Philadelphia Marathon 2022: Sweet Revenge

Well folks, it can happen.  The 2022 season is finally a wrap.  I have lots to say (really, is anyone shocked?) but before we delve into the whole "What did Rae learn in 2022 and what dumbass mistakes will she continue to make in 2023" post - we need to write the last race report for 2022 - otherwise known as - for so many reasons - the season I never wanted to end.

It's over.  And even though, six days later, I'm still under the weather (due to the weather!) and I can't

run even if I wanted to....it ended in the best possible way.  I won't even hedge on a spoiler alert, because all of you reading know exactly what happened in Philly - you just want a good story!  Well, here it is, folks, - the 2nd attempt at a BQ  -  in Philly - and the tale of one freaking wild, epic day. Let's just say...I definitely got my sweet revenge on that first attempt in 2019!

So, the last few posts have pretty much summed up the build to this race - it was, quite honestly, similar to my 2021 half marathon training where I was a nervous wreck because EVERYTHING went well.  I nailed all my paces, loved the process, and was, on paper, ready to rock this race!  I needed a 3:39 to qualify (yay for turning 40 this year!), figured I could hit a 3:35 based off my training (again, sweet revenge from my 2019 goal), and My A goal was a 3:30 - depending on the course distance (rarely do you actually run 26.2 due to tangents, etc).  My overall goal was really to hit that 8:00/mile, though I told a few people that seeing a 7 as the first number for my pace for a freakin marathon would just absolutely blow my little mind.  I was pretty vocal about my goals, which served to scare the shit out of me even more - there was no hiding behind what I considered to be scary as shit goals. 

The taper was just as expected - early week, I had a few...okay, many... freak outs (what, you couldn't tell by the tone of my last post?) but once Friday rolled around, I was in the zone and ready to go.  The biggest worry was now the race day forecast - which was 25 degrees with 20-25 mph winds.  I had trained for the race in weather that went from 45-70, and had settled in on my pre race outfit weeks ago on my last long run - my under armour shorts, endorphin speeds, and my custom Raise tank and sports bra (stay tuned for this - I'm getting ready to officially launch the site soon!).  I had throwaway arm warmers and gloves in case it was cold - but when I thought cold, I thought 40.  I went back and forth quite a bit about this wrinkle, mostly worried about my hands and feet, as I don't run in socks (no.  ever.  and I do not get blisters.)  The day before I decided to go with what I knew, and just double up on gloves and add a base layer long sleeved shirt.  Done.  Let it be what it was.

Saturday was so much fun - with the help of some amazing neighbors and friends (THANK YOU!!), Greg was able to sherpa me and it was so needed. He hasn't been to a big race in years because of kids, and he was so damned amazing.  We road tripped to Philly with bad 90s music and about 4 bathroom stops in the 5 hour drive (yay for being hydrated - NO, I am not pregnant).  We played around with the expo, randomly ran into two of my friends from the ROC in a city of millions, and were all settled in by 4:30 at the hotel.  I made the final prep for race morning, put my feet up, and ate my standard 6th grader meal pre race of pasta and veggies (I own it.  I am not the party animal pre race, and the nerves are real.)  Lights were out by 8pm, which was for shit, because I think I got about a half hour of sleep.  No biggie - this is normal.  Race morning dawned at 3:30 - and I got up feeling strangely calm.  This would follow the whole morning - all nerves were left in Rochester. The work was done and all that was left to do was RACE!

Pre Race

Several of my friends had run this race and I was told two things - get there early to get through security and it was not flat.  Noted.  (These were both spot on). I dressed and layered, stuffed my bra stored my gels, danced around like an idiot to Ginuwine

(this is accurate, I always do this - things you now know).  I choked down a dry bagel (forgot the butter, damn) and applesauce, and was out the door in my three layers of throwaway clothes by 5:15.  

