I also "red up", talk fast, and bleed black & gold.
My life started as a newborn with a collapsed lung. As a result, I ended up spending 5 days in the NICU at Magee Women's Hospital before being able to go home. The newborn that was born not breathing and who fought for her life the first few days of her life is now a Runner of Steel! For me, running the Pittsburgh 1/2 Marathon is a celebration of my life, my family, and the person I have become since being that NICU baby.
Over the long weekend that I am taking to Pittsburgh I will also get to meet some family members that I have never met or have not seen since I was an itty-bitty Brandi. Through the wonderful world of social media, they have seen me grow up on my parent's profiles but I cannot wait to actually get to meet them in person.
This was seriously one of my favorite races of all of 2015! The race was very well organized and the course support was absolutely amazing. I smiled the entire way through both races just soaking in the support, sights, and memories along the way which is why I knew I had to add Pittsburgh to my 2016 race calendar!