Philadelphia Marathon Race Report
My much delayed Philadelphia Marathon Race Report has finally arrived!
Silvia and I spent the past five days in beautifully sunny and toasty South Florida catching up on some much needed R&R. We’re back in Philly and I’ve finally gotten around to composing my thoughts on what transpired just days ago.
November 19, 2006 started at 5 a.m. to the wretched sound of my alarm clock. Following a hot shower, I managed to choke down about 700 calories worth of Balance bars and Gatorade. Pre-race fueling has never been easy for me because my pre-race jitters usually get the better of me…and my stomach.
Following the light meal, Silvia and I got in the car for the 20-mile ride to Philly to get our run on. Funny to think that our race was 6.2 miles longer than this! We managed to find a spot on 23rd and Market…for those of you that don’t live in Philly this is a solid ½ mile from the starting line. Amazing how different a ½ mile walk feels before a marathon compared to AFTER a marathon!
After getting to the race site, our first order of business was to drop-off our gear bags. Unfortunately, no volunteers could tell us where the drop-off even was. This was our only boo hiss to the race director moment during the entire day. After finding the makeshift hut that would house our gear we made our way to the portas for one last pre-marathon “evacuation”. It was well timed (5 minutes prior to the start).
We headed over to the starting line and kissed each other goodbye. Silvia signed up to run with a Clif Bar Pace group and I decided to go it alone, being the stubborn 27-year old man that I am.
Just like the Philadelphia Distance Run, the crowd was massive! 11,000+ people toed the line, but only about 6,000 of them were marathoners. The other 5,000 or so were competing in the newly established ½ marathon. Needless to say, it took a while to get to the starting line. After about 6 minutes I neared the start line. I was surprised to see people actually running before we hit the line…as if 26.2 isn’t long enough, these gunners had to prove their worth at 26.3!
The first two miles were pretty uneventful. It was very crowded and I was warming up quickly. It’s amazing how different 40 degrees feels when you’re standing around at the starting line as opposed to when you’re 15 minutes into a marathon. I suppose a lot of people felt similarly considering how much clothing was discarded all over the road. I understand why people do it, but there must be a better way. It looked like a real mess all over the streets because of this.
For the first four miles I kept an eye on the 4:15 pace leader. I figured if I ran the race I wanted to run, he and I would see each other quite a bit. However, I found his pace to be way too herky jerky, back and forth. I passed him after about 45 minutes and would not see him again (although as we got to the finish line he made the gap very small).
After you hit the seventh mile you make your way into West Philly. There were a lot of great characters and signs out on the road in West Philly. Hands down, my favorite sign was held by a girl, probably no more than 10 years old and it read “Run you freakin’ idiots…run like you stole something”! After a really good chuckle I continued on my way.
I thought I had seen some nasty stuff during my 27 years, but little compares to what I witnessed at the ninth mile. I was running close with about a handful of guys when one of them suddenly pulled off the road. He did not even manage to turn the other way before he pulled down his pants and blasted one of the biggest bowel movements I have ever seen. I think there should be some kind of Man Law during marathons that states that if you pull over to the side of the road, please have the decency to turn around if you plan on taking a dump. The guy running to the right of me looked at me and said “Only in Philly dude, only in Philly”.
Mile 10 has the largest hill on the course. Interestingly it was smaller than I envisioned it to be. I would later find out that hills don’t kill you in marathons while you are on them, but rather much later in the race when you are on even the smallest of inclines.
After getting over the hill it’s basically a two-mile decline as you make your way back to West River Drive. I felt in control and happy with my performance thus far in the race. After getting onto West River Drive the marathoners meet back up with the ½ marathoners. It seemed like a bit of a cruel joke to know that half of the people around you are just about to finish and you have a 10k out and 10k back on Kelly Drive before you can call yourself a finisher.
I hit the half-marathon mark in what I believe to be 2:03. Didn’t stop my watch, but I’m 99% sure that this was where I was at the halfway point.
