Philadelphia Marathon Recap

November 21, 2011 in Blog,fitness,Marathons with 0 Comments

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious” -Vince Lombardi

I did it. I completed the Philadelphia Marathon in under 4 hours.

My final time was: 3:53:20!

There is nothing like completing a long-term goal when you’ve given it your best! As I crossed the finish line mentally, physically, an emotionally exhausted! When I realized I met my goal, I cried! It was an amazing feeling. It made all the training worth it!

During the race, here are the things I did that made a significant difference in meeting my goal:

I followed a Pacer – I ran with the 3:50 pace group as long as I could. They ended up getting a little ahead of me in the last 5 miles, but sticking with this group was critical to me meeting my goal.

I knew Where I stood at all Times – I had my Garmin watch on, so I knew about where I stood at all times. By mile 20, I knew I was an entire mile ahead of my pace goal of 4 hours. That helped me a lot.

I had Laura and Lindsey run the last 5 miles with me – Without Laura and Lindsey (pictured below) running the last 5 miles with me, I would have walked more. Having them by my side pushed me to keep going to and to give it my all!

I only had to use the bathroom Once! – This was huge! That is all I am going to say!

I ran through the water stations – In the past, toward the end, I would walk through water stations! Not this time! I ran through them all, it made a big difference in the end.

As for the marathon itself. The course elevation was great, it wasn’t very hilly at all! However, as for a marathon overall, I am glad I did it, but I am not sure I would do it in Philly again.

Here are some pictures from the big day: