Strategizing the Pittsburgh Marathon

The countdown to the 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon has reached the single digits!  The big day is even appearing in the 10-day weather forecast, so you know it's getting serious here!  (The weather forecast, however, is NOT making me excited yet at highs in the 70's and rain.  Hopefully this changes as we get closer...)

Taken on a training run.  Hopefully the 'Burgh will look like this come race day!

The training and the physical preparation are pretty much in the bag at this point.  There's not a whole lot a runner can do in the week leading up to a marathon to become physically more prepared, other than sleeping and hydrating.  Mentally, however, I'm using taper time to strategize about my race.

Race Map and Elevation Profile from the Pittsburgh Marathon website.

This will be my fourth marathon, and my third consecutive Pittsburgh Marathon, so I am familiar with both the distance and the course.  I know from experience that I can divide the race into roughly three parts:

One of the 5 bridges runners will cross - this photo taken at the 2014 EQT 10 miler.

Miles 1-13  - Keep Calm and Don't Go Out Too Fast!

I expect to feel relatively strong and happy, but I know that I'll need to pace myself from going out too fast on fresh legs and a mostly flat part of the course.  I've felt great in the first 13 miles of most of my training runs, including last month's Run the Bluegrass half marathon.  For those familiar with the Pittsburgh course, you may recognize that there is a significant elevation gain at mile 12.  I have run the uphill of the Birmingham Bridge and Forbes Avenue many times in training, and actually feel pretty good about it!  I've learned that this is another place where I need to be smart and not go too fast, taking walk breaks up the hill if needed, since there are many more hills to come.

The Pittsburgh Soul Steppers around mile 18 in Homewood.  A pleasant and happy distraction!

Miles 13-20 - Distract Myself

If anyone out there is running the Pittsburgh Marathon for the first time, there's something you need to know about the hills.  Everyone talks about the big hill in mile 12.  What nobody talks about is that  miles 13-23 are full of rolling hills in the form of slight grades, often on long stretches of road.  This killed me the first time that I ran Pittsburgh.  I expected a flat, easy plateau at the top of mile 12's hill, but the slight elevation gains of this section of the course have felt brutal to me on tiring legs.  I plan to turn on kind of an autopilot mode, to trust my training and use the scenic urban neighborhoods and  friendly crowds on course to distract me from any tiredness in my legs.

The city as seen from high up on one of the East End's hills.

Miles 20-Finish - Dig Deep, It's (Almost) All Downhill from Here!

For me, the undisputed most challenging part of the Pittsburgh Marathon course is climbing the hill of North Highland Avenue at mile 20.  Mile 20 is often the "Wall" a runner has to overcome in a marathon.  In Pittsburgh, that wall is made even more impassable seeming by the slow, steady climb of the course.  Fortunately, once you get to the top of the hill at Bryant street, runners get rewarded with a corresponding downhill in mile 21.  Then, more ups and downs before the course gets it's huge downhill at mile 23.  As much as it seems like a giant downhill should be easy, its still tough on my tired body to complete these last few miles.  Once I get to the top of the hill in Highland Park, I'm going to try and push my pace, and make the last 10K my fastest 10K!

Crossing the finish line at my first Pittsburgh Marathon in 2013!

I'm hoping that this strategy will bring me home a new marathon PR.  My 2015 goal race is ultimately the Marine Corps Marathon in October, in which I hope to break 5 hours.  Pittsburgh is going to be something of a "practice marathon" and, while I don't know that I'll be able to break 5 hours yet, I'm hoping to beat my best previous time.  Let the countdown continue, and I'll see everyone in 1 week at the Expo, 5K, Pet Walk, and Pittsburgh Marathon!

Five Reasons I'm Running the Bluegrass this Weekend

For Friday this week, I wanted to share 5 reasons that brought me to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend!

I planned for this weekend to be a preparatory half-marathon leading up to my training for the Pittsburgh Marathon.   I penciled everything in to the training calendar, secured the time off work, and planned initially to run the Just a Short Run in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

But then I kept hearing about a different half the same weekend, the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon and 7-Miler in Lexington, Kentucky.  So why did I decide to make the 6-hour trek down to the Bluegrass State?

