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Get to know a few of the 2022 P3Runners: Leigh Nelson, Monica Mahoney and me, Jeanine McGuire. Read along for our Q&A session about our perspectives on the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events!

 

Have you run on marathon weekend before? Virtually? In Person?

Monica has run the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon in person or virtually every year since 2013 and has also done the 5K. Leigh has competed in the FedEx Pittsburgh Marathon Relay three times in person and ran the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon virtually last year. I (Jeanine!) have run the in-person and virtual UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon and UPMC Health Plan | UPMC Sports Medicine 5K Run on and off since 2015. While we each have different races and paces, one thing we all agreed on was the overall excitement of returning to the live race this year!

 

What’s your running experience?

“We’ve been running the half marathon since our first year in 2013 and have been doing it every year since then,” Monica said, referring to her and her husband. Typically, she likes to race 10-15Ks, as they are attainable to train for as well as the occasional 10 miler or half marathon.

“My journey with running goes all the way back to when I was in third grade,” Leigh said.  During recess she would race her classmates to the end of the playground and loved the satisfaction of beating some of the fastest kids in her grade. Her formal training started in the 9th grade when she was selected to be a hurdler. After high school, Leigh continued to run races on occasion but nothing regularly until three years ago. “I had the determination to set a goal that I could work towards. I recruited a few of my friends to create a team for the [FedEx] Pittsburgh Marathon Relay. Now here I am, three years later. I am still running long distances.”

As for me, I was a collegiate soccer player who decided my senior year to switch sports to cross-country to better accommodate my demanding academic schedule. After college I didn’t race again until I had the itch to get back out there for the 2015 UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Now, I have raced every distance from 1 mile to 26.2! However, like Monica I much prefer racing 10K – half marathon distances. 

 

What race(s) are you running on marathon weekend?

“For the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend, I am running the first leg of the relay into the Half Marathon,” said Leigh. Monica says her plans include the half marathon and maybe the 5K (she’s trying to convince her husband to do both). Personally, I am looking forward to the Pet Walk and 5K as I am coming off a non-running related injury, so I see lots of walking in my future. I am pretty tempted to join in the inaugural Walking Division for the Half Marathon too. Yes, you heard that right it is new this year!

 

How do you train?

Monica, who is from the State College area, says she does strength training twice a week but admits “I am a fair-weather runner, so I have been inside on the treadmill.”  For long runs she goes to the Penn State campus; she lives so close that she can see Beaver Stadium from her back porch.

“I run one to two times on weekdays, once on the weekend, and lift weights/cycle/HIIT train on the days in between,” said Leigh.

For me, when I am healthy and training, I typically run 3-4 days a week with my friends and get plenty of cross training: cycling, swimming, strength training and yoga, too.

What are your goals for this year’s race?

Monica’s goal this year “is to finish strong and not hit the wall by pushing through the mental barriers along the way.”

Leigh says her goal for this year’s race is “to enjoy the run and the entire experience that surrounds it!  I am not out to set any records for myself; when I do that, it is hard for me to enjoy the race.”

As for me, my race weekend will be more walking than racing for a PR this year, so I agree with Leigh’s sentiment and hope to enjoy the experience… plus eat a few Eat’n Park Smiley cookies, too. 

 

What advice would you give first timers?

Monica says, “Even if things don’t go as planned and go off the rails, look ahead to whatever your next goal is.”

Leigh had plenty of advice: 

• “Don't get frustrated if some training days are more productive than others.  Our bodies have good and bad days!” 
• “Don’t push yourself too hard too fast, just take small steps at a time”
• “Make sure that the shoes that you run in are the right ones for your feet! For example, runners with high arches need different shoes than runners with low arches. If you don’t run in the right shoes, you have a good chance of becoming injured.”
• “Stretch, stretch, stretch! Before and after a run. This is another way to prevent injuries.”
• “Make sure that you give yourself rest time in between training days. If you don’t, you may exhaust your body and make yourself prone to injury.”

I agree with Monica and Leigh, and I would also say most importantly, remember this is about your health both physically and mentally… have fun and really soak it all in!!

 

What are you most excited about the return to the in-person race weekend?

Monica says “Just racing in person, it is really the experience of the whole weekend. The vibes of everybody else around you. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of going to the expo and picking up your bib, seeing what the shirts look like and all that fun stuff.”

Leigh added, “This year, I am so excited to be a part of a relay team because it is fulfilling for me to set goals with other people and to also share the fun experience with them! It is very rewarding to see my team’s excitement as one team member passes the torch to the next on the race day! I also love feeling the energy that every runner and bystander has during the race. Listening to the bands play music at intermittent points during the race keeps me going, and lastly, I feel rewarded seeing the bystanders cheering me on and giving me high fives!” 

I have always said that the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend is like the Super Bowl of running for this city. And as live racing has made a triumphant return across all other P3R races, this year’s return of the Pittsburgh Marathon weekend will be the victory lap we have all been anxiously awaiting!