Accountability Monday: 11/20/2017

Helloooo late November!

I don't know about the weather where you are, but it was chilly this week in the mid-Atlantic! I think we've officially passed fall and are securely in winter. Which is totally fine with me- I'd choose to run in the cold over the heat any day.

Even though it was super cold this weekend, I am riding such a high from the last few days. If you follow me on twitter or instagram, then you know that my friend Steff and I surprised our other friend Jeff at the mile 15.5 marker of the JFK 50 miler on Saturday. Our friends, Chelsea and Lauren, were there to support his as his "crew," aka meet him at each checkpoint and help him refuel, change shoes, fill water bottles, swap out gloves, etc. Jeff had no idea we were coming down to cheer and we absolutely surprised him at the first check point.

Selfies or it didn't happen.

I'll be writing another post with all the details about spectating this race, but for now, just know that it was one of the most inspiring and uplifting experiences I've had being part of the running community. It was simply awesome.

Let's dive into this past week!

Training
Wednesday: 2.47 treadmill miles with varying paces and inclines
Sunday: 11.25 miles, 12:52 overall pace + light strength workout post-run

I did not get to all the workouts I wanted to this week but I am pretty happy with how the long run turned out yesterday. For the Disney Marathon, I'd like to average between 13-13:30 pace and so far, this seems attainable. I'm also stoked with the splits during yesterday's run- they were generally even and the last two were 12:43.  Also, I made some new friends yesterday! 😉

Just making friends mid- long run, ya know? 🐮🌾🐄

A post shared by Sarah (@sparklyrunner) on Nov 19, 2017 at 7:07am PST

Best Run

Now that the sun sets earlier in the day, I find myself on the treadmill more often after work. Honestly, I'm learning to love it! I like that I can control the incline and the pace- I'm finding it's helping me push myself a bit more than I would if I were out on the road running. So the best run this week was my Wednesday night treadmill adventure.

Bravo Moment

This week, I'm giving out an honorary bravo to Coach Jeff; he rocked those miles at the JFK 50 Miler- congratulations, Coach! 

Quote of the Week

Yup, they sure do.

Have a great week, friends!

To Pittsburgh, With Love

Confession time: I was kinda dreading Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend.

I have been struggling.

Hating myself struggling. Stress eating struggling. Not wanting to run struggling.

My weight is the highest it's been in two and a half years; my clothes don't fit the way they normally do. Work has me incredibly stressed which affects my sleep, my mood, and my ability to get out the door for a run. I am disappointed with where I am in this journey. The years of healthy habits I have worked so hard to cement into the foundation of my life are starting to weigh me down.

Tracking my food. Always choosing the healthy option. Planning meals. Running. Strength training. Exercising. Making time for training. I am tired of doing these things.

This healthy lifestyle routine? It sucks. I hate doing it. I hate that I have to do it. Why can't I just be a normal weight, healthy person who doesn't have to ever think about food? Why can't I just be naturally athletic, run fast without trying, and love to work out? Why can't I have endless energy and a flexible schedule so I can cross off my to-do list and finish all the projects I keep meaning to get to?

I don't have the answers to these somewhat dramatic and irrational questions.

But here's what I do know; Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend made the struggle feel a little less crappy.

Starting line of the half marathon. 

I don't know if it was the races, the people, or the city itself- but my spirits were definitely lifted this past weekend.

There's something about the Pittsburgh Marathon races that makes you feel like you are part of something bigger than yourself; like you belong somewhere. Like all these tens of thousands of people have the same, shared goal you have- to finish the race you start.

Home stretch of the 5k.

I can pinpoint the moment that something changed. Around mile six of the half marathon, I suddenly felt a jolt of pure joy- endorphins, maybe- and was overcome with happiness. I felt good... strong... athletic... healthy. I haven't felt much like that in a long time.

Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind.

