th in my age group.

Knowing I gave it my all is all that matters.

One word: layers