Up Early: Street Cred

May signals the arrival of one of my favorite races every year, the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. This year would be no different as I’d been training for it since early February. I was gunning for a PR, and more importantly, Lauren would be doing the same! Four years of spectating had taken its toll and she was determined to earn another notch in her growing race belt.

After an uneventful drive from DC (filled with some wonderful traraffic-avoiding decisions by yours truly) we swung by the expo to pick up our race gear, and as Lauren likes to put it, get our street cred (the race t-shirt). Unfortunately, the street cred was pretty ugly, but we did find a great deal on a race tech tee for Lauren. You didn’t think she’d go through all these months of work for nothing, did you?!

After a wonderful evening with the Beckers and Billy & co. we were headed back to lay out our race gear (note the very conservative new racing flats recommended by my friend Wil, whose running store gear I wear for big races) and try our best to get some rest in despite the nerves.

Race morning, as it tends to do, came bright and early, but this one didn’t have that usual crisp feel. There was no way around it, it was going to be a hot one!

We made the quick trip to the stadium, caught the subway (along with our new 29,998 friends) and were to the starting area with time to check out the facilities, drop off our gear, and grab a quick warm-up. In no time the mayor was thanking us for being part of the 31st Broad Street Run and the largest field in history, 30,000! I was lined up in the purple corral and Lauren was just a little back in the grey one.

The start was a whirlwind as always, filled with avoiding slower runners, the curb, and myself! I was right on pace from the start and thrilled to see my splits over the first few miles on track. However, whether it was the heat or the headwind I slowly began to give back a few precious seconds over the next few miles as we trekked toward William Penn atop city hall. It was early in the race, so I tried not to read into it, but I was a bit concerned.

The next 5 or so miles were a blur as I did my best to enjoy the experience, keep up the pace, and look out for friends. I spotted the newly engaged Chris and Kristin at mile 6, but it appears I didn’t smile for the camera (it probably had something to do with the fact that I had just run 6 miles and had FOUR more to go!).

There isn’t much to report about the closing stretch. I usually pride myself on powering from mile 7 to 8, but this year I just didn’t have the legs to push through. In hind sight, it looks like the conditions were much more challenging than I realized at the time. At the urging of a spectator at mile 8 I picked up the pace and built my speed all the way to the line. It’s always so rewarding to finish strong…or to finish at all, for that matter!

I crossed the finish line 2 seconds slower than last year (but several hundred places higher in the results), again, a testament to the conditions. Strangely enough I had exact splits of 33:00 and 35:00 for a 1:08:00 total. However, this year, my race was far from over as I sped off to grab my race bag and the camera I had packed inside. I quickly stationed myself on the top row of the bleachers and anxiously awaited Lauren. In no time she came strutting down Broad Street (very quickly I might add) and I did my best to completely botch the picture (note the pink blur with black tights).

After fighting the crowds, I found Lauren and we were soon off to rehash every mile and revel in Lauren’s first Broad Street Run (and fight a massive traffic jam)!