Beyonce was playing in my headphones, the sun was shining, and I was high-fiving spectators and keeping an eye out for my running ohana- some were running, some were cheering. Throughout the course, I got to see familiar faces and hear encouraging and supportive words from friends. Strangers cheered for me by name- probably because it was on my bib, but still :-) I finished a tough course and then joined my husband and running ohana to cheer for folks still out there racing towards the finish.

I felt like a runner again. I felt like an athlete again. I felt motivated to want to keep trying- to maintain my weight, to get faster, to train more effectively. I felt like me again.

The crew.

Today my muscles are sore, my feet are blistered, and I've still got unpacking and lots of laundry to do. But I feel great. And somehow finding the time to run, and meal prep, and track my food doesn't seem to feel as crappy as it did before.

Like I said, I don't know if it's the races, the city, or the people, but Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend has some kind of magic in it. And I am so, so grateful. ❤

Race Recap & Review: Pittsburgh Marathon 5k

For the third year in a row, I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon 5k on April 30th this year. The Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon is always on a Sunday and a few years ago, they started offering a 5k on Saturday morning.

Last year, Gloria and I ran this together as we both wanted to take it easy the day before the half. We had the same plan for this year- with the addition of Matthew! He wasn't able to make it for 2015 so I was super excited to have him join us for 2016. This race is a point to point- we started by PNC Park and finished near Point State Park, just a few miles away.

5k course map. Source.

It was down right cold the morning of the race- probably in the low 40's but because of the high humidity it felt MUCH cooler. I wore a sparkle skirt, short sleeved shirt, and a long sleeved throw-away shirt (that I actually kept on until after mile 1). We met up with all our running ohana and some other Pittsburgh friends, snapped a few pictures, and then Gloria, Matthew and I headed towards the back of the pack to wait for the race start. Our plan was to take the 5k slow and to really just enjoy the run.

Gloria, Matthew and me- freezing but ready to go!

Luckily for us, this course is pretty flat so it was easy to stick to our race plan. We took our time, averaging about 12-13 minute miles. I felt good the entire race- I knew I was under trained going into the weekend so I was grateful to feel great at a slower pace.

We grabbed selfies at each mile marker as we chatted and caught up on each other's lives; the miles flew by. One of the things I love about this course is the amount of spectators that come out for an early morning race- especially on a cold morning! There were tons of folks out holding signs, clapping and cheering, and giving out high fives. There's just an energy in Pittsburgh that's hard to describe but it makes for an awesome race-day atmosphere.

Gloria and Matthew crossing the lone bridge of the course. 

My favorite sign on the course :-)

We finished in 37:18, collected our medals and mini "Eat'n Park" cookies, and headed to the finish line festival to meet our running ohana. This year, as in past years, the 5k medal was a smaller replica of the marathon/half marathon medals. It's always a nice treat to get a medal for a 5k :-) Once everyone finished, we set out to find something to eat and ended up at Cherries Diner- this little hole-in-the-wall that had like 10 tables in it and one waitress. But the food was pretty awesome so I can't complain too much!

Pittsburgh swag is always pretty cool.

After we ate, a friend of mine from the internet (I know that sounds weird, but hear me out) came to meet us at the restaurant! Kelly (aka @curvyfitgirl) and I "met" through twitter and a shared interest of healthy living and Weight Watchers. It was so awesome to meet her in person- she is just as sweet and inspirational in real life as she is online! We got to spend some time together after breakfast, walking around the city and checking out the expo again. She fit right in with our ohana- she is super sweet and supportive; I'm so glad we finally got to meet in person!

Blogger + Friend = Blends

Pros of this race: mostly-flat course, lots of spectators, finisher's medal, finisher's cookies, and lots of runner support (water stops, medical aid, etc.).

Cons of this race: ....I got nothing. Seriously, this is an awesome little race!

Stay tuned for the Pittsburgh Half Marathon recap- coming soon!


