Philadelphia’s Broad Street Run was the day I’d been waiting for since I began running over a year ago. In fact, I started running partly because so many of my friends were training for and running Broad Street. As I began to research training programs on the web, I was surprised to learn in how short a period one could go from the couch to a ten-miler. While I started running too late to participate in the 2009 event, I had this year’s race squarely in my sights from the start.
Since I had never been athletic, the idea of a ten-mile run had long seemed intimidating. Other people ran races like that; I did not believe that I, too, could become a member of the club. From the outside looking in, the barriers to entry seemed high. Yet from the inside, I’m surprised that more people don’t try it.
I began watching the weather about 10 days before the race. While one ought always to take long-range forecasts with a large block of salt, the initial signs seemed encouraging: overcast, even rainy, and on the seasonably cool side. So I was caught somewhat by surprise when, as race day approached, the forecast changed to high heat and humidity.
My race preparations began in earnest, then, on Friday evening, when I had my final pre-race beer and began drinking lots of water. The word was out to all runners: hydrate! hydrate! hydrate! And so I continued throughout Saturday and Sunday morning before the race.
I had hoped to get a good night’s sleep two nights before the race, but, unfortunately, I was unable to rest well (for reasons that had nothing to do with the race). Even attempts to nap on Saturday came to naught, and, as is not uncommon for runners the night preceding a race, sound sleep also eluded me that evening.
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