Oct 2 Run: Blue Slide Park on Beechwood Blvd

This is getting to be too easy for me! I opted to take advantage of the decreasing number of warm mornings and take a single out on the river but the trusty reporters came through with the information you need.


From Virginal Linn (who has a very nice article in the Post Gazette this morning):
We are meeting at Blue Slide Park to do a loop through Frick Park that will take us to Duck Hollow and back through Somerset to Blue Slide Park.

Also, could you send out an alert that sign-ups open on Tuesday for the 2012 Pittsburgh Marathon/Half Marathon (will be held first Sunday in May 2010) and that for Tuesday only the registration fee will be the cheapest ($65) for the half marathon. On Wednesday, those fees jump to $75. Thanks

And from Paula the Brit:

A grand turnout of Great Racers (Racers of Greatness or Racers of the Great Race??)

 

Cheryl and her brother Paul, Keri, Karen, Richard (of yoga), and Wendy gathered at the pre-race sanctuary of Pam and Chris' beautiful, Beechwood Blvd home. Sarah and her husband Jason and Tom were met out on the starting line.

 

A little warm for me but almost perfect conditions reminded us (I hope) that Pittsburgh is a Great city to live in or near, and Squirrel Hill (sorry but I am unashamedly biased) is a Great neighborhood to launch almost 8,000 runners towards their goal of the downtown. Of course if the PAT cuts hadn't been so severe we might simply have been able to take the 61s to the downtown instead of having to run.

 

Results are already up:

 

http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=2949

 

Thanks must go firstly to Pam and Chris for making welcome the random ealry birds who need the loo.

 

Then to all those souls who line the route and cheer, the police and crossing guards who offer enthusiasm not just thinking of the overtime, the college bands, the water stop teams, and those runners who allow slower beings to tag along, dragging them across the finish line - they know who they are.

 

I read an interview once with an Olympic athlete. He was asked what made an athlete as opposed to just a recreational sports person..... those that keep going despite feeling sick, tired, cold etc. he replied. I was delighted to point out to Iain that I am.... ergo.... an athlete, as I feel sick right from the get go but keep going. Iain kindly pointed out that perhaps the Olympian was referring to more than the nausea of unfitness and hitting the 0.01mile wall. Oh no I don't think so....

 

So here's to all those athletes in the EERs (lurkers included)!