Classic Broads

Sunday will be my third chance to run from Central High School to the Philadelphia Naval Yard, also known as The Broad Street Run. I feel more prepared this year than I did in the previous two & I’m looking forward to it. Although, I’m going to miss running with my niece Marie (she’s sidelined with an ankle injury).

I’m reminded of the first time I ran Broad Street. I wasn’t running/training too much, and this was my first run further than a 5K since I was probably in my teens. I felt even more ill-prepared as a group of us headed for the Septa trains to take us up to the start while everyone was trading their training stories. I got the same exact feeling that I did when I would head into an exam that I hadn’t studied for. By the time we got to the starting line at Central High, I was on the verge of a panic attack. As I calmed myself down, taking deep breaths, I remember thinking "Well, there’s only one way to get home. You gotta run the full ten miles my boy." Strangely, the inevitability made me feel a lot better. With that, my buddy Rick walked up to me, leading to this exchange:
Rick: You ready for this?
Me: Yeah, I think so.
Rick: See City Hall? (At this point City Hall looks like a distant blip on a radar).
Me: Yeah.
Rick: That’s about the halfway point.
Me: (Trying not to throw up) Wow.

The other highlight of the 2007 Broad Street Run occurred in South Philly while I was struggling to get to the finish line. I was around mile eight, dead tired & sore. While thinking, "What the hell did I get myself into?" I glanced over to one of the several churches that line Broad Street. As Mass was letting out, an older Italian woman was standing on the steps of this church with a cigarette in one hand & a lighter in the other. She shouted out in a voice seasoned by a lifetime of red wine, unfiltered cigarettes & pasta fagioli: "Keep going hun, you look great! (she takes a deep drag off her cigarette, so much so the clouds overhead move toward her) keep going hun!" It was a uniquely Philly experience & made me laugh & got me through the last few miles.

Last year we had a great idea to do the Broad Street Run, then walk over to watch the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. As fun as the game was to attend with my son Gavin, my sister Mary Pat & my niece Marie, around the third inning, all I wanted was a shower & a couch. This year, we’ll watch the Phillies take on the stinking Mets from home, post-shower.

It looks like iffy weather for Sunday, but still I can’t wait to get to the start with some friends, Rob, Colleen, Rick, Sona, Rob Haney, Kate, Ron, Harry, my brother in-law Joe Fleming & my neighbor Tom Mulligan.

Good luck to all & see you at McFadden's.
Pat