1. Rave Reviews on Social Media

Of course, when I got the notion of Run the Bluegrass in my scheming mind, I took to Twitter to see what people were really saying about the race.  All of my #runChat respondents immediately let me know what a great race it was, and how strongly they recommended it.

2. The Race Director's Presence on Social Media

When I first asked the question about whether I should run the race, I tagged the @RunTheBluegrass handle.  Within 30 minutes, the race director, Eric, replied directly to me, reaching out an offer to answer any questions I had.  Awesome!  Some races are barely staggering into the digital age, and this one has not only a staff member, but the race director himself awaiting and answering runners' Twitter queries.

About a month later, the race directors apparently had an issue receiving the order of their Nike tech shirts, as a workers strike on the West coast has been holding up many imports from Asia.  Eric was quickly on social media, and on the Run the Bluegrass Facebook page, he kept runners in the loop as to whether the tech shirts were coming, and what they needed to know/expect.  Total transparency is a win in my book!

3.  Unique Course and Events

I will be the first to admit that I don't know a ton about Lexington, but when I think about the city and its state, 3 things come to my mind:  Horses, Bourbon, and Basketball.  The Run the Bluegrass course and race weekend totally embrace the first 2 of those items.  The course runs through many thoroughbred farms, and the expo (which I'm leaving to attend shortly) is held at a local racetrack.  The race weekend events include many tours, which seems to be such a unique facet of this race.  Not a lot of races organize tours in the days leading up to the event, but Run the Bluegrass runners can opt to tour stables, taste bourbon, meet horses, tour distilleries, and so much more.

4. Unique Swag

Since we are in Bourbon country, one unique piece of race swag is that the Woodford Reserve distillery makes a Special Edition Single Barrel Bourbon just for the race.  How cool is that!  I've also been told there will be bourbon balls and Kentucky Ale microbrews at the expo and post-race.  That's my kind of carbo loading!

On the topic of the delayed tech shirts from before, Run the Bluegrass has channeled that spirit of uniqueness into solving the shirt problem, and will be giving runners lightweight, great-looking, American-made hoodies instead of the usual tech shirts.  I can't wait to try mine on!

The race also features a Director's Challenge where runners can state their time goal prior to the race and, if they achieve it, they get to keep a barrel stave from Woodford Reserve as their trophy.

5. 50 States

One day, I'd like to become a "50 Stater" aka run a Marathon and/or Half in each of our 50 states.  For someone who aspires to this goal, I have sadly few states already checked off the list.  Kentucky is a state I've never raced in.  In fact, I'm not sure that I've really ever visited the state, save for passing through on the way to Tennessee or points south.  I tend to favor a lot of urban races (and Disney races, however you classify those).  This will be not only a new state, but a new type of adventure.


Now, I'm off to the expo and know that I am going to have a great experience, but, as a parting photo, let me share a little bit of that unique, Lexington spirit.  I am currently staying with Airbnb, and am sharing my yard with these guys!

This city gal is ready to embrace everything that Bluegrass country is about to offer!

* All photos in this blog post copied from www.runthebluegrass.org.  Except chickens.  The chicken photo is totally mine.  Also all opinions expressed are my own as I have not received any compensation - I'm just super excited about this race weekend! *

Race Preview: Pittsburgh Citiparks Community Footraces

Summer is here, if not in the scientific sense - 21 days remain until the Summer Solstice - it has arrived in the sense that pools have opened, schools have closed, and it's officially okay to wear your whites and your flip-flops.  Summer, at least in Pittsburgh, holds a treasure trove of 5K and 10K races, including the Pittsburgh Citiparks Community Footrace Series.

The Community Footrace Series includes:

• The Greenfield Glide 5K - June 1
• The Riverview Park 5K  - June 6
• The Brookline Breeze 5K and 1 Mile - August 9
• Run Around the Square 5K and 1.5 Mile - August 23
• Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race 10K and 5K - September 28

Panther Hollow Lake adjacent to the Greenfield Glide Course - While runners don't get to come all the way down to the lake, this also means that they don't have to climb the hill back up!

