My decision to run this race was quite spontaneous. Patti, a friend I met about a month ago at a running event, was already signed up and casually mentioned that there were spots left. All of my objections were settled when she said transportation and hotel costs were on her.
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| The beer wenches with Marathon Man |
A hearty dinner at Cracker Barrel, followed by a swim in the warm hotel pool was the perfect pre-bed time routine. I was all jammied up and in bed by 9 p.m. I set my alarm for 5:20, since it takes me almost no time to get ready, but Patti was up at 4:30 and so was I.
Patti donned her dirndl and tried to convince me to wear the extra one someone brought along. There wasn't enough peer pressure in the world that could have squeezed me into that costume.
It was a quick trip to the parking area, with a stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a bagel. We waited for the other beer wenches to meet us and hopped a ride on the shuttle to Pennypack Park. Along the way, tons of people asked for photos with the crew and they hammed it up like champs. Of course, most of these ladies run every race (and they run A LOT of races) in costume.
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| Pre-race selfie |
My watch wouldn't get a signal, so we were the last folks across the start line, which worked out since we were taking it nice and slow. Being at the back of the pack and using a run:walk interval, we kept leap-frogging with others around us. They would jog and pass us as we walked. Then they would stop to walk and we would pass them. Back-of-the-packers are friendly folks, so it was fun to joke as we passed one another.
When we began, it was probably about 65 degrees. By the time we finished, it was probably near 75 or 80. (There's a reason I start long training runs at 5 or 5:30 a.m.) Fortunately, 95% of the course was shaded and there was an occasional breeze. There were more hills than I was expecting (we killed a lot of them - just chugged right up while slowing our pace only a little), as well as about 1.5-2 miles of trail running, which slowed my roll.
Patti and I kept up a 2:1 walk:run interval for the first 11 miles. Then, though Patti was worried about being too slow for me, I was the one who pooped out. Patti switched over to 1:1 and finished about 2 minutes before I did. I switched over to a running-whenever-I-could-for-as-long-as-I-could:walking-the-rest and jogged across the finish line 33 minutes after my half marathon PR time was behind me.
The photographer at the finish said I had a nice smile, so my face must not have been showing how much pain I was in. That's a good thing, especially since it dissipates so quickly afterward.
As I neared the finish line, the marathon leader buzzed past. This guy took a minute less to finish 26.2 miles than it took me to run half that. Amazing! Watching him finish ahead of me was a sight I didn't mind in the least.
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| Post-race selfie |
The brats were DELICIOUS! Plenty of sauerkraut on top. I don't normally eat a lot so soon after a race but I used both of my tickets and wolfed those things down.
This was a really great race (or training run, as the case may be). It's small but extremely well-organized (down to results being emailed to each person within a few hours of finishing). The course has plenty of tough parts but enough easy parts to balance. There was a surprising amount of crowd support where they were able to access the trails. Every person got a round of applause as they approached the finish line. (It's amazing how that little gesture can mean so much when you're exhausted and in pain.) The race shirt was a nice tech shirt with no sponsor names, just the race logo, that I'll definitely wear once it's cooler and short sleeves are more necessary. AND this race is really inexpensive. I paid about $80, and that was two weeks before the race. If you sign up early, it's only $50 or $60 and the full is only $5 more. Also, if you register for the full and decide you need to stop at the half, you're still a finisher and they count your hm time (they do this to help people make wise decisions about running in the heat).
If you're within easy driving distance of Philadelphia, I recommend it. You probably won't PR, unless there is unseasonably cool weather, but you'll have fun. And, if you like to travel for races, it's really worth visiting Philly for this one.
Best course sign: "I've trained 18 weeks to hold this sign!"
2 comments:
I was one of the run/walkers with whom you played leap frog (the older woman in the safety orange shirt, socks and visor who was doing 1/1s because i couldn't figure out how to switch Runkeeper back to 2/1's) What did you think of the 2 volunteers around 5 1/2 miles where you had to go up the slight hill and turn right and cross over the bridge. They told you to be carefull and watch your step and on the way back from the Cuckoo's Nest they told you to watch your step and be careful going downhill. There was a young woman and a weird young man with an orange Marine Corps Support Staff shirt.....be kind....oh say whatever you want.....that was my son and DIL who volunteered to man that bridge because there was no one else to do it. I cursed that run but when I was riding home, I realized that I did enjoy it ....even the Cuckoos Nest.I would recommend this race to anyone wanting to do a low key but well run event.Glad you ladies had a good time.
Daria, it was so nice to run with you! I'm glad your son and daughter-in-law took on those responsibilities because I probably would have wiped out where that sharp corner was sticking out. I was so tired by then, though, that I didn't notice how weird your son was, so no comments from me. :) I think I might run this one again next year but it's so hard to choose to repeat a race when I know there are so many others out there waiting for me.
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