Race Recap & Review: 2018 Pittsburgh Half Marathon

A few months ago, I ran my fifth Steel Challenge in Pittsburgh, PA. While I've participated in Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend several times before, there's just something about this race that keeps me coming back for more- and 2018 was no different!

Flat runner for a 13.1 mile tour of the steel city.

This year, somehow, I ran a nine minute course PR and my second-fastest half marathon ever crossing in 2:30:01. In 26 half marathons, I've only run two of them in less than 2:31. Only two!

So how did this happen??

I have no idea! Seriously!

You might remember that somehow I also ran a 10 mile PR in March, just a few weeks before Pittsburgh. Can't say it was training- wasn't doing much. Can't say it was speed work- wasn't doing any. Can't say it was strength training or a special diet- definitely wasn't doing this- ha!

So what was it?

The magic of Pittsburgh. 😍

Really- I'm convinced this race and this city are magical.

And this year just had an extra dose of magic.

As per usual, Matthew and I met up with our running ohana early on that Sunday morning and then walked to the corrals together. Matthew and I had already decided to run separately so I dropped him off in C corral and continued walking to D corral with our friend Gloria.

We are pretty cute for 6 am :-)

We had made it into the corral pretty early so we had time to kill. I wandered up to the 2:30 pace group and kinda sorta thought I would hang with them for as long as I could. The pacers told me they would be straight running (I almost always run/walk) so I already had a feeling that this wasn't going to work out. But, when the race finally started and our corral finally got up to the start line, I joined the group and tried to keep up.

While the start of the race was just fine, by mile one I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group. And even though I'd gone in the corral, I had to go to the bathroom again; so shortly after the mile one sign I found a short port-o-potty line and spent about four minutes using the bathroom. By the time I rejoined the race, the pace group was long gone.

I put my headphones in, put my head down, and got to work chipping away at the miles. I soaked in all the sights around me, chatted with other runners (including Candi whom I met from instagram- I love the internet!), and slowly became aware of the fact that I was in PR territory.

My half marathon PR is 2:28:22 from the 2014 Shamrock Half Marathon. I know that to finish a half marathon in less than two hours and thirty minutes, each mile needs to be run at an 11:26 (or less) pace. And somehow, I was running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon with splits close to that target pace.

By mile six, I knew that a sub 2:30 half was actually possible. I stopped taking pictures and focused on getting to the finish line as quickly as I could. However, I did make a few very quick pit stops for a small cup of beer, a cupcake, and a jello shot from friends at mile 10. The people of Pittsburgh really know how to make a runner feel welcome!

Can you think of a better combo than cupcakes
and jello shots?

After the boost of seeing friends at mile 10, the next 3.1 miles flew by. I was still thinking I could get a sub-2:30 if I hustled that last mile. I summoned as much energy as I could, rounded the last corner, saw the finish line in the distance and sprinted as fast as one can after 13 miles, and finished in 2:30:01, just two seconds from a 2:29:59.

Check out that 10th anniversary bling.

While there was just a moment of disappointment from missing the sub-2:30, overall, I was absolutely elated that I had executed a race plan that worked and led to my second-fastest half marathon ever. In fact, my last mile was a 9:47! I can barely run a 9:47 on my best day!

After collecting my smiley cookie and other finisher foods at the end of the race, I walked over to the finisher's village to get my Steel Challenge medal and met up with Matthew.

Will run for smiley cookies.

Unfortunately, Matthew and I had to get right on the road so we weren't able to stick around after the race like we usually do. Instead, we celebrated our race victories on the PA turnpike with rest stop pizza on the way home. 😊

Mmmm, turnpike pizza. 

The Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend never disappoints. I am so grateful I've been able to have five years of memories and miles during this race weekend. If you are on the fence about putting this race on your calendar- don't hesitate! It's a phenomenal race weekend: well-organized, great runner swag, and challenging but fun courses.

Will we be back in 2019? Probably. I can't imagine where else we'd like to spend the first weekend of May! Besides on a cruise or in Disney World. 😉

Bridges for breakfast.

Thank you, Pittsburgh! 

Is there a race/race weekend you've done several times? What do you love about it?

Accountability Monday: 7/2/18

Good morning, friends!

With the summer heat reaching record highs this week, I hope you are all staying cool and hydrated wherever you are.