The Greenfield Glide takes runners through Schenley Park, one of four large, urban parks within the Pittsburgh city limits.  A hilly course, the glide winds through the park's wooded trails.  The course doesn't appear to dip quite down to my favorite part of the park, the lake in lower Panther Hollow, but runners should be able to catch some glimpses of the lake, streams, and hopefully some wildlife along the trail.

The Greenfield Glide starts at 9:30 this Sunday morning, June 1.  Pre-registration is closed, but registration is available the morning of the race for $25 (runners) or $15 (walkers).



The Riverview Park 5K is unique among organized races in that it takes place in the evening, starting at 7:00 pm.  While most races start in the morning, requiring participants to wake early and get warmer as the race goes on, the sun will be setting gently during the duration of the Riverview Park 5K.  Another cool fact about this race is that runners get to race around an observatory.  This is also a trail race through another one of Pittsburgh's parks, and the Allegheny Observatory sits atop a hill as a favorite landmark along the course.  According to the Observatory's website, tours are held Friday evenings from 8-10 pm, allowing the possibility of some truly unique post-race entertainment.

The Riverview Park 5K Run and Fitness walk starts at 7:00 pm Friday, June 6.  Online and mail-in registration are open until June 3 and day-of registration opens at 5:00 pm at the park.  All registration fees are $15.

The Allegheny Observatory high on the hill above Riverview Park.  Photo from the Observatory website at http://www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/

The Brookline Breeze is my "home race" among those in this series, held in my neck of Pittsburgh's woods.  In actuality, the Brookline Breeze has very little to do with woods and holds the distinction of being the most urban race among the quartet of Citiparks' events.  The Breeze does start in a park, but it is a small community park, and roughly 3 of the race's 3.1 miles are run on the city streets.  The race is another hilly one.  Last year, the hills saw the added challenge of roadwork and potholes along the course, but this year's race should be the "breeze" runners are promised, as Brookline has recently completed its construction projects.  The Brookline Breeze also includes a 1-mile Mini-Breeze, geared towards children and families, as well as a 1-mile Pet Walk.

The Brookline Breeze events take place the morning of August 1st, with the Mini-Breeze starting at 8:35 am, the Pet Walk at 8:38 am, and the 5K at 9:00 am.  Online registration is open until August 6, and fees range from $9 - $15 depending on the event.

Participants gather in Brookline Memorial Park prior to the 2013 race.

The Run Around the Square is the race I know the least about going into it.  I don't run much out in the far East End of the city, but the course map shows that the race splits its terrain between the flat, city streets of the Regent Square neighborhood and the mildly hilly trails of Frick Park.  Frick Park is the largest of Pittsburgh's city parks, and this course gives runners just a glimpse of the lush woods and plentiful trails.  The Run around the Square also boasts a 1.5 mile Fun Run/Walk and Pet Walk, which appears to be contained to the Regent Square neighborhood roads.

The Run Around the Square is on August 23 - the Fun Run/Walk starts at 8:15 am and the 5K starts at 9:00 am.  Registration is open online through August 22.  Fees are $25 for the 5K and the 1.5 Mile Pet Walk and $20 for the 1.5 Mile without a canine companion.

Chilling with the Duck after the 2013 Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race.  Duck not included in 2014 edition.

The Community Footrace Series concludes with the Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race, the largest 10K race in the state of Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the country.  The Great Race also holds a 5K run/walk on the same morning.  The Great Race is a point-to-point race, with shuttles transporting runners to a start line either 10K from downtown, in the Squirrel Hill corner of Frick Park, or 5K from downtown, at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.  The Great Race is a mostly flat and downhill course, running through parks and business districts, past museums and universities, and ending downtown in Pittsburgh's beautiful State Park at Point State Park.

The Great Race sells out FAST each year!  Registration is currently still open online for $33.  Once the race is capped, the race allows bib transfers, and, as the race date nears, runners always seem to have bibs available on Craigslist and Facebook.

All of the Pittsburgh Citiparks races are friendly towards both runners and walkers, novices and those striving to earn a medal or award.  Best of all, they are a great way to enjoy some of Pittsburgh's most beautiful parks and neighborhoods!  Hope to see you all there!