Broad Street Run Recap

It may have taken me nearly the whole time- but I finished the race! And most importantly to me, I ran the WHOLE thing. I'll back track a little: Sunday, May 6th was the annual Broad Street Run, and for the first time ever, I was a runner!

Last year, my boyfriend, Dan, decided to train for the Broad Street Run, the largest 10 miler in the country that takes place right here in Philadelphia. I was so proud and happy for him when he crossed that finish line, that I said, "Tiff- put down the mimosa, and do this next year."

To my surprise (I've never been a runner), with the support of my family and friends, I began to train for the race in mid February, 2018. I began my training journey with what seemed like the best idea- putting my jacket over the treadmill screen and running until I needed to stop. When I removed my jacket I was at 2 miles! For me, this was a victory in itself.

After this initial run, I began to go for runs at least 4 times a week, practicing in hilly parts of the city to prep me for a flat Broad Street. In mid March, I completed my first 5 miles, and in the second week of April, I ran my first 8.25 miles in under 2 hours. I was thrilled. Knowing I could do the distance without stopping was the biggest relief. I was asked about my training plan, which, in my case, was listening to my body and running almost every day. Even if I came home from work exhausted, I pushed myself to do at least one mile to keep conditioning.

The day of the race, I was amazed at how training with hills had paid off. The flatness of the route was much easier than I had anticipated and allowed me to comfortable jog the first 4 miles. Around mile 7 I felt the tiredness kick in, but I stayed hydrated, and of course, motivated by those lining the streets to cheer us on.

My favorite part of the whole entire race, was mile 9, when I saw my mother, brother, and his girlfriend cheering me on and waving as I ran by. When I finally crossed that desired finish line, I felt accomplishment, pride, and was grateful. Until next year, Broad Street!