The biggest treat of the entire race came when I got back on Kelly Drive at mile 14.5. When you hit roughly 14.5 you are back on Kelly Drive and parallel to the finish line. To my surprise, right as I was parallel to the finish line, the winner of the race was just about to cross the tape. Simply amazing! I have always thought that being able to run a sub-5 minute pace for a marathon is a more amazing feat than man landing on the moon. Although technology has taken humans beyond our own capabilities, I’ve always marveled at bodily accomplishments much more so than any accomplishment our species has managed because of technology.
Anyway…after seeing the winner cross the line, I was really pumped to be on Kelly Drive knowing all I had left was a 10k out and a 10k back. I was so happy about not having discarded any clothing once I hit Kelly Dr. The wind coming off of the river was very noticeable and I was happy to still have a long sleeve shirt and gloves on.
My fueling strategy for the race was to take 1 GU every 45 minutes for the first 2:15 with water and then switch to just Gatorade Endurance for the remainder of the race. Luckily my stomach took the GU just fine and I felt good about making the switch to Gatorade for the rest of the way. This seemed to work on my prior long runs, but this strategy was slightly flawed. The GU contained caffeine, which my body seems to like during the long run. During the final 10k, I did in fact feel tired, which could have been remedied with continued GU for nutrition. But hey, this is my C-Race in my IM game plan, so screwing up is allowed, right?
The only bummer on Kelly Drive between miles 15 and 19 is that it is relatively desolate. You get all amped up around the 14th mile as you parallel the finish line and then there’s no one cheering until you get to the 19th mile in Manayunk. Getting to Manayunk was terrific. Lots of people, lots of cheering…even a mock aid station offering beer and “brownies”. Thanks, but no thanks.
When I hit the 20-mile turnaround I felt in good spirits. I was 3 hours and 10 minutes on the dot at 20 miles, which after doing the math I realized I was on pace for 4:10. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be on 4:10 pace after 20 miles. I figured if I had the race of my life I might be able to swing it with the 4:15 pace leader, but this was a hair faster than my best projection. I couldn’t wait to get my ass back to Philly and the finish line, which was only 10k away.
As I passed the 20-mile turnaround I also realized, “hey Jeremy…longest run of your life...nice job.” After the quick pat on the back I got my ass in gear to head back to the finish. At mile 21 I was fortunate enough to see Silvia, who at the time was only 15 minutes behind me. She was in terrific spirits, which gave me a tremendous boost.
Miles 22 through 25 were again lonely out on Kelly Drive. It’s hard to describe what my body was feeling. It was not suffering at all. It really just felt like my legs were turning into lead. Just a very heavy feeling, which did not subside until I was done. I was happy that I never really blew up…just slowed down. The only walking I did during the entire race was at aid stations when I was having a drink. Besides that, it was purely running.
It started to feel real when I was two miles from the line. You start to see the Philly skyscrapers again and reality begins to set in…I am freakin finishing my first marathon!
The last mile was great. Tons of very supportive people. I got passed by droves of runners in the final mile who managed to have one last kick. Not me…I basically just slogged my way to the finish line…no sprinting at the finish line for me…I was pooped. I left it all out on the road.
The final 400 yards seem like a bit of a cruel joke. I estimated the incline to be about 25 feet, but I can’t say for sure…all I know is that it felt much steeper than the much larger hill at mile 10.
In the final 5 yards I closed my eyes and put my hands up to the sky.
4:13:22
Silvia and I spent the past five days in beautifully sunny and toasty South Florida catching up on some much needed R&R. We’re back in Philly and I’ve finally gotten around to composing my thoughts on what transpired just days ago.
November 19, 2006 started at 5 a.m. to the wretched sound of my alarm clock. Following a hot shower, I managed to choke down about 700 calories worth of Balance bars and Gatorade. Pre-race fueling has never been easy for me because my pre-race jitters usually get the better of me…and my stomach.
