Race Recap & Review: Pittsburgh Half Marathon

This past Sunday, I had the absolute privilege to run in the sixth annual Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Half Marathon. If you're a regular reader, you know I'd been looking forward to this one for months. All I'd heard about this race was how supportive the city was and that I would be amazed at the amount of crowd support. I'd also heard that it was a challenging course with a killer hill at mile 11. I woke up at 4 am on Sunday absolutely pumped.

Todd and some other friends were also running on Sunday so we all were able to grab breakfast together before heading to the city. We had plans to be parked no later than 5:30. With a 7 am start time, and because we weren't familiar with the city, we wanted to make sure we were settled with plenty of time to get to our corrals. After the Sole of the City 10k parking debacle, we knew to allow ample time to get there and park.

Matthew, Jamie, and Todd.

We had originally planned to park in the garage near Chelsea's apartment- we'd parked there the day before with no issues. However, her street was already closed by 5:25 am. Luckily, we found another parking garage for only $5! We parked, gathered up stuff for our checked bag, and then headed toward the start.

Now, even though the race did a really good job with identifying the corrals, we had a really hard time finding the bag check. Eventually, we dropped off the bag and then started heading back to Matthew's corral- he was in B and I was in D- the last corral. Security was tight getting into corrals- they had high chain link fences and volunteers/race officials guarding each entrance. I had plans to meet up with Lauren, Jeff, and Steff at Lauren's hotel so we said our goodbyes and wished each other a good race.

Ready to race!

B is for Bad-Ass :-)

No corral hopping allowed.

I wandered around until I found the Fairmont Hotel. Thankfully the lobby was warm and had a real bathroom. It was probably around 45 degrees and lightly raining by this point so I was glad for a little respite from the weather. I met up with my friends, chatted, and wished them well. We also figured out where we'd be meeting up after the half to cheer on Jeff and Lauren- they were running the full marathon. Basically, the races follow the same first 11 miles, and then the marathon course turns off to the right and continues for the next 17 miles.

Gloria, Steff, Me, Jeff, and Lauren. Thanks to Lauren for this picture!

I left the hotel lobby and went to find my corral. I got a little lost but saw some awesome signs/spectators along the way. I guess it was about 6:45 when I tried to squeeze into the masses trying to get into D, the last corral. I had been texting another blogger friend whom I'd yet to meet in person, Becca, who was also starting in D with her dad. After probably 10 minutes, I finally made it into the corral. Somehow, among the close to 30,000 runners, we found each other!

This made me LOL.

Lots of signs; still super lost.

It's kind of a big deal.

Thanks to Becca for this awesome pre-race photo!

Chatting with Becca about the race helped to calm my nerves. I don't know why, but we didn't start the race until almost 7:30- there seemed to be a hold up but we were so far back that I couldn't hear whatever they were announcing. Becca warned me to not go out too fast at the beginning of this race- it was easy to get caught up in the energy of the start. She was totally right. This race just felt so... different. Everyone was in a good mood. I always think of the last corral as the "party corral" and this race was no different. People just seemed genuinely excited. It was easy to catch the enthusiasm of the crowd of runners and spectators.

At a little past 7:30, we were off! To be honest, the first few miles of this course were a little bit of a blur. I remember at least three bands in the first two miles. I kept my 2:30/1 intervals and planned on running just around 12 min/miles. After PRing the 5k the day before, my only goal was to finish the half strong.

At this point I think it's important that I let you in on a little secret- from the starting corral until the finisher chute, I took 146 pictures. One hundred and forty six. 146! The only excuse I have is that I was having so much fun that I guess I just really wanted to document it.

I can honestly say this is probably one of the best times I have had while running. I don't know if words can do it justice: Pittsburgh totally rocked my world on Sunday. I have never seen crowds like that out for a race. There were people of all ages out there, five and six deep, just cheering their hearts out- shouting words of encouragement, giving high-fives, ringing cowbells and clapping hands like you were in the front of the pack. It was so unbelievable. I think I cried at least seven times on the course. There was one point, around mile seven, where we ran downhill and there were thousands of people at the bottom of the hill, cheering for us like we were elite runners. I've never seen anything like it before.

Rather than give you a play-by-play of the miles, just take a look:

Forrest and Jenny.

True story.

Loved this.

He was yelling, "nice legs!"

One of my favorite "cheer stations."

These bridges were gorgeous- we ran over 5!

Classic.

City in the background.

