Today's Mighty Oak


Race information

  • What?Ā VeteRun Half Marathon

  • When?Ā March 3, 2018

  • How far?Ā 13.1 miles

  • Where?Ā Summit Point, W. Va.

  • Website:Ā [http://www.veterun.org/)

Goals

Goal Description Completed?
A Mandatory: Thank volunteers Possibly too much, see below
B Mandatory: High five some people Yes
C Mandatory: Have a happy run Yes
D Donā€™t get lost Yes
E Stretch goal: New PR Yes

Training

This was the tune-up/mid-way point race for my training cycle for the Pittsburgh Marathon. Iā€™ve been doingĀ Hal Higdonā€™s Intermediate 1 marathon planĀ which has been going pretty well. It doesnā€™t include speedwork, but itā€™s really increased my mileage in a smart way, and for the first time ever, Iā€™ve run over 100 miles a month (actually, for two months in a row!).

Generally Iā€™ve felt pretty good, my legs have been sore, but in a good way, and Iā€™ve been diligent with stretching and rolling (as well as adding some sort of core work each day), which has really helped, as I feel like Iā€™m prone to ITBS.

When looking for race that fit into this schedule, all the local races were off by a few weeks, more geared towards other training plans, but as it turns out, there was this cool little half marathon right next to where my dadā€™s family is and is run on a motor speedway, promising a really unique experience!

Jefferson County is the last county on the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, and where my dadā€™s family was from and then eventually settled (once my grandfather was done moving around with the Army). Itā€™s steeped in history, and as an added bonus, my aunt is a runner and agreed to run this with me, even though it was a new race for her as well! You may have heard of the town of Harperā€™s Ferry, and Summit Point is two towns over. Charles Town (not Charleston), is where my family is, and is home to a racetrack and casino.

Pre-race

Headed to Charles Town and the nearby community of Ranson to doĀ early packet-pick upĀ on Friday evening. TheĀ running storeĀ was cool, although a bit strange. They are a ā€˜minimalistā€™ running store, so only had a few types and styles of shoes (as well as a really nice selection of dressier shoes not for running, actually), but a huge selection of accessories (heated foam rollers, etc.) and clothing. They are also one of the members ofĀ Bros and BrasĀ a fitness collective in the area, dedicated to getting people more active, so thatā€™s pretty cool. I did pick up a massage Stick for $10, which was an awesome deal, and packet pick-up was pretty easy. However, they didnā€™t have the shoe tags, so we would have to go to packet pick-up again the next morning at the racetrack. The volunteers though were awesome (a theme that would continue)!

Charles Town has gone through a transformation. When I was little, it had one streetlight. The racetrack was there, but in the last ten years, the casino, Wal Mart, and pretty much everything else has sprung up, and now thereā€™s like, six stop lights within the town borders! But it was nice to drive past my grandmotherā€™s old house and see some of the sights I hadnā€™t seen in a few years, as well as what hasnā€™t changed. I had been back since the casino opened, but even since then, the town has grown a lot. Itā€™s still a really quaint small town with a Southern feel, where at night, you sit on your porch and chit chat with the neighbors who happen to walk past, inviting them up for some sun tea. The sidewalks are brick and wavy due to the tree roots underneath, and no matter which way you turn you can see the roofline of a building that probably has some history going back to the American Revolution.

My friend came down with me to make a little ā€˜runcationā€™ out of the day, and my parents took us out to dinner atĀ this amazing restaurantĀ that had cuisine from Lebanon (Iā€™m Lebanese), Morocco, Spain, France and Italy. It all worked together, and the sheer variety was amazing. They had the best pita bread outside of my family Iā€™ve ever had, and really good homemade hummus. I had the couscous with cranberries and walnuts while the live musician entertained the dining room.

The race has* an 11 a.m. start, which is really strange, but since itā€™s the first weekend of March, the weather really could be anything. Before we headed to the race track, we stopped byĀ my uncleā€™s bakeryĀ and he had made me someĀ sourdough breadĀ to take home with me! We headed to the motor speedway, got through security, got our shoe chips and waited around a bit. Due to the high winds, the park had lost power, so while VeteRun promotes heavily the fact that there are real bathrooms, not port-a-potties, because they had no power, the bathrooms were closed. They restored power at some point during the race and opened them, as well as the showers that were available on site. *Due to the additional security added by the race track, the race was delayed 15 minutes.

