After touring the city all day yesterday on foot – not to mention I ended last weekend’s race in Charlotte, ankle wrapped in ice (Achilles injury) – didn’t know what to expect today physically. Mentally however woke STRONG & ready to run.
Hoteled downtown, only a mile from today’s race start/finish (just past Rocky near the Philly Museum of Art).
Hilly course, lotta runners…super crowded field. Windy weather, layered up, wore gloves entire race. Philadelphia Mayor Nutter shook every Finisher’s hand. Super classy. LOVE LOVE my Liberty Bell finishers medal. Additionally, hotel allowed late check-out, so caught a shower before hurrying home for the short holiday work week. Next weekend? Nada. Eat, sleep, repeat 🙂
Race Results
4496 K R HAGA Louisville, CO 4:32:53
On behalf of Mayor Nutter, Race Director Desiree Peterkin-Bell and the entire GORE-TEX® Philadelphia Marathon Team – Thank you for joining us in Philly for Race Weekend 2015!
Social Media Recap: Marathon 47 – done; 11 straight weeks marathoning – done; all East Coast states – marathon’d & done; windy November day in Philly, 2nd largest race field behind NYC, rolling hills but not West Virginia Appalachia hills – HA! – so much to be thankful for this holiday season. Bring on the turkey – Bubba’s gonna eat this Thanksgiving 🙂 — at Philadelphia Marathon.
funny marathon story/embarrassing but true – near the start of the race, I saw a group of runners stretching. Good idea, right? so I randomly join their pack & follow the leader’s instructions. Exercise over, leader asks us all to form a circle. Ok, little weird but live & let live, right? Folks bow their heads & start what I think is a prayer. No harm in praying, right? but EVERYONE knows the chant.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Next, club announcements & congrats to individuals. little awkward ⇨ super awkward: I really really shouldn’t be here. Yep, accidentally crashed an AA meeting half-hour before the start of my 47th marathon. LOL>
-
- marathon #47, 11 straight race weeks & all East Coast states D-O-N-E. FAAANNNTASTIC!
-
- crashed an AA meeting, 30 minutes prior to Start
-
- quick exit, awkward moment
Advertised as North Carolina’s toughest road race – was NOT the reason I chose Thunder Road as my NC marathon. Selected NC’s most economical place to fly, Charlotte. Sometimes it comes down to $$.
Tenth week marathoning – would be my shortest time away. In Friday afternoon, out 25 hours later.
Taxi’d uptown, bib pick-up, hotel check-in, NASCAR. When in Charlotte, gotta visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Redneck paradise. [joking] actually kinda interesting. History of car racing, followed by rows n rows of vintage cars – not so much – but the racing simulator…fun time, highly recommended.
Early to bed, early to rise. Scored late hotel check-out. Tomorrow’s marathon goal: run fast enough to catch a shower before flying home 🙂 [this Fall’s all-East Coast running theme]
Saturday, woke to sunshine & unseasonably warm temps. Running in November, never know what you’re gonna get (even in South). On my way to the Start, walked past Bank of America Stadium – NFL home of the Carolina Panthers. Nice digs. This town loves their sports.
Start/finished at BB&T BallPark, Charlotte’s triple A baseball stadium. Again, nice digs. Not a lotta marathon participants (< 1,000) especially for such a large city – but great crowd support. Thanks Charlotte! Hills seemed never ending but that’s become 2016 standard – from Vermont & San Francisco to Ohio & West Virginia…I’ve seen a lotta hills this year.
Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon
Charlotte, NC Nov 14, 2015 7:30AM
418 K R HAGA » Marathon » Louisville, CO » 04:27:51
Social Media Recap: #46 in the books – only 5 states to go (PA TN HI IL & CO); beautiful weather, whole lotta hills, whole lotta music & great crowd support. Go Charlotte, nicely done! Ended in the medic tent, needed to ice the Achilles – 10 weeks of marathoning taking its toll. Doc says keep it iced all week & should be fine for Philly next Sunday. Cut more than 10 minutes off last week’s finish time. Celebrating with French onion soup & oysters. FAAAANNNTASTIC!
Next weekend: Philadelphia
-
- all revved for tomorrow’s marathon in Charlotte NC, home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame – didn’t know what to expect after totaling my car on Monday…but completely off meds & feeling STRONG!
-
- start & finish from Charlotte’s Triple A [baseball] home
-
- #46 in the books – only 5 states to go! Ended in the medic tent, needed to ice the Achilles – 10 weeks of marathoning taking its toll. Cut more than 10 minutes off last week.
-
- Good nite, Charlotte — next stop: Denver
-
- LOVE these faces 🙂
730am marathon start. After mini-touring DC in the rain Saturday, super happy to see sunshine. Running alongside the Potomac would make for a scenic run – even for a loop course. Adams County (Amish) Marathon in Ohio’s been my only loop course to date. Ran 2 loops there – gotta say I struggled mentally to go out that second lap while others were finishing the Half. Today I’d run 4 loops.
(per Ashton) Couldn’t run all 50 States yet skip marathoning our nation’s capital, right? Googled searched & located a small ‘trail’ race in its 2nd year – C&O Canal Towpath Marathon, 15 minutes from the White House. Pretty cool, huh? Count me in. Not easy to locate an all District of Columbia marathon. Most start and/or finish in Virginia – technically, can’t be counted as DC.
This race takes place in its entirety in Washington DC on the flat dirt and crushed stone surfaced C&O Canal Towpath. 3.28 miles of the towpath will be used for this event. Runners will head southeast from the start to the Francis Scott Key Bridge at which point runners will turn around and head northwest on the towpath. After running 3.28 miles northwest, runners will again turn around and head back southeast towards the start/finish line. Upon reaching the start/finish line runners will have completed a quarter marathon – or one course loop.
With a total elevation gain of only 528 feet, today’s run would rank as the flattest race of my 50 States [+DC] Quest AND also the swampiest. Yesterday’s monsoon left lotta standing water & an all mud trek to Francis Scott Key Bridge. Cool morning temps + sunshine trumped any negativity re: trail conditions. Overall, mighty nice day. Lot more laid back than last Sunday’s NYC Marathon — HA! Snapped a finish pic by the historic Abner Cloud House. Small races are always the best races 🙂
Sunday, Nov 8, 2015
C&O Canal Towpath Marathon and Half Marathon
Washington DC • Marathon
K Haga 4:39:55
Body still a bit jacked after running 26.2 miles…but couldn’t leave without seeing Lincoln, Jefferson & Washington Monuments – AND share dinner with cousin Chuck & family in nearby Frederick MD. Sleep & a shower are a time luxury 🙂
-
- District of Columbia! Sunny & cool, whole lotta mud from yesterday’s precip. Post-marathon lasagna & a 3 mile monument walk (couldn’t leave without seeing Lincoln & Jefferson Memorials). 9th weekend marathoning, only 2 more til Thanksgiving break! — at Abner Cloud House.
-
- race takes place in its entirety in Washington DC on the flat dirt & crushed stone surfaced C&O Canal Towpath
-
- trail marathon along the Potomac — only 15 minutes from the White House!
-
- medal magic: 50 States PLUS DC