Always appropriate.

Definitely cried at this one.

Still not sure what "yinz" means...

They can have the I.C. Light :-)

Best sign on the course.

Awesome views of the city- mile 9ish.

Elite fueling station.

The best way to see a city is by foot.

Flattest mile on the course- mile 10.

Hmmm, which way should I go?

On the last bridge! Because this guy told me so! Mile 11.

My thoughts about the hill behind me just after 11.

Last .25 miles of the course; half marathoners on the left, full marathoners on the right.

Yup, this happened. All five bridge selfies. 

If you had any doubt that I was having the time of my life, this is mile 11.

"Runner of Steel" status acquired.

What I loved about this race:

• The crowds- simply the best I've ever seen. They were loud, encouraging, funny, and distracting- all things you want when trying to stay positive and upbeat.  
• The well-marked and well-organized course- There were always signs letting us know when a relay exchange point or water or aid station was coming up. It gave me enough time to get to the correct side of the course.
• Medals/swag- very detailed and intricate medals and pretty awesome long-sleeved tech shirts.
• The course- Not only did we get a very cool and unique tour of the city, but we got to run the last .25 with the marathoners. I finished in 2:41:10 so I was finishing with marathoners in the 3 hour range which was really, really cool.

What could have been better:

• More bathrooms on course! I finally had to stop at mile 8- and wait in line to use a port-a-potty. Every single one had a line.

Overall, I was blown away by this race. The city of Pittsburgh totally stole my heart last Sunday. Though I'll always be part of Raven Nation, I can't hate on the "Steel City" so much anymore. 

After I finished, I called Matthew to find out where he was. He'd actually finished when I was about mile 9 and he called to see how I was- he's so damn sweet. I walked through the finisher chute, collecting Panera bagels, Eat n' Park cookies, bananas, chips, etc. I had my hands full and as I was leaving, this wonderful volunteer handed me a plastic bag to put all my stuff in- what an ingeniously simple idea!

I was super impressed with two things- this cookie and the branded mylar blankets.

I met up with Matthew and we headed back to the car to get freshened up- we had to cheer on the marathoners! We didn't go near the Finish Line Festival because it looked totally mobbed. By the way, Matthew finished in 2:15 which is amazing on this challenging course! He makes me so crazy proud.

We eventually found a comfy little spot on the corner of Smithfeild and Sixth Avenues- just about mile 25 of the marathon. We were keeping track of Jeff and Lauren through Chelsea's twitter updates- after running her marathon leg, she went home, got on her bike, and rode along with our marathoners. 

It was incredibly inspiring to cheer the marathoners in. There were only about 5,000 people doing the full (compared to the nearly 25,000 running the half), so the mid and back of the packers were trickling in. We cheered, clapped, and gave out a ton of high-fives. It was really cool.

Steff eventually found us so we passed the time chatting about the race and watching for our marathoners. Finally, we saw them! Just ahead of the six hour pacer and looking amazing!!! This was Lauren's second marathon in six days and Jeff's 30th marathon- talk about inspiring!

We don't know him. But he ran 26.2 miles with Yoda on his back.

This dude carried four dummies with him for the entire marathon. 

"Life is better... When we run together."

Captain Chelsea in the lead with Lauren and Jeff right behind her!!

All smiles at mile 25!

This picture fills my heart with so much joy :-)

Rock. Stars. 

Jeff was doing circles- he wanted to run his first "ultra."

My heart can't even handle all the love in this picture. Thanks to Lauren for sending it to me!

Could they be any cuter?  Picture courtesy of Lauren aka BAMF.

After seeing our teammates, we walked over to the finish line to welcome them back. They both had a fantastic race and honestly, they both looked great! After saying our goodbyes, Lauren headed back to the hotel to shower and the rest of us headed out for lunch. A few hours later, we had to say the real goodbye- which I'll admit, was hard. This group of people are the most wonderful, encouraging teammates I've ever known- they welcomed Matthew and I with open arms. Though it sucked saying goodbye, it makes us even more excited for Akron Marathon Weekend.

Chelsea, Matthew, and Steff.

Marathon, half, and relay medals. Photo courtesy of Lauren.

In short, this was a race weekend filled with love, joy, and friendship- way more than I thought could be crammed into a few short days. The races were fabulous, and if it's possible, the company was even better. Pittsburgh, you surprised me and made me fall in love with you. We will be back to this race again for sure.

Yinz can bet on it! :-)

Love.

