2009 Broad Street Run

Got up at 5am. Let the dog out. Saw that it was raining. Decided to wear shorts. Started to get nervous. Was greeted by a smiling Nadelle at our door at 5:45am. On the road by 6am.

Still raining.

Parked at the Spectrum. Made final clothing decisions. Walked to Broad and Pattison. Got on the Broad Street Line. Stood shoulder to shoulder with other runners. Expressed to Olney. Stretched on the platform. Walked above ground.

Not raining.

Moved closer to the warm up area at Central High. Looked for a gear bus. Waited in line for the porta-potty. Ran into my cousin, Dan, on Somerset. Ran into a high school friend, another Erin. Kept my eye open for Elise. Couldn’t find my husband. Looked for him. Found him. Kissed him good luck. Went to our respective corrals.

Still not raining.

Waited shoulder to shoulder with Nadelle and Mark in the Orange Corral. Prepped my long sleeve shirt for tossing after the start. Heard the first gun. Heard the second gun. Heard the third gun. Started running. Crossed the start line. Saw Mayor Nutter and yelled, “Hey Mike!” Got a thumbs-up.

Still not raining.

Started to run on sidewalks because it was too crowded. Zig zagged between people. Passed people. Stayed side-by-side with Nadelle. Passed lots of people. Saw older women on the sidewalk cheering. Heard a man say, “You ladies look beautiful.” Felt good after that. Got high-fives. Thanked the spectators. Realized that Nadelle is a great running partner.

Still not raining.

Ran from Olney. Crossed the Roosevelt Blvd. Passed Temple Hospital. Saw Temple University. Heard a drum band at Girard. Saw the Divine Lorraine. Ran past the Philadelphia Inquirer Building. Had a sip of water along the way. Thought that North Philly crowds were great. High-fived college students closer to Market. Turned right at City Hall. Ran over the spot where the Mummers perform. Got back onto Broad. Saw the Governor. Got a high five.

Still not raining.

Center City hotels had crowds out. Spectators stood on the island in the middle of Broad Street. Saw a few dogs along the way. Guitar player outside the University of the Arts. Three yogis performing in the middle of Broad. Had another sip of water. Kept running with Nadelle. Thought our pace was fast.

Still not raining.

Wondered where the crowds were in South Philly. Thought spectators looked confused. Heard a Mummers string band at Washington. Saw political candidates. Spilled Gatorade on myself. Got sticky from the Gatorade. Got water next time. Got un-sticky. Kept running. Legs started to feel tired. Saw the crowd get bigger after Oregon.

Still not raining.

Thought about the movie Rocky. Sunk my hips so I could keep going. Thought the crowds got louder. Realized I wouldn’t have run this fast if it weren’t for Nadelle. One last small hill. Entered the Navy Yard on a downhill. Still had ¼ mile to go. Saw the finish ahead. The crowds got bigger. And louder. Crossed the finish line. Finished my first Broad Street Run. Got my medal. Turned the corner to get hydrated.

It started raining.

Picked up my refreshment packet. Started to look for our meeting place. Couldn’t find our meeting place. The tent wasn’t there. Ran into Dan again. Checked David’s gear bus. Found out he was already there. Looked for David. Ran into Dan again.

It’s raining. Hard.

Realized we should try to get back to the car. Didn’t see shuttle buses. Saw long lines for non-existent shuttle buses. Started to walk. Wanted to run.

It’s raining.

Walked 1.5 miles back to the car. Had the key on me. Saw David and Mark waiting for us. Ran the last 100 feet. Got into the dry car. Got changed. Got a call from Dan with results. Ran 10 miles in one hour, twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds. That’s a pace of eight minutes, thirteen seconds per mile.

It's still raining. Couldn’t believe my body did this.