Did you run Pittsburgh this year? If so, what'd you think? If not, what's your favorite 5k experience?

Race Recap & Review: Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend Part II; We Run Social Meet-Up and Half Marathon

This post recaps the second part of my Disney Princess Weekend. Find Part I (expo and 10k) here!

When we left off in the magical recap of Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend, Jen and I were headed to Downtown Disney Springs to do some shopping and then meet up with friends at the We Run Social meet-up.

Once we got off the bus at Disney Springs, we headed to Raglan Road for lunch. I love this restaurant and really love that they have quick service options including their very yummy fish and chips. Also, a bird literally stole a french fry off my plate as we were sitting outside. Not important to the recap but still notable :-) On our way there, we happened to run into Brandi and her mom- who were wearing their new Ariel shoes and 10k shirts just like me and Jen! And of course, we had to snap a picture for proof :-)

Great minds think alike. 

A little after one, we headed over to the carousel for the We Run Social Meet-Up. In a nutshell, we hung out, won some prizes, and took some awesome selfies. I finally got to meet Dani, got to chat with Gelcys, and got to see some of my running ohana!

Photo credit: Justin 

After the meet-up, a few of us grabbed some beers and sat around telling funny wedding and running stories and laughing our asses off all afternoon. We eventually went back to Art of Animation to relax and get our gear and costumes ready for the half marathon. I talked to Matthew around six and we said our goodnights then because he told me his phone was dying (more on this little fact later). Going to bed that night, I was super worried about my knee. It had been bothering me all day and I wondered if I would be able to make it through the half the next day. I barely slept, tossing and turning all night. When our alarms went off at 3:00 am, I seriously questioned what I was doing and how in the hell I was going to get through 13.1 miles on a bum knee.

Anyway, we both got up and got ready for the race. We met Nathan at the bus stop (he stayed the night at AoA) and got on a bus around 3:50 am. Since we got on a later bus, there was a little bit of traffic getting to the race start at Epcot. We got there around 4:25 and I asked Nathan to text our ohana to let them know we were running late to our "regular" meet-up spot; right next to the first bag check tent. Once we got off the bus, Nathan kept texting someone and I assumed it was Lauren or someone else in our ohana. I mean, who else could he be texting repeatedly at 4:30 in the morning?!

We eventually found our group and exchanged hugs and good luck messages to each other. All of the sudden, someone came up behind me and said, "is that Sparkly Runner?" It was Matthew!!! I was in shock! I think I said, "What are you doing here?!" followed by "Who's taking care of the dog?!" He quickly explained that when his phone was "dead" the night before, he was actually flying to Orlando, renting a car, spending the night in the parking lots of Disney Springs and Epcot, and coordinating/texting with Nathan all morning to find out where we were just so he could watch me and Jen run the half- does it get any sweeter than this?! Seriously, I am the luckiest woman in the world and cannot believe that I get to call him my husband in just a few short months!

Best. Day. Ever!

After getting over the shock of seeing Matthew and then discussing his spectating plans, we made our way back to the corrals. Jen was supposed to be in F but she hung back and went into G with me. It was awesome to be on "this side" of the road when we walked to the corrals. It was insane how close we felt to the start line! I've never started in a corral that low before. For Dopey, we were all the way back in L.

The start of corral A from the viewpoint of corral G.

Before we knew it, it was time for us to race! Our plan was to just take in all 13.1 magical miles, enjoy the race, and finish upright and smiling. We stuck to the intervals that we'd used the day before, 30 seconds running, 30 seconds walking. Since I'd done this race before, I knew we'd run about 4.5 miles to Magic Kingdom, spend about a mile in and around the park, then finish the race on the highways as we made our way back to Epcot.

After a three highway miles, we ran under the Magic Kingdom sign. Even though we still had a few miles to go before we got to the castle, it was still exciting to be so close! Also, we knew Matthew and Nathan would be at the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) at the mile 4 marker so we had something to look forward to before we got to the castle.

