The Philly 10K: The Philly-est race you can run

On Saturday, September 6, 3,000 runners took to the streets for the inaugural Philly 10K. Philadelphia Runner's first-ever road race was a huge hit. And as a 10K first-timer, I was so happy with my decision to use this race as my springboard into the amazing running scene that Philly has to offer.

Starting and ending in Passyunk Square, the race looped through 12 neighborhoods: South Philadelphia, Center City, Spring Garden, Old City, Society Hill, Bella Vista, Midtown, Callowhill, Queen Village Northern Liberties, Italian Market and Pennsport.

The sights along the course were exactly as advertised — There was Pat's and Geno's, the famous 4th Street Deli, and we even got a little taste of Broad Street for a block. (I almost tripped myself turning around to catch a glimpse of City Hall — what a view!)

I had thought — knowing how the Philadelphia Runner name carries a lot of weight around these parts — that this 10K would be a fun, short distance race for seasoned runners to add onto their already jam-packed fall racing schedule. (Hence, the reason the race sold out in about 30 minutes).

The tagline for the race ("On September 6th, the River Loop gets a day off") was certainly enough to lure all those veteran runners who have logged many a mile along the same course. So, I assumed that my fellow first-timers would make up a small percentage. Instead, it turned out to be the perfect mix of road warriors and newbies.

When I signed up for this race, I thought the September date meant there was a good chance it would be a beautiful Indian Summer kind of day.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  85 degrees with 88 percent humidity was not exactly the ideal experience. If I'm being  totally honest, the stretch along Spring Garden street, facing into the sun, on an already ungodly hot day was, in a word, brutal. Yet, the excitement of it all made the weather almost bearable.

Thoughts heard along the course:

"It's so hot."
"I wish there was another water station."
"It's so hot."
"This race is so hipster."
"I didn't know I could sweat this much."
"It's so hot."
"My apartment is right there and I need a bathroom."
"It's so hot."

Are you sensing a pattern?

However, at the post-race festival, every time I asked a runner if they would sign up again next year, the answer was always a resounding YES (but that could've been the Philadelphia Runner's Ale talking…)

One important lesson I learned: The last quarter-mile is the toughest.

When we rounded the corner onto Tasker Street, I knew (from staring at the course map a thousand times already) that we were in the home stretch and all I could think about was crossing the finish line. Once that bright blue banner came into my view, subconsciously, I started to pick up the pace. Luckily, my friend (a marathon finisher) reeled me back in — and boy am I glad she did, I would have never been able to sustain that pace for the last five blocks. That pesky finish turned out to be something of a mirage for me.

Now, I realize for the thousands of you that ran Broad Street, the Philadelphia Marathon or the Love Run last season, a 10K probably sounds a little bush league. But for me, a girl that's always opted to do bootcamp (or spin or yoga or just about anything else) instead of running, a 10K was a big deal.

The spirit of the race was to embrace the Philadelphia running community. And after successfully launching my racing debut with the Philly-est race around, I'm hooked.

If all goes according to plan, next up will be the Norcross Bridge Run in November, followed by my first Broad Street in May and then the Half Marathon in November 2015 (ok, maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself) — but these are a few goals I've had my hopes set on but could never quite pull the trigger to commit to.

I can only hope that my fellow first-timers had a similar experience, and will continue striding alongside Philly's awesome running community.

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