Philadelphia Broad Street Run 2019

Broad Street Race Recap

As I'm writing this report, I still can't believe that the Broad Street run was my last race of the spring season! I'll likely register for a few local upcoming races but this was the last big one. This was the race I was probably looking forward to this year and I can't believe how well everything went!

Last year was my first time racing in the Broad Street Run and I participated in my mom's place after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She runs every year with the American Cancer Society and it was great getting to run such an incredible race with such a phenomenal team.

Headed into this year's race, I registered with my wife with Team DetermiNation and together we were able to raise well over $1,000 for cancer research! I had HUGE expectations heading into this year's race which were only reinforced by knowing how meaningful of a cause we were running for.

Training for The Broad Street Run

I've been training with my coach Diego for about 7 months now and it's insane how significant of a difference I've seen in my running even in such a short window. When we started training together in the fall, I let him know all of my race goals and I feel like I was really able to see it all culminate on Sunday in Philadelphia.

Compared to last year, my training was significantly more diverse focussing a lot more on strength and speed throughout each week. Looking over my training, I think this race is such a great testament to how successful my coaching experience has been because I'm able to compare it directly to my results from last year!

The Crew

Although last year I ran the race on my own with my mom cheering me on from the sidelines, this year we assembled quite a crew. After beating cancer for the second time, my mom was back and ready to take on the course again.

We also recruited my wife to take on her first Broad Street Run and my older sister flew in to run the race with us as well. I can't overstate how impactful this race is for me and having such an awesome group of runners made it that much better!

Pre-Race

We all arrived in Philly on Saturday afternoon and made a quick trip through the expo. One of the perks of running with the American Cancer Society is that they gather all of your expo swag ahead of time.

Once we grabbed our gear, we still took a few laps around the expo. My wife purchased a desperately needed new pair of shoes and we stocked up on some gels for the race. On our way out we also got to sample the 26.2 Brew from Marathon Brewing Company which was DELICIOUS.

Race Morning

The morning of the race we were staying a decent distance from the start so I can't lie, I was a little nervous about our timeline. We rushed out of the Airbnb a little late and paid way too much for parking but were on the train with time to spare!

The American Cancer Society has a private tent at the starting line of the race which is a HUGE perk. They have separate gear check for their athletes which is super convenient, and private bathrooms although the lines for that still get way too long haha.

Even still, it was great to have a spot to get ready at the starting line out of the rain.

Broad Street Run Race Strategy

I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked putting a strategy together for the race but I modeled it similarly off of my Hot Chocolate 15k a few weeks before. I knew that Broad Street had an overall downhill trajectory so I was hoping I could pull off an even pace. My overall plan was as follows:

Mile 1-2: Find my pace around 7:20 or faster Miles 3-7: Fast as comfortable, aim for 7:10-7:15 Miles 8-10: Really turn it on, treat it like a 5k.

The Race

Miles 1-2

It was raining, but luckily it wasn't an all-out downpour. More of a steady drizzle throughout the entire race. One thing I remembered from last year was just how crowded the first few miles were so once we started, I tried my best to find room.

It was definitely hard to find space at the start but after the first mile, it spread out enough that I was able to hit my goal of a 7:20 pace. Even early on, I was feeling really good and confident in my pace. A lot different than how I was feeling at the start of the Hot Chocolate race

Miles 3-5

It was still a bit of a challenge to keep up the pace I was shooting for, mostly because I was getting distracted by the race itself and letting my pace slip a bit. Those periods were relatively infrequent though and before long, even my relaxed pace was below my goal.

Another benefit of running with the American Cancer Society is that anytime you need a little motivation, you just have to pause for a second to remember what you're running for.

Miles 6-9

Passing City Hall was a real high point in my race. There's a massive crowd cheering you on and I knew that I was past the halfway point. I wasn't feeling fatigued at all so I started pushing the pace even harder.

I couldn't believe how strong my legs were feeling. Looking back at my Strava splits, I was thrilled to see that in for 3 of the final 4 miles I broke a 7-minute pace! I was beginning to feel the weight of the rain soaking into all of my gear but I kept pushing forward.

The Finish

If I was feeling strong at the halfway point, I was feeling even strong for the final mile. As soon as I saw the mile-nine marker pass by, I started pushing even harder. I knew I had enough gas in the tank for a strong finish.

Thinking back to the intervals I'd run in training, I used those memories to find the strength I needed to keep pushing myself faster with every step. I finished that last mile in 6:39! Even at that speed, I was still feeling amazing which is something I'm definitely not used to crossing the finish line.

Finish Line Festival

Crossing the finish line, I was overjoyed not only with how incredible I felt throughout the race but also how in control I was throughout the entire course. I couldn't get a connection to check my official results but I knew I'd smashed my previous PR.

I made my way slowly through the finish line festival enjoying every moment and even ran into Running_Pharaoh from Instagram who recognized me passing by. It's always great connecting with people from Instagram in real life!

After that, I was happy to get under the ACS tent and out of the rain to wait for the rest of my family to cross the finish line. I filled myself up on plenty of Herr's Cheese Puffs and Philly Pretzels and soaked in the memories from the course.

Before I knew it, my wife, mom, and sister were coming down the final chute and I was so happy to get to cheer them on as they approached the finish. As if the sky had been waiting, as soon as they finished it started POURING which was unfortunate because it was then time to walk back to our cars.

I can't stress enough how incredible Broad Street was and I'm so thankful for the work my coach put in to get me to where I'm at now in my running. I cannot wait to see what's in store for me next!

Official Splits

Mile 3
22:05
7:21/mile

Mile 5
36:37
7:19/mile

Mile 7
50:56
7:16/mile

Finish
1:11:32
7:09/mile

Placed

Overall - 1,529/34,556 | Male - 1,266/16,150 | Age Group - 297/2846