All smiles as we head toward Cinderella's Castle!

We ran toward the TTC, taking breaks when we needed to and taking lots and lots of pictures. My friend Bill, an Orlando native, had tweeted at me to let me know that he was also at the TTC, cheering for runners. As we came into the TTC, we kept our eyes peeled for Bill and Matthew/Nathan. Even though it was super crowded with spectators, we were able to see them both. I can't tell you how awesome it is to see familiar faces (especially my hubby-to-be!) out cheering for you. Bill grabbed a quick picture and then Jen grabbed a quick shot of me and Matthew.Then we were on our way to Main Street, USA!

Action shot, courtesy of Bill.

We kept running towards MK. We enter the side of Main Street so we actually entered the park near Space Mountain. Because we had started relatively early in the race, there was not any crowding on the course. In the picture below, it looks like Jen and I have the course to ourselves! After hearing how crowded this race usually is, it was a pleasant surprise to not feel overwhelmed with people.

To infinity...and beyond!

After we passed Space Mountain, we were finally on Main Street, USA. I won't lie, I definitely teared up when we turned onto Main Street- hundreds of people cheering and clapping, Disney music playing through the speakers, and the beautiful sight of Cinderella's castle off in the distance. This, my friends, is pure Disney magic.

A beautiful sight. 

We ran up Main Street, stopping for lots of selfies, and then turned right into Tomorrowland. We made a quick pit stop off-course at my favorite bathroom to use during races- the one in Fantasyland by Pinocchio's Pizza- it's never crowded.

Then we got to actually run through the castle, which was just as magical as I remember it being :-) Usually, this is insanely crowded and it takes forever to get through the castle due to the bottleneck of everyone trying to get their picture taken in front of the castle. In fact, Matthew and I have never stopped in front of the castle during a runDisney race because it's such a cluster. But, this time, it was awesome! There were five photographers at the front of the castle so there was only a few minutes wait to get the famed castle shot. While we were waiting, a blog reader called out to me- she was behind me in line. I didn't catch her name but we wished each other well and then Jen and I headed off on the next part of the course.

All Minnie, all day. 

Jen and I made our way out of the park :-( and back out onto the highway. We had planned on meeting Matthew and Nathan around mile seven to swap out Jen's glasses for sunglasses. On our way to mile seven, we saw a very short line for Mary Poppins, Burt, and some penguins so we stopped for a picture. I think this was the first character stop we'd made during the whole race- most of the lines were pretty long.

We met up with Matthew and Nathan and made a successful glasses switch! Matthew told us where he'd see us next (mile 12) and then we continued on to finish out the race. Around mile eight, we gladly took candy and pretzels from strangers and then around mile 11, we stopped for a quick picture with the army men from Toy Story.

Excited to see Matthew!

Twizzlers are the greatest race treat ever.

Almost finished!

Pretty soon, we were back in the Epcot parking lot to meet Matthew for mile 12. By this point in the race, my knee was starting to get a little cranky. But it lasted a heck of a lot longer than I'd thought it would- I think the Minnie KT tape did the trick :-)

We met up with Matthew one more time and then looped our way through Futureworld in Epcot, stopping once for a picture with Spaceship Earth before heading back toward the finish. We passed the amazing gospel choir that marked the last little bit of our magical 13.1 mile journey and then we finally saw it- the finish line! And then- even better- we saw Donald! Since Jen was dressed as Daisy, we just had to get a picture with him. Hugs acquired; we crossed the line and became Glass Slipper Challenge finishers!

Almost finished.

The best high fives in the world come from this gospel choir. #truth

One of my favorite photos from the whole race! <3 

BLING.

We got our medals, grabbed some Gatorade and water, and then headed through the "challenge tent" to pick up our Glass Slipper medals. They'd taken a picture of us when we picked up our bibs at the expo and the race officials checked this picture against us when we walked through the tent and then gave us our medals.

