2010 Philadelphia Marathon Race Recap

Well, we did it!!!  We both finished the Philadelphia Marathon in 3:35:24!!!!!!  We also ran most of the race with our older sister, Danielle.  She finished in a speedy 3:36:58!!!

Yesterday morning, I completed my FOURTH marathon, Christina completed her SECOND marathon, & Danielle completed her FIRST marathon!  Wow!  I never thought I’d say that.  I never thought I would even run one marathon and now I am hooked.  I am going to start off with a quick recap of Saturday’s events and then I will discuss the best part, running the marathon.

Saturday morning we met up and ran about 2 miles with Lindsey & Steph & Christine who we met through Runner’s World and are readers of our blog…(hey guys!!!).  Although we have talked and passed by each other running before, this was actually our first time actually meeting up!  They are cool girls and very funny.  We actually ended up running into them early Sunday morning when we were at the starting line, saw them a couple of times during the race, and then finished around the same time and talked for a bit afterwards.  They both did an amazing job and both BQ’ed….way to go guys!!!!!!!  They are speedy runners and altogether awesome athletes.

After running, we went to the Expo to pick up our bib numbers and to check out the vendors and get some free things.  We had a good time but thought that the expo was toned down compared to years past.  Where was runner’s world/luna/clif bar??  Bolthouse Juice was there though and we loved their Mocha Cappuccino Protein Juice.

At the expo we bought some arm warmers to wear during the marathon since we heard that it was supposed to be pretty cold this morning and we were planning on wearing short sleeves.

After relaxing for a little, we met my parents to get dinner.  We originally wanted to go to Mercato for their amazing mushroom pasta dish, but we found out they were closed due to a private party.  So we decided to go to Melograno on 20th & Sansom.

For our entrees we both ordered the Pappardelle Tartufate, Wild mushroom sauce infused with truffle oil, sprinkled with Tuscan pecorino cheese & walnuts.  We are just obsessed with homemade pasta and mushrooms…not quite sure why.  Although this was good, I just did not think it was as good as Mercato’s pasta.  However, I still really enjoyed it and thought that the portion sizes were perfecto.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for…..Marathon Day!

Philadephia Marathon Race Recap

We woke up at 5:00 AM and we were both feeling well rested and ready to go.  We sliced our Cinnamon-Raisin bagels and toasted them up, smeared them with peanut butter and topped them with banana slices, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  This combination works GREAT for me before any long run or race.  We also drank plenty of H20.

We both jumped in the shower just to wake ourselves up a bit and get our muscles warmed.  Not together, of course.  We had some time to get dressed and use the bathroom (multiple times) and then we were out the door and on the way to the starting line!

The race started a little after 7 A.M. and we arrived around 6:35/6:40. The temperature at the start was probably in the upper 30′s but it actually didn’t feel too bad.  But that also could be because I was wearing a hat, sweatshirt, sweats, and gloves!  But once I shed all of those layers, I was feeling fine and the weather actually could not have been more perfect.  The wind was not bad at all and the sun was shining.

This was my third time running Philadelphia.  My first time running (and my first marathon) was in 2008 and I ran a 3:33.  Last year, 2009, was my second time running it and I went out wayyyy too fast and crashed, and ran a 3:44.  I then went on to run Boston in 2010 in 3:37.  At the starting line, I wasn’t really too nervous but I was still a little unsure of how the race was going to go down.  I was scared that I was going to repeat my 2009 performance…which I never want to do again.  That was the most painful race ever.  However, that race was a huge learning experience and I knew I had control this time around.  The plan was to start off slow and then to gradually pick it up.  We ended up actually sticking to this plan and kept a pretty steady pace and picked it up the second half, especially after mile 20.  Here are some stats from the race:

10K: 51:20

Half: 1:57:31

30K: 2:43:14

Overall, we placed 1725 & 1726 out of 8933 runners.  We placed 332 & 333 out of 3758 Females.  In our division of Females 20-24, we placed 46 & 47 out of 461 runners.

I really loved running with Tina because she really helped me to keep a good pace. If I was going a little too fast, she told me to SLOW DOWN.  This happened about 100 times.  Without her, I would have definitely gone too fast.  Also, I really loved running with her because there were times when I needed a little encouragement and she was there for me and vice versa.  It definitely helps having a buddy out there running with you.  So, THANK YOU TINA for helping me finish the marathon yesterday!

We were incredibly happy with our race yesterday.  We felt amazing the whole time and we never “hit the wall”…which is always amazing.  We finished strong and both re-qualified for Boston.  Christina also set a new PR…by 4 minutes!!!! Congratulations T, you are amazing!  I was really happy with my finish time as well and although it wasn’t a PR for me it was the closest I have come to my 3:33 PR!

Oh yes, how could I forget?  As soon as we crossed the finish line, the volunteer handing out the mylar blankets asked us if we had a blog!!!! How funny is that!  That made us really happy to know that there are actually people out there reading our blog!  She said that she would comment, so if  you’re reading, thanks for being a volunteer at the marathon!!!  We really appreciate all of the help from the volunteers.  It wouldn’t be possible without you!

And on another note,  I am sad to report that this is the only picture I have of Todd and I following the marathon.  Sorry, Todd!  But thank you so much for once again being an expert marathon supporter!!!

We will post tomorrow about the rest of our day after the race!  We also can’t wait to get the official race photos because we think we may have some pretty sweet ones!

Congratulations to all of the half marathons and marathoners out there today!!!!  Also to the 8k runners who ran on Saturday!!!  All amazing accomplishments!  If you ran any of the races, please comment!  We’d love to hear how your race went!

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Tagged as: Melograno, Philadelphia Marathon 2010, Philly Marathon