Rosswog Running Blog

I began marathon morning by walking outside the Sheraton hotel that I was staying at to judge for myself the coldness of the temperature.  Surprisingly and fortunately, the temperature was pretty mild at 5:30 am; that is, upper 30s to low 40s (the temperatures were much more frigid at the starting line of the two Ogden Marathons that I have run).  As a result, I did not have to put to use all the cold gear that I brought with me.  This is just another example that marathons tend to be completely unpredictable because I was warned by many runners who have run this race in the past that the temperature usually remains at or below freezing for the entire race (e.g., many returning runners that I bumped into remarked how frigid last year’s race was).  Consequently, since I do not handle cold weather that well (especially the part that involves standing around and shivering in the cold waiting for the race to start), I caught a big break with the outside temperature being so high for this time of the year.

After getting on all my running gear, I preceded with my sister and brother-in-law (who both ran the half marathon) to the starting line (which is also the finish line; that is, the course is essentially an oddly shaped figure-eight in that you visit the start/finish line three times--once at the start, at the 13.1 mile marker which is the end of the half marathon, then at the finish) by walking the twelve blocks from the Sheraton hotel down to the Philadelphia Art Museum and its steps that were made famous by the movie Rocky.  The place was absolutely packed with approximately 20,000 runners participating in this year’s races.  I was just able to deposit my drop bag in the appropriate UPS truck and get to my corral approximately five minutes before the race began.  Bart Yasso (running guru, developer of the brutal interval workout involving 800s, and Runner’s World icon) along with the Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter were leading the festivities at the starting line.

Once the starting horn sounded, we were off and running.  I immediately proceeded to run my slowest mile of the race (i.e., 6:57).  Even though I was near the front of the enormous pack in first corral that was comprised of one thousand of the fastest runners, it was slow going for the first couple of miles.  I think people were a little timid due to some of narrow streets caused by construction and due to the streets being wet in certain places on a chilly, but comfortable morning.  After we turned west at the base of the impressive Ben Franklin Bridge on to Delaware Avenue, I was able to pick up the pace a little bit (i.e., 6:18 for the third mile).

I just continued to chip away and improve my average pace over the subsequent miles with the exception of a 6:36 and a 6:35 pace on miles four and eight, respectively.  The biggest climb of on the course was between miles seven and eight; therefore, the reason for the 6:35.  However, I’m not completely sure why my fourth mile was 6:36, but my left foot seemed to bother my gait from time to time for the first ten miles.  With that said, I was able to knockout the following paces in the first ten miles: a 6:14, another 6:18, a 6:11, and a 6:10.  With the exception of a 6:13 for mile fifteen, my minutes-per-mile pace on this relatively flat course was basically a linear upward regression with a peak of 6:42 on mile twenty-five. 

By the way, what an amazing course!  The first half is in the big city and university areas of town; whereas, the second half goes along a road following the Schuykill River under a number of bridges and short stone tunnels to a turnaround point which is in the small town of Manayunk that is lined with small shops, a bunch of screaming supporters, and many signs that indicated there was plenty of beer in this town.

Once I reached mile twenty (shortly after the Manayunk turnaround), the so called second half of the marathon began.  By this time I realized that unfortunately my PR was not going to be broken in this race; that is, for some reason I was unable to accelerate with the faster runners.  As a result, I focused on keeping my minutes-per-mile down and not letting anyone else pass me.  After I ran under another bridge and by the mile-marker twenty-three, I determined that I felt good enough and my pace was fast enough to hold off any runners that would try pass me; therefore, I changed my objective to start chasing down runners over the last 5k.  I was able to pass a few runners as I headed back to the Art Museum, not because I was picking up the pace, but because I was able to hold it as other runners began to slow (especially during the last mile which involves an incline to the finish line).  

A larger crowd of supporters greeted the runners as we circled around in front of the Art Museum heading toward the finish line.  Since the Philadelphia Marathon puts first names on the bibs, everyone yells out your name as you run by.  Hence, with “Eye of the Tiger” blaring over the speakers and complete strangers lining the roads yelling out my name and words of encouragement made for an unforgettable experience as I approached the finish line.  I ended up finishing in a time of 2:50:58 which is my second-faster marathon and the first marathon where I ran every single mile at a sub-7:00 pace.  A product of a relatively flat course, my pace range of 47 seconds (6:10-6:57) was also a personal best.  However, if I could have kept up with the 2:40 runners, it was the perfect course and weather conditions to set a PR.  As a result, I’ll be thinking about this missed opportunity on all my upcoming training runs which should keep me motivated all winter long.

Finally, after recovering for awhile, I was able to get in some post-race training by completing 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

In order to test the water so to speak, I jogged through the rain (it’s a good thing that this storm held off over the weekend or it would have been one wet and chilly race) at an extremely slow pace from the Sheraton hotel I was staying at down to Independence Mall by way of the City Hall building.  Once at the mall, I jogged around the Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall, Washington Square (which houses the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier), back up to the Christ Church Burial Ground (the site of Benjamin Franklin’s grave), then around the United Sates Mint and over to China Town before heading back to the Sheraton.  Needless to say, this was an historical recovery run.  I took the entire 7.5 miles of this workout at a slow pace; that is, it took jogging a couple of miles before the stiffness in my legs began to subside.  Also, the bad news is that that soreness in my left foot still persists; however, the good news is that the soreness is no worse today than before the marathon.