Following the light meal, Silvia and I got in the car for the 20-mile ride to Philly to get our run on. Funny to think that our race was 6.2 miles longer than this! We managed to find a spot on 23rd and Market…for those of you that don’t live in Philly this is a solid ½ mile from the starting line. Amazing how different a ½ mile walk feels before a marathon compared to AFTER a marathon!
After getting to the race site, our first order of business was to drop-off our gear bags. Unfortunately, no volunteers could tell us where the drop-off even was. This was our only boo hiss to the race director moment during the entire day. After finding the makeshift hut that would house our gear we made our way to the portas for one last pre-marathon “evacuation”. It was well timed (5 minutes prior to the start).
We headed over to the starting line and kissed each other goodbye. Silvia signed up to run with a Clif Bar Pace group and I decided to go it alone, being the stubborn 27-year old man that I am.
Just like the Philadelphia Distance Run, the crowd was massive! 11,000+ people toed the line, but only about 6,000 of them were marathoners. The other 5,000 or so were competing in the newly established ½ marathon. Needless to say, it took a while to get to the starting line. After about 6 minutes I neared the start line. I was surprised to see people actually running before we hit the line…as if 26.2 isn’t long enough, these gunners had to prove their worth at 26.3!
The first two miles were pretty uneventful. It was very crowded and I was warming up quickly. It’s amazing how different 40 degrees feels when you’re standing around at the starting line as opposed to when you’re 15 minutes into a marathon. I suppose a lot of people felt similarly considering how much clothing was discarded all over the road. I understand why people do it, but there must be a better way. It looked like a real mess all over the streets because of this.
For the first four miles I kept an eye on the 4:15 pace leader. I figured if I ran the race I wanted to run, he and I would see each other quite a bit. However, I found his pace to be way too herky jerky, back and forth. I passed him after about 45 minutes and would not see him again (although as we got to the finish line he made the gap very small).
After you hit the seventh mile you make your way into West Philly. There were a lot of great characters and signs out on the road in West Philly. Hands down, my favorite sign was held by a girl, probably no more than 10 years old and it read “Run you freakin’ idiots…run like you stole something”! After a really good chuckle I continued on my way.
I thought I had seen some nasty stuff during my 27 years, but little compares to what I witnessed at the ninth mile. I was running close with about a handful of guys when one of them suddenly pulled off the road. He did not even manage to turn the other way before he pulled down his pants and blasted one of the biggest bowel movements I have ever seen. I think there should be some kind of Man Law during marathons that states that if you pull over to the side of the road, please have the decency to turn around if you plan on taking a dump. The guy running to the right of me looked at me and said “Only in Philly dude, only in Philly”.
Mile 10 has the largest hill on the course. Interestingly it was smaller than I envisioned it to be. I would later find out that hills don’t kill you in marathons while you are on them, but rather much later in the race when you are on even the smallest of inclines.
After getting over the hill it’s basically a two-mile decline as you make your way back to West River Drive. I felt in control and happy with my performance thus far in the race. After getting onto West River Drive the marathoners meet back up with the ½ marathoners. It seemed like a bit of a cruel joke to know that half of the people around you are just about to finish and you have a 10k out and 10k back on Kelly Drive before you can call yourself a finisher.
I hit the half-marathon mark in what I believe to be 2:03. Didn’t stop my watch, but I’m 99% sure that this was where I was at the halfway point.
The biggest treat of the entire race came when I got back on Kelly Drive at mile 14.5. When you hit roughly 14.5 you are back on Kelly Drive and parallel to the finish line. To my surprise, right as I was parallel to the finish line, the winner of the race was just about to cross the tape. Simply amazing! I have always thought that being able to run a sub-5 minute pace for a marathon is a more amazing feat than man landing on the moon. Although technology has taken humans beyond our own capabilities, I’ve always marveled at bodily accomplishments much more so than any accomplishment our species has managed because of technology.
