Pittsburgh Marathon here I come

On Sunday I will be running my 5th marathon.  To be perfectly honest, three years ago I never thought I would run one full and now I on my 5th...crazy.  The 6th is also on the schedule for December!  It is a little addictive.

I have only really been training for this marathon for 8 weeks which is not much time at all.  I did not lose too much fitness after the Houston Marathon so I did not have to build my base.  I just had to amp up the mileage again.  And, this is almost the most fun I have had running long runs ever.  My 16, 18, and 20 mile runs were fun.  I know that sounds really crazy to say, but it is true.  I ran them well.  They seemed easy and the time passed very quickly.  That is always a good thing on a long run. My times for these runs were some of my fastest ever training run times for those distances. 

This is going to be a very unique marathon experience for me.  First, I am running in Pittsburgh which is not flat at all.  I have not trained on hills so this worries me just a bit.  The course has a major hill at mile 12.5 and it continues for almost a mile.  After that it is rolling hills until the last 3 miles.  Thank goodness that is flat again.  In general I love to run hills so I hope I manage them well.  Second, I am running with someone.  I have never done that in a race.  I hope it works out well for both of us.  Lastly, I am not running for time.  I have never done this either.  I am pacing my friend and hopefully helping her achieve a personal best!  I am excited for this challenge and seeing a new city while I run.

I leave on Friday for my adventure.  I cannot wait to have a weekend away from my crazy but fun life.  This adventure is also a funny thing because I have never met Susan.  We became friends through our blogs (her blog).  We text and Facebook, but have never talked on the phone.  How strange is that?  Even stranger is that I don't think it is too weird! 

So, the goal for Sunday is 4:48.  It is supposed to be about 45-50 degrees at the start...wow!  My Texas self just may freeze waiting for the race to start!  Worse than that is the wind.  It is going to be really windy so I am praying it is at our backs!

The marathon is a tricky thing, but I do know some things for sure.  First is that Susan takes lots of pictures so I just may have this marathon documented pretty well.  I also know we will have lots of fun no matter what happens on Sunday.

And, I will miss these goofs like crazy....