The Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend Recap

It is finally time! After months of training in sub zero wind chills, freezing temperatures, and generally awful weather we made it to race weekend! It was a great weekend full of friends, running, and community.


Saturday

On Saturday I ran the 5k. The weather was nice and I felt great.  I started off with Kim, who was pacing the 10:00 group and ran the rest by feel shooting for a nice easy run. On this day nice and easy was a negative split shaving off 30 seconds per mile for the following two miles. It was a good, comfortable run.   












 Later in the day I met up with some of the Runderful crew for a shakeout 5k at Frick park.   I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to run with these guys for the first time! I was feeling a little rough, but happy enough with the opportunity and company.



Frickin' Run!




Sunday

What a day! The Steel City Road Runners pre-race lounge at the Westin Hotel was posh and comfy. There was some light food as well. I avoided it as it was too close to race time and instead had water and a glass of OJ with a salt cap.






Runderful Pre-Marathon

Steel City Road Runners

The Race

I bumped up to Corral C at the expo and got to run the first 13-14 miles with John. John, Alyssa, and I ran many long runs together throughout training for this race and it was great we were able to run a good chunk of the race together.

Early in this race I felt some sore spots and my groin felt on the borderline of cramping. This was all within the first 3 miles. And then the fog descended. I get this low energy, can't quite focus feeling sometimes early in a run . I'm not certain of what it is , but I have a few ideas. Anyway, the mental fog burned off by mile 6, but still I felt muscles wanting to spasm. I was concerned, but what else can you do but press on? At the Birmingham Bridge things started feeling good. The climb into Oakland was cake. At this point our average pace began increasing a little. (side note: I needed a bathroom since mile 1) At around mile 14 I decided to go for the PR. It only required modest increases in pace. Within a few seconds of parting with John I saw an open port-o-john and bee-lined in. 


It took about 2 miles to catch back up to John and forge ahead towards Wilkinsburg. My pacing was fairly steady throughout the back miles through Homewood, Highland Park, and back into Shadyside. As I made it to the top of the final hill climb in Bloomfield my eyes welled up with tears. I felt tired, but good enough I wasn't concerned about the bonk and muscle spasms I had there last year. On target for a 4:15 I came down Liberty with a modest speed increase. At the bottom of the hill I felt the tired coming on and stopped to walk for a moment. I stopped right next to Ryan without realizing it! He had gone into calf spasms at mile 8 and still was forging ahead running and finally walking. We talked for a moment and I started off towards that PR with time to spare.

Those open road, hot miles on Liberty were bad. I couldn't take the heat anymore and my body kept slowing. Once I hit the underpass and cool breeze I was able to pickup pace again, but it was too late. Or not. I started plowing on with as much as I could muster and at about 50 yards before the Boulevard of the Allies and the turn onto the final stretch I realized the PR was gone. I was burnt crisp after that effort and slowly made my way to the finish chute trying to muster a smile for the camera. The time to beat was 4:17:11 from Philly 2013 and I finished in 4:19:25, an improvement by over 30 seconds over last year's Pittsburgh Marathon.

All things considered, I am very happy with the result and my performance.






Mile 25






Afterwards I felt like I might blackout and made my way to the crew and the SCRR tent to put my head down and rest after which there was great feasting and general awesomeness with some great people.Thank you Rundercrew and SCRR for an amazing day!

Another marathon done with the next in 4 weeks time. 1/3 Marathon Maniacs qualifiers complete!!  I have fully come to terms with the fact I am probably a little masochistic.

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. The heat and sun made for a hard fought race. You have all truly earned the title, Runner of Steel.



Get all the bling!

Taper! Arrrrrghgghhghghgh!!

It is taper time here in Pittsburgh!  Commence screaming into pillows, experiencing anxiety about every tiny ache and pain (of which there seem to be more and more daily as we heal from training), and second guessing our training.  Did I log enough miles? I got sick and had to take off that week! I am totally screwed now!

Relax!!  I know..it is easy to say, but hard to do. On a side note: this post is basically a reminder to myself.

The training is behind us. Now it is time for logging light miles to keep flexible and it is time for letting the body rest and heal.  You, like many folks, may be experiencing soreness and fatigue. It takes about a week to fully heal up muscles. As we train we take maybe 1-3 days of rest per week. Now we are reducing the load on our bodies for the first time in months and it is trying to repair itself.  That fatigue means your body is using energy to heal itself and become stronger from all the hard work we put in.  The aches and pains are also a sign of healing.  It is all a part of the process.

The grumpies may have set in. Are you irritable? I am really freaking irritable! I attribute this to the healing process and also reduced endorphin release as we are not running as much or as hard.  This is just a guess, but if you tell me I am wrong I might bite your head off. Taper grumpies...we aren't always rational. 

Free time? What's that? Now that we have some maybe you don't know what to do.

1. See your family. Your wife/husband and kids might have forgotten what you look like. 
2.  Have a day with your non-running friends. They have been wondering where you disappeared to.
3.  Read a book. (About running of course)
4. Watch a movie (about running also)
5.  Have some downtime you time. Did you have a hobby before marathon and half training                started?  Now is the opportunity to pick it up again. Your stamp collection has been sad without you.

Tips

Two nights before the race try and get a good night's rest. The night before the race you likely won't from the pre-race jitters and excitement. This is entirely normal for the majority of people.  

Get down to the expo Friday if you can and avoid tiring activities on Saturday. If you are running the 5k take it as an easy effort shake out run.