I grabbed the nearest shuttle and immediately made friends with two women from Jersey who became my new besties - Shannon and Jen.  We took selfies, laughed about training with kids, bad ideas, and within the half hour, were inseparable.  Security was a snap to get though, and by 5:45 we were in the warming tent and had almost an hour to kill.  Sweet.  We met two more guys from Jersey (apparently, the whole state decided to run this race) - I don't remember their names, but one had just done Ironman Chattanooga and told us this immediately, while his buddy rolled his eyes and said "You couldn't wait to get that in, could you??". 

 I busted out laughing and whispered to the Jersey Girls - watch this - then started swapping Ironman times, race qualifiers, and M-dot tattoos with the dude.  He looked at me a little overwhelmed and I nudged his buddy and commented - "Damn, I am such a triathlete douchebag, aren't I??"  And with the ice broken, we all busted out laughing and spent the next half hour swapping stories about racing and life.  At 6:15 I realized I better stop partying and actually - ya know - pretend to race.  I dropped my post race bag off, got in line to pee, and by 6:30 hit a quick half mile warm up and was in line in my corral, stripping down to my race outfit.

AND HOLY SHIT WAS IT COLD.  My wave was set to go off at 7:10 and I was a chattering mess.  I already could not feel my fingers and my legs were blocks of ice.  Someone's mylar blanket blew into the backs of my legs and I grabbed it for warmth thinking - this is just not good.  But it is what it is.  I still had the overall feeling of calm that had been present since the day before.  I was here to do a thing.  It was time to DO THE THING.  And before I knew it, the first two waves had gone off, our corrals gun sounded and it was time TO GO!!

Miles 1-7:  (7:35/mi)

The first few miles passed in a blur, to be honest. I'd been told that my GPS would be off, due to the big city, and to look for the mile markers and turn off auto lap.  I'm not great with manual lap, so I decided against that, but ran off of a 5-6 effort and was a little surprised when my first mile clocked in at 7:40.  (Oddly enough, only a .1 mile off, which would be the case until mile 25.  Sweet). I saw Greg shortly after mile 1 and flipped a thumbs up.  I decided to piss off everyone tracking me go with the flow and run off effort solely - we had a tailwind and even though miles 2 and 3 were faster than they should have been, at 7:16 and 7:19, I was feeling great and literally felt like I wasn't working at all.  Miles 4-7 followed the same pattern, and I hit the first (quarterish) at a 7:35 pace.  The crowd support to this point was spot on and I was all smiles (okay, fine, I was for 90% of this race!).  I hit my first gel at mile 5, right on pace, and turned to start the first of the hills feeling on fire.

Miles 8-15 (7:59/mi)

I fully expected to slow down here, due to the turn away from the headwind and the start of the rollers.  Miles 8 and 10 were the two hills on this segment, and while they weren't terrible, they were definitely noticeable and my pace slowed to match effort.  At mile 9.5, running up the second hill, I dropped my gel and my mp3 player got completely tangled in my bra.  I realized quickly that wearing double gloves might have been a good idea to keep my hands warm, but I couldn't maneuver worth shit.  I took a quick walk break, righted my tangles, grabbed another gel from my bra (so classy) and picked it back up!  I saw Greg at mile 12.5 and flashed him a thumbs up - stopped for a quick water break at the hill at mile 13, and hit the half

marathon in 1:42.  I knew I was still a little fast, but at this point, I decided to just listen to my damned body and tailor the effort as needed.

 At this point, we ran under a bridge and encountered....of course...a train!  It seemed my luck had turned with the trains of 2022, though, as this one was thankfully above us, and I briefly shut my eyes and made a wish that the second half of this race would be just as epic. I smiled again - even though I was almost two hours in, this was just so much fun and I was having the best day.  We turned into the wind at mile 14, and it got wild at this point - we had a cross wind for about a mile where the leaves were whipping across the road with a fervor - we made a brief turn into the wind and were totally blown backwards.  Woah.  Mile 15 was rather uneventful, I downed my third gel, but unfortunately hit a snafu at the water stop where the girl in front of me dropped her cup, soaking my left hand and foot.  Shit.  This was not good.  I debated the merits of wet gloves versus no gloves, and decided to keep the gloves on. I was a cold, wet mess at this point and got a little bit nervous. Then I reminded myself of the Norseman wisdom that had been passed on to me.....one day I would be warm.  Today was not that day.  Today was the day to block the pain and GO DO GREAT THINGS.  

