Rock n Roll Philadelphia was a huge running success for me, and the great race Competitor Group put on didn't hurt any either. I was looking forward to the fast course, and was very confident in my ability to set a new PR and possibly break the 1:45 mark.

I headed straight downtown for Packet Pick-Up from Virginia Beach, parked in a $24 lot and walked into the Convention Center hoping for short lines and a quick return to my car. I got one of the two. Packet Pick-Up was easy, although after retrieving your race number and timing tag, you had to make two other stops to acquire the rest of your goodies. This area was fairly clear of crowds and the volunteers moved everyone right along. Perfect! I would be in and out in no time. Exiting the swag station of the large expo, I discovered that getting out of the convention hall would be difficult. The floor was laid out to force expo attendees to walk through the vendor areas, and with thousands of people browsing merchandise, trying to find a friend, searching for a cashier or stopping in the middle of an intersection, it was a real pain trying to get out. I eventually got back to the car and made for Mom and Dad's B&B.

Arriving at my lodging, scanning through my swag bag (nothing very exciting) and taking an overdue shower, I checked out the weather prediction before choosing my race attire. A Start Time temperature of 52 degrees gave me all the information I needed to pick out light weight capri pants, a sweat wicking tank top and a Phillies visor. I laid my compression socks on top of the pile and bounced down the stairs for a delicious pre-race dinner. Plenty of water and a few minutes of college football got me ready for a good night's rest.

An 8am start time meant a normal wake-up call, no pressure breakfast and enough time to readjust the alignment of my pinned on number. The 50 degree temperature outside was glorious and I threw my trusty Eagles hoodie on over my race number decorated tank top. Getting a ride downtown from Mom, there was little traffic on the expressway, but the closer we got to the Start/Finish area, the slower things got. People were streaming in from all corners of the city and cabs were off loading runners everywhere you looked when my support team and I hopped out of the car to begin our walk towards the Port-a-Potties and 24 start corrals. The Philadelphia Police Department did they best they could controlling the mayhem of confused drivers and blinking traffic signals, and as far as I know, successfully prevented anyone from getting run over before the race began.

Dropping in with the crowd, we moved along Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards the massive rows of potties around the Start area. The lines we saw first were quite lengthy and didn't seem to be moving very fast, so with 45 minutes before Start Time, we took a pre-race walk around Eakins Oval. We passed several more groups of toilets with long lines and noticed there was even a line to have your photo snapped with the famous Rocky statue. I'm sure a few of the Rocky fans thought about running up the big Art Museum steps, but having run those horrible stairs a thousand times, I hope they held out until after their 13.1 mile race. After this little walk, I made a b-line towards the back of the first set of Port-a-Potties I could see, but walking around to the front, all I found was a big mess.

This big mess was a conflagration of gear and toilets that I wanted no part of. Definitely one of the worst areas logistically, the Gear Check vans were located directly across a grassy area from one of those long rows of Port-a-Potties. When lines for both started to pile up, it was quite the traffic jam. I gave up my attempt to use one of the mobile restrooms in this area after not being able to find the end of a line and was glad to not be checking anything. This space definitely needs to be redesigned for next year. Continuing to search for a Potty, I traveled away from the Start line and eventually found a swiftly moving line behind Corral 24. Restroom duties complete, we started the trek back towards Corral 6 with plenty of time to navigate through the crowd.

Finding and hopping into the well marked Corral 6 was an exercise in not crashing into people, but once I stepped in, the cramped space wasn't so bad. I stretched out my hips and jumped around to stay warm after removing my nice fuzzy hoodie, and after a few race announcements I couldn't really understand came over the loud speaker, the National Anthem was sung. The next notable thing I heard was a "Runners Set" and off Corral E went, but those of us in Corral 6 Ready to go!stayed put for another two minutes. Since we weren't moving towards the line yet, I wasn't sure how often waves were going to be sent out and asked those around me. To my dismay, the horde of people encroaching on my personal space had absolutely no response. Very anti-social.

My silent Corral 6 compatriots and I didn't get released until 8:08, which was just fine by me. The vocally challenged runners that surrounded me while listening to the National Anthem, however, felt the need to start running almost a tenth of a mile before crossing the Start. I got swept up with them, jogged across the timing sensors and immediately starting passing people who were wearing numbers that should have had them 15 Corrals behind me. That traffic didn't let up until almost a mile in, and zigzagging my way around walkers and 9 minute milers definitely cost me, especially when I was forced wide around two thirds of the turns in the city.