Race Recap & Review: Pittsburgh 5k

On Saturday May 3rd, I ran the Pittsburgh 5k. As you may recall from my last post, we stayed with Matthew's friend Todd for the weekend. Since he lives about a half hour from downtown, we left around 6 am.

After a short ride to the city, we were parked and headed to Chelsea's apartment. Jeff, Steff, and a few other friends of Chelsea's were already there, including Lauren who was doing her very first 5k! We dropped off our stuff and started heading towards the start, just a little over a half mile from where we were.

On the warm-up walk to the start.

The 5k route started on the "north shore" near PNC Park. Surprisingly, there wasn't as many people there as I thought there would be- around 1,600. We took some group pictures, saw some other bloggers, and then made our way to our respective starting positions. There weren't any corrals so I lined up towards the back of the pack.

Running tweeps!

The best boyfriend/photographer.

Starting line way up in the front.

Just after 8 am, we were off! The course followed a few miles around the North Shore, crossed the 7th avenue bridge, and ended at the same finish line as all the races that weekend. It was flat for the most part- just a little incline on the bridge. I was trying to PR this race so I only took a few pictures:

Checking out the elites at the turn-around.

Heading for the 7th Avenue Bridge.

Before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line! With a new PR- 33:32. I was a little bummed because I felt like I was working much harder than a 10:48 pace. But, a PR is a PR. I met up with Matthew and the rest of the gang and got some great pictures.

Love getting a medal for a 5k :-)

 

All smiles at the finisher chute.

Matthew really is a great photographer.

Overall, this race was a really nice experience. Well-marked course, lots of volunteers, and a cute little medal- what more could you want? After the race, we made our way back to Chelsea's to celebrate with mimosas and doughnuts! We also hung out on her rooftop deck and watched the kid's races come across the bridge- super cool. And we got to enjoy more breath-taking views of the city. It really is gorgeous.

Yes, please.

We were cheering but I don't think they heard us :-)

It was really great to hang out with everyone. We all chat on twitter pretty regularly but it was good to actually be face-to-face with these awesome people. Around noon, we got word that our fifth relay team member, Lauren, had just arrived in town at the expo. We wanted to go back and get a picture at the Akron booth with everyone. Side note, Lauren had just finished the 2014 International Big Sur Marathon less than a week before and then was running the Pittsburgh Marathon on Sunday. She is a BEAST.

Anyway, so Chelsea grabs a maple and bacon doughnut for Lauren and we head back over to the Convention Center. On the way, we cheered for the seemingly-endless stream of kids running their mile race.

Cheering our doughnut-filled hearts out!

We got back to the expo and found Lauren and her husband Mark. Again, there was lots and lots of squealing and hugs. She ate her doughnut and we got to hear her story about Big Sur- you should really read it- she's a freaking rock star.

Two marathons in a week? Eat all the doughnuts you want :-)

The whole team at the Akron booth!

After the second Akron photo, we headed back to Todd's. We had an awesome nap followed by an even better dinner with some of Matthew and Todd's friends who were also running the next day. After a few rounds of five card poker (with cheerios for betting), we said our goodnights- the half marathon started at 7 am so it was another early wake-up call!

Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend: The Expo

This past weekend was the 6th annual Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend- or rather, the 6th anniversary of the revival of the Pittsburgh Marathon, but more on that later. After a dreadful four hours on the PA turnpike, we finally arrived at the Convention Center for the expo on Friday evening.

We were staying with one of Matthew's friends, Todd, and since he was also running (marathon relay) he met us at the expo. We walked in and were instantly impressed. Plenty of vendors, lots of space to move around, and some really cool Pittsburgh details including a giant bridge encapsulating the official race merchandise.

There were tons of signs from GNC.

Pretty cool, right?

Packet pick-up was a breeze. We picked up our half marathon and 5k bibs (no lines!) and then picked up our shirts and drawstring backpacks. Both of our shirts for the 5k were incorrect- they had me listed as a small- ha! But, we just asked the volunteers for a different size and they happily obliged.

Lots of room to move around at packet pick-up.

After picking up the essentials, we met up with three of my Akron Marathon Relay teammates: Chelsea, Steff, and Jeff. There was lots of hugging and squealing :-) We chatted and caught up as we walked around checking out the vendors. Then we saw Jeff Galloway- with no line! At runDisney events, he always has a line of people waiting to talk to him. We got to chat with him about Dopey, Boston, and upcoming races/training. He's just the coolest.

