Runs Like A Fat Girl: Philly Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon...Happy Birthday to me!

"The miracle isn’t that I finished; it’s that I had the courage to start."
John Bingham, The Penquin

Happy Birthday to me! Running the Philly half was a wonderful way to kick off my birthday. It was one of my best races yet! I had such a great time. The weather was great, nothing ached, my breathing was steady from the start and I kept the pace I wanted. I had managed to get out of my own damn head and enjoy the run. I mean, I actually enjoyed the run! When it was all over, I felt like I could've run another mile...though happy I didn't have too!

Philly Rock n Roll Finish!

A few highlights: First of all, I have the best support system ever! My sister and best friend were troopers and, I love them for being there for me! As usual, I'm a procrastinator and I'm constantly running late. Why would today be any different? I had planned to get up, eat breakfast, drink lots of water and get to the start in order to hit the 'few' Porta Pottys before the race. After fussing around, we headed downstairs for breakfast. I had lots of water, a dry bagel and a bite or two of a banana. It was all I could get down. For some reason up to that point I started eating breakfast, I wasn't the least bit nervous. Suddenly, that all changed. Anyway, I get to the start and stand in line and stand and stand and stand. I'm checking my watch and watching a group of people 'cop a squat' on the side of a building. I debated...finally, I turned to my girls, took off my jacket and said, 'I'm going in!". 'In' meaning out, if you get my drift. Lol! Never thought I'd see the day but, there is a first for everything and why not choose your birthday for a first, right? Unfortunately there were plenty of outdoor bathroom users and not all were #1. Ugh! Moving on...

The weather was great, the crowd (16,000) was great but, for it to be a Rock n Roll run there wasn't a lot of rocking and rolling in my opinion. It just didn't seem to be enough bands along the course but the ones that where there were great! I had many strategies on how I was going to run the race. It went from run/walk combo to, run till I hit a wall. In the end, I went with run the first 3 miles, walk a minute then, I ran the next six miles and then miles 10, 11 and 12 I ran each and took a 1-2 minute walk break and of course, whenever I got water/Gatorade, I walked for that. Overall I'd say I walked about 6 or 7 minutes in total. The best part? Not feeling like crap at the end. I hydrated before the race, and during the race. Plus, no aches and pains! Even though it was a pretty good race without fail my feet went numb at mile 9. This is consistent with all my long runs, even during training. I still have no idea what that's about but, I didn't let it hold me back. According to my Garmin and plenty of runners on the Philly Rock n Roll Facebook fanpage, we actually ran 13.40 miles. So, I have it as running 13.40 miles in 2.37.11 BUT, the official race results have it at 13.1 miles in 2hrs. 38 minutes and 19 seconds. At any rate, I'm happy with my finish! It was a Personal Best/Record. I'm so looking forward to my post race massage tomorrow. Can't wait! In the meantime, I have homework to do (yes on my birthday, the horror) then dinner and my personal favorite...Moms sweet potato birthday pie. What a great day!

The Good:
1.This time, it was all good! :-)

Garmin: Philly Rock N Roll Half Marathon - Birthday Run!

Sun, Sep 18, 2011 8:10 AM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Activity Type: Running | Event Type: Special Event | Course: --

Summary