At that moment, as if by magic, the song "Sweet Revenge" by Kat Leon came on - the song that since seeing the Norseman video clip of the 2022 race has become my mainstay during training - to remind me that I can do hard things, even when it seems tough - to make it hurt. And to kick a little ass while doing it. The athletes that race this race are amazing, and I'm privileged enough to know one of them who has been a big source of inspiration for me this year. I conjured my image of making it hurt - and of my game face - reminding myself - I COULD DO THIS. I got shivers that had nothing to do with the weather, and took a deep breath with eleven miles to go. 

Miles 16-20 (8:15/mile)

And I would need that magic, that resilience.  As we turned right shortly before mile 16, the cross wind became a fierce headwind.  Greg was cheering me on here and I was still in a good mood, flashing him the thumbs up sign! We were cold and wet, but it was still just a magical day to be out there.  I wanted it so badly. I hit mile 16 just shy of 2:05 on my watch and 2:06 on the marker (I was about a tenth off still, and did my marathon math off that). As it went, I had about a two minute buffer to hit my A goal of 3:30, but I knew this was going to be the hardest part of the course, as we had two more decent hills at miles 18 and 19, and the headwind was so fierce that when it gusted (reported to 35 mph) we were almost going backwards.  I admittedly hit a low here - at about mile 18, I took a walk break, refueled (slightly ahead of schedule - as I planned on gels at 5, 10, 15 and 20, but I was grumpy and hoped some sugar would help - its worth noting this was the first water stop I saw ANY gels so I was glad to grab a spare but also glad I had my own!). My left hand was a mess, honestly - I kept curling it in under my jersey for warmth.  I saw Runner Dave AKA Dumpster fire at mile 19, he was about ten minutes ahead of me and looked pissed (there was a story here, and not a fun one!) We tried to high five and failed, which summed this up about right.  Hit mile 20 in 2:38 and change, and then the blessed turnaround - huzzah! With marathon running, much like Ironman, it's not a matter of if something will go wrong - it will.  The trick is knowing what to do with it - do you need food?  A mantra? Remembering your goal?  This time, it was food.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - your mental game has to be fierce for this stuff.  I'm not always perfect at it but my "why" was on point during the low miles - and it would come to test me again!

Miles 21-26.38 (8:06/mi)

So, I'm no whiz at science, but I would have thought such a shitty headwind would give us immediate relief.  No such luck.  The headwind was gone but it seemed to have changed to a weird cross wind, which was fine, though I felt a little cheated - where was my free speed?? LOL.  My left hand was totally frozen, but my foot was doing okay - I picked it up for a bit and thankfully went from my slowest miles of the day at miles 19 and 20 (8:42 and 8:46) back down to 8:05-8:10.  

I rescued a water cup for a woman at mile 22, who called me her hero (aww) and pretty much stayed in my zone.  I got a little tired again at mile 22, and looked down at my watch - I was at 2:55 and change, and needed to hold roughly an 8 minute mile to hit my A goal.  I knew at this point, unless something terrible happened, I was going to BQ.  I reminded myself that a 3:32 or 3:34 was totally okay as a finish time and ...wait.  NO.  WHAT THE FUCK RAE.  I did NOT come this far to settle here. This was a mental low.  I needed to remember my WHY.  

And I thought about one of my favorites....a mantra used by someone I admire a great deal that I met  recently....and I love it.  Whenever he gets low, he channels Mia Hamm's words.... I put in the work.   I built the fire.  And it was time to LIGHT THIS MATCH. Let's DO this!  

