The Broad Street Run

This photo shows no justice to the number of people that ran the Broad Street Run this year. The exact number I'm not quite sure, but it's over 22,000 people! That's half as many people I went to college with.

As we all know I lost a bet with a client, which gave me the priviledge of running the race today, I couldn't be happier for her, and now I have just one more notch on my own belt marked off.

These are the stats, and they are by no means impressive to anyone other than myself. When I found out I'd have to run this race I decided that finishing would be the goal, I had three weeks, and hadn't trained a bit. As the race got closer, being the person that I am, not only did I have to finish but I had to finish in under 2 hours! Have I mentioned that I've never run more than 3 miles continuously in my life?

Once we arrived, I anxiously awaited the start, and either wanted to just get it over and done with or walk off the course and sit in the grass. Thankfully, I was running with someone else who took pity on me when Susan completed her five pull-ups. Thanks Rich, you helped me keep my focus many times!

My goal was to hit 3-4 miles, walk a little bit, run another 2-3, walk a little bit, and finish the last 3. Each mile we came accross our time strangley got faster, who knew. Once I hit mile 3 I wanted to run to mile 4, and once I hit mile 4 I wanted to make it to mile 5 or City Hall. I hit City Hall but saw no mile marker, I thought mile 4 was the longest damn mile I ever ran in my entire life, then when I was about to give up hope, I saw mile 6 and I was under an hour. With halfway to go, I chose to stop and walk, my toes were numb, my left leg from my glutes all the way to my ankle was killing me. Of course the only injury I was worried about, my back, didn't even make a peep. Not to mention, at this point some people had already finished the race!

For the next 3 miles I alternated back and forth between walking and running. Rich picked a landmark that we had to run to and once I made I could either continue to run or start walking again. Good strategy. As we approached the last mile, I hear, "I want to run the last mile." In my head I was running the last half mile, but I sucked it up big time and trudged through the last mile, in through The Navy Yard and through the finish line, in under two hours.

The funny part is I'm more impressed with the 6 miles I ran without stopping than I am with the 10 miles I finished. I imagine I'll never do such a silly thing again, and when I wake up tomorrow morning, I know my legs will confirm that.

1:51:57