Anyway…after seeing the winner cross the line, I was really pumped to be on Kelly Drive knowing all I had left was a 10k out and a 10k back. I was so happy about not having discarded any clothing once I hit Kelly Dr. The wind coming off of the river was very noticeable and I was happy to still have a long sleeve shirt and gloves on.
My fueling strategy for the race was to take 1 GU every 45 minutes for the first 2:15 with water and then switch to just Gatorade Endurance for the remainder of the race. Luckily my stomach took the GU just fine and I felt good about making the switch to Gatorade for the rest of the way. This seemed to work on my prior long runs, but this strategy was slightly flawed. The GU contained caffeine, which my body seems to like during the long run. During the final 10k, I did in fact feel tired, which could have been remedied with continued GU for nutrition. But hey, this is my C-Race in my IM game plan, so screwing up is allowed, right?
The only bummer on Kelly Drive between miles 15 and 19 is that it is relatively desolate. You get all amped up around the 14th mile as you parallel the finish line and then there’s no one cheering until you get to the 19th mile in Manayunk. Getting to Manayunk was terrific. Lots of people, lots of cheering…even a mock aid station offering beer and “brownies”. Thanks, but no thanks.
When I hit the 20-mile turnaround I felt in good spirits. I was 3 hours and 10 minutes on the dot at 20 miles, which after doing the math I realized I was on pace for 4:10. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be on 4:10 pace after 20 miles. I figured if I had the race of my life I might be able to swing it with the 4:15 pace leader, but this was a hair faster than my best projection. I couldn’t wait to get my ass back to Philly and the finish line, which was only 10k away.
As I passed the 20-mile turnaround I also realized, “hey Jeremy…longest run of your life...nice job.” After the quick pat on the back I got my ass in gear to head back to the finish. At mile 21 I was fortunate enough to see Silvia, who at the time was only 15 minutes behind me. She was in terrific spirits, which gave me a tremendous boost.
Miles 22 through 25 were again lonely out on Kelly Drive. It’s hard to describe what my body was feeling. It was not suffering at all. It really just felt like my legs were turning into lead. Just a very heavy feeling, which did not subside until I was done. I was happy that I never really blew up…just slowed down. The only walking I did during the entire race was at aid stations when I was having a drink. Besides that, it was purely running.
It started to feel real when I was two miles from the line. You start to see the Philly skyscrapers again and reality begins to set in…I am freakin finishing my first marathon!
The last mile was great. Tons of very supportive people. I got passed by droves of runners in the final mile who managed to have one last kick. Not me…I basically just slogged my way to the finish line…no sprinting at the finish line for me…I was pooped. I left it all out on the road.
The final 400 yards seem like a bit of a cruel joke. I estimated the incline to be about 25 feet, but I can’t say for sure…all I know is that it felt much steeper than the much larger hill at mile 10.
In the final 5 yards I closed my eyes and put my hands up to the sky.
4:13:22
posted by Jeremy at 7:02 PM
7 Comments:
Excellent job! Sounds like you hung tough when the going got tough. Kudos.
That mile 9 show must have sucked though!
Jeremy...good run.
Way to keep stick to your race strategy and implement it. I hope you enjoy a little break before ramping up for LP :)
Great job Jeremy and excellent report! I hope you were upwind from the guy at mile 9. That sounds like poor planning on his part.
P.S. Concerning the clothes that got tossed. That happens in a local race here and all the clothes are picked up for homeless shelters etc so it turns out to work well for everyone. I hope the same thing happens with those clothes in Philly.
Whoa Jeremy- crappin on the course!?!? Not good- probably put a little spring in your step to get some distance between you and that guy though!
Congrats on a great race and great report- I liked the line about reality setting in when you knew you were going to finish. I remember that moment in my first marathon and ironman...good stuff!
Keep it rolling!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By finishing that marathon in fine form, you have the mental toolbox ready to conquer the IM! Congrats on the great marathon!
Well done :)
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