This was also the first time my parents came to a race of mine. I gave them cowbells, because why not, and they actually had a really good time; plus me, myself and my aunt could throw them stuff between the first and second lap if we needed to (they both did, I did not).

Race

So, one of my goals was to not get lost. I feel thatĀ with the course this half tookĀ that fear was justified. I did not get lost, thankfully. Another one of my goals was of course to thank the volunteers. Iā€™m a happy runner, itā€™s just how I am, and one of the volunteers scolded me for being too happy to be running a half marathon as I ran past her, thanking her for the fourth time for being awesome and helping us not get lost, so Iā€™m counting that as a win!

However, what we need to talk about is the wind. The wind was sustained 25 mph with gusts of 40 mph the entire time we were running. With how twisty the course was, along with the hills and banks, youā€™d be trucking along, and make a turn or come up over a hill and BAM! Youā€™d suddenly have to hold onto your hat and lean forward to make any progress. The hills were rolling, although one was really steep, and that, combined with the wind, brought a lot of people to a walk.

The field was pretty small (103 for the half, 91 for the 5K, which started 15 minutes after the half), and I think a lot of that was due to the wind and many people not having power at home and having to deal with cleanup. At one point, I couldnā€™t feel my left hip because the cross wind was hitting it enough for me to lose all feeling.

My aunt is really a badass, and it was really cool to run with her! We stuck together and chit chatted for the first five miles or so, and that actually really helped to reel me in, letting me have the energy for a really good negative split. After she dropped back, I was alone for a long time, and I was honestly a bit worried about getting lost, but there were enough cones and signs that I was good!

As I came through for the end of my first lap, based off of my music, I was in position to grab a PR, so I decided to make that my goal and see if I could make it happen. I hadnā€™t come into the race with any real time expectation but I thought it was within reach, so I wanted to go for it.

I ran a smart race, slowly increasing my speed, even taking into account the hills I know Iā€™d be encountering on the second lap. The wind was still a huge factor, youā€™d turn a corner and be smacked in the face, and it was unpredictable, but I just kept reeling in the people in front of me, passing them (usually on the uphills) and then keeping that lead. With less than a mile and a half left, the last huge hill in front of me, I passed someone as we made our way up and passed another across the bridge at the top of the hill. We chatted for a moment: it was his first race since 1987 (and major heart problems), and he was encouraging and inspiring! There was one guy left in front of me, who I really wanted to pass, and with about half a mile to go, I finally overtook him, and held him off on the kick, which was down one of the pit rows to the finish line.

Mental

February was a dumpster fire (work, family and personal issues), so I wasnā€™t exactly sure how this race would go. I went into it just figuring Iā€™d use it as a chance to hone my race-day routine, but I think I have that down pretty well, although adding in the travel was a challenge for me, and I found myself packing and repacking many, many times, since Iā€™d not be at my house for race day morning.

As we started the race, I enjoyed talking with my Aunt, and while normally my long runs are ā€˜me timeā€™ where my mind works things out, I knew that any time with her would not be that, and once I framed it that way, I was okay with it. When she fell back and I continued on, my mind went to work like it sometimes does, working through things and fixing problems and digging around inside itself, and that was helpful, and good time for me. I really appreciated having both of those experiences on one run.

Post-race

I crossed the finish line in 2:13:15, more than a six minute PR! I remember as I was approaching the finish line, seeing the clock and saying out loud, ā€œNo ******* way!ā€ I guess I still didnā€™t believe I was going to PR! Grabbed my medal, water (had to pass on the pizza since Iā€™m a lactard) and had my shoe chip cut off before finding my family and then waiting to cheer in my aunt as she crossed the finish line. We grabbedĀ a coupleĀ picturesĀ before we headed out.

The power had come back, but we decided to shower at my parentā€™s hotel (they were staying another night in Charles Town) before we headed home, of course hitting the cosmic center of the universe: Breezewood, Pa. My aunt got first place in her age division! And will now be training for the Freedom Run Half Marathon and the Harperā€™s Ferry full, which is both historic and crazy in terms of hills!

All three of us left with windburn. My face, as well as my hands are pretty beat up from it, actually, so Iā€™ll be doing what I can to heal, probably lost of chapstick and lotion. Nothing we could really do about it, but I feel pretty badass for getting a PR in those conditions!

What’s next?

