“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” What happened on the way to 26.2

Philadelphia Marathon 11/22/09
by Coach Janice Rodriguez

We got up at 5am after a good night’s sleep. I set my phone alarm but forgot to turn it on. Luckily, I woke up on time anyway – disaster averted! We laid our clothes out the night before so we dressed quickly and headed downstairs to breakfast. We stayed at the Embassy Suites about ¼ mile from the start and it was one of the official race hotels (we even had Philadelphia Marathon room keys). There was a runner’s breakfast in the lobby so we had a bite to eat and some coffee. We saw a guy dressed as a Star Wars Storm Trooper and couldn’t help but think that he was going to have lots of extra weight to haul and hoped he was running the half. We stayed inside to keep warm for as long as we could and headed out around 6:30am.

The weather was chilly, about 41 degrees at the start. Forecast called for a high of 57 and sunny. It was a perfect morning for a race and we were feeling energized and apprehensive at the same time. Tony donned his trash bag but I wasn’t cold as we walked down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the start. We worked our way into the Gray Corral, the 4th and largest wave. Bill Rodgers, Bart Yasso and Philadelphia Mayor, Michael Nutter, were the emcees. They were doing a great job of getting the crowd energized. Bill Rodgers called the time – 7am – and the gun went off. The elite athletes were off. They called the next wave in several different languages. It sounded like “lalalalalala….five minutes to your start!” I got butterflies in my stomach as Bill Rodgers called our wave. He called us the tsunami since we were the largest wave. Tony told me later that he got choked up as they called our wave! We are doing it…and we’re off! We decided not to run with a watch and just enjoy the race. We ran the last training runs without our Garmin and felt like it relieved pressure to run at a certain pace.

We headed down the Parkway, passing the Catholic Church that I went to growing up and then we spotted our cheer crew ringing the most obnoxiously wonderful cowbell. We hooted and hollered at them as we passed and then ran right past my Dad’s old office building. I was feeling very emotional but we soon settled into a comfortable pace. The start begins with both half and full marathon runners which made for a very congested first few miles. There are a few quick turns and we almost slowed to a walk just to get around the corner. It was warming up quickly and people were shedding clothes like crazy. We took our gloves off and keep running. I got lost in a trip down memory lane as I ran along the streets, remembering times with my family. Soon we were running along the Delaware River and could see the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the waterfront. Porta potties had very long lines and people were sneaking off behind the bridge supports and into the bushes. The street was a bit rough and a woman just behind us started to fall and then caught herself. I thought back to my training and some of the mishaps we endured. Like the day I tripped over a root on the Greenway and cracked my rib. I was only at mile 5 of a 15 mile run and dusted myself off and kept going even though it hurt to breathe deeply. The day Tony got sick on our 18 mile run and went home. Thought I would have to run without him but he felt better and actually ran and caught up with me. I come back to the present as we turned onto Front Street and ran past quaint old townhomes built in the 1700’s. Next we turned onto South Street which is famous for its nightlife. We passed by crazy shops like Condom Kingdom. The crowds were loud and the music was good. We had our names on our bibs and we heard “Go Tony and Janice” the entire race. I forgot to mention that we wore matching red shirts so that our friends could find us in the crowd! Tony ran on the side closest to the curb and was yelling and getting involved with the crowd.

Next up we head towards Independence Hall and saw Ben Franklin himself ringing his bell and he told us, “You have arrived at mile 5.” Quick break to use the porta potty (less crowded now), take a gel and some Gatorade and we were off again. We were pretty chatty, pointing out things we saw and signs we liked along the way. Long stretch down Chestnut Street and across the Schuylkill River. We ran through the Drexel and University of Pennsylvania campuses and the frat boys were wildly banging pots and pans. The crowd here was very energetic as we made our way up a long incline. Across another bridge and then through a park towards the Philadelphia Zoo. We came back along the river and we could look across and see runners on the other side. They looked so far ahead of us! There was a huge crowd on a bridge overhead and they were yelling our names. We were surprised they could read our bibs from that distance! We were feeling great as we headed back towards the Art Museum and we were running strong. Lots of cheering as we head towards the 13.1 mark. There was the sign that read “ Half Marathon Finish this way, Mile 14 that way” What have we gotten into? We head towards the Mile 14 sign and we see our cheering section, Janet and Charlie, again clanging their cowbell and holding our sign high in the air! We were pumped up and yelling with our hands in the air. Tony keeps up his yelling as we headed out onto the other side of the river. I reminded him to conserve his energy but I can see that he is having fun. Our pace was steady (think we were 9:45 ish for most of the race) and we took another gel and more Gatorade and water. We walked quickly through the aid station so that we could drink the entire cup without choking. Volunteers were busy raking cups and gels out of the way and giving encouragement as we passed. Back on the run, the crowds have thinned along this section since there are no buildings and we have entered Fairmount Park. There are lots of people riding bikes on the sidewalks trying to catch a glimpse of their runner. The course is a bit hilly here and the inclines felt long. Not as much to look at, and so we got quiet.

