Rest Day

Almost rest...

4 X Max Pushups with full rest

43, 33 (only took about 5 minutes rest on this one), 46, 42

Tomorrow is the 10 mile Broad Street Run. I wish this run was supposed to benefit something, because then at least I could rationalize the clusterf*** that goes on prior to and during this race. They capped the race at 30,000 people this year, which is almost 7000-8000 more than last year. I thought last year was unbearable. 45 minute waits for bathrooms, weekend warriors who drastically over-estimate how fast they'll run, endless traffic jams, and a long, stressful journey up the Broad Street subway line. If I was allowed to piss on the street, I would consider this the closest resemblance to a cattle herding as humanly possible.

My aggravation really started this year with the drive down to Lincoln Financial Field: gear grinder #1. Charge me a couple extra bucks and mail the damn race bib to my house. What ever happened to finishers picking up their T-shirts AFTER they finish the race. I sat in an immovable, unavoidable traffic line while trying to park at the football stadium because everyone was fighting for the closest spot to the entrance. Only one aisle over, there was at least 100 empty spots, but people were more content to sit in their air conditioning then walk an extra hundred yards. Maybe I'm wrong and they are taking every effort to taper.

I soon realized why they want you to drive all the way down to the stadium. Upon picking up your race bib and T-shirt, you have to traverse the gauntlet of race sponsors. This is an adventure in and of itself. I had a few close calls with the skin chaffing cream guy and the massage stick girl, but I made it out all right. At least it was better than the Philly Distance Run expo, held at the Philadelphia Convention Center. They expect thousands of paying customers to drive into center city and find parking just to pick up their race essentials. What a crock.

Still, this race is becoming one of the most popular races in the country, mostly because of its face straight haul down Broad Street. The elevation is a net decline, which makes for some of the fastest 10 mile times out there, and tons of PRs if you can stick close to the front of the herd.

With all this being said, it's hard to miss this race. It really is a great chance to see the city during a Sunday morning run. Unfortunately, I haven't run more than 5 miles in almost 3 months and while my ankle feels good for now, I'm sure I would re-injure it if I pushed myself during the latter portion of this race. With all advice to the contrary, I'm sure that's just what I'll do.