Before I got into triathlon, I was a runner. I learned to love running by doing regular group runs with a local run club.  As I got more into triathlon, I drifted away from running with the group, as my Saturdays became more focused toward riding my bike. Today, I went back to my roots and ran with the City of Bridges Run Club.

My wife and I got up early and drove to the designated meeting point for the run, outside of the Allegheny City Brewing pub.  When we arrived, we were greeted like long lost friends. I suppose that is exactly what we were.  There were so many familiar faces, and I was reminded of the fun times we had shared in the past.

True to their name, the group’s run today was in downtown Pittsburgh and the route took us over four of the city’s bridges.  I chose to run with the 9:00 min/mile pace group, because I knew a lot of people within it.  It was fun talking as we ran, catching up, sharing stories of recent races and discussing plans for 2022. It was like I ran with the group every week; everyone was so friendly.

I ran for an hour and forty-five minutes this morning.  The pace did pick up a few times during the run, so it turned into a great workout for me.  Afterwards, the group gathered inside the brewery to share a beer or two.  I got to talk to friends from other pace groups and overall had a fantastic morning.

If you are ever in Pittsburgh and want somebody to run with, go run with the City of Bridges Run Club.  They are a fantastic group, and they welcome everybody, from the super-fast, all the way down to run/walkers. It doesn’t matter what speed you run at; everyone has fun.