If you are training through the hot temperatures, here are a few tips to running safely in the heat:

• SLOW DOWN! Seriously, any time the temps are above 70 degrees, you should be slowing down by at least 30 seconds per mile. 
• Run in the coolest parts of the day- typically early morning or late evening. I'm particularly fond of running around 8:45 pm as I usually get to see some spectacular sunsets while enjoying the cooler weather.
• Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water (and/or beer!) before, throughout, and after your workout. I've been using my OrangeMud hydration vest on pretty much every run this summer. 

Ok, so back to last week's recap:

Training

Tuesday: 3.36 mile group run with Appalachia Running Company (ARC) and the Chambersburg Beer Runners, 11:02 overall pace

Saturday: 2.53 mile run, 11:58 overall pace

Tuesday's run was part of an Altra Running Demo at ARC so of course, I wanted to go to my second-ever group run and talk Altra with other runners. Typically, I do not participate in group runs. As a back-of-the-packer and run/walker, I usually find that at the smaller group runs in my rural area, there isn't anyone else there to run my pace and method with me. 

View from the back of the pack. And a tractor, because Pennsylvania.

But about a half mile in, I started chatting with another SparkleSkirt runner, Chrissy, and we ended up running the whole route together. We talked about runDisney, beer (she's a member of the Chambersburg Beer Runners), half marathons, and running as a back-of-the-packer. It was awesome!

After the run, Evan (the PA Altra rep) brought us some Troegs beer and ARC provided yummy snacks. We stood around and talked about ultra marathons, the newest Altra shoes, and swapped race stories. All in all, a pretty solid Tuesday night. 

The only thing better than running, talking about running. While drinking a beer. ;-)

Best Run

Tuesday's run, for all the reasons mentioned above, and because I was very happy with the 11:02 overall pace on a hilly route in humid weather.

Bravo Moment

Despite my current struggle with the scale, I've attended a Weight Watchers meeting the last three out of four weeks. Weekly weigh-ins are one of the keys to holding myself accountable and it's been great to get back into that routine; even if the results aren't always what I want. 

Quote of the Week

Presented without comment because I think it's that powerful. 

Have a great week! 

And happy early birthday, America! 🎇🗽🎆

Race Recap & Review: Capital 10 Miler

Last weekend, I finally got the chance to run the Capital 10 Miler in Harrisburg, PA. I volunteered for this race in 2015 and it's been on my "race bucket list" for a while.

I hadn't run a 10 mile race in four years; the last time was in 2014 at the Mission 10 Miler. That race brought a 2:06:55 finishing time; a time that I knew I could beat, once I decided to run a 10 mile race again.

Volunteering at packet pick-up in 2015.

For $50, I registered online for the Capital 10 Miler five days before the event. This race benefits the Open Stage of Harrisburg, a neat theater built into the bottom of a parking garage in the city of Harrisburg. The race is advertised as walker-friendly (as walkers could start at 8:15 while runners started at 9) and flat and fast.

On Saturday morning, I arrived to City Island (race start/finish) around 8:05, easily found a place to park, and then walked to the start to pick up my packet. Because of the time I arrived, I also got to cheer on the walkers as they started their race.

Packet pick-up was a breeze. I used the port-a-potties, checked out some merchandise from Run PA, and then headed back to the car to stay warm before the race started. I love smaller races- I didn't have to spend 40 minutes shivering in the cold waiting for a race to begin!

A view of Harrisburg across the Susquehanna River, taken from my vantage point on City Island.

Around 8:45, I left my car and walked the short distance to the starting line. While waiting to begin, I thought about what my goals would be for this race. My "C" goal was just to finish, as always. My "B" goal was to beat 2:05 and thus have a new PR from the 2014 race. And my kinda secret "A" goal was to finish in less than 2 hours. I typically don't put those kind of goals out into the universe; they usually stay in my thoughts, typically sorted as wishful thinking. But for whatever reason, right before the start, I posted to instagram and added my time goals.

Longest race since #wdwmarathon25 today- Capital 10 Miler. A goal is sub-2. B goal is sub-2:05. C goal is to finish. Let's go!

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Mar 31, 2018 at 6:11am PDT

Since this race had a relatively small field, about 500 runners, in no time at all, we were all across the starting line and starting our 10 mile journeys!

We began with an almost mile loop around City Island. I wanted to keep the first few miles at or around 12:00 min/mile pace so I started running conservatively. About a quarter of a mile in, I looked behind me and there was only one runner and the medical personnel on bikes- that was it. My plan of starting slow was working!

