This year’s Broad Street Run 10 miler crept up on me.  After running the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November (my first), the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January (my best), and the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February, I was a little burnt out on running.  I did not properly train, or basically train at all, for today’s race, and I was incredibly nervous about it.  I’ve been doing a ton of strength and WeFit classes (boot camp type workouts), but I haven’t run much at all.  I never thought about not running today, but I was just hoping I was in good enough shape to finish with a smile (hopefully within 2 hours).

My brother Shaun stayed over my apartment last night so that we could easily get up and go to the race start.  From my apartment it’s only a couple block walk to the trolley station.  From there we took the trolley to 15th street, transferred to the Broad Street Line, and then took that to Olney.  Even though the trains were packed, we were able to get seats in the last car.

We went to the start with one of my sorority sister’s Kelly!

My brother considered running with one arm tucked in his shirt for an extra challenge, but he said he might save that for his second race.

Before we knew it, our corrals were moving closer and closer to the start and it was time to start running!  I had the motto in my head one foot in front of the other, and I wasn’t going to stop to walk unless I was in “severe” exhaustion.  Aka grab the ambulance.  I knew my body could physically run this 10 miler because it is flat/down hill and a very easy course.  I was just hoping it wasn’t too hard mentally.

My brother and I stuck together which was really nice.  He could have totally left me in the dust, but it was nice to run with him for his first race.  We didn’t talk much, mainly listening to our own iPods and giving high fives as each miler marker we passed.  We slowed down a bit at each water/Gatorade station which was the perfect pick me up between slowing down a bit and getting a little hydration then we were back at it putting one foot in front of the other.

At mile 5 I saw some Dunkin Donuts coffee cups run by…

And then Shaun and I hit city hall and were excited to see our cheerleaders on the other side!

They were at the same spot as the were for last year’s Broad Street Run which was a perfect area between miles 6 and 7.  We took a minute to say hi, grab some water/Gatorade, and then we were back on the road.  Less than 4 miles left until the finish!

We finished with an unofficial Garmin time of about 1 hour and 57 minutes, and I was definitely pleased with that.  For not training, I felt good, had a great time running with my brother, and finished with a smile on my face.  Our cheer squad met us by the finish line where we took some post-medal pictures and had a little stretch before getting on the shuttle that took us back to the car.

Note: there were 3 cameras going at once, so we probably were not looking at the right one at all. 

Cheer Squad!

Parking this year was a little bit of a situation.  My parents parked in center city, near where they were cheering, then went to a stadium parking lot and took a shuttle to the end after we passed by.  All that didn’t seem to be a problem, but the bus ride back to the parking lots was very slow.  Then once we got to the car, we were in grid-lock traffic that was a combination of race traffic and 76ers traffic since there was a playoff game early this afternoon.  After what seemed like forever, we finally fought through the traffic and went to lunch at Chickie’s and Petes.  Crabby Fries and a cheesesteak!?!?  Yes please!

After lunch I headed back to the apartment and had a glorious nap.  I slept like a rock and woke up very refreshed.  Post-race naps are the best thing in the world!  Please I urge you all to run a race…just for the nap!  Tonight, I am anticipating a low-key Sunday evening while icing my left knee because it’s a little creaky and sore after today’s 10 miler. 

A big thanks to my parents and Joe for cheering for me, and to my brother for being a great racing buddy even though he could have easily left me in the dust!!  Another race in the books!

Who else ran Broad Street Today!?!?  How did it go! 

Last night, I attended a wonderful event at the Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.  It was a benefit for the Rock School which is a dance school in Philadelphia.  The event is black tie, so I especially loved that I got to dress up!  My parents had a table so we went with a bunch of family friends and all had a great time!

First there was a cocktail hour with silent and live auctions.  It was a gorgeous night for an outdoor event.  We drank some wine, ate a few hour d’ourves, and took some pictures.  I almost bought a 4 night trip to Africa for a safari at the live auction, but then I remembered I don’t have any money…hmm maybe next year.

After the live auction was over, we all went inside for a performance by the kids in the Rock School.  They are so unbelievably talented.  The girls were beautiful, the dancing was fabulous, and I really enjoyed the show.

After the show, it was time for some dinner and dancing.  It wasn’t too late of a night since I had to get up early today for a full day of work. 

Tomorrow is Broad Street Run!  I’m nervous because I’ve hardly been running lately, but my brother and I are going to be running together, and I’m hoping the adrenaline will get me to the finish line!  Early to bed for me!

Good Luck to my fellow Broad Street Runners!  Don’t be shy and say hi if you see me!

Last night’s dinner at Hibachi was so much fun!  I gave my new blue pants a spin, and I think I’m finally on board with the bright pants trend.  Here is a picture I tried to take with self timer, yes my head is cut off a bit.

We all took the opportunity to snap some shots before heading up to the restaurant because of the beautiful views.  The fact that hibachi is right on the water overlooking New Jersey and the Ben Franklin Bridge is one of my favorite things about this restaurant.  Totally gorgeous views!

Joe and I went with Adam and Sarah, and it was Sarah’s first time ever at Hibachi!  We had to make sure she saw it all, the flaming volcano, the shrimp catching by mouth, everything!  We went early and placed our orders by 6:15 so it was significantly cheaper.  I think we all got the “Early bird deluxe” which included steak, chicken, and shrimp.  Everyone gets veggies, fried rice, and a delicious salad with their meal as well, and each couple ordered a sushi roll to munch on while our food was being prepared.  It was a lot of food and I was stuffed leaving the restaurant.  Totally worth it…I love Hibachi!  It’s so fun and great for groups.

Today is “reading day” of finals week.  AKA no finals are given today.  It gives people the chance to catch up on studying…and sleep, eating, and showering.  I used my reading day as an opportunity to sleep in a bit, hit the gym for some Wefit and an extra 30 minutes of arm strength training with my better body challenge coach, and then I showered, studied, ate dinner, napped and studied some more.

Breakfast was a shake, un-pictured.  Lunch was eggs with ham, goat cheese, onions, and tomatoes with turkey bacon, snack was too may Ritz cracker chips and hummus, and dinner was tilapia with some fresh corn!

Time to study some more!  I have ONE more final and a jam packed day tomorrow!  Got to hit the books and make an attempt to get a good nights sleep!

Anyone else like hibachi as much as I do? 

It’s like dinner and a show!  And it’s totally delicious!