Iā€™m halfway through my training for the Pittsburgh Marathon. Iā€™m anxiously awaiting and dreading the return of spring weather (Iā€™m sick of running in the cold, but I appreciate the extra emptiness of the sidewalks). With this PR and my long runs taking me up to 15 miles (I know thereā€™s still a long way to go), Iā€™m feeling much more confident than I was before. Iā€™m a bit nervous about the mileage ramping up once again, but this helped a lot so I know Iā€™ll be able to continue to work through my training plan.

The races in training plans are great for not only the practice of running on race day (and getting your running to fit on a set start time), but also as a way to see where you are in your own journey; and I had forgotten that. I donā€™t race over the winter, but maybe I need to change that moving forward, to keep me in that mindset and practiced.

My friend and I also had such a good time that weā€™re looking into what other close (or closeish) races we can do, hopefully making runcations a yearly event for us! She tossed out ideas for Virginia Beach and Cincinnati, and my parents would love for us to run the Outer Banks while theyā€™re there (aka, Pittsburgh South Version 2, Florida is Version 1), so that will be the goal for next year!

I also have to help my mom figure out how to upload all of her pictures to a Facebook album, so Iā€™ll be working on that this week (by working on, I just mean doing). Iā€™ll be adding some more pictures that she and my dad took toĀ the album I put together here.



Race information

Goals

Goal Description Completed?
A Mandatory: Thank volunteers Yes
B Mandatory: High five some people Yes
C Mandatory: Have a happy run Yes
D New PR Yes

Training

This is the first time I used a training plan to specifically get faster, and not just tackle a new distance. I used Hal Higdonā€™s Intermediate 2 half marathon plan, which was my first introduction to speedwork. Iā€™m one of those runners who really likes being on a plan: it makes me accountable (to myself) and gets me to run. This plan had me running five days a week, and while I did a lot of shuffling due to work commitments, I completed everything scheduled.

I also discovered that I love speedwork. I especially love track repeats; to me itā€™s like a puzzle, having to hit the right speed for the right time and making it all work together was a great mental boost. My last tempo run I hit really confidently, and my final track session, even though my last few laps were all alone in the dark, I hit every single pace I needed to and was really proud of myself for that.

This plan also had more miles than my previous one (for my first half), so a combination of more miles, speedwork and an easier course all led to a significant PR. I had a few other races this fall, but due to how they fell on the calendar and in one case, some significant heat, I didnā€™t PR any other distance. But this was my A race, so Iā€™m not upset, just wondering if those times will fall in the spring racing season.

Pre-race

Woke up, had some coffee. It didnā€™t do anything. Got in the car to drive to the start (was about an hour away) and ten minutes before arriving at my destination, coffee kicked in. Bonus point: got to be the first person to use the port-a-potties.

I have to make special note of how awesome the volunteers are at this race. They have it down to a science, and having a group just dedicated to guiding people to parking spots was so efficient and amazing. Every volunteer at each water stop was smiling and cheering and the ones inside at packet pickup were just as excited to see me. Top notch volunteers!

The only note Iā€™ll add (not that it affected me) is they touted having indoor bathrooms at the start on all their registration materials, but those were closed off. I donā€™t mind using the port-a-potties (and did again, just due to pre-race jitters), but some people grumbled.

The port-a-potty line was long, and a lot of people were in line when the gun went off, but it was chipped time. That did however, lead to more passing than normal in the first few miles. Thereā€™s no pacers or pace signs for this race, so the 700-800 of us lined up, kind of guessing where to be. While the above combined to a bit of a chaotic start, we all fell into place before mile two.

Race

The race starts on the road, but then cuts over to the trail, which you follow from Cabot to Freeport. Iā€™ve never been on this trail before, and itā€™s absolutely gorgeous! I did a lot of my training on the Great Allegheny Passage, and while that gives you a nice view of the river and industry, this was a great trail through the woods, next to a scenic creek, with the occasional cute farmhouse right next to you.

I donā€™t run with a GPS watch or even GPS tracking on my phone. The only time I did was using an old Garmin that my friend gave me for my speedwork. Otherwise, I run by feel. I knew where I was for my long runs, and I spent the first half of the race telling myself to ā€œreign it inā€ when I felt I myself pick it up. I wanted to run the first half with my head as much as I could.

Because this race sells itself with the slightly downhill course, there were a lot of fast looking people at the start. While that was certainly intimidating, I kept repeating that I was only racing myself.

