PHILLY RACE RECAP

T’was a brisk 35 degree morning in the streets of downtown Philadelphia, on the playground is where I spent most of my days…. Sorry, wrong thought. There was nothing to hear but the sounds of anxious runners and Eagles fans stumbling home from bars at 5 AM. Philadelphia Marathon is known for having insane lines for getting through security, but they were not too bad this year. I was quite impressed that it took all of 5 minutes to get through security and make my way into the Runner’s Village for the marathon.  

After hitting the porta potty lines (these were basically the same length as a roller coaster at 6 Flags), I made my way into the starting corral A where a group fast, nervous runners were jogging in a big circle, similar to the way that show ponies do. After a bit of standing, shedding the layers of throwaway clothes and talking with friends, the race started promptly at 7:10 AM (it was supposed to start at 7, but Philly somehow never starts on time).

The original plan was to go out aiming for a 2:50 marathon knowing that the bulk of the hills are in the middle miles of the course. Luckily I had a Hoboken Track Club teammate – shout out Matt Baker – with me to share the first 8 miles with winding through the streets of East Philly. There was no shortage of cheers, as the crowds were roaring, the people were in high spirits and countless “F%CK the COWBOYS” signs. Now, everyone feels good for the first 10 miles of a marathon, that’s the warm up. If you aren’t feeling strong, then it is best to ease off the gas early rather than suffer the consequences later. 

Making our way out of the downtown Philly area, I felt as though the 6:20 paces were a bit rich for me so I let my teammate go on without me at a hill and decided to save my matches for later on in the race. As we neared the Schuykill (say that 5 times fast) River area into the local parks, there were more and more hills. I took what the course was giving me, slowing down on the uphills and speeding up on the down. Gravity can be your friend, not your enemy in these cases, so it’s best to not fight it. 

After exiting the park onto Kelly Drive, you run straight north where the crowd thins until you approach Manayunk (really, who comes up with these names?) for the Mile 20 turn around. There are some sneaky hills that aren’t that bad, until you see them for yourself at mile 20 of a marathon. Unfortunately for me, this is also where my hamstrings decided to start threatening me and I had to slow the pace down to avoid gut wrenching cramps. Now, as a PT, there are a plethora of variables that can lead to muscle cramping during a marathon but the only thing to do in the moment is push on, unless it fully cramps where you can stop and do an acute bout of passive stretching. 

In this case, I decided to adjust and slow my pace to whatever my body was giving me and let the crowds on Kelly Drive carry me to the finish line. The last 2 miles of that marathon are an adrenaline rush with how well the crowd can lift your spirits and help you finish strong (unlike the Eagles on Sunday, sorry Birds fans). The finish line was a great experience, as I saw so many friends from the New York city area. Even though I finished 4 minutes off of my goal, I got to celebrate with my friends, many of whom crushed their previous PRs!

Overall, the Philadelphia Marathon is a great experience and should be on the list for anyone looking for a colder fall marathon outside of the New York City area. Make sure to enjoy the food, the museums and the rich history that the city has to offer while you're there.