Pittsburgh 93

In case you were curious... this year's Pittsburgh Marathon was hot. Really hot. The second half wasn't nearly as much fun as the first. But I managed to hang on (in my shortest running race in two years) for a PR of 3:29:27---thirty-six seconds ahead of my father. (We split up at the start, and hadn't known we were that close.) This was the first time I'd ever beaten him in a race... although I've still yet to beat his PR in any distance we've both done.

Out of the ~1500 men, Whippersnapper Smith was 295th and Geezer Smith was 305th. Support-crew Smith didn't run this year (but was first woman at the GRIP Earthrace 5K on April 24th, second woman in the Bradfordwoods 5K on May 8, and sixth woman in the Breast Cancer 5K at Schenley Park on May 9. She's getting psyched for the Forbes Metro series this summer...and also wants to start riding, to help alleviate some knee trouble.)

(ACA stud Paul Burg finished the marathon in about 3:21.)

Meanwhile: I'm letting my ankle heal (I discovered after the marathon that my new Sauconies have yet another funny spot I hadn't known about causing some irritation in the front of my right ankle). This development prompted me to do what I should have done two months ago: head down to Second Sole in Bridgeville and spent 90 minutes trying on about a dozen pairs of shoes. I ended up with Nike Atlases... and learning that the really cool salesman finished 3rd in the Trans-Am race last year. (No joke!)

Also meanwhile: the Old Dominion booklet arrived yesterday. I'm getting nervous---that ``oh shit'' feeling I had before my first marathon and before my first ultra. Gotta start training for HEAT. One piece of good news: the final 30 miles or so (including the last three mountain passes) are the same as the final leg of the Fort Valley/Massanutten 50---so in the second night segment, I'll be running on somewhat familiar ground.

--Sean
(who, having dispensed finally with 15-612 teaching duties, has no excuse not work on his thesis)

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Maintained by Sean Smith, sws@cs.dartmouth.edu