There was just one word to describe the race yesterday. Hot!

When I stepped outside at 5:30AM, it was already 70 degrees and the race didn’t start for another 3 hours. It was raining a little, but it stopped once I parked at the stadium and rode SEPTA to the starting line.

By the time I found my corral, I had about 2 hours to spare so I very happily sat down and enjoyed the weather before I actually had to run in it. It was cloudy for the most part, but as soon as the race started the sun came out.

Check out the line for the bathrooms!

Crowd before the race started.

I did really well the first 2 miles, and then it went downhill from there. It was so hot out and I made sure I was getting enough water but I knew that if I didn’t slow down and walk more, I probably wouldn’t make it to the finish line.

They had fire hydrants spraying water at almost every mile. I was so grateful for that!

Here’s the only picture I took during the race:

Miles 3 to 5 were a blur. I walked more, and since I knew I wouldn’t PR in this heat, I said screw it and just have fun the rest of the race. I enjoyed the views, listened to my music, and ran through every fire hydrant that was spraying water. I saw one woman collapse a little after mile 5. That worried me a little, I had never see someone collapse during a race before especially since we were only at the halfway mark.

A little before mile 6 I had to make use of the nearest bathroom, so I lost about 10 minutes there waiting in line.

Miles 6 to 8 were accompanied by wonderful breezes and more spectators.

Mile 9, I was extremely happy to have only one mile left because I was longing for my air-conditioned car! I also saw another woman collapse. It made me wonder how many others had pushed themselves too hard in this heat.

The last .5 mile I focused on one woman in front of me to “beat,” which I did and crossed the finish line a little over 2:15.

Considering the heat, walking, and waiting for 10 minutes in the porta potty line. I think I did pretty good!

I immediately grabbed a water. They were also handing out pretzels which tasted amazing to me. My stomach started growling right before the race started, not good!

I really liked the course. It was flat, downhill, and only a few very small hills. I will definitely consider doing this race again next year, especially if it’s 20 degrees cooler!

I also made a video.

Today also marks the one year since I ran my first half marathon, recap here.