Another Half-Marathon In the Books!

What a beautiful day it was today to run 13.1 miles! The Philadelphia Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon benefited from near perfect conditions today: it was about 50 degrees at start time with clear blue skies and no wind. Not sure of the total number of runners but I am guessing there were close to 15,000.

Based on my knee injuries followed by surgery earlier this year, my main objective for today was to get out there, have fun, and turn in a respectable time. And, that is exactly what I did by finishing in 2:05:45 (unofficial). Although that is 8 minutes slower than my race time last year (1:57), I am happy with the result. My running today was consistent: I maintained a steady pace from mile 1 through 13 and it felt great!

My left knee is a bit sore this evening so I am icing it and planning to take a rest day tomorrow. I will be heading back to the gym later this week. After all, I have to finish my training for the Chicago Marathon on October 13.

Race Day is Tomorrow!

Preparations are final for tomorrow's race. Gear is assembled, race bib is on my shirt, timing chip is on my shoe. Lights will be off in about 10 minutes. My 4:30AM wake up call will be here soon enough. The temperature will be a cool 46 degrees when I leave the house and 50 degrees with sunny skies at race time.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's race as it will be the first half-marathon I will run in a year. I like the half-marathon distance: 13.1 miles is a respectable distance. Nothing to sneeze at.

Come on, Philly.... It's time to Rock 'N' Roll!

91 Degrees in Philly!

Here we are, just 4 days before the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and it is 91 degrees - Yikes! Thankfully, the weather forecast calls for a high of 73 degrees on race day. Today I knocked out 5 miles at an easy pace on the treadmill and plan to run 6 miles on Friday and then I will be ready for race day!