I woke up at 4.45 yesterday. Dressed, ate some oatmeal, and stretched. My roommate and I left the house at 5.40 and got on the bus headed to Fairmount Park West, where the race started. We met up with our classmate who was running with me, stretched, and at 7 am exactly were off. After two minutes of running she turned to me and said, “It’s like breathing water!” The high was supposed to be 90 degrees.

I did the Broad Street Run, which is ten miles, in 1’25” without stopping ever or even slowing down. By about mile 3 yesterday I had to stop and walk. I kept trying to make myself slow down, but somehow that’s harder than it sounds. My legs were tired and I couldn’t keep my breath in a steady rhythm. Around mile 6 the course turns around and heads back in the direction it came from. My friend and I passed each other and seeing her gave me a boost to push through. Running faster actually helped some.

At mile 7.5 they had the first Gatorade station. And that’s where things get fuzzy.