Proof that my feet do leave the ground when I run! Photo: Bill Bonney Photography

We hit mile one as we crossed the Walnut Street Bridge to the main part of Harrisburg. I looked at my watch- 11:27. Too. Damn. Fast. Even though I felt like I was going slow, I clearly wasn't going slow enough. So I decided to slow down even more to hit my target pace of around 12:00 minutes/mile.

Race route courtesy of my Garmin Forerunner :-)

The next few miles of the race were along the Susquehanna River and on a trail called "the Greenbelt." I was familiar with this part of the race since the Greenbelt is also included in the Harrisburg Half Marathon. My slow-down plan was working- miles 2, 3, and 4 were 11:50, 11:55, 11:39, respectively.

Bridges are my fave. Photo: Bill Bonney Photography

I hit mile 5 in just under an hour- my "A" goal was within reach! I knew if I just kept my paces under 12:00, I would be able to finish this race under 2 hours. From mile 5 on, I kept my mind distracted by calculating what time I'd need to reach the next mile marker to keep it under 12:00 minutes- I was actually shooting for 11:45 min/miles and that made the math more difficult in my head :-)

Part of the Greenbelt- and a train!

Runners passing each other on the sometimes very narrow trail.

What a beautiful day for running!

Around mile 6.5, I saw a group of people standing on the side of the race course- in running clothes and bibs- just casually drinking a beer. I figured they had already finished the race and were out cheering for other runners. But then one yelled to me, "Hey! Want a beer?" Obviously, you already know the answer to that question. :-)

I grabbed a Dogfish Head SeaQuench Ale and kept moving. I mean, I love craft beer, but I also had a PR to chase!

Mid-race beer is so refreshing.

I kept trucking along and hit mile 7 feeling great. Since there were only 3 miles left, I knew I could safely pick up the pace and not burn out too soon. I dug deep, starting running faster during my running intervals (my usual 30:30), and kept my focus on the finish line. My splits for miles 5 and 6 were 11:28 and 11:33.

Miles 7 (11:28) and 8 (11:20) were out and back on a bridge and then we turned back down the road towards the Walnut Street Bridge and the finish on City Island.

Knowing I only had two miles to finish, I poured everything I had into my legs and asked them to keep going to mile 10.

Heading back towards the city around mile 8.

As I raced towards the finish line, I took a glance at my watch for mile 9- 10:49. Holy crap! I just ran a 10:49 mile after 8 miles! This was the last bit of confidence boost I needed as I hustled towards the finish line.

I ran the last little bit on the river, turned left onto the Walnut Street Bridge, and then ran onto City Island to the finish line. I stopped my watch right after I crossed the finish- 1:53:56 with a last mile split of 10:10. I couldn't believe it- I had not just made my "A" goal; I'd absolutely crushed it! And ran a 10:10 mile after 9 miles!

I grabbed my medal and a bottle of water and then cried- I had a new 10 mile PR! It's been almost two years since I had any type of PR and this one was so unexpected. And I cut over 12 minutes off my previous 10 mile time.

They had a ton of food out for the runners- bagels, cookies, chips, fruit, etc. I grabbed a banana, took one last look at the Run PA shirts (and maybe bought one for Matthew!), and then headed back to my car.

Such a great race!

Overall, this was well-organized race. Everything about it was low-key and easy and I really enjoyed the course. While it was narrow at some points, I never felt too crowded because the field size was small. Would I do this one again? Absolutely! Flat, fast, cheap, and the potential of spectators with craft beer?! Sounds like a perfect race for me. If you ever find yourself in south central PA in late March, definitely check this one out.

And thank you for all of your comments and encouragement on social media last weekend- thanks for cheering me on!

Thank you! PRs are always better celebrated with friends!

So there you have it- the Capital 10 Miler is a beautiful race and a great place to get a 10 mile PR!



Have you ever run a 10 mile race? What do you think of that distance?

Accountability Monday: 4/2/2018

Good morning and happy spring! It's finally April! 

It almost feels like warmer weather is near!

I don't know about you, but I am ready for spring and new beginnings in the worst way! These past few winter months have been a struggle- I don't know why, but I've been slacking on workouts, eating healthy, tracking my food, etc. My pants don't fit anymore and I'm not super happy with how I look or feel these days. I think I'm up about seven pounds from this time last year but it feels like 20. 

Mood.

BUT! Something super cool happened this weekend- I got a new PR for the 10 mile distance!!!

