Goals for the Broad Street Run

How is it already time for the Broad Street Run?

This is crazy!  The ultimate Philadelphian race is taking place this Sunday and I just can’t wrap my head around it.  It’s been an extremely busy month, with a 10 miler, half marathon relay, and 5K done on back-to-back weekends.  But this is a very special race, so I’m sharing my goals with you!

[bctt tweet=”Hard to believe the Broad Street Run is this weekend! Check out my goals for the race! #run215 #broadstreetrun” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]

Goals for the Broad Street Run

2016 will mark the third time that I’ve had run the Broad Street Run 10 miler.  It is a HUGE race and my understanding is that over 41,000 runners made the lottery this year.  It’s a one-of-a-kind experience and I’m grateful that I was selected this year to be a part of it!

Racing Strategy:

When I signed up for the lottery, I must have given myself a time around 1:45.  Because of that, I was placed in the Yellow Corral, which is the second last corral.  That means it could be over an hour that I’ll be waiting before I cross the start line.  I’m still on the fence of whether I should change my assignment at the expo this weekend.  Starting later isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but I don’t want to keep Bret waiting too long since he’s running the race too!

So here’s what I think I plan to do:

• Start near the front of the corral to avoid getting lost in the crowd.
• Don’t start out too fast – ease into my pace for the first 2 miles.
• If I feel good, keep pushing and doing the best I can.
• Enjoy the sights, the crowd support, and finish with a smile!

Fueling and Hydration:

While I am loving the Orange Mud Hydraquiver that I recently reviewed, I am going to use the Nathan belt to hydrate during Broad Street to play it safe!  I will also use the Clif Shotbloks every 3 miles for fuel.

Earlier this week, the weather was shaping up to be perfect for BSR, but now it looks like we’ve got a high chance of rain ALL DAY.  I’m a little bit concerned, especially since it’s already a pain in the morning standing around and being surrounded by so many people.  Adding rain to the mix will definitely make things worse.  I’ve actually never run a race in the rain so I’m probably due, but I’m still hoping for a miracle!

A Sentimental Race:

I may have mentioned this before, but the Broad Street Run was my first big race.  It is what inspired me to form my own running club at work and was really the kickoff of my running journey, which has been going strong for over 5 years now.  So this race really means a lot to me.

I’ve come a long way since that first race where I wore the official Broad Street shirt (such a rookie mistake!).  I ran that race in 1:39:57, and it does make me a bit sad that I’m not much faster than I was 5 years ago.  I was also 15 pounds lighter than I am now!

So I would really, really love to have a PR on Sunday.  I got really close at Cherry Blossom and the weather was much worse than it will be for Broad Street.  But I just don’t know if I’ve been running enough this past month.  I’m still in disbelief that my races have been going so well, so I’m scared that this will be the end of my streak.  1:37:XX would be amazing, but who knows what will happen…I just can’t obsess about it.

On the other hand, I could use this race as a regular training run, enjoy the scenery, and take away the pressure.  When I ran the RNR DC half marathon this way, I had an incredible experience, better than I could have ever expected!

I know I want to have a good race, but I just don’t know which way to go yet!

Week 3 Training Recap:

Wednesday 4/20:  I went to weight training class where we focused on triceps.  We started off with 100 pushups.  Seriously!  I got to 67 before I had to finish on my knees, so I was pretty proud of that.  Then in the evening, Bret and I went for a 4-mile run.

Thursday 4/21:  It was a traveling day, so no workouts.

Friday 4/22:  Nebraska!  Bret’s mom was having a farm sale so we were put to work!  Lots of lifting and carrying items from the house that would be sold, and even though I didn’t run I clocked in over 11,000 steps.  I was glad that I was able to help out.

Saturday 4/23:  We had a wedding to attend up in Omaha, so minus a couple of slow dances, I didn’t get to work out.

Sunday 4/24:  4-mile run back at Bret’s family home.  You know I love running in Nebraska, but for whatever reason my calves aren’t the craziest about it!  We had some intense winds pushing against us on the way back, but I was glad to get it done!

Monday 4/25:  I knew I was in need of a long run so we ran 6.75 miles.  It was a gorgeous day but it was another tough run and I did have to stop a couple of times for a break.  The dirt road and hills did eventually get easier on my calves, but again, it was tough!

Tuesday 4/26:  We had our first softball game of the season, but the rainstorms kept me home!  We were so busy that day since we just made it back home that afternoon, so it was good to just relax.

Wednesday 4/27:  I went for a brief weight training session after work.  I was going to possibly join City Fit Girls for a run, but once I got home, I got caught up with doing a bunch of errands.  Oh well…

Week 3 Report Card:

In case you forgot, I am also in “training mode” for the 1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut Half Marathon, which is a race that I’m really excited about! But it’s hard to tell with these lackluster training weeks that I’ve had.

Even when I’m really busy, I always make time for my runs when I’m in training mode.  But this hasn’t been the case.  I’ve been “taking it easy” all month and haven’t started using Jason of Strength Running’s training plan yet.

I’m glad that I got in a somewhat “long run” while in Nebraska, but the whole month has been a taper.   So my report card for this past week is a C, the first I’ve had in an extremely long time.  We’ll have to see what happens at the Broad Street Run.

If you were in my shoes, would you use Broad Street as a training run or go all-out for the PR?