Philadelphia Marathon 2010

By: Siobhan Grant

When I was looking for a fall marathon earlier this year I wanted something flat and fast. I chose Philly for two main reasons. My mom lives in NJ and would be able to see me run a marathon and it is a big city marathon with a fast course. I signed up back in May and was excited to start training. My very first marathon in Columbus, Ohio I ran a 3:50 and 5 marathons later I was hoping to break that time. For some reason, I haven’t been able to get under that time. So, my goal for Philly was to run 3:49. On training runs, I was right where I wanted to be and seemed to be on track to hit this goal. At the Dowd half a few weeks ago, I crossed the finish line in 1:51. I was confident going into this race.

David and I got to Philly early Saturday morning and checked into our hotel. We grabbed lunch at a deli and then headed to the expo. My mom met us at the expo and I was excited for her to see a how crazy we runners are. :>) The expo was pretty big and had lots of free goodies! I bought a marathon t-shirt and keychain. Bart Yasso was there signing books and giving advice. We walked around the expo for about an hour. When I picked up my packet and bib I was pleasantly surprised there was no timing chip. The timing strip was built into the back of the bib so all I had to do was pin on the bib race morning. One less thing to worry about. I went to bed around 10 and slept soundly that night.

On race morning I got up at 5:00 to get ready since the race began at 7:00. The hotel was about 1.2 miles from the start so the walk there wouldn’t be long. I don’t eat before a race or run because my stomach gets uneasy so I really depend on the Gu for energy. After getting dressed and making sure I had my iPod, Garmin, and gloves we headed out.

We got there at 6:25. I tried to meet up with Tiffany, but it was way too crowded. We waited around until 6:50 and then I said my goodbyes and went to the color corral I was assigned too. The race started at 7:00, but I didn’t cross the start line until about 7:15. The start was a bit frustrating because it was very SLOW and I was ready to get started. As I passed the start I was able to give Mayor Michael Nutter a high five which was pretty neat.

The first few miles were uneventful. They were slow because of the crowd of runners. It is always so much fun to see such a large group of runners and to see the excitement a marathon can bring to a city. I took in the sights of downtown Philly and tried not to focus on my splits the first few miles. Looking back, I wished I would have slowed down a bit at the beginning. I hit mile 1, 2 and 3 at 8:38, 8:25, and 8:27 and felt great. The course was extremely flat and the crowd support was unbelievable! My goal was to take a gu at miles 5, 10, 15, and 20. At mile 5 I hit 8:51 and took a gu. I hoped to stay around that pace and then try and pick it up towards the end near mile 20. Miles 7 to 12 were 8:46, 8:57, 8:51, 9:19, 8:51, and 8:50. The reason for the slower pace at mile 10 was the 2^nd hill through Franklin Park. It wasn’t steep, but just really long. I lost my gloves around this point as well which wasn’t a good choice because my hands froze later in the race. Despite what people say, the race was not flat. It did have some rolling hills. Anyways, I hit mile 13 at 8:51 and it was still feeling strong. I saw my mom and David at this point and waved to them. It was here that the half marathoners split to the right to the finish line and the rest of us went to the left towards mile 14. It was hard to see the runners going towards the finish line while I knew I still had 13.1 more to go. Miles 14-18 I still felt in control, but I got a small side stitch. I slowed down hoping it would help it go away which it did. Times were 9:14, 8:56, 9:08, 8:55, and 9:43. These miles were run along the river and it was a beautiful sight. It was also out and back from 14 to the finish. Around mile 15 I started seeing the first runners headed towards the finish. I decided at mile 17 to slow down a bit so I could save some energy for the end when I usually get tired. It seemed to work because I started to feel more like I had more energy and was still hoping I would hit the finish at 3:50.

At mile 19, they were handing out beer, but I passed. NO way I could drink that during the race! I hit the turn around point at 19.5 and was headed back towards the finish. I took my last gu and seeing all of the people cheering everyone on made me pick it up a bit. Around this time my left ankle started to hurt, but not bad enough to where I was worried. I hit mile 21 and this is where I started to struggle a bit. My ankle was in pain and I was feeling really tired. Miles 21 to 26 were 9:11, 9:01, 9:16, 9:23, 9:47, and 9:21. I tried to pick it up towards the end, but I just didn’t have it in me. I tried to stay somewhat consistent and just get to the finish. Mile 25 to 26.2 felt like an eternity. It is hard to watch the time you hoped to get slip away. I knew I wasn’t going to make it under 3:50, but now I just hoped to make it under 4:00. I kept on pushing and after hitting mile 26 both sides of the street were lined with people yelling names out. I saw the finish and was so happy I was almost there! When I crossed the finish I smiled for the cameras and even though I didn’t get mu goal time I was still proud of the race I ran. It is such a test of the human body and always an amazing experience.

Now, I am debating whether or not to run Thunder Road! I am going to get under 3:50 one of these days!! Time to start thinking of next year’s fall marathon. :>)

***

By: Tiffany Sandstrom

Thanks again for all of your support, motivation and laughter through another training season!  I’m not giving up any secrets here, but here’s my report.

One of my #1 fans and best friends lives in Philly, so it was an ideal race for me.  Philly was great!.  Flat, for the exception of a few hills, fast and great crowd support.  The weather was ideal, was crowded but manageable.  I will do it again in a heartbeat!

My goal for this race was a sub 4.  For those of you who know me, I used to be a 10 minute miler, running my first full in 5 hrs and the next in 4:50 (and I ran the whole time!).  So this year I was determined to step it up for the Nashville marathon in April. I trained VERY hard for Nashville.  Really watched what I ate and started running with a group on Thursdays that was fast and got me competitive (and finally got me doing somewhat of a speed workout).  Well Nashville was a total upset.  I ran out too fast on the half and ended up struggling miles 13-17.  When I finally got back in to my groove, I was tracking to finish in under 4:30ish, which was going to be a huge success for me, however was stopped from finishing at mile 22.2 because of bad weather.  It was devastating, but humbling.

So for Philly training, I was a better, more experienced runner and was able to handle longer runs during the week and faster speeds.  I continued the speed work on Thursdays and incorporated a long run on Tuesdays with my favorite running buddy Mary Elvington   I ran 3 twenty milers this training and did each at the speed I planned to do on race day.  By far, that was the best training I could have done!  It prepared me both mentally and physically.  I knew exactly what I was capable of.  Oh, and I shadowed Siohban quite a bit on those long runs, so SHOUT OUT for all your pacing help!   I also obeyed the taper.  Firm believer in this, regardless of the mental aspect I am always glad I rested come race day.

So I finished Philly in 3:54!!!  My trick you ask?  With out giving up my secret is simply this, I ran a smart race.  I wanted to keep around an 8:50, totally with in my capabilities.  I kept Jack’s quote in my mind “stay smart, stick to the plan”.  And guess what, the plan worked!  I set a HUGE goal for myself and I told everyone that goal.  But most importantly, I made myself accountable for that goal!

Good racing everyone and see you soon!