Then we got our runDisney standard box of food and headed towards bag check. Both Jen and I checked a bag with clean clothes and flip flops because we were headed to the parks directly after the race. Who needs a shower, anyway?! We did have some Shower Pill wipes which were pretty awesome and made us stink a whole lot less :-)

We met up with Matthew and Nathan and just hung out in the parking lot for a while- it felt so good to sit! We ate our food boxes, recapped the race, and took lots of selfies and bling pictures. Matthew's flight was at noon so he wouldn't be coming to the parks with us :-( I still can't believe he flew to Orlando for less than 24 hours just to see me race! And he even wore his Princess Half Marathon shirt from 2012 for support. I seriously love this guy <3

Great memories.

Eventually, we got up and started making our way towards the parking lot to see Matthew off. We visited the merchandise tent and I bought an "I Did It!" shirt for the half- mainly because these shirts have the course map on the back and this one had little tiara mile markers- so cute!

Reluctantly we said our goodbyes to Matthew and then headed into Epcot. We drank beer in Germany, ate school bread in Norway, and got some pictures with Jasmine in Morocco. Nathan met up with us and we continued walking around World Showcase, just enjoying the park. Then we headed to MK to watch the 3 pm day parade (which is amazing, by the way!) and get some bling shots in front of the castle. Jen and I had fast passes to rides in Hollywood Studios so we said goodbye to Nathan and headed to DHS for the evening. After dinner and roller coasters, we ended our night at MK with the Electric Light Parade and Wishes. We might have fallen asleep on the bus on the way back to Art of Animation :-) According to Jen's FitBit, we did over 25 miles on Sunday!

Just hanging with some friends.

Obligatory. 

Overall, this was a fantastic race weekend! Neither race was as crowded as I thought they would be, we got to meet/spend time with new and old friends, and Matthew flew over 1,000 miles to come watch the half marathon- that's more than enough reasons to put the "fantastic" label on a weekend!

I really, really love this race weekend. There's just something about running a women's focused race that makes my heart incredibly happy. Also, this was my first half marathon four years ago so I might have a little nostalgia attached to it.

Would I run Princess again? Yes, absolutely, 100%. For as much as Disney races cost (plus flights, hotels, park tickets, etc.), they are a one-of-a-kind experience. As I said earlier, running towards Cinderella's Castle down Main Street, USA is pure Disney magic. There's no other race that offers that perk.

I can confidently say this was one of the best runDisney race weekends I've ever had. HUGE shout out to Matthew for coming to see us and many thanks to Jen for being my friend and running buddy. Until next time, runDisney... see ya real soon! :-)

Happy finisher.

Race Recap & Review: Akron Marathon Relay

In February 2014, I got an email from a few friends (that I'd just met at Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend) asking me if I wanted to be the fifth member of their marathon relay team for the Akron Marathon. Of course I said yes- that was the beginning of our running ohana; the group of running friends that have become family. We met on twitter and now meet a few times a year at races across the country.

Sadly, I didn't get to run in Akron 2014 because of my stress fracture. I went along for the weekend and cheered on my friends, vowing to return in 2015 and run the blue line with two, unbroken feet. 

This year, I would get my chance. 

Matthew and I signed up for the half (on 9/26) almost nine months ago. At some point, Chelsea invited me to run the first leg of the relay with her team. The plan was to run my relay leg (5.8 miles), hand off to Chelsea, remove my relay bib, and continue on to finish the half. 

Coach Jeff, Steff, her husband Joe, Lauren, her husband Mark, Nathan, Lauren H., Natalie, her husband Jimmy, and a bunch of Coach Jeff's "old guy running group" friends all planned on making the trip out to Akron, OH. Lauren and Mark ended up not coming out and we definitely missed them!

