Why Pittsburgh?

My favorite photo of my Mom and Dad

All the Glory goes to God

People get so excited when I tell them that I training for my first marathon. The normal next question is: “which marathon?”

When I say “Pittsburgh,” I watch the look on their face change from excitement to puzzlement with an expression of, “why Pittsburgh?”

The easiest way to answer is that my Dad is from Pittsburgh. Growing up in Ohio, he would talk about Pittsburgh and share stories of his childhood, which at that time my sisters and brother would roll our eyes and say “not again, those old stories.”

It was the 70's and on Sundays we would watch the Pittsburgh Steelers, I had jersey #88 Lynn Swann and it was the years of the Steel Curtain. The love of football and the Steelers would stay with me my whole life.

For the last several years I got into the practice of calling Dad on Sunday mornings, a tradition that has become very meaningful to me. I look forward to our talks every week.

But in the beginning, we started talking about gardening and the weather. "How's the weather in New York Steph?" My Dad and I had several years of not really talking often. I have to admit, it was more my fault than his.

So we kept it very brief on the phone, we didn't have much to say. That was until my friend Jen, a Miami Dolphin fan, invited me to watch a Jets game. At some bar on the east side of Manhattan, we watched the Jets. BUT, on the TV screen to the left...the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing. I remember saying “Who’s Ben Roethlisberger, who's James Harrison, who are all these guys?”

Jen said “I didn’t know you liked the Steelers.”

I called Dad and told him I had watched a game, that was 2009. And honestly that was when my Dad and I started connecting. Our Sunday talks were a way for us to find our way back to a father-daughter relationship. Our Sunday talks and the Pittsburgh Steelers where the catalyst to how I fell in love with my Daddy.

During the next several years our conversations have taken on many topics, but on several occasions I got to hear details of Dad growing up in our beloved Pittsburgh.

Dad was born in Bellville, PA which is the first borough outside of Pittsburgh on the north side. Back in the 40’s the steel industry was in full force and he and his friend John Sigliano would clean wallpaper in people’s homes from all the soot from the mills.

I couldn't believe when he told me, "we would charge fifty cents for a small room and a dollar for a large room." They take their earnings and go the Penguins and Pirates games.

"Back in those days, the tickets were cheap, and we could afford to go," he said.

For two summers, he worked on Dr. Robert Brown’s farm in New Castle PA, and learned how to drive when he was 15 years old.

"This made Grandpa Joe very angry" Dad laughed, if you knew my Grandpa Joe that would be very funny. Dad wanted to be a vet and I believe he still has that special touch with animals.

Mom and I went to Pittsburgh for my first time after many years in 2010 for Christmas and went straight to the Strip District where I bought my Troy Polamalu #43 jersey. We had lunch at a great place downtown and drove around my city – of course we found Heinz field and braved the cold weather for a photo op. I plan on getting my second jersey when I will pick up my marathon number on May 5th.

In 2010, when I was in Columbus, Ohio running my first half marathon with my sister Pam (walking her first half marathon), and Patty (running her first marathon) – there was a booth for the Pittsburgh marathon and I was like….”we have to run Pittsburgh, let’s run Pittsburgh -- rah rah rah.”

Well, that was before I knew about the hills and elevation, but one year went by and I did not run. I don't know about you, but I don't forget the things, I wanted to do but didn't.

I will start by saying, this is a whole other story that I will promise to expand on another time: I found out that I had a tumor in the back of my brain (reiterate, a whole other story). After six months of tests and waiting, my neurosurgeon, Dr. Parker told me that the results of my MRI results were: “YOUR FINE. YOUR HEALTHY, GO RUN!”

I literally walked out of NYU hospital on a bright sunshine filled day, a healthy woman and said , “I am running that Pittsburgh marathon.” I just knew, "I am healthy, I can do it, I WILL do it," and my decision was tied to several things:

1. My love for my Dad and his city
2. My love of my Steelers
3. My love for running, my sister Patty is having hip problems and can't run long distances, so I am dedicating my race to her
4. My love for Jesus Christ

So, the under title of this post is All the Glory goes to God: I believe that on this holy day, Good Friday and the impending death of Christ on the cross that tonight will bring...ALL the Glory is His.

I watched “The Passion of the Christ” last night and got to the part where Jesus is beaten -- hit after hit are blow after blow. I normally fast forward through the gore, for some reason I didn't fast forward -- I watched.

Before the Romans begin to flog him, Jesus stands in His chains, bows his head and prays, “My heart is ready Father, my heart is ready.” As he said those words in the movie...I wept. I wept openly and I wept fully…I wept.

I did not cry for the torturous beating that Jesus suffered, I cried because Jesus had an awareness of how He was about to suffer and -- here is the kicker: the openness of His heart and complete Trust in his Father.

My prayer today: “God open my heart; let my heart be open to you.”

So with all the being said, it is the love of my Dad that led me to the city of Pittsburgh, my friendship with my sisters Patty and Pam that inspired me to begin to run and my faith in God that moved my heart to run marathons.

And that, my dear friends is, “Why Pittsburgh.”

Keep the faith, y'all !
Have a great Holiday weekend!
Stephanie