Broad Street

To be quite honest in all the years I have run Broad Street, I never usually run for time. It's always been a stepping stone to another race or a race to open the season with. So when the weather advisories starting coming out about how hot and humid Sunday's weather would be I was not really disappointed. Add to that the fact that I had been sick for a week and opted not to run to try and get better. I was super psyched to be meeting up with a college friend of mine, H, and to get to spend time running with her. She had been a great running parter until she moved out of state about six months ago. Today would be kind of like a long run, that I paid a lot of money, got a free (not so attractive) T-shirt, and pinned a number to my shirt for. And free food at the end. I love free food.

Geared up and ready to go. And yes I am standing on my pink yoga mat!

Clouds were in the sky and rain on the ground as we walked out of the house, I could deal with an overcast day so long as there was no rain. Now looking back on it maybe a run in the rain would have been better. We rain into about three detours driving from my house to a friend of mines neighborhood where I knew my car would be safe during the race. I could have parked at the stadiums around the finish but don't like trying to leave parking lots in crowds. Boyfriend and I headed for the subway a few blocks away, runners were out everywhere with the same plan. Best thing about this race was runners ride the subway free just by showing your bib number. Score! The subway line runs directly under the race course and it should have been a piece of cake to just hop a train and head for the start. Except 30,000 other people had the same plan so trying to "just hop on" the train was easier said then done. We waiting for half an hour, and were passed by five trains before getting on.

Now I love anytime a bunch of runners are together. These are the people than get me. I usually look around at everyones outfits and sneakers seeing what brands and models each different person favors. People watching, runners only special edition. It was excellent. When the train finally arrive at it's destination everyone made their way off the cars and into an even bigger sea of people. Right away I noticed a line into the McDonald's and could only assume this was for the bathroom. It wound around inside the restaurant and clear across the street. Of course it was all women. Up until this moment I was feeling a little bit like I could use a bathroom stop, but there was no way I was waiting in any lines that long. Finding H in this crowd was actually pretty easy, since there were color coded corals and I knew which side of the street she was on.

It was about 8:10 when boyfriend left me to go meet up with his friend a few miles down the race course. And it was 9:00 before H and I even crossed the start line! There were so many people there was a wave start and we just happened to be in the last wave. The start was full of spectators cheering us on but we avoided getting caught up in all the excitement. Slow and steady was definitely the motto of the day. The air was hot and thick, like standing in a giant steam filled bathroom and trying to run, but we took it slow determined to make it to the end.

Found Boyfriend around Girard and he took this artistically fuzzy picture of me (on the left)

We pushed on through every mile, I stopped checking my watch around mile 4 for my pace. The water stops were plentiful, our pace stayed easy and a apart from the heat we were having a good time.

In short it was humid and miserable, and yet the best ten mile run I could ask for in such weather. Good conversation with a good friend, GREAT crowd, and running through about twelve if not more, spraying fire hydrants. Running through that last quarter mile inside the gates of the Navy Yard was not the same sense of accomplishment I felt when finishing any of my half marathons, but it was accomplishment none the less.

xx Sara