Me and the "Run/Walk Master"

After hanging out with Galloway for a while, we all headed over to the Akron Marathon booth for a picture. As we were chatting with the reps, we happened to mention our twitter handles and how we have been interacting with whomever runs their twitter account. And wouldn't you know it- they had a special gift reserved for us! Andrew- who runs their social media and wasn't able to make the expo- had sent along #runAkron stickers for our team! Again, there was lots of squealing.

The Akron gang, minus Lauren!

We decided to part ways at this point as we each were running the 5k in the morning. Matthew, Todd, and I went over to find our names on the "wall" and then we headed out to get some dinner. Despite all the awesome vendors, we ended up not purchasing anything. Our wallets were happy.

Leaving the expo, Todd took us on a mini-tour of Pittsburgh. Now, I have to admit, I was not expecting to like the city. After all, I am a die-hard Ravens fan and by nature, I'm supposed to hate all things from "the 'burgh." But, this city is beautiful. I mean, really, really beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and dinner at Red Beard's. Matthew got his "I.C. Light" which is basically the Pittsburgh version of Natty Boh.

PNC Park.

Happy guy.

Over dinner, Todd (a life-long Pittsburgh resident) explained to us that the marathon had lost its title sponsor years ago and didn't run for a few years. Six years ago, Dick's Sporting Goods came in as the title sponsor and the marathon returned to the city.  Todd echoed all the things we had already heard- marathon day is a big deal in the city and there would be thousands of cheering spectators in each neighborhood. We were excited to say the least.

We went back to Todd's to get ready for the next day. I explored both of the drawstring backpacks that we were given- lots of cool freebies. Then it was off to bed- we had a 5:00 am wake-up call for the 5k!

Half Marathon bag.

5k bag.

Overall, the expo was a great experience- very organized, plenty of vendors, and unique aspects that got us pumped for the race weekend.

My First Running Award

On Saturday, April 26th, I ran a local 5k race in Maugensville, MD. The "Hustle for Hydration" was put on by Maugensville Elementary School's third graders as a fundraiser to build a water well in Haiti. This was a semi-local race for a good cause so it was an easy decision to put this one on the calendar.

Wearing my new Raw Threads shirt!

The website for this event advertised a 9 am start time. So I arrived at the elementary school around 8:15. After a somewhat unorganized registration process, I learned that the race actually started at 9:30 am. After hanging out in my car for a while (Matthew was away at a conference so I didn't have my race buddy), it was time to race.

I think there may have been 60 people total at the race, and probably at least 30 elementary school students. We all lined up as the race organizers gave us an overview of the course- there would be chalk on the ground and small cardboard signs to show us the way. After a few more announcements, we were off!

At the starting line.

This course was generally flat, through quiet neighborhoods, and with little or no traffic. I was able to keep a pretty fast-for-me pace throughout the race. Around mile two, I finally caught up with a man pushing a kid in a stroller who had been in front of me the entire race- I was determined to beat the guy pushing 80+ pounds :-) Once I passed him, I honed in on a young girl and her father whom I had been chasing all race. Around mile two and a half, I blew past them and starting pushing towards the finish.

I knew that I was keeping a pretty good pace. As I got near the finish line, I pulled out my phone so I could stop the Map My Run app when I finished. I crossed, stopped the app, and checked out my time- 30:35. That would have been a kick-ass PR, if the course would have been 3.1 miles. As it turns out, my app only recorded 2.99 miles. I wasn't 100% sure if the course was mismarked or if my app simply hadn't recorded the full distance correctly. I asked another runner what he got from his Garmin and he got 2.98 miles. So I'm guessing that the course was short. Either way, my average pace was awesome- 10:13.

After the race, I stuck around to cheer on the finishers behind me. After everyone had finished, they started to call out names for awards. Because this race had a lot of kids, they had four award categories: Adult Women, Adult Men, Female Students, Male Students. There weren't that many adult women- maybe 10 total. They called out the top adult woman finisher and then they announced the 2nd place finisher, 3rd place finisher, 4th place finisher, and then... me! I actually finished 5th in this race out of all adult women- how insane is that?! I even got a ribbon :-)

Woohoo!

So, even though it's not a new PR for me because the course was short, it still was a fun race and I got my first running-related award. Not too bad for a Saturday morning :-)

QOTD: Have you ever ran a race where the course was a different distance than advertised? Would you still count it as a PR if the course was short?