After you get onto the trail, itā€™s crushed limestone, and itā€™s pretty well crushed, got a tiny pebble in my shoe around mile five or so, but it would only bother me a few times when it got jostled around. The surface itself does change a few times, and I think it was around mile six that for a few miles it was this weird limestone/pavement hybrid that was rough to run on. To bookend the race, it also ends on the road, but that was pretty standard blacktop (freshly sealed this year!) and cement.

Aid stations are well marked, although they are in the mile that they are listed at, not at the mile itself (the station at mile two was actually close to 2.5), and they had GU listed as being available at multiple stops, but ran out at mile 7. Iā€™m not a fan of GU, and had brought a honey stinger waffle instead, so I was set.

With four miles to go, I pick up the pace. My normal run with the Frontrunners is a four mile loop, so itā€™s just ingrained in me. Total autopilot, and more importantly, I donā€™t have to expend any mental energy to know I can easily run four miles. So I start to pick people off. I slowly increase my speed and keep consistently passing other runners, including some of those people I thought looked really fast at the start.

I had read comments about the last hill and how steep it is, and it was no joke. You exit the trail, then run up a switchback (for vehicle traffic) to get to the top of a bridge before running into downtown Freeport. Our Frontrunner courses start on hills, and have plenty in them, so once again I was prepared. Passing multiple people on that last ascent was a great feeling!

Came across the line in 2:19:26, lowering my PR by 9:49!

Mental

For me, the mental training and my mental health are just as important as the running side. I try to be open with my struggles with my mental health, in hopes that it helps to stimulate conversation and bring these issues into the light more. I fight the urge to be ashamed of it, itā€™s just the cards Iā€™ve been dealt.

The last few weeks before this race were really tough. Iā€™m not sure why, and honestly, there doesnā€™t have to be a reason, I was just really depressed. A couple big projects at work certainly added to it, but for whatever reason, I was going to be in a down cycle. Iā€™ve lived through these before, and have worked out some coping strategies (running being one of them, and being on a training plan was great to keep my body and mind occupied and focused).

My running, especially my long runs, is time when my mind works through things. Itā€™s nothing I can force; itā€™s like an extended therapy session. As try as I might, my mind could not work through whatever is currently there bothering me; itā€™s buried too deep. And that was disappointing to me. My last few long runs actually left me more depressed. I worked through some things, but was always disappointed I wasnā€™t making as much progress mentally as I wanted.

But thatā€™s not how it works. And I know that. But that cycle continues and continued to bury me.

At the race, I got out of the port-a-potty line with about ten minutes to go before the start of the race. The last week before the race, I was doing a lot of mental math, trying to figure out exact paces and setting time goals for myself. I knew that I had to let that go and enjoy the moment. This was a new race for me, so I just needed to run it and have a happy run. I pulled up a four minute meditation I have on my phone for just this situation, and stood in the start corral, my eyes closed but facing the sun, and did my best to clear my mind.

I remember seeing a sign on the course that looked like it was a mile marker for the race. Turns out it was (shocker, I know)! I was surprised it said two miles, but I guess all the crowds at the beginning of the race made it go faster than I expected. The trail itself was also marked (with mile markers set on both sides of the posts), so each time I came to one, I played some mental math games, but still tried to center myself away from obsessing about the time I was going to hit.

As I started to pick people off with four miles to go, my mood lifted a bit as well. There was a pack of us who had run together (and done the classic passing and being passed around each other) and I left them behind as their paces fell off and I increased ever so slightly. I was pretty sure I was going to PR, but didnā€™t know by how much.

I want to downplay my PR. This is a fast course, they market themselves with that fact (even though that last hill stops a lot of runners), but to me, itā€™s almost as if I didnā€™t actually run my new time. I have to fight with myself to acknowledge that I put in the time and effort of a new training plan, with speed work, and ran a distance in less time than I have previously. I feel uncomfortable when people congratulate me, so even though I had promised to tell people how I did at the race, I partially dreaded that.

In the end, I was happy with my time and proud of what I accomplished. I keep working on these issues; itā€™s a process, not a quick fix overnight. But itā€™s good for me to have this experience, so I can be better prepared for it the next time. I keep working through therapy and maybe as this depression lifts a bit Iā€™ll have a better view of things, but for now, Iā€™ll just try to keep moving forward until Iā€™m in a better state.