PRs make me smile :-)

I'll write a full recap of the race later, but wow, what a day! I can't believe I got a new PR by over 12 minutes! There's something about crushing goals that makes you feel unstoppable; suddenly those seven pounds don't feel as heavy :-)

Training

Tuesday: 4 rainy miles on the trail, 11:15 pace

Thursday: 3.1 miles in new Altra Duos, 10:35 pace

Saturday: Capital 10 Miler race, 1:53:56, 11:24 pace

Solid week of running, solid week of fast (for me) paces, not-so-solid week of strength or cross training. 

Did you know the Altra Duos have the power of levitation? ;-)

Best Run

The Capital 10 Miler was phenomenal- I felt so fast and strong, especially the last three miles. Check out those splits- I ran a 10:10 after nine miles!

Bravo Moment

Last week at work was unnecessarily stressful- I chose to run instead of eating my feelings on Thursday evening. That's a win in my book. 

Quote of the Week

This one popped up in my instagram feed from Runner's World; so appropriate given this weekend's race. I can't wait to shatter more mental blocks and grind out some more PRs!

Have a great week, friends!

Word[less] Wednesday: 1/17/2018

Good afternoon, friends!

Since I haven't done one of these in a while (and because my WDW Marathon Weekend recaps aren't quite ready just yet), here's a few pictures of what's been going on in my world the last few weeks!

Still riding the high from marathon #4.

Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom is STUNNING. The rides were cool, too :-) 

I had TONS of fun at the Cigna Blogger Event! Stay tuned to find out exactly what's happening here :-)

I will never tire of showing my medals to Princesses.

Ever.

Epcot International Festival of the Arts was pretty neat- they had some excellent craft beers on tap.

Still our favorites.

Will run for fancy doughnuts.

We came back from Disney to TONS of snow- no problem for my Yaktrax Pros and Altra Paradigms :-) 

Lots of Disney recaps coming soon- promise!

What's been going on in your world these last few weeks?!

Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend Recap: Part 3 and Giveaway!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary entry to the Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Part 1 Recap
Part 2 Recap

Last Sunday morning, I woke up early, stiff and sore from running 15+ miles in the two days prior. But, I had one more race to complete in the "Grand Slam" at the Runner's World Half & Festival Weekend: the 13.1 mile tour-by-foot of Bethlehem, PA. 

As I got ready for the half marathon, I used my Trigger Wheel (from the makers of "The Stick") to roll out some of the tightness in my calves. All the hills in the previous days had caught up to me and I was desperately wishing I'd brought my foam roller with me for the weekend. However, I picked up the Trigger Wheel (as one of the perks of the influencer program) at the expo on Saturday and it helped to ease some of the soreness and muscle pain I had in my calves. You can read more about how "The Stick" is beneficial to runners here. 

I got dressed for the marathon, choosing a SparkeSkirt and tank top- the temps were going to be a little chilly in the morning but creeping up near 70 degrees by mid-day. I also chose to wear a brand new pair of compression socks I received from Mojo Socks, also as part of the blogger/influencer program. Now, the rule is "nothing new on race day," but I felt like these socks were going to be super comfortable for the race. Spoiler alert: they were!

After Zoe and I got ready and packed our gear bags, we went downstairs to meet our blogger friends for the last morning of this race weekend. We each grabbed some continental breakfast and made our way towards the start line around 7:15- the race start time was 8 am. 

Lauren, Me, Rylee, Zoe.

Since we all run at different paces, and weren't sure if we'd see each other after the race, we grabbed a few more pictures, hugged it out, and said our goodbyes. I met up with Matthew and just like the days before, we lined up at the start near the 12:00/mile pace sign. 

We decided that we'd run this race separately; Matthew runs faster than me and he wanted to see what he could do on this challenging course. He stayed with me as we moved up towards the start, again doing the wave release like we had in the previous races. Right before it was our turn, we said good luck to each other and then Matthew took off ahead of me. 

Start lines always have more energy when they're next to Steel Stacks. It's a fact.

I had cued up my headphones- like I always do when I run alone- but for some reason I didn't put them on right away. Since this was a new-to-me race, I kinda wanted to experience every bit of the course, the spectators, just the entire atmosphere. I ended up running the entire race without my headphones; a first for me. It was actually super cool and I enjoyed music-free running so much more than I thought I would.

The first few miles of this course felt similar to the other races as they followed a similar route. As I was running along, sans music, I saw the 2:45 pace group come up behind me. I decided that I'd try to stay with them as long as possible- knowing how hilly this course would be, I figured that 2:45 would be a good goal for me.