We all arrived in Akron on Friday afternoon and visited the expo. While this is a small expo, they did have some nice stuff. The hotel we stayed at was just a few blocks from the convention center (expo) and start/finish line so we were able to go back and forth all day.

Nathan, Coach Jeff, Me, and Matthew

This race offers a pasta dinner at the expo on Friday night and we all decided to go that route for our pre-race carb load. It was $20 per person and included pasta, salad, vegetables, and cheesecake. I think we'd definitely do this again- it was quick, easy, and tasty!

My right foot had been rocking all damn day. I'd had an x-ray the week before but no MRI so I was trying to take it easy as I was still suspecting a stress fracture. After the pasta dinner, I laid out my clothes for the race the next morning, keeping my fingers crossed that my foot would behave and let me finish the half marathon the next day. 

The crew.

Did I mention that Natalie was 7.5 months pregnant?!

Race morning. I got up and get dressed. Matthew got up... and immediately went back to bed, feeling super sick. He was feeling awful and running a fever- definitely not in any running condition. Heartbroken, he headed back to bed, reluctantly agreeing to skip the race due to illness. 

My foot was already bothering me but I met up with our ohana in the lobby of the hotel. Together, we walked up to the race start and got situated in the corrals. Steff was gunning for a PR so she started at the front of A. The others made their way to the relay stations or other corrals. Coach Jeff, Natalie, Jimmy, and I agreed that we would start together and hopefully stay together the whole race. And of course, no babies would be born on the course! :-)

We look pretty good for 7 am!

Our group of four started slow and steady. We did three minutes running, one minute walking. We chatted and ran and walked and laughed and the miles flew by. However, my foot kept hurting. It was a dull ache right in the area of my stress fracture. Soon enough, I saw the first relay exchange. I had been debating off and on the entire race of continuing to complete the half or to just cut out at the relay exchange. 

Hands up if you love running with friends!

I made the incredibly tough decision to stop. I handed off to Chelsea and watched her, Coach Jeff, Natalie, and Jimmy keep running. I stood there watching them and sobbing. I considered jumping back into the race for probably 10 minutes after they ran past me. I stood there at the relay exchange feeling super sorry for myself and blubbering on and on about my failure. 

After trying to call Matthew (he was still sleeping), I called my Dad and sobbed to him for a while. I knew this was the smart decision. Anytime there's pain, you should back off. But it still felt like utter and complete failure. I walked back to the hotel to check on Matthew. Luckily, he'd been able to get some sleep and was slowly starting to feel better. 

A very quick shower later, I went out to the finish area to get my post-race snacks: pizza, beer, chocolate milk, chips, etc. They had quite an awesome spread! I met up with Steff, Nathan, and Chelsea and we chatted for a while. 

Then we went back out on the course to cheer for the finishers, including looking for Coach Jeff, Natalie and Jimmy. 

Jimmy and Natalie trucking along towards the finish.

I ran/walked with Natalie and Jimmy until just before they entered the stadium and the final little section of the race. Coach Jeff had gone back on the course to run in one of his friends completing the full marathon. We got back into the finisher's area in just enough time to see Joe (Steff's husband) finish the marathon relay. 

All smiles for Joe at the end of the blue line.

Captain Chelsea's a popular gal with all that beer ;-)

Akron Marathon Relay Team 2015

While I'm disappointed I wasn't able to run the half marathon course, I did feel some sense of redemption by getting to run the first leg of the marathon- what I should have ran in 2014. 2014 was the year of the DNS- Did Not Start. 2015 brought my first DNF- Did Not Finish. At some point in every runner's career, a DNS or DNF will happen. This was mine. Looking back and knowing what I know now (that my foot is fine) makes it hard to not beat myself up about not finishing the half. But, I made the best decision I could with the information I had at the time; I can't ask myself for anything better than that.

I can't say enough great things about the city of Akron or this race. Well-organized from the expo to the starting corrals to the finish line party. The shirts, medals, and post-race food were all really high quality and made the whole experience feel very runner-focused. In short, this is an awesome race and I hope we keep doing this one every year. 