Post-race

Grabbed some water and half a banana (pre-cut), which I discovered for me, is the perfect amount of banana. I have a real finicky stomach, and canā€™t eat for a while after a race, but then the hunger will hit me hard. I packed an extra honey stinger waffle in my gear bag in case I needed it on the bus ride back to the start (and our cars), but didnā€™t.

I stretched a bit, then started the drive home. Stopped three times to run some errands, because even though I had a successful race, still had to be an adult. One of those stops however, was at Sheetz for some food, where I traumatized a family twice. The first, when they had the audacity to walk between me and the counter when my number was called. Apparently, my face was just staring daggers at them, since they apologized and scampered off. The second time was when they walked past where I was sitting and witnessed me inhale my food. I never meant to traumatize them, but I also didnā€™t feel too bad about it either, this wasnā€™t their first time at Sheetz and they should know not to congregate in the way of the counter when that many people are waiting for their food.

What’s next?

A week off, and then jumping into volunteering for NaNoWriMo. Also the EQT 10-Miler the first weekend in November, which was the first race I used a plan for last year. Not looking to PR that, but just enjoy it and have a good time with the Frontrunners (some of us running, also manning a water stop, then probably getting together for brunch).

I will take this opportunity to say that I am a very dumb man. Iā€™m not fast, by any stretch of the imagination, and probably will end up regretting my decision, but as of right now, I am signed up for my first full in the spring. I say I am dumb because I signed up for some very silly reasons: Itā€™s a new distance to challenge myself with, and itā€™s the 10th anniversary of the Pittsburgh marathon. Arbitrary, I know, but things seemingly align, so why not, right?

I have the option to drop down to the half (or some in-between distance made of relay segments), so Iā€™m planning to see how training goes and make that decision. Iā€™m really good at sticking to training plans, and Iā€™ve found what Iā€™d like to try to tackle, so just like this race, Iā€™ll run by feel and see where that takes me!



Preview:Ā The story of this race report actually began more than a decade ago, when the Port Authority closed off a section of the T track…

Race information

Goals

Goal Description Completed?
A 5K: PR Yes
B 5K: Sub 30 Yes
C Half: Finish Yes
D Half: Don’t walk Yes
E Half: Enjoy it Yes

Pictures

Training

After running the EQT 10-Miler in the fall, I decided to use another HH training plan, this time going for hisĀ Novice 2 Half plan, since one of my goals was to bump up to running four days a week. I hit every single one of the runs, although had to do a lot of moving the days around due to travelling for work. While not ideal, it still got me through injury free, so I was thankful for that for my first half. Most of my long runs were half on pavement/cement and half on trail. In hindsight, I wish I had done more time on the pavement, but otherwise I was very pleased with my long runs, I really came to enjoy them, except for my final 12 mile run, but that was due to the temperature being in the high seventies and muggy as all hell.

A friend from the Frontrunners and I also became accountability buddies about three weeks out from race day, and we texted each other each day to make sure were foam rolling, which helped a lot to ease quite a bit of stiffness that I had accumulated.

Pre-Race: 5K

Friends and I always volunteer Thursday night, helping to set up the expo (we unpack every single shirt. Good lord, there are so many) and going back down Friday, packet pick-up was a breeze. I ended up playing the part of “packet mule” picking up seven total (including two for myself). I had quite a collection of drawstring bags on my back walking through the convention center! Normal assortment of vendors, although to be honest, I was sad that this is the first festival (of any kind) that I didn’t see Gutter Helmet. If there’s a place to buy booth space, they are usually there, I’ve seen them at Pride and at alternative-fuel vehicle conventions.

My best friend’s wife comes over the night before this race every year and we madeĀ waffles with peanut butter and honeyĀ and watched an animated movie. The “movies for ages 3-4 and 5-7” fit us just right on Netflix.

Race: 5K

It rained. It was gross, but we knew it was going to be going into it. I’ve run enough in the rain and snow that it didn’t bother me, although other friends I was running with complained. In my mind, this was actually the A event for me to race. I’ve run a sub-30 5K on a track many times, but never did in a race. This was the very first race I ever ran, so it’s a great benchmark for me each year, and I really wanted to break 30 this year.Ā /u/ahf0913Ā evenĀ predicted that I wouldĀ so in my mind, the pressure was on.

