Recap of Broad Street

First the good news...I shaved 5 minutes off my chip time from last year. I am thrilled to pieces about that!

The race was good for all three of us. Saturday we got up and headed down to the Expo at Lincoln Financial. It was handled very well--I was quite impressed. They let people inside in waves, so a few minutes waiting outside meant you could walk around the expo without bumping into people and being stuck in crowds (because there is enough of that Sunday at the start line). Ted and Dave both found items at the $10 Only booth...Dave found a shirt and Ted grabbed a pair of shorts (and fortunately decided at 9:00 that night not to wear them..."I think I'd make a big mistake..."). I was also happy to see a discount code coupon in the Philadelphia Marathon brochure for registrants running Broad Street...so guess where we'll be come November?

We went to bed early Saturday night, and the alarm went off at 5:00 am Sunday morning. I grabbed a quick shower and ate a bowl of cereal and a left-over pancake (butter only). Ted ate a Cliff bar and Dave packed one for the road. Traffic wasn't bad--we were one of the first on the scene of an accident on the expressway, right behind the first cop, and I'm sure that backed up alot worse than we dealt with (the fire trucks and ambulances were coming up behind us).

At the Stadium, we were able to jump on an express train, and by the time we reached Olney, the windows were steamed, everyone was sweating, and the cool, fresh air never felt so good. Ted ran into an old hockey buddy, and Dave and I left our sweatshirts and pants with him to throw in the bag for the bag check and headed to the Porta-Pots. We just made it through the line and out of the track area at Central when the wheelchairs started. Ted had told us he'd meet us by the first bus, and the crowd was so thick and heavy, I told Dave that if it starts, to just go without us and we'll see him by the Awards stage afterwards. I was able to find Ted okay (fortunately) and we hurried into the crowd in time to start the processional to the start. We crossed 5 minutes after the start, thus starting Ted's first big road race.

I was extremely excited for the race this year, and it didn't disappoint. My favorite part? City Hall. The crowds are amazing there, the band is wonderful, and the cheering between the tall old buildings right before City Hall is magnified by bouncing off the concrete walls around us. It felt like it was a fast race this year, and each mile marker seemed to come quickly. Ted's father and a few family members were in South Philly to cheer us on, which was great around that 8-mile marker! We raised our hands and crossed the finish line, and I didn't hear the announcer calling the names (Dave commented on it, but I missed it).

Ted loved it, Dave loved it. And I couldn't be happier. I was nervous they wouldn't enjoy it--I was afraid they wouldn't like the crowds, or the distance. But I'm thrilled to hear they both had a great time, and neither can wait for the next challenge.

Although I did hear Ted mumbling last night as he looked at my running magazine and ran across an ad for the Philadelphia marathon..."26 miles...ugh!" I gently reminded him that four months ago, he was commenting "10 miles...ugh!"