Pittsburgh and The Great Race - Review

PTR spent last weekend travelling north to Pittsburgh for the Great Race 10k. This is the least I have prepared for a race in recent memory. Letting the leg heal had been my first priority after running the Parkersburg Half.
Mike and I got into town Saturday afternoon and picked up Mary to fetch our race packets. The traffic was fairly heavy, and navigating the South Side proved too much a task for me. After lunch, we met up with Emily at the Renaissance Hotel on 6th St. Accessing our rooms on the mysterious 12th floor proved arduous. Once that was completed a pre-dinner nap was necessary to recover from the drive. Honorary PTR members Stacey and Jess met up with us for dinner in a square not far from the hotel. We enjoyed an impromptu rap concert while dining outside at Diamond Market Bar and Grill. Perhaps foolishly, I chomped on some ribs for my pre race dinner. I care not; with full stomachs we strolled back to the hotel for a good night's rest. Or so we intended. The freaking Pirates decided to blow every last firework in the Zambelli Brothers inventory in an hour and a half long fireworks display that ended around midnight. Not the best recipe for the evening before a race.
Undaunted, we woke up and did our morning race routine. A long shuttle line led us to the starting line in Frick Park where porta-john stops were taken. We got a before race picture to remember the time we thought this would be a good idea.

Thumbs up, let's do this!

Morning-of jitters over, I jogged to loosen up the muscles a little. Then, we settled into a starting position somewhere in the middle the 8,000 odd racers. Once the race started it took us about four minutes to reach the start line. The crowds were similar to those we faced in Richmond and Atlanta at the Monument Ave 10k and the Peachtree 10k, respectively. Weaving in and out of racers was a race long issue. I used the sidewalk extensively in the first two miles, and narrowly avoided landing on someone running on the street when merging back into traffic. Within the first mile, I could tell I had re-aggravated the torn cartilage in my right leg. However, it was difficult to tell how hurt I was at the time. I continued running but tried to alter my gait so as to minimize the pain.
The course itself was nice and scenic. It rolled, but featured mainly downhill sections from start to finish. The first half proved the easiest in terms of elevation. Once we reached the Boulevard of the Allies, the heavens opened. Rain started casually at first, but it intensified as I looked down off the bridge and at the Monongahela River. Miles 5 to 6 were the toughest in terms of elevation. My pace dragged significantly, though the aching leg and side stitches might have contributed to that as well. Below is a race map and my split times.

Keep rolling, rolling, rolling.

Third Mile Lucky

Soggy, injured, and a bit delirious I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 48'32". That was 3 minutes off my Cleveland time, but I was just happy to finish this one. Mike posted an all time best at seconds over an hour. All our times are listed below.

        

After a shower and slight rest we went out (I hobbled) for brunch. We lucked out by finding an interesting and delicious spot called Nola on the Square, which specializes in New Orleans style fare. Beignets, french toast, steak and eggs, fried chicken, etc. were what I can recall of the food. It was all enough to send Mike and I into a deep slumber back at the hotel. We rested up for a dinner that felt like another good call. Meat and Potatoes didn't seem to feature much of the latter, but still didn't disappoint. Lamb, flatbreads, burgers, and pasta filled us up and perhaps more than replenished the race calories. It was a tasty end to a rainy weekend in downtown Pittsburgh and one of the largest 10k races we've participated in to date. We came, we saw, we participated.
My stupidity will likely make this the end of a busy race year. It started fast and furious for me, but has ended with a deafening whimper. To avoid permanent injury I'll put the Nike's on the shelf for 2012 and stare longingly out the window like a dog whining for a walk. Boo-hoo, pity party, etc. Oh well, at least there are fall festivities and the holiday season to come.