Pittsburgh: It's Official

So what race am I doing?

The UPMC Pittsburgh Half Marathon.

When is that?

Sunday, May 4th, 2014.

Isn't that the same day as the Flying Pig?

Yup.

So why are you going to Pittsburgh when you could just run at home?

Pittsburgh has this and this. The Pig has neither. Pittsburgh has a commitment to elite and sub-elite runners, they have a commitment to growing the sport from the front, they have a commitment to hosting a highly competitive race. The Pig, as of now, does not. They're comp'ing my entry fee and putting me up in a hotel (with another runner)...while also hosting a race that should have a ton of competition around me with the potential to win prize money by placing high or running a time bonus. Who can turn that down?

But seriously, why aren't you doing the Pig? It's your hometown race...

Well, that's a topic for the next post. But for quick reference, see above.

So, let's toast with a glass of Yuengling and hope for a fast race in the Steel City.

Comments

Base Training the Lydiard Way

This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while, but just haven't really gotten around to it. This is for anyone using the summer to gear up for a fall season of racing, whether that's a marathon, road races, or cross country. That said, this is especially for you high school and college athletes. Summer is the most important time of the season. It's when you build your base -- everything that's to come later in the fall is determined by the quality of this base. In fact, some might even say that your end-of-season peak is limited by how well you trained over the summer. Arthur Lydiard believed this. And his philosophies still form the foundation of modern-day distance training. You've probably heard (and maybe internalized) many of the common critiques of Lydiard-style training: it's old and outdated , or it's too hard, or, most common, it's just a lot of long slow distance. And low slow distance makes for long slow runners . The lat...

Why I Love Running At Withrow

One of my favorite places to do workouts and strides and general fast stuff is the track at Withrow High School in Hyde Park. No, it's not because of the newly renovated surface. No, it's not because it's a perfect 10-minute warmup and cooldown jog from my house. No, it's not because I'm a nerd and it has markings for both a 1600 and a mile. No, it's not because the school building forms a perfect "L" around the homestretch and first turn, sheltering the field from any drastic wind. No, it's not because I spent four years during college running workouts there. Actually, wait, that is part of it. The reason I love Withrow's track so much can be summed up like this: it's a true public track. If you've ever been to the track, then you know how packed it can get with people using it. And it's not just Withrow High School teams and random individuals -- the track is also regularly used by many other local high schools witho...

MILE BY MILE

Every race tells a story. This is the story of one runner -- and the people, training, and events that built his race, told MILE BY MILE . Each day for the next month leading up to the Boston Marathon, I will be releasing one chapter of the story. Day one, chapter one starts... Now! Click here for the first chapter: Warmup

Running Shorts

Search This Blog