I only run when chased
The Pittsburgh Marathon has once again come and gone, and I'm exhausted! I started training a couple weeks before, lifting 6 oz. cups. First water, then the heavier Gatorade (all that powder!). Within a week I was up to 10 oz., and the day before I was killing it with full-size 12 oz. paper cups.
Yeah, I'm not a runner, but I can hand out a mean glass of water! I've been volunteering with CMU Alumni for 3 years now, and I love it. ('Cause, better them than me!) If you know someone brave enough to run -- or would like to remind yourself why you're not a runner -- I encourage you to volunteer next year. (There's a fair amount of swag, and even a volunteer appreciation party.)
My station is near mile 23 -- near the end -- and I'm always amazed at how few are gasping for their last breath, bleeding from the nipples, or at least hobbling in pain by this point. (Actually, a fair number are bleeding from the nipples. Nip friction is no joke; this must be a common newbie mistake :-)
I would be dying, so it's a testament to good training that so many last this long and still look good. Of course, being near the end also means that those who were unfit probably dropped out miles ago. It got progressively hotter through the day, and near the end people were grabbing 2-3 cups and doing this with the last one!
I have great respect for all the runners. I was so tired just standing in the sun for 6 hours (and running around a bit taking pictures), that I felt as though I'd run it myself. There are always a few interesting characters:
In the words of one runner, "You Stay Classy, Pittsburgh!" (Did they really run the whole thing in costume like that?) See you next year!