Finally, I headed down to the hotel’s basement gym for my non-running workout which consisted of 200 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, 170 curls (40, 30, 20 lbs) and 20 (50 lbs) reverse curls.

I woke up to a foggy and raining morning in Philadelphia; that is, I could barely see the steps of the city’s famous Art Museum which was just down the street from my hotel.  Since my legs were feeling a little less stiff today (however, my left foot was still achy and sore), I headed out for my morning run with the aim for running up the Art Museum’s steps like Rocky.  However, just before I got to the museum, a security guard warned me by yelling, “You are not running up those steps, they are closed to the public.”  Needles to say, I must have looked like an out-of-town jogger looking to reenact a part of movie history, because this guard sure knew my intention.  I looked ahead and I could see that there were gates around museum and the guard informed me that they were in the processes of setting up for the city’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  The need to run up the Art Museum steps just gives me a good excuse to return to Philly.

Back in Baltimore (albeit, an overcast Baltimore) , I could not pass on the opportunity to go out for a late morning run down to the city’s famous Inner Harbor.  Plus, for the first time in a couple of weeks, I was able to walk down stairs without experiencing pain in my left foot.  Starting at Yolando Road, I ran around Stadium Place (i.e., the site where Memorial Stadium--home of the Colts and Orioles--use to stand) down to 33rd Street.  Following the Baltimore Marathon route for the next mile or so, I headed down 33rd then turned up Gilford Avenue.  After a few blocks, I crossed over to St. Paul then headed down to the Inner Harbor by taking one lap around the square at the historic Mount Vernon Place.  Once at the Inner Harbor, ran up and down the north-side of the harbor taking in the view.  The docks and shopping malls were pretty much the same from the last time I ran around this part of Baltimore; however, there are many more pricy condos along the south side of the harbor and a new Legg Mason building on the north side.  After enjoying the fresh sea air of the Chesapeake, I headed over to Camden Yards and took a lap around the MB&T Stadium (by the Jonny Unitas statue) and Orioles Park before heading back to Yolando Road.  The total distance of this run was 13.1 miles at an easy pace.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Happy Thanksgiving!  It was rainy and foggy morning in Baltimore.  However, the temperature was in the high 40s; therefore, perfect weather for running.  Shortly after waking up, I got out the door and ran from Yolando Road down to Lake Street, to Montebello Lake Park and took one lap around the park before heading up through Clifton Park.  Once on the other side of Clifton Park, I ran by Woodstock Field then down to Herring Run Park.  I discovered that this park has a really neat running trail (plus, lots a mud on a rainy day like today) that spans quite a few blocks of city; as a result, this park truly lives up to its “run” title.  Not sure how long the Herring-Run-Park trail actually goes, I broke off my run at one of the street crossings and headed back up to Clifton Park.  Once at Clifton Park, I added on some extra miles before heading back to Yolando Road by running around the various trails of the park and golf course.  In total, I ran 13.5 miles at an easy pace and for the most part my left foot felt pretty good (i.e., just a little soreness).

For my non-running workout, it was just the basic day of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

After staying up late the night before to watch my Jazz defeat the Bulls in a Thanksgiving night doubleheader (the game started at 10:30 pm and ended just after 1:00 pm EST), I went out for a mid-morning run.  This workout consisted of two laps around Lake Montebello then up 33rd Street to Johns Hopkins University.  At the University, I completed one lap around the school’s Homewood Field before heading back to Yolando Road by way of the Giant to pick up some groceries for breakfast.  In total, I ran 6.8 miles at an easy, but a faster pace than previous days.

In addition, today was just another standard non-running workout in that I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Since I was missing my weekly group training run at the Salt Lake Running Company, I decided to get out and put some miles in on blue-sky and sunny Saturday in Baltimore.  For the last three years that I have visited my sister, I have made it a point to run down to Fort McHenry and back.  I figured this was a perfect day to go on this run for the fourth year in a row.  As a result, late in the morning I headed out the door and down Yolando Road to 33rd Street.  Following the Baltimore Marathon course for the next mile or so, I ran over to Gilford Avenue then after a few blocks, crossed over to St. Paul Street.  A few blocks after Penn Station, I veered off of St. Paul Street and completed one lap around the historic Mt. Vernon Place square before heading down to the Inner Harbor.  After weaving through and around the numerous shoppers and tourists at the Inner Harbor, I ran up to the top Federal Hill and just admired the view of the Harbor.  I then ran down to the historic Fort McHenry (this is the famous fort that was bombarded on September 13-14, 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore of the War of 1812 by the British in which Francis Scott Keys created our National Anthem) and circled the running trail along the parameter of this National Park.  The amazing view of Chesapeake Bay (e.g., sailboats, enormous cargo vessels, and the Domino Sugar plant) is well worth the trip to Fort McHenry.  Plus, there is something special about seeing the Star Spangle Banner flying high and proud at the Fort.  On the way back to Yolando Road, I turned off before Federal Hill in order to run and tour the streets of the numerous expensive condos that have been built up along the Harbor (if anyone is interested, according to a sign, there are still plenty available starting at $700k).  In total, I ran 15.3 miles at an easy and relaxed pace.  In summary, a terrific day of running!

Lastly, for my non-running workout, I was able to get in 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.