Ever since I discovered my love for running and marathons, I've been thinking about doing the Pittsburgh Marathon to redeem my "fake" medal. I was thrilled when my friend Gina suggested last fall that we do it. She has been my running buddy for three other races, and after completing the Akron Marathon last September, we set our eyes on running the City of Bridges. Gina and her husband Dustin moved to Youngstown, Ohio last year, so any chance to see each other and run a large number of miles is wonderful.
The agenda for the weekend was basically this: do as much relaxing as possible, and run the marathon. Then do nothing some more. One of the best things about visiting Gina and Dustin is the fact that we don't have to be anyone but ourselves. The days usually consist of bumming around in sweats and no makeup, eating delicious food, reading, watching tv, and just relaxing and catching up on the last few months. There's no trying to impress, no fake conversation, feelings of being judged, or being guarded about struggles we are dealing with. It's plain, honest, open friendship, and I love that. It's a rare and beautiful thing.
Saturday was spent in Pittsburgh doing the pre-race necessities of packet pickup and driving the course. The expo was held at the convention center downtown, so we spent a few minutes walking along the river and enjoying the views.
We also drove by the apartment that Leanne, her sister Erin, and I shared when we lived there. It looked exactly the same from the outside. I think it will always be special since it was our first apartment on our own.
Dinner that night consisted of eating lots of carbs at Combine Brothers. They had rolls the size of my head! I also had the most delicious pasta dish I've ever eaten: farfalle with a tomato and cream sauce, baked with three cheeses with a homemade meatball on top! I'm pretty sure each entree was an entire box of pasta. It. was. HUGE!
Sunday was the marathon, and I was positively giddy with excitement. Pittsburgh is my favorite city, and the joy of being able to run on roads and across bridges that normally would be impossible is one of the best things about running to me. I LOVED running around all the places I had visited and seen every day while living in the city. It really made me miss it!
The start of the race was a bit cool, but the high for the day was 72 degrees and mostly sunny, so we couldn't have asked for better weather. The first 5 miles of the race FLEW by, through the streets of downtown and the Strip District, across the first 4 bridges (they were the best part!), and across the river to Southside.
Mile 12 was a long, gradual hill up into Oakland and through the University of Pittsburgh campus, a bit challenging but not nearly as much as I'd prepared for. Miles 14-15 are usually the worst part of a race for me, and this time was no exception. I had felt fine up to that point and ignored taking my fuel properly like I should have, and it caught up with me. I felt my body starting to crash and hit the wall, but a handful of sports beans and a few cups of gatorade really picked me up. Miles 16-19 were great mentally (single digits left!), and though many talk about "hitting the wall" at mile 20, it's really one of my favorite parts of each race since I know I only have 6 left and if I need to I can walk the rest and still finish! Mile 23 was a long gradual downhill back into downtown, and I LOVED IT. I felt like I was flying without having to work at it and was able to make up some time I had lost. Mile 25 was probably my worst mile..my legs and hips felt extremely sore, but the crowd support from 25 to the finish was unreal. There were runners and spectators packed along the course, screaming and cheering and yelling your name (it was printed on your bib number). It was wonderful! Definitely the best crowd support I've ever seen at a race.
One of my favorite things about the race was the amount of Boston support that was everywhere. There were homemade t-shirts, signs, bracelets, headbands, and hundreds of people wearing Boston Marathon gear. For a small donation to the One Fund Boston you could also grab a pin and an extra bib to wear during the race. It was a cool feeling to look down and remember the people of Boston and those who weren't able to finish whenever I felt tired or doubtful.
The moment Gina and I started planning for the marathon, we both knew right away what our post-race lunch was going to be. If you've ever been to Pittsburgh, I hope you've treated yourself to some Primanti Brothers. If you haven't had it, you NEED to. It's a Pittsburgh must! Whatever kind of sandwich you want, topped with french fries and coleslaw and smashed between the softest, chewiest bread. I have literally been craving a Primanti sandwich for about two years, and it did not disappoint!
My official time for the race was 4:08:22 - SO close to my elusive goal of being under 4 hours. Although I didn't make my time goal, I don't feel disappointed. I felt the best physically that I've ever felt in a marathon. I held an extremely consistent pace throughout the race, only stopping to walk through a few fluid stations in the back half of the race, and got a new personal record by 14 minutes! Gina also had an awesome race, shaving 20 minutes off her time in the half and commenting how good she felt throughout the race.
I know that speed and distance are the standard measures of a runner's success, but like a lot of standard measures, they're wholly inadequate to measure your experience. They're inadequate to measure you. One day I will finish a marathon under 4 hours, and one day I will qualify for the Boston Marathon. It's hard not to measure yourself against other runners, or wish for a better time or more endurance. But the fact is, not making a goal by 8 minutes doesn't measure up to the fun I had running in my favorite city, on a warm sunny day in May, with my husband cheering me on, one of my best friends at the finish line, and a heavy medal placed around my neck at the end. I'm officially a Runner of Steel.