Just after the start- check out those gorgeous fall colors on the trees!

Those blurry folks behind me are the 2:45 pace group.

This was a really pretty course...even if it was insanely hilly.

By about mile 4, I noticed that I was consistently ahead of the pace group and I thought if I pushed it, I could finish this race under 2:45. So that's what I tried to do... while stopping for beer, high-5's from kids, and petting dogs, obviously. I even got to see Matthew on a little out and back section and took a potty break! So, while I was trying to be consistent and beat 2:45, I still was enjoying myself on the race course and honestly, just soaking it all in.

I loved almost every minute of this race. The residents of Bethlehem drinking their coffee and cheering from their front porches were super sweet, the other folks running were encouraging and uplifting, and there were some really incredible cheer stations set up with bands, loud speakers with music, and full-on barbecues/parties. Since much of the race was through residential areas, there were folks camped out on their lawns, watching and cheering us on. It was cool.

The only part of this race I didn't love was around mile 6- there was an insane hill that went on forever.  I mean, right in the middle of the half?! UGH. But, I made the climb and continued on, somehow feeling stronger and stronger as the race went on.

It was a beautiful, beautiful day for a race.

I finished out the last few miles of the course pretty strong: 12:13/11:22/11:55 splits in the last three miles. I reached my goal of sub-2:45 and finished a course with 547 feet of elevation in 2:41:57. I was pretty damn proud of myself.

Matthew was waiting for me near the finisher chute. We grabbed our bags from bag check, collected our bananas, bagels, and pretzels, and then headed to the beer tent. This year, we got Dogfish Head's SeaQuench Ale, an absolutely delicious sour beer made with lime, coriander, and sea salt. Yum! Also, the band playing at the finisher's area was really, really good and there was a great deal of wobbling on sore legs dancing going on near the beer tent :-)

Now it's a party :-)

FINAL THOUGHTS ON RW HALF & FESTIVAL
I've run a lot of races. 24 half marathons, 3 full marathons, and probably close to 100 other smaller distance races. Trust me when I say that this race weekend was one of the best race weekends I've ever been part of. The courses were challenging but beautiful, the start/finish lines were easy and convenient, the expo is full of high-quality vendors, there are ample opportunities to meet and run with Runner's World and Altra staff, and free race photos! And amazing, unique medals. The half marathon medal is not only a bottle opener, but it also had three hooks on it so you could attach the trail, 5k, and 10k medals to it. It is the most unique medal I have ever earned.

Will I be back for 2018? Absolutely!

Who doesn't love free race photos?!

Look at the size of this thing!

THE GIVEAWAY
The awesome folks at Runner's World, Altra, Mojo Socks, and The Stick have all generously partnered with me to bring you one heck of a giveaway!

One lucky reader will get:

• (1) Runner's World Swag Bag filled with runner goodies
• (1) Pair of Mojo Compression Socks
• (1) Pair of Altra HIIT XT cross training shoes
• (1) The Stick - intracell stick for muscle relief/self-massage

How cool is that?! To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below. A winner will be chosen at random next Friday- you can tweet once a day to increase your chances of winning! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Rules:

• Contest will run from 10/27/17 at midnight until midnight on 11/3/17
• One winner will be picked at random on 11/3/17 and will be notified via email on 11/3/17
• Winner will need to reply to email with requested details by 11/5/17 or another winner will be chosen on 11/6/17
• Giveaway open to residents in the continental US only

I owe a HUGE thank you to Runner's World and Altra for the invitation to be part of the blogger/influencer program. Yes, being part of exclusive meet-and-greets and getting free stuff is always cool, but the best part of this weekend was all the people I got to meet and get to know. My running family grew larger last weekend and I can't wait to see my new friends out on the road again someday. Thanks, Runner's World, Altra, and Lauren (RW staff who put the whole blogger/influencer program together), for making this an unforgettable weekend full of beautiful memories!

Before memories of #rwhalf disappear in the rearview mirror, and we all focus on the next goal, the next race, etc., I want to reflect on how absolutely awesome my experience was this past weekend (more to come this week on the blog 😍). I've said it before and I'll say it again: the best part of race weekends are the people you get to share them with. All the bloggers/influencers, @runnersworldevents staff, @altrarunning folks, volunteers and other runners I met this weekend filled my heart with so much joy. Running might be considered a solo activity by some, but for me, it will always be the activity that's brought so many good people into my life. Thank you for being part of my running family. ❤✨🏃

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Oct 23, 2017 at 9:33am PDT