We head towards Manayunk, an area with funky shops and good restaurants. At mile 17 (I found this out later) Tony started to feel bad and tucked in behind me and kept on. Mile 18, more gel and Gatorade. I was looking forward to seeing our friends again at mile 20. We passed a group of people handing out small cups of beer and the smell made us nauseous. Tony told them to wait until he was done the race. Turnaround at mile 20 and then we were headed back towards the city. Didn’t see our friends and spent the next mile scanning the crowd for them. This section of the course is the hilliest and I yelled out “We love hills” even though I wasn’t really feeling that way.

Mile 21 goes up a freeway onramp and lots of people are walking. I got a side stitch on my left side and then one on my right side. My entire midsection cramped up and I slowed down a good bit. Tony asked me why I got slower so I told him. Didn’t really want to tell him that I felt bad because I didn’t want to bring him down as there was nothing he could do. During our training runs we called each other our “wingman” and said that “you never leave your wingman”. My wingman moved in beside me and we kept running. I had my iPod on in one ear and concentrated on the music as we headed into this unchartered territory together. The mile markers seemed so far apart, probably because I was looking for them so intently. I spotted a sign that said, EMMA – every mile melts away, and it made me smile. We also got some much needed energy from the gang dressed in matching red t shirts that said “Free High Fives” Another guy held a sign that said “Anthony is Awesome” but he looked like a zombie when we yelled at him. Side stitches miraculously disappeared and I started to feel better. Didn’t take gel at mile 23 since I felt full of GU and Gatorade. Couldn’t even force it at that point.

I got a bad attitude at mile 25! I thought that I would be thrilled to be so far along but I thought that one more mile just seemed ridiculous. I looked over at Tony and thought that with his longer legs, his run must be much easier than mine. Lots of walkers here but we don’t even think about walking, we want to get to the finish line.

As we started to run along the side of the Art Museum, the crowds were huge and screaming. The barricades are holding the crowds back as we pass the Rocky statue and the front of the Art Museum. The crowd is calling our names and Tony was pumping his fist in the air. The crowd cheered louder and we held hands and raised them in the air. The finish line is straight ahead and we ran hard towards it. I see Bart Yasso standing at the finish and he points and calls out my name as we cross the finish line. Chip time – 4:24:55. We got our medals and headed towards the food area – soft Philadelphia pretzels – I had been looking forward to them for weeks but they didn’t hold much appeal for me just then. Had a sip of chicken soup and found our friends right away. Got our photo taken and then changed into the dry clothes that Janet and Charlie brought for us. We didn’t hang around at the finish long but instead walked back to our hotel. More friends joined us and we went to lunch with all of them. After lunch we went back to our hotel and they all stayed for a while visiting with us. We could still see runners finishing the race from our balcony.

Later we had a chance to reflect on our race together. We were thrilled that our training program worked well for us and that we finished the race feeling strong and healthy. Our hip flexors felt a bit sore after the race and Tony’s kneecaps were sore. We were happy that our pace was consistent and we finished ahead of what we expected. I think that not having my Garmin on to obsess over helped make the run so enjoyable. We stuck with our nutrition plan and really think it helped us.
Doing this race together and training together for these past months has been a remarkable experience and we feel even closer to each other than we did before.

To Tony, my wingman: With both of our wings, we were able to FLY! I love you.

To our friends at USA Fit Gwinnett: Thanks for running with us, strategizing with us, biking with us, and encouraging us every day! A special thank you to Jenny Christiansen Fancher for running the long runs with us and to Jan and Scott Kelley for their inspiration and practical advice and Krista for being our biggest cheerleader!