Philadelphia Half

A lightening quick trip over to Philadelphia to do their LoveRun half marathon this weekend. It was well worth travelling over, the lack of sleep and the uncomfortable flight back to participate in this well organised event. The event starts on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, just a short sprint from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (think of Rocky running up the steps) and then heads into the city for the first 4 miles before coming back towards the museum and then heading off to follow the Schuykill River. Apart from a bit of a cheeky hill after 8 miles the course is rather flat. The finish is right by the steps and the support from the crowds gathered all the way around was fantastic.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the pacers, I failed to get under two hours, returning a 2:01. This is over 10 mins outside my PB, but my last 4 half marathons have followed much the same pattern where I seem to blow up after 10 miles. This goes against my training runs where I've completed the distance comfortably. I think the issue is more psychological rather than physical and it's something I'm keen to get to the bottom of. Alternatively it could have been the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich I had for lunch the day before. I'd still be eating it now if I hadn't given up.

That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Philadelphia is a fantastic city that is steeped in history. The event flowed really well and I was lucky to run with a pacing group where the pacers kept the energy flowing.