Destination Run: Pittsburgh Style!

As mentioned before HERE, running while on work trips is my necessity.  I love to see the 'new city sites' this way...and also attempt to balance out the unending free food and booze that seems to necessitate any work travel.  I spent 5 full days in the 'Burgh' and found 3 times to run.  When I first arrived in Pittsburgh, the concept of running slightly frightened me - HELLO - MORE HILLS!  But then I found this beautiful thing:  The Allegheny River!  Yes....rivers aren't on hills and what does that mean to me? - seek them out!  Usually in any major city there is some type of body of water, with a nice path/sidewalk/road that runs along it.  Luckily I stumbled upon a true running path here via a small park that connects all the sites along the river: PNC Park, Heinz Field, the Casino, The Science Museum, and of course....entrances to all the beautiful bridges that span the Allegheny as they approach this area known as the golden triangle. (Here Pittsburgh is nested between two rivers:  the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers - which combined to form the start of the Ohio river that then runs south west towards good ole' southern Illinois!). 

Lucky for me, the weather was perfect most of the week and my first true taste of summer was upon me. 

One of my 6.5 mile routes I ran.

Here are some of the cool 'Pittsburgh Sites' on my Destination Run:



One of the great yellow suspension bridges....and for you 'bridge afficionados'....they weren't vertical cables but vertical tension rods.  Very cool! Heinz Park (Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers was also over my shoulder)



David L. Lawrence Convention Center - the Home of NASCC!

The epitome of my jealousy - I discovered the Pittsburgh Marathon was being held THIS WEEKEND.  Two days after I left.  Total. Jealousy.

Luckily, the race expo was also in the same convention center as NASCC.  I found time to check it out Friday afternoon and still scrape up some good freebies!

Fort Pitt at Pointe State Park

Ahh....plenty of cute baby geese...and protective/hissing mama geese to keep me back.

Bad view....but PNC Park (Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates....just over my left shoulder)

Tourists rode in 'ducks' everywhere around town....and dipped in the Allegheny River from time to time.  Sad to say I missed out on the duck rides :)

One last run the day I went home.  Till we meet again Pittsburgh!

Outside of running, my 'coolest' Pittsburgh encounter came Wednesday night.  I was invited to an equipment vendor dinner where the one and only Terry Bradshaw was the speaker.  You know - I'm not a huge football fan and sure don't know many of the greats - but do know of Terry Bradshaw and have come to enjoy his interesting version of 'color commentating' on Fox during football season.  Anyway, he took the stage for about 30-45 minutes and had an amazingly funny stand up comedy routine.  He was hilarious!  And I did get a couple take away nuggets that maybe you football fans should take note of.   1.  He detests Ben Roethlisberger.  (Note, I did know he was.... yep, the rapist).  and 2.  His 'go gay' guy....you know...if he ever did 'cross the line for one night' (as he put it), it would definitely be with Tom Brady (yep....who I also know due to his stellar good looks!).  So, Terry and I definitely have our love for Tom in common... Ha Ha.  He said that little 'nugget' couldn't leave the room, but I thought I'd share it with you fellow readers, all 5 of you :)

Back to running at home today.  Good weather and no rain so far!  My next destination run will be this weekend in good ole' Fayette County Illinois.  Not quite the sites of Pittsburgh, but enough stray dogs and working farmers in the field to hopefully make an entertaining morning :)