This weekend I ran in the Philadelphia Love Run Half Marathon and despite terrible rain, the race was still pretty great! Before I get into the details I have confession to make: I didn’t train for this race. I had grand plans to prep but it just sort of…didn’t happen. Since my marathon on November 3rd I’ve run approximately 2 times, not exactly what you want to do to prepare for 13.1 miles but oh well, that’s what I did. So here we go:
MM and I headed to Philly Saturday morning and were lucky enough to have friends host us for the weekend (thanks Becky & Josh!). After hitting up the expo (which had a few vendors but nothing too exciting) we met up with our lovely hosts and joined them for a birthday party at a beer hall. Normally I wouldn’t drink the day before a race but since I didn’t train I felt like, why not (limited myself to 1 beer).
Oh did I mention it was raining all day? Well, it was raining all day and all night. After the drinks we went to a small BYO Italian restaurant, Radicchio Cafe, where I ordered my traditional pre-race meal: whole wheat pasta, grilled chicken, broccoli and tomato sauce. It was delish.
Then we headed home so I could prep my gear. I got in bed around 11am and woke up at 6:30 to get to the race start.
By 7:30 I was lined up with approx 10,000 other runners. We waited in a chilly light drizzle until the race began at 8am. So the race was FINE. The course would have been really beautiful and it was a nice route but because of the rain I didn’t get to truly take in the sights. We went through part of the city and through a park. There was a continuous rain the entire time, ranging from a drizzle to a downpour, complete with winds and chilly temps. I was completely soaked and by mile 6 I started to feel horrible blisters forming since I was running in shoes filled with water. I also had a bit of knee pain but nothing too crazy. The race felt slow. Because I’m not in the long-run mindset, every mile felt like five. I was also running solo and my friends cheered for me at mile 1.5 but I told them to get out of the rain (it was not worth cheering for me in these conditions) so I really was on my own. By mile 8 I started to get into my groove, just as a downpour began. My goal was to stay under 2 hours so I was very content with my final time of 1:57 (even though it is over 10 minutes slower than my best time).
In the end I was very proud of myself for making it through this race. I wasn’t prepared and the weather was terrible but I still did it! As for the race, I thought it was a very smoothly run event. It was the first Love Run so i didn’t know what to expect but it was great! There were tons of bathrooms at the start (and along the course), excited volunteers handing out water and actually a good amount of people cheering along the way despite the conditions. There was a finish festival but I had to get out of the rain so sadly I didn’t see any of it. Would I recommend this race? Definitely! Not only was it well-run, you also get a bib with the name of your choice, a tech t-shirt, a medal and a finisher mug.
After the race I was shivering like I’ve never shivered before. We headed straight to brunch at Cafe Lift and I finally was able to change into dry clothes and relax. The brunch was so good and quite the post-race indulgence. MM and I shared Huevos Rancheros (which tasted like nachos) and Cannoli French Toast, everything was so good (especially the hot coffee). There was a wait and the place was crowded but if you’re in the area I highly recommend it.
Despite rainy weather the entire time we were in Philly, it was a great weekend and our hosts showed us a really fun time! Out of town races are awesome; it’s a great way to try a new route and see a new city (and if you’re lucky, catch up with friends).
My next race is the DC Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run this Sunday so until them I’m going to relax, cycle and let my blisters heal. Here’s hoping I’m ready for another run by Sunday!