Twas The Night Before Race-mas

Make a checklist of everything you need. Bib, race clothes, hydration belt, gels, GPS watch, post race change of clothes, and comfy shoes. Whatever you want to have with you, both before and after the race. Throw-aways for pre-race are good if it is chilly out.

A throwaway is simply a layer you can pitch at the starting line or a mile or so in. Something to keep warm until the run warms you up. Please, please move to the side of the course to pitch. Don't throw a hoody down in the middle of the road!

Gather all the things on your list up and put them in one location for the morning. You will be tired, excited, and may forget something important.Take it from me, the guy who left his Garmin in the hotel room for my first marathon. My pacing strategy was out the window before I even started!

Check out your route into the city and where you will park. Normal routes may be closed for the race. 

Race Morning

Eat whatever you practiced during training for your breakfast. Most sources recommend eating 3-4 hours before the race which may mean waking up to eat and going back to sleep for a little.

Go early. Especially if you need to find parking. Normal routes may be closed for the race.



Here we are! About 1 week away and it is go, go, go time! So rest up! The training is behind us. Rest, heal, hydrate (all week), and eat up!

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!

Pittsburgh Wild Half Trail Race Recap

 

 Race Morning

I woke up around 6 AM with some errands to run before the race so I had a glass of water, a glass of orange juice, a banana, and took an oatmeal jar in the car with me along with some bulletproof coffee. By 8 I was back at my house and heading out the door for the 10 minute drive to Boyce Park.  What an incredible convenience to have a race so close to home!  By 8:15 I had my race packet in hand and time to relax for a few minutes.

At 8:30 I started warming up. I did some prisoner squats and light stretches and then headed to the trail for 0.5 mile warmup. A quick bathroom stop and I was ready to go.

Race Time

Eastern Boyce 

The Half Marathon race started promptly at 9:00 AM. The first 2-3 miles I found it hard to get into my groove due to the congestion. It was very tight running, single file on single track trail. Someone a few people back had music on very loud. They had earbuds, but I could hear every word, every note clear as day. Yes, this annoyed me to no end. I found an opportunity in a slightly wider section of trail and passed a few people pulling away from the noise pollution. Around 2.5 miles in we hit a section of gravel road for a short stretch allowing me to get into my groove and for the field to space out a bit.  I chatted with a few guys about running trails. They were new to it. As people flew by us on the open stretch I said that we would be seeing many of them again before the finish line. This proved to be true.

By mile 5 I had started taking short walking breaks on the hills to conserve energy for the even larger climbs still ahead. My pacing plan was to come in a little faster than planned 50k pace. For 50k of trails walking breaks are mandatory (for me). Rounding up from the Log Cabin back towards the 5k/10k trail split there were a few muddy stretches, some of which stretched across the entire width of the trail.  One thing about trail running: expect to get dirty, wet, and muddy. Popping back onto the road the 10k runners headed for the finish line. The rest of us punishment-loving folks crossed over to the western half of the park and the second half of the race.

 Western Boyce

The first half mile was relatively flat and I used this to keep a easy steady pace which allowed me to gain on a few people that were starting to slow up. It also provided some recovery for the challenges I knew lay ahead. 

Soon we cut into the forest. This small section is one of my favorites. Open forest with winding, rolling trail under a canopy of tall oaks. The short, steep downhills are my attack spots for a trail race and again and again I gained and passed on these and the subsequent up hills that sheer momentum carried me halfway up and walking the rest of the way up.  

The next stretch makes it's way through the forest around the RC airfield and leads to the climbing trail to the top of the ski slopes. It was a mostly un notable section of the course for me. I was feeling a bit tired, but strong and prepared for the next leg.

The climb to the top of the slope is a steady up grade of varying pitch. I walked up the steepest stretches and slowly shuffled up the rest. Along the way I spoke to a few people I encountered. There is one steep section up a gravel road and then you are out into the open fields at the top of the slopes. I followed and was surprised to see that ahead was a run straight down one of the slopes. I lengthened my stride and let gravity carry me downwards concentrating on keeping form and good landings. From the bottom the course went right back up on crisscrossing trails eventually summiting Indian Hill, the highest point in Allegheny County.  From here it was all downhill and flats until arriving at the ski lodge. A minimal hill climb came to the last aid station at the edge of the RC airplane field.  The last two miles were rolling hills. I came out on across from the parking lot. The final stretch went through the lot and down the chute at the soccer field.

I finished in 2:28:27,  25/67 Men's category ,and 16th in Age group with an average pace of around 11:30. I am more than pleased.  The only complaint I have about the race is the age groups. It is not so much a complaint as confusion. The age groups were: 0-14,15-39,40-59, and 60-100.  The weirdest age groupings I have ever seen. 

Since the race I have heard many people saying this was the toughest half marathon, 5k, 10k they have done. Also, many have said it was also the most rewarding.   Running trail is a whole different game than road running.  It boosts strength in the lower legs; calfs, ankles, achilles. And for me, it is a boost for the soul. Sunday trail runs are my personal form of religion in a sense.  It fosters a feeling of appreciation of my body's capabilities and the natural world and brings me a deep sense of peace and enjoyment.  I feel grateful for the opportunity to run this race. It truly was a rewarding experience.


Come Run the Trails

I hope some of you will go out and try some trail running. I am at one of the parks in the city almost every Sunday and soon will be going out many Saturday's too. I am always happy to have a running buddy/buddies.  No pace too "slow" just get out and go, go, go!