And with that, I picked the pace back up. This was GONNA HAPPEN.  I was READY.   I hit mile 25 (the race mile 25) in 3:20 flat and I knew I could hit that 3:30.  I took off my last throwaway layer and proudly sported my Raise singlet.  My 8:05 pace became a 7:55 pace, and I saw my friend Laura at mile 26 (with Greg, who was filming and I totally missed!) and was ALL. GRINS. 

 The last mile was surprisingly uphill (WTF) but I didn't care.  My mp3 player changed over and I was ready for some SERIOUS INSPO a la Rocky style when...."Put it in Your Mouth" came on.  OMFG.  Seriously??  This song had some pretty great connotations from a few triathletes in my life (yeah, we are so mature) but also, most recently, my badass friend Jennie who joked that we would have that stuck in our head all day race day (she did IM Cozumel the same day).  I burst into laughter and then shut off the music - I didn't need it - and dropped my pace even further, crossing the line in 3:29:57 - per my Garmin - all. freaking. smiles. (Actually, the photos suggest I smiled the whole race, which is pretty accurate.  I had the damned time of my life!)

Post Race

HOLY SHIT DID THAT JUST HAPPEN???  As soon as I hit stop, I realized a few things.  I just absolutely KILLED my goal - Boston Qualifying by ten minutes.  I hit my A goal of 3:30 (official race time was 3:30:08 so I must have hit my Garmin a little late to start) and ran 26.38 miles at a 7:58 pace. A SUB 8 PACE FOR 26.38 MILES.

 OH MY GOD!!  I won't lie guys, I started to well up to cry ugly tears.  The guy next to me who had also just finished and I had a hug it out moment and I told him how amped I was - random strangers at the finish line are the best.  I smiled for a few photos in a daze, then started chattering uncontrollably. I had the sense to keep moving - sadly past the post race food of bananas and granola bars (WTF).  I was able to grab some chicken broth, which was a lifesaver.  Grabbed my morning bag and found Greg, who gave me the biggest hug and helped me put on some warm clothes. This guy was all over the place and the best damned sherpa a girl could ask for.  THANK YOU!

I'd like to say that we immediately found a shuttle and got warm but - when in Philly.....well, you know.  Of COURSE I ran the Rocky steps!! I was so damned happy, you guys - and probably a little delirious.  After doing the thing, we found a shuttle bus, got our car, and headed home - with the biggest smile on my face!

It's easy to pull apart a race after the fact and say "what could I have done".  I know the peanut gallery at home thinks I went out too fast, and maybe I did.  But with the course elevation (which was NOT flat at 955 ft, most of that between miles 8 and 19), the layout, and the placement of the winds, I think I did exactly what I needed to. 

 Split in half, I ran a 1:43/1:47, and my last 6 miles were faster than the six miles that preceded them.  I never hit a wall.  My heart rate was in zone 2/3, save for 4 miles at zone 4 on a hill.  My effort level for the whole race was 5-7/10.  I honestly - wouldn't change a thing.  And even though there's a 1% piece of me that wishes I would have an "official" time of 3:29, there was an extra .08 mile between miles 26 and the finish that I didn't expect, I went off my watch time, and I would honestly - change nothing.  Totally out of my control.  And seriously, who slams an A goal then complains about it?? 

Six days later, I still can't run.  My legs are doing alright - but the rest of my body is in need of a rest. The weather, wind, and race effort completely tapped me.  I spent a few days low key sick, and I'm honestly not sure I've even eaten enough to adequately re-up my stores.  Food has been hit or miss.  This is a new one for me - I've never felt like this post race.   And....I don't care at all.  I have never walked away from a race all smiles and not wanted to change a thing.  And I still am in utter shock that I will be running the Boston Marathon in 2024 - I can't believe it.

What's next?  Off season, baby.  I've spent a lot of time this week sleeping, recovering, and spending quality time with my family and friends amidst the holiday.  I'll go low key for a few more weeks then kick it off mid December for 2023.  And what about that?  Well, that's a post for another day.  Today - we are still all smiles and my heart...well that's in Philadelphia.