The flat course started by sending runners straight into the city and around City Hall. The Parkway was lined with spectators, but as we went further from the Start, the crowd started to sputter out. Running around City Hall, the Philadelphia Police Department did a great job managing traffic and the race photographers made themselves plain to see for those who wanted some good race pictures. I continued to pass people who should have started far behind me and was glad when we started heading back out of the city down the same Parkway we had started with. I finally got a little running room as the road widened and the turns stopped, plus there were quite a few cheering fans, especially as we passed the Finish area and was really able to get into a groove. After passing the Start/Finish area at mile 4.5, I had plenty of running room as we ran by Boat House Row and alongside the Schulkyil River, where there was plenty of enthusiasm from the bands and volunteers at their stations. Between mile markers, there wasn't much crowd support, but I did notice there were Port-a-Potties almost every mile and they seemed to be getting good use.

The curvey roads of East and West River Drives were best traveled in straight lines, and that's what I did. While those who hugged the curb from downtown to the Falls Bridge took lots of extra steps in miles 5 through 9, and I picked up a few spots on the finisher's list by cutting straight across the crowd and street. Passing the 10K timing clock, I checked my watch to discover I had run an extra two tenths of a mile dealing with the traffic back in mile 1, but my pace was great and it looked like I was going to hit my goal of breaking 1:45. I hadn't stopped for water to this point, and ended up not doing it at all, but the water stations were well staffed and far enough apart that running down the middle of the road through them kept me away from stopping traffic.

Turning left onto the Falls Bridge at mile 9, I stayed in close to the corner and the sidewalk packed with fans gave me a little push. This tight turn put me back into a little traffic but it loosened right back up as I exited the bridge. A nice deep breath going downhill onto West River Drive made me think I was home free from there. I've run miles 9 through 13 a bazillion times and know that part of the course well. Through mile 11, my shins, calves and hips felt great, and although my left knee was a little achy, it wasn't bad until mile 12. I'm used to running the sidewalks on both sides of the River, so I had forgotten what I learned during last year's Philly Half Marathon. The banking of pavement just before running under the Girard Avenue Bridge is like running on a NASCAR track. It made my knee very angry last year, even though that race was a mess way before mile 11 (this curve came a little sooner in that course), and did the same this time. A left foot landing inches above my right got old quickly and I couldn't get through there fast enough. Luckily, my knee started to feel slightly better the second everything leveled out.

Knee pain partially relieved, it was a hop, skip and jump to the finish. At the 20K sign, I glanced at my watch and immediately started doing math. I was over a minute ahead of my goal time. My knee didn't feel that great, so I started tossing around the idea of taking a walking break. Well, being honest with myself, I knew that would be a disaster. I kept running on, knowing I was almost there and only a silly little hill stood between me and something to sit on. With at least that one minute to spare, I passed the mile 13 mark and saw the ramp that would take me under the Spring Garden Bridge and up a steep grade into the Finish. Coming around the curve and into that ramp, it was awesome to see the bridge loaded with fans and course lined with supporters. I ran hard through the Finish to hit the Stop button on my watch just as I crossed the sensor at 1:43:32 (officially a 1:43:42). Slowing to a walk, I went to take a better look at my time, almost elbowed another runner in the stomach (oops), and made straight for the medical tent.

I wanted to throw some ice on my knee, and saw heaven sent baby pools full of it right in front of me. I walked inside the tent and asked for a bag, which they didn't have, but I did get an empty Solo cup sleeve that did the job. Ice in hand, I was given my medal by a smiling volunteer and made for the Rock N Roll Philadelphia step and repeats. Official Race Photo taken, I gathered my ice from where I had set it down and continued my walk to pick up water, Gatorade, Power Bars, a banana, pretzels and a chocolate milk. Hands full, I saw my support team right at the end of the chute and thrust some of the items into his ownership. We headed for a picnic table across the shut down street and I plopped down with ice on my knee to remove my shoes, flip through my half mile splits (exactly what I had expected) and see what I had missed on my phone. Nothing exciting there, so I enjoyed my finish with a banana, pretzel and chocolate milk snack.

In a hurry to get back home for the Eagles game, I skipped the post-race party, but my support team, who had been hanging out near the Finish after watching the Elites cross (at around an hour) mentioned not seeing a beer tent anywhere. Sponsored by Michelob Ultra, I'm sure there was one, but I guess it was hiding. After setting my new PR, by five minutes (!), I wanted to celebrate by taking a hot shower and watching the Eagles get their second win of the season.

In the end, the Eagles didn't win, but I did. The medals, as usual with Rock n Roll, are really cool and the participant tech t-shirt is also really nice. I would definitely consider running this again, and far prefer the flat course to that of the Philadelphia Half Marathon. With 47 other states remaining on my list, running another Philadelphia, or Pennsylvania, race isn't my top priority, but if it was, this would be a winner.