#runakron fans

Have you ever had a DNS or a DNF? How do you cope with the negative feelings it brings?

Pittsburgh Runners: The Newbie, The Veteran, & The Elite

Good morning, friends! I've got an awesome treat for you today- three of my amazing running Ohana have graciously agreed to be featured on my blog as they are all running a race as part of Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend. Let me introduce these rock stars to you:

Lauren, aka "The Newbie," will be running her first half marathon in just a few days. 

Gloria, aka "The Veteran," had completed the Pittsburgh Half Marathon and many other races around the city. 

Nathan aka "The Elite," who will claim not be be elite but I say he is and it's my blog so there. :-) He also has a marathon PR of 3:30:13 so that makes him elite in my book. 

I sent them all a list of the same questions and this is what they had to say:

Why are you running Pittsburgh?

Lauren: Pittsburgh is my home! I knew that I wanted to run my first half here – it is a major milestone in my running journey and I want to do it with my hometown crowd.

Gloria: Pittsburgh is the closest city to where I currently live, so that means the closest half marathon race! But besides living near Pittsburgh, it is an awesome city to run in! This will be my second time running the half marathon in Pittsburgh which means redeeming myself from my first half marathon last year. 

Nathan: I have a goal to run a half marathon and marathon in every state, so it didn't take much convincing when my running Ohana asked me to join them for Pittsburgh marathon weekend when I meet up with them at the Akron marathon weekend.

Pittsburgh offers a half marathon, marathon, marathon relay and a 5k. How did you choose which distances you’d run during race weekend?

Lauren: In 2014, I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K and it was my first (ever) race! I knew after that race that I loved running and set my sights on longer distances! I am running the 5K again this year, in addition to the half marathon. I am looking forward to earning my Steel Challenge medal and cheering on a friend as she runs her first race at the 5K.

Gloria: Last year, I started running not knowing how much I would fall in love with it. Last year my goal was to run a half marathon which I did in Pittsburgh last year. However, training did not go as plan but I still completed the miles of the half marathon but not with the time I wanted. So this year it’s all about redeeming myself from last year’s half marathon.

Nathan: I’ll be running the 5k and the marathon during race weekend. My thought for the 5k was that I’d be running a shake out run the day before the marathon anyways, so why not just use the 5k as my shake out run.

What are you most looking forward to about Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend?

Lauren: Being with my running friends! I’m also looking forward to seeing my family out there cheering me on (and celebrating my birthday with them - my birthday is 5/6).

Gloria: Definitely meeting up with the many running friends I was able to meet through Steff Rubel! I am also looking forward to the expo as well meeting new people in the corrals and on the course. Last year I met a sweet old lady in the corral I was in who had surgery on her arm two weeks prior. She told me her doctor told her not to run but she wasn’t going to miss it. She also told me not to worry that I would be able to get through the race and will be in love that I will be ready to run my next half right when I get my half marathon medal. She was right and was a huge role model through that race.

Nathan: I can’t wait to see my running Ohana again! They are an awesome group of people, and besides all the support they give each other they just make race weekends fun! Also, I’d be lying if i didn't say that I’m a little excited about escaping the FL heat, summer has already arrived here.

This one’s for the veteran Pittsburgh runner, Gloria: what advice do you have for folks who haven’t run this half or run in Pittsburgh before? 

Watch out for the Brimmingham Bridge, its literally a pain in the ass! JK, lol. But Pittsburgh is such a diverse city, you’ll experience the different neighborhoods as well as the people who live there. Give high fives to the people you see! They will have smiles on their faces which makes you smile and keeps you going towards the finish line. Also, enjoy the wonderful skyline and beautiful landmarks!

Question for the newbie, Lauren: why did you choose to train for a half marathon?

