It's September and I finally ran my first running race of the year! I'm just getting my race season going this fall and I'm so excited that I was able to run such a fun Half Marathon! This year I have run two Spartan races and two triathlons, so my year has been far from boring. I've been looking forward to running another Rock 'n' Roll (RNR) race since 2015 when I ran my first one in Chicago. Let me tell you, this race did not skimp out on any of the anticipation.
Since moving back home to NY, in 2017, I've been wanting to run a race in PA. I have family that live just outside Philly so this was the perfect opportunity to visit them for the weekend and get my race on!
I drove straight to the expo from work which was about 4 hours. The expo was easy and seamless. I met up with Bibrave Pro Joe at the expo and together we walked around to the booths and checked out the different vendors that they had. There were a lot of different vendors than you would typically expect at a race expo, like Purple Carrot and Daily Harvest. I found it interesting that they were both there. I had all day Saturday to spend with my family. The best part was going out for a real brunch, duh!
Sunday was race day and I was nervous about parking since I know the race had a large number of people expected and it's in the downtown area. So I parked in one the recommended parking garages. The staircase led me to the understreet area which was terrifying. Luckily I found another runner in the race and we found our way together to the race start.
There were plenty of port-a-potties so the lines went quickly. The race started right on time and the corrals started quickly as well. The first 5 miles of the race went through the downtown area. We were in China town the day before so it was nice to see a familiar setting. The course took us close to Independence Hall but not right past it, but I knew we were close. These miles were tough because of the wind tunnels that the buildings caused.
The next four miles took us down along the river which was very scenic and enjoyable The surrounding trees created fresh air which was a sharp contrast from downtown. Along these miles were live bands typical with RNR races. Most of them were pretty good but I do remember that there was one band that was singing "September" and they were so off that it was actually bad.
These miles by the river, though beautiful, were intense with the humidity and the micro-rolling hills. The slight up and then slight downhill definitely added some challenges, constantly changing your form. When we crossed the bridge to head back toward the finish the sun was in our eyes which just made it feel hotter. Then the uphill finish was unexpected. Not complaining about anything but I didn't look into the course beforehand so these elevation changes threw me off. I still managed to finish in under 2 hours which was my goal!At the finish they had water, Gatorade, bananas, chips, Philly pretzels (FUCK YES), and multigrain crackers. The beer garden was close to the stage so you could enjoy a beer and listen to the awards which was a nice touch. Overall I loved the race and the challenge. I'm starting my race season strong and I'm ready for more!
