Race Information

• Name: Philadelphia Marathon
• Date: November 19, 2023
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Website: https://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/
• Time: 4:03:59

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Sub 4	No
B	Sub 4:05	Yes
C	Sub 4:14 (PR)	Yes

Splits

Location	Time	Pace
5K	28:17	9:06 /mi
10K	57.18	9:13 /mi
15K	1:26:37	9:18 /mi
Half	2:01:54	9:18 /mi
30K	2:53:26	9:20 /mi
Finish	4:03:59	9:18 /mi

TL;DR: Originally targeted the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). Tested positive for COVID the day before the race and decided to DNS. Signed up for the Philly Marathon immediately with three weeks to recover from the mild case. Finished Philly with a 10-minute PR.

Background and Training

I (36M) have run 3 marathons. The first in 5 hours, the second in 4:30, and most recently the third in 4:14 at the Pittsburgh Marathon 2022. After that, I did two half marathons (2:14 and 2:01) with less-than-ideal training and some injuries before I signed up for the MCM. I’ve been using Jack Daniels 2Q training plan with a peak weekly mileage of 40 since my last marathon. One reason I like this plan is, since I’m working remotely from home, I have the luxury of doing longer Wednesday morning runs in addition to Sunday long runs. Another reason is that I find the time-capped long workouts a better fit for my pace than the 20-milers prescribed by some plans. My training went fine despite a back injury in July. I did a 10k tune-up race in September in 48 minutes, which greatly boosted my confidence. I got a slight hamstring strain from the 10k but nothing too bad. I hit all the long workouts even while traveling. Everything seemed set for a major PR from last year’s 4:14.

Pre-race MCM

During my taper, I started to have a sore throat 4 days before the race. After testing negative for COVID twice, I assumed it was just a cold. My wife and I drove to DC Friday night and I did a shakeout run Saturday morning and felt fine, but tested positive afterward. I was crushed. Went to the expo anyway to pick up the packet. The queue was ridiculously long and I felt I was the only one wearing a mask. I considered racing despite the mild symptoms but, after reading about others experiencing long COVID post-marathon, decided it was best for my health and others’ to DNS. One silver lining was that MCM turned out to be an unusually warm and humid day so not a day for PR anyway.

Pre-race Philly

My wife found Philly marathon was still open for registration and I was thrilled. After registration, I focused on resting to recover from COVID as soon as possible. I tested negative for COVID within a week and resumed training, repeating the last two weeks of Jack Daniels. The forecast suggested mid-30s to high-40s conditions, and I decided to race in a short-sleeved shirt rather than a long sleeve, ambitiously aiming for a sub-4 finish.

We flew to Philly on Friday, staying at a hotel right next to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the marathon expo was held. I did a short shakeout run Saturday morning and saw some half marathon and 8k runners racing. Walking to the expo and getting the packet was much easier than MCM, taking about only 15 minutes. We had a big lunch in Chinatown and a light pasta dinner. I slept unbelievably well both nights before the Sunday race. I woke up at 4 a.m. on Sunday to do my pre-race routine. We took the shuttle to the marathon security checkpoint and I quickly went through without any issues. It was chilly even with my disposable raincoat, but the warming tents were a pleasant surprise. The potty line however took forever so I decided to go straight to my corral instead.

Race

Miles 1–13: The plan was to maintain a slightly slower pace than my A goal (9:10 min/mi for a 4-hour marathon). After a crowded first mile, I sped up to meet my wife downtown and ran two sub-9 miles. Then I tried to slow down a bit, only to be a tad too slow for miles 6–10 (9:20-ish), and my heart rate (HR) gradually rose to 150. I convinced myself it was the hills. At mile 9 I felt the urge to use the bathroom just as I ate the second Gu gel. At this point the potties I had seen seemed sparse and crowded, so I decided to join other runners using the bushes along the roadside. I felt bad for the female runners for a moment because they didn’t have the convenience, but quickly concentrated back on the race. With the help of some downhills, I managed to increase my pace to between 9 and 9:10 for miles 11–13. I finished the first half in 2:02, and the fact that it didn’t feel exactly easy made me doubt if I could achieve a negative split today.

Miles 14–20: Entering the second half, I knew that to have any chance of a sub-4, I needed to maintain a pace between 9 and 9:10. I managed this for three miles but then fluctuated. At this time the aggregated GPS drift on my Garmin was around 0.2 miles, so the actual pace was even a little bit slower. The warming air and my increasingly heavy legs, coupled with My HR rising to the high 150s, indicated that a sub-4 was unlikely.

Miles 21–25: Acknowledging that a sub-4 was out of reach, my focus shifted to achieving a solid PR without hitting the wall. Balancing the desire to push for a sub 4:05 and the risk of bonking, I decided to trust my training and run by feel. This reminded me of the quote in Jack Daniels’ training plan: “Run with your head for the first two-thirds of every race and with your heart for the last third”. I ended up averaging a 9:16 pace over these 5 miles without any major struggles. Maybe the JD 2Q training worked?

The final 1.5 miles (according to my Garmin): It was a blur. I finally decided the remaining distance was too short for a significant slowdown and picked up the pace, maintaining an 8:35 pace till the finish. I felt my finish looked heroic and stupid at the same time: finishing strong looked great, but why didn’t I push harder earlier?

Post-race

Reuniting with my wife after crossing the finish line was a joyful moment. I was very happy with the time, and thrilled to learn I almost did an even split. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and were awarded a free late checkout so I could take a much-needed shower. Later I tried a massage chair at the airport and found it very relaxing. I think I will start doing this after every future marathon.

One lesson from this experience is the importance of using the bathroom before a race. My next marathon will be either Chicago, if I win the drawing, or a return to MCM in 2024 to complete the redemption.

Made with a new race report generator created by /u/herumph.