Tag Archives: running

2007 Gatorade Steelers 5K

On September 1, I ran the Gatorade Steelers 5K. I finished in a reasonable 25:27 (8:12 pace). I want to break 25:00, so I guess I’ll have to do it at Run Shadyside.

The race started at least 15 minutes late because we had to listen to umpteen introductions of honored guests (yawn) and wait for late-comers to register. The course was incredibly boring. If I thought looping around a parking lot was exciting I’d watch NASCAR. The biggest disappointment, though was that the mayor beat me with a time of 24:34. He’s running the Great Race, and I will not let him beat me again.

It’s on, Mayor Opie, and you’re going down.

2007 Run Around the Square 5K

On August 25, I ran the Run Around the Square 5K. Since I’d run about 9 miles the day before (in preparation for the IKEA Half Marathon), I treated the race as a tempo run. I finished in 27:59 (9:01 pace), which isn’t great (and is actually kinda slow for a tempo run), but at least I beat the mayor, who finished in 29:18. 😉

Shameless Plug for Self and Club

Western Pennsylvania Track Club, for which I am recruiter and membership committee chair, has a new website. It’s not quite complete, but I think I’ve gotten it to the point of being usable. Many thanks go to Nina Ehmer, the previous webmaster, for all the work she did on the old site.

For the curious:

The Western Pennsylvania Track Club is a club for runners of all ages and abilities. Members compete in track and field, cross country, and long distance running. They compete at all levels of competition — local, state, national, and world. West Penn has over 150 members.

Members of the Western Pennsylvania Track Club strive to promote long distance running and track and field by:

  • sponsoring clinics, training programs and work shops
  • conducting cross country races, road races and track meets
  • providing support to athletes who compete at the national and international levels

Club headquarters is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but club members also reside in Florida, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio.

2007 Brentwood Firecracker 5K

On July 4th, I volunteered for and ran in my first Brentwood Firecracker 5K. It was very well organized, especially considering how large it was (~1300 runners). Registration went smoothly, the race started on time, there was plenty of food (and beer!), and the door prizes were well worth sticking around for. Kudos to race director (and West Penn Track Club secretary Janice Boyko).

I finished 36/74 in my class and 462/1319 overall with a time of 25:24 (8:11 pace). I have high hopes of finishing this year’s Run Shadyside in under 25:00. I have plenty of time to train and the Shadyside course is a lot flatter (and therefore easier) than this was.

2007 Us Too Fathers’ Day 10K

Well, this year’s Us Too Fathers’ Day 10K wasn’t entirely as bad as last year’s (which, BTW, seems worse in hindsight than it did at the time). It wasn’t great, either.

Pros:

  • It was a lot cooler than last year.
  • The walkers started at different time and didn’t collide with the runners.
  • I finished 4:12 faster than last year.

Cons:

  • There were only 2.5 water stations. That .5 is for a stop where bottled water was handed out. Who the hell wants/needs bottled water during a 10K?!
  • The 5K and 10K runners started at the same time. Consequently, the starting line and the first mile of the course were ridiculously crowded. The course is just too narrow to accommodate both races.

I finished 14/23 in my class and 178/321 overall with a time of 54:17 (8:44 pace). My good buddy Kevin crossed at the same time as me, which is pretty impressive since this was his first 10K ever. Also, congratulations are deserved by fellow West Penn Track Club members Larry Van Dyke and Carl Hubel, who finished fifth and eighth, respectively.