My friend who paced me at the 10-miler ran with me, as my ‘almost full out race pace but not quite since I’m running my first half tomorrow’ pace fits neatly into his shake-out race for the full the next day. We settled in, and because of the crowds, fell a bit behind the 10:00/mile pacer. Which I enjoyed: he was great eye candy. But eventually we passed him after the first mile. My friend looked at his watch and said that we were actually running a 9:30 pace, which was great for me! There was an unexpected bottleneck going across one bridge (one side was closed for construction), but otherwise, just normal foot traffic in a race that size. The rest of the race was typical, lots of great cheering fans, including the woman I look for every year as we leave Allegheny Commons and head for the bridge. She always has a pot and a metal spoon; last year I called out that I look for her ever year, and we had another moment this year, she really is just my favorite spectator on the course!

We cross the bridge and take in the last mile. As we turn onto the Boulevard of the Allies, I see the clock time, try to do some quick mental calculations, hurt my brain, and just give it a great kick.Ā Chip time: 29:33, knocking a minute off my 5K race PR and a minute and a half from my time last year!

Post-Race: 5K

The weather was raining and cold, so we skipped the finish line festival, and like so many others, ducked into the T to go back to the North Shore, we did however meet at Lost Child, as is our tradition, since we have the mentalities of children. Crammed onto the subway, as we were headed under the river, I glanced up and saw a friend from the Frontruners and his we chatted through people’s arms until we could get off at the platform. I met his husband, they congratulated me on my PR and wished each other luck for the next day.

We did a quick change and stretch at a friend’s hotel, I lost my voice cheering for the Kid’s Marathon as we walked back to the Expo whereĀ I cheesed for a picture with a giant 13.1. Also of note, there is another giant cut out of Dick’s (they sponsor the race) where you stand in as the I. Of course I did that, because it was a giant dick, just calling to me….but my friend hasn’t sent me that picture yet.

Pre-Race: Half

I spent the night before anxiously refreshing the weather. It was on the cusp of me needing long sleeves, and while I had worn long sleeves during the 5K, I got a tad overheated at the end, so I finally decided to go with short sleeves. I do a really good job over-hydrating the weeks before a race, so I got up four times in the middle of the night, otherwise though, it was a restful night. I take the busway into town, I don’t want to deal with traffic, so head to the park ‘n ride and catch the 5:00 bus.

Pre-Race: Super Secret Subway

Okay guys, here’s the thing: I’m a closet public transportation nerd. Like, big time. When I used to work in the Hill District, I would take the busway into town then walk up, sometimes cutting through the Steel Plaza subway station if I had gone to the gym. I’m still looking into it, but from what I can tell, at least ten years ago (although probably longer), the subway connector between Penn Station (at the end of the busway) and Steel Plaza was shut down, cutting off direct access to the busway from the subway. They took out the track allowing cars to loop around, but left the rest. Well, for race weekend, THEY OPENED IT BACK UP! One-day, special edition, never before have I ridden, hidden subway track!Ā Here’s a mapĀ in case you were interested. It’s okay, you can skip ahead to the next section, I’m going to continue to nerd out for a bit here.

So I get off the bus and head over. I’m the only one. It’s not even the way I’m going, I just want to say that I rode it. It was glorious, and really, really short, but totally worth it.Ā Spoiler:Ā I rode it again that afternoon after the race!

Because the Frontrunners had over 20 members running on Sunday, we were part of the Running Club Rally, so I got to head to the SCRR lounge, have some fruit and use the bathroom, all while looking around awkwardly for someone I knew.

Race: Half

I joined some friends in Corral D, which honestly, was a great decision, I wanted to try to stick with a 10:30 pacer. We got started late (compared to previous years, I was told) and didn’t cross the start line until about 7:45, but I did hear some Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga as we waited, so that was good. During the first mile or two actually was able to see bothĀ /u/karmicbiasĀ andĀ /u/miikermbĀ which was so awesome! My friend was amazed I had actually met people from Reddit in real life, she thought that was just an urban legend that never actually happens!

My goal was to just enjoy my first half and have fun. A good friend stuck with me, and we kept each other motivated and entertained. I’m kind of a goof-ball and play off the crowd, so I spent 13 miles cheering on spectators and complimenting their signs and hats. A few times, other runners commented that they wanted to stick with us for the entertainment value, and we put in plugs for other races we run together.

