For you non-running types: I ran my fastest ever time at the Philadelphia Distance Run yesterday. My finish time was 1:30:02 (missed my goal time by 2 lousy seconds, but that’s OK), which is a 25 second improvement over my previous best, which was in 2001. I had thought that my best was more than that, but it’s OK to be wrong on this too. I am most proud of the fact that I did this entirely by myself, trying to run with different people who were around the same pace. There was nothing even close to looking like a group, just a random collection of people who were in a few seconds of each other. I had wondered whether I’d be running with Lindsay Lohan (Ian’s nickname, and a cheap stunt on my part to drive Web traffic), but he has “issues” when the race starts and pulled off a 1:14:17.
A nice cool start temperature gave my hopes of a good time, tempered by a two week nagging shin split. I got into the start corral (#2) fairly early, so I could sit and stretch in a spot where I wouldn’t get stepped on. Surprisingly, I didn’t see anyone I knew before the start. Not even anyone who looked familiar, but didn’t know by name. Not that big of a deal, but harder to find someone to run with.
After the horn (they don’t use a starting gun), we’re off down the Parkway towards City Hall. Craig passes me a few blocks in, and the way he’s going, I don’t even try to keep up. Though it didn’t register in my slow brain that it was Craig until he was already past me. Mile 1 to the west side of City Hall in 6:58. Slower than I wanted to go (a 1:30:00 total time is 6:52.2 per mile, so I was trying for 6:45). Mile 2 on 6th Street and a small group of Mummers playing the Eagles fight song in 6:46. I surprised myself when reviewing my times to find that miles 3, 4, and 5 were 6:46, 6:47, and 6:46. Not too bad!
As I’m out on MLK Drive, I keep encountering the Race Annoyances – those people who you just don’t want to be anywhere near, but can’t get rid of them. There’s heavy breathing guy, who’s screwing up my breathing rhythm (why, I don’t know). And then there’s the few people who somehow keep running into my “line” and cutting me off. This makes no sense – there’s a ton of room out there (four lanes of traffic) and these jerks need to be within two feet of me. Miles 6, 7, and 8 in 6:53, 6:54, and 6:45. A little slow down, but I recover for Mile 8 when I realize that I’m falling off the pace and I need to get away from the RAs. Give a thumbs-up to Bag Pipe Guy at Falls Bridge (trying for a cheap photo op) and hit Mile 9 in 6:54. As I approached Falls Bridge, one of the elite runners was walking. Guy running near me seemed surprised. “They can have bad days, too.” I said.
Heading into a danger zone, time-wise, on Kelly Drive. Miles 10 and 11 in 6:56 and 6:59. Trying to do some fast math in my head, it looks like I can just about make 1:30:00 and definitely PR, as long as I’m under 7:00 per mile for the last two. So I start taking tangents through curves and cut every inch I can quickly figure – I’m using the whole road and don’t care. Mile 12 in 6:57 (total time is 1:22:27). Gotta push through for the last 1.1, but I know there’s still the incline leading up to the Art Museum and then we have to cut into the Eakins Oval parking lot for the finish. Mile 13 in 6:52 – 1:29:19 total.
Gotta sprint it out (or, at least what passes for sprinting after 13 miles). As I get ready to make the final right turn into the parking lot, some guy undercuts me on the inside (my right) and says something (I now don’t remember what). What a dickhead! I can hear the announcers now: “These folks are trying for 90 minutes, and it’s their chip time that counts.” I know I have about a 20 second difference between my clock time and my chip time. I’m really pushing it now, arms flailing like a loon trying to get that last burst out. And for once, I go for the good race photo finish with my arms out and don’t hit the watch until after I’ve crossed the line. (If you’ve seen some of the other race photos where I’m staring at the watch, you get the point.) I stop the watch and it’s 1:30:04. Yes, I’ve PR’ed!! But did I get the 1:30:00?? Had to wait until I got home. In the words of Maxwell Smart, “Missed it by that much.“