I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon 5K as my first race last year, and have since run several  5Ks, 10Ks, and a 15K. A half marathon is the next logical step! 

Here’s one for the elite, Nathan: how do you train for elevation and hills like Pittsburgh while living in a relatively flat area?

Bridges, overpasses, and parking garages are great man made elevation obstacles. Another good option is sand, even though that’s a little harder to find in Orlando. The challenge of running in sand is sort of like having a flat hill.

What is your goal and/or goals for your race?

Lauren: This is a tough one. From the day I registered, I hoped to run a sub-2.5 hour half marathon. In January, I selected a training plan and added all the runs to my calendar. After that, my training went downhill and I faced one setback after another. While I've had a few great runs in the last few months, I've had a lot of not-great runs and I know at this point, my training is what it is and I just need to go out there and do my best.

On race day, I’m planning to stick with Chelsea (who is running her first full!) and Coach Jeff for the first ~12 miles and I hope they can help me keep a good pace and then take it from there. Regardless, I know I will have a new PR and new PDR! 

Gloria: I am hoping for 02:45:00 but anything below 02:50:34 will mean a new PR, also to meet new runners, and just enjoy the run!

Nathan: I’d love to walk away with a new PR, so that means I’m looking for a sub 3:30.

The most interesting running fact about me is….

Lauren: This is a tough one…I’m going to run a half in Alaska next month? 

Or….I have Crohn’s Disease and there were years of my life where I was too sick to even think about running. I am grateful to be able to do so now. 

Gloria: I hated running when I was younger, absolutely hated it. I don’t know if it was just because I didn't realize what pace meant or what but now I absolutely love running. 

Nathan: I like running in colder weather as much as the next runner, but I've grown up in FL and tend to get cold easily. Because of this, when it gets cold (read below 60°) you’ll most likely find me running in (at least) two pairs of socks.

What has been the most challenging part of your Pittsburgh training?

Lauren: As I mentioned before, my training plan hasn't gone according to plan and I've yet to have a week where I completed all of the scheduled runs. I've faced bed bugs (the bites caused my legs and feet to swell), illness, sub-zero temperatures, and a grueling travel schedule for work. But in contrast, I have an amazing and supportive group of running friends and family who have cheered me on from the start and their encouragement will carry me through on race day. 

Gloria: Getting my training in with work. I work as a technical director of a venue. We are busy 24/7 it seems but really busy from January to May so training around the 12 hour work day is a bit much. 

Nathan: Trying to incorporate elevation into my training runs.

On race day, what mantra/quote/inspirational thought will get you to the finish line?

Lauren: When I’m struggling through a run, I always think of Ben Comen. His ESPN feature is several years old, but it always puts things into perspective for me. 

I also read Haruki Murakami’s “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” a few months ago and really liked his mantra, “I’m not a human. I’m a piece of machinery. I don’t need to feel a thing. Just forge on ahead.” and have adapted it on many runs. 

Gloria: I usually think of how far I have come. I usually have different inspiration for each race. My last half marathon was in Columbus, OH. They had a child from children’s hospital and their story sponsor each mile... needless to say I was sobbing the entire race and my inspiration of getting to the finish line was to run for every child who was on the course who could not physically and for those throughout the world who can’t. I can’t wait to see what my inspiration on the course in Pittsburgh will be!

Nathan: A few of the things I’ll tell myself during a race are-

                    “There will come a day when I’m not able to do this, and today is not that day.”

                    “Get uncomfortable.”

I also think back on all the training that has gone into getting me to where I’m at, and just remind myself to have fun and enjoy the “victory lap."

So there you have it- three super cool runners that will be crushing goals this weekend in Pittsburgh! I hope you enjoyed meeting Lauren, Gloria, and Nathan. 

Don't forget, if you want to meet me and lots of new runner friends (these three included!), come to the meet-up/tweet-up Saturday morning at 7:30 am. 

Are you running Pittsburgh? If so, which race?