We stopped so she could use the bathroom once, and between the wait, and my legs tightening up, we lost a bit of time, but I’m taking that as it will be easier for me to get a new PR the next time I run a half!

The crowd support was great, although there were certainly stretches where it was sparse, but that was to be expected. South Side was a lot of fun, as was the polka band in the West End. The crowd at Station Square was pretty awesome as well.

The big hill for the half course is the Birmingham Bridge, which I’ve run enough times that I was prepared for it. Although by then, the sun was out in full force and it had warmed up a bit into the 50’s, and it affected quite a few. After that, there was a small hill into Uptown, which was where I failed pretty hard during a training run, so even though I slowed down, I made it without stopping, which was huge for me.

Coming down the last mile, through downtown was amazing. I had one earbud in for the race, just for some music for the quiet periods, but as we passed The Paint Bucket, I tucked it away, taking in the screaming crowd. We took a left onto Grant and then the right onto the Boulevard towards the finish line. As we were coming down Grant, the crowds were packed, and I yelled out “Pittsburgh, show me some love!” getting them riled up even more and getting quite a few high fives out of the deal, so it was a win-win!

All in all, I cheesed for the camera quite a bit, ran a solid, consistent race and had an absolute blast doing it!

Best sign:Ā Run like United needs your seat

Race Day Bingo boxes checked:Ā Happy cop, angry cop, happy EMT, bored EMT, barefoot runner, Vibram 5-fingers runner, running in costume, over-prepared guy (about 17 GUs on his belt), under-prepared runner (walking in jeans and a heavy rain coat less than a mile in), and somehow: runner reading a book. That one hurts a lot, like I’m going to get an aneurysm if I keep thinking about the how and the why.

Post-Race: Half

Collected all the food and things. While we had bags to collect the water and chips and fruit and Smiley Cookies, they were the last things we got, which was dumb. Should have been medal, heat sheet, bag then the rest, hopefully that is changed for next year.

Met up with friends, helped them find their gear check bags, got myĀ Steel Challenge medalĀ from one of my favorite P3R employees (and promised to volunteer at the Triathalon again this year) and then headed to the hospitality tent as another reward for theĀ Running Club Rally. The Frontrunners took a group photo with the PR bell and then we all headed home our separate ways. I traveled via the T back to the busway with a fellow club member, and we rode theĀ special edition connectorĀ again! This time, we paid special attention to the sparks the track was throwing off. I think it needs some more maintenance if it’s going to be in regular rotation again.

What’s next?

It was a great weekend, one that I look forward to every year. I love the celebration of our personal achievements and the hard work we all put into ourselves paying off in such a fun way that brings the whole city together.

My feet are toughening up too, only had problems with one toe, but the nail doesn’t even look like it will fall off. My big goals are to further work on my nutrition and I desperately need to improve the hours of sleep I get each night. After a week off, I’d like to keep building my base, and maybe even add in a fifth day of running, but I’m not sure about that yet, but looking at my schedule, if I keep doing the four mile runs with the Frontrunners Saturday mornings, I could move my long run to Sundays, giving me five days a week. I also want to switch up my cross-training (and add in more stretching yoga) and strength training days, just to improve a little bit more in those areas as well, but I’m taking it all one thing at a time.

I’m eyeing the Greensburg Half in the fall, but they don’t have a date for that yet, and there’s a few small races coming up that I’ll be doing (Rainbow Dash, Great Race, Stride for Pride, Mario Lemieux, plus a couple virtuals for Zombies, Run and Beat the Blerch). My pacer friend gave me his old GPS watch (a Forerunner 10) so I can use that to help me with speed work going forward.

As I mentioned before, one of the reasons I run is that it helps me manage my depression. I work through things and it helps me make connections, as well as improve my mood. My long runs were perfect for that, I would figure things out and really see a considerable improvement in my mood, as well as solutions to problems I was facing. Races do not provide me the time to think like that. I worked at a camp for 11 years, and I used all that experience to make an ass out of myself for 13.1 miles to entertain those around me. I loved every second of that, but that was for others, not for me.

I need to remember that I do need to race, to mark my improvements, but also as a way to give back, just a little. But I need to go into it with the mindset that I’m not going to have any mental revelations, that way, I can just enjoy it for what it is. After the race, lots of people told me how proud they were of me and that was amazing (although a bit uncomfortable, since I hate having the spotlight on myself), but I tried to take it all in. Hopefully that’s a lesson I can better learn with each race.

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