Rock 'n' Roll Philly

Rock 'N' Roll Philly Half

September 18th 2016 - Philadelphia, PA

PhiladelphiaArtMuseumSteps

Training and Race Strategy

After finishing Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans for the second time this past spring, I decided this would be the year that I really broke into the world of half marathons and it was time I start registering for more than just one per year. I’ve really loved the RnR races so I decided to stick with the series and registered for halves in both Philly and Brooklyn this fall. After looking over the relatively flat course in Philly, I made the bold decision to try to tackle my mom’s PR of 1:36, a whopping 13 minutes of my PR. I drafted a training plan and was off to a great start in early June, incorporating plenty of speed and strength work.

Then the heat waves hit and my training halted. I have never been a morning runner, I much prefer to run after work which became increasingly difficult as the temperature plateaued in the high 80s and 90s for most of July and August. Once you factor in the weekend BBQs, my long runs became non existent and I was lucky if I logged 10 miles in a week. My race goals and strategy shifted drastically and I became focused on just finishing the race. I’ve never run slower than 2 hours so that became my new goal. I started running more during the week but still only managed to get my long run up to 5.5 miles the weekend before the race.

RnRPhillyExpo

The Race

Despite lack of preparation, the race weekend was amazing. Don’t get me wrong, the race was brutal (more on that next), but I love Philly and getting to spend the weekend walking/running through the city with my family couldn’t have been better. We even had time to fit in a few rounds of “One Night: Ultimate Werewolf” (one of the greatest games ever imagined). And enjoy a couple of Dogfish Head’s new Sea Quench Ale, a new summer favorite of mine. Then came the running part.

Miles 1-5

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that this race didn’t come all that easily after I’d only managed a five and a half mile run during training. I knew this race was going to be physically demanding so I also knew I had to be ready mentally to tell myself to keep going. Starting out, miles 1-3 flew by. Perhaps that was because my estimated finish was 1:45 when I signed up, so in keeping up with my corral I was flying through the early miles at a pace that would have been perfect had I been running a 5k. Nevertheless, I was feeling good, I felt my legs loosen up and I felt light on my feet. Miles 4 and 5 followed suit. Mile 4 was a gradual incline but I knew that meant I’d be coming right back down through mile 5 and my support crew was waiting at the bottom to cheer me on. Then began the out and back along the Schuylkill River which I had actually been looking forward to since the course map had come out. Although I had envisioned picturesque views of Boathouse Row, I very quickly became painfully aware that every step I took meant another step coming back on the other side. Four miles out, four miles back.

Miles 6-8

As you can imagine, miles 6 through eight were particularly tough mentally. Although it wasn’t terribly hot, it definitely wasn’t cool, and the air was thick. I felt like I was pushing through the air which was not something my legs could manage. It was also around mile eight that I noticed how vastly different each mile had been emotionally. This could have been because I’d chosen to put the entire Black Parade album into my playlist to celebrate its 10th anniversary, but I had run the gamut from joyful, to dismal, to bitter, to almost numb. Some miles flew by and some seemed to go on for hours.

Rocky Pose

Miles 9-12

Mile 9 was a definite turning point both literally and figuratively. We literally were crossing the river to turn back towards the museum which meant every step I was taking was closer to the finish line as opposed to the last 4 miles leading me the wrong way. The finish line was beginning to feel within reach it was here that my legs really started to let me know they weren’t happy. Even my feet ached which was a sensation I’ve never really had mid-race. I’d walked through every aid station already to give myself a quick respite from the pounding of the asphalt but after mile 9 I started also walking and stretching for 10-20 yards at each mile marker. As I got to mile 11 and 12 I was becoming very aware of how close I’d be cutting it to the 2 hour mark.

Amor

Mile 13

As I crossed into mile 13, I glanced at my watch and saw I had just over 10 minutes to complete the last 1.1 mile, I thought that final tenth of a mile might kill me. Coincidentally, I had selected Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything For Love” as the last song in my playlist and it had queued up just before I’d crossed into mile 13. Now because I’d chosen the full version of the song I knew there was somewhere between 10 and 11 minutes left so I just had to finish before the end of the song and I’d be in under 2 hours. Better yet, if I got into the chute before Lorraine Crosby kicked in I knew I’d be golden. I can’t tell you how far into the song I actually got before crossing the finish line, by that time I was too enthralled by the crowd. What I can tell you is I came in at 1:59:24, a little too close for comfort.

The End

I was exhausted after the race, but I still managed to snag a picture with Rocky, and we even ran up the art museum steps singing “Gonna Fly Now” the whole way. Now it’s time to set my sights on Brooklyn (which finishes uphill). I definitely have some training to do if I’m going to continue the sub-2-hour streak.