Going into a race with low expectations is nice; that way, there’s no disappointment afterwards. I had only one goal for this uniquely Philly race (at 8.4 miles, the distance itself is somewhat unique): finish in under one hour. I hit 59:50 – just made it.
But tactically, it was once of the worst races I have run in a long time, if ever. I started out too fast (pretty much usual for me; mile 1 in 6:06), but I felt comfortable and had some people nearby that I thought I could stay with. Then Headphone Woman came by. A relevant aside: two weeks ago at the Bridge Run, she went flying by me a little after mile 5. This time, I thought I could stay with her, even though we hadn’t hit mile 2 yet. I suggested we run together, to try to catch the woman ahead of us who was, at the time, the first female. This was the big mistake: I really couldn’t hang. I stayed on for about 1.5 miles and then couldn’t hold the pace any longer.
Some people passed me in ones and twos. The depressing moment was when a group of six guys went by me like I was standing still. The challenging part of this event is that it is completely run on the path, and we have to dodge all the other people using it. Around mile 6, we hit the boathouses and the regatta that was going on. The combination of spectators, rowers, and shells made for some interesting dodging.
I just focused on finishing in under one hour, which seemed to be slipping away. I could keep track of the quarter mile splits thanks to the numbers painted on the path. But I had slowed considerably; I was maintaining about a 7:20 pace. Hitting the start of Boathouse Row, entering the last quarter mile or so, I knew it would be close. When I finally saw the clock, I knew I had it in under an hour.
I need to not be so stupid next time, especially when I’m not ready to run that fast. 
