Monday, November 3, 2014

One Twin Runs Philly Marathon




I'm in training to run my 5th Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, November 23. It's also my 15th marathon since 1995 and my 2nd attempt to BQ this year. 

My 1st attempt to BQ was at the inaugural Rivanna Greenbelt Marathon on September 6 in Charlottesville. Six out of 12 finishers BQ'd (50% BQ Rate - WOW!) at the inaugural race directed by Leah! Alas, I was not one of them. Sigh. :-( 

Unfortunately, I suffered from the heat, humidity and the worst GI issues ever during a race. I was very grateful that the race director (AKA my twin, Leah) kept the clock running (even though the time limit was 4 hours). Thanks, Leah! I barely finished last (4:23:56) but I finished. In retrospect, it might have been a better decision to drop out but I haven't been able to practice what Leah preaches. ;-)  

While the Philadelphia Marathon may not be on par with other big city marathons, it's still one of my favorite marathons. I actually like the out and back portion on Kelly Drive - it's easier for me to get in the "zone" on a familiar course with less distractions.  


I ran my 1st Philly Marathon with Leah in 2008 (4:16:37). It was so brutally cold that I kept all my layers on for the entire race!

I ran my 2nd Philly Marathon by myself in 2011 (4:40:59). I didn't train at all, so I was lucky to finish under 5 hours without seriously injuring myself. It's too painful to remember so I'm grateful there are no photos available. ;-) 

I ran my 3rd Philly Marathon with Team Lemon in  2012 (4:00:57). This was my PR at the time and I was so grateful to be close to the magical sub-4 time!

I ran my 4th Philly Marathon with Team Lemon in 2013 (4:04:04) - otherwise know as my "May the 4s be with you" marathon. ;-) I have to admit, I was somewhat disappointed to finish slower than the year before. On a positive note, I acually enjoyed the race and finished without injuring myself so that's always a good finish! :-)

This year, I hope to raise more money to fight childhood cancer while I race towards a BQ*! (*Boston Marathon Qualifying Time of <3:45:00). 

While I failed miserably at my first BQ attempt this year at the Rivanna Greenbelt Marathon, I am ready to try one more time this year.


In case you didn't know, Leah and I deemed ourselves "TWINS RUN in Our Family" so that we could share our running experiences and our support for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation on social media.

In addition to our blog, we're on TwitterInstagramPinterest and Facebook, too! Since 2012, our friends and followers have helped us raise $2,121 to help fight childhood cancer!

Can you help me reach my goal of $100?

No donation is too small to fight childhood cancer!



Text E1120912 to 85944 to donate $10 by phone!

Donate $2, $5, $10, $20 or more online:
http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1120912

Thanks so much for your support!
 

1 comment:

Nathan said...

What a great list of bloggers! There are so many bloggers out there and it's hard to keep track of everyone! Thanks for this list and for including me!
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