Functional Fitness: The Solution to Pittsburgh’s Port Authority Problems
ARG PORT AUTHORITY!!!!
This post is most certainly going to be a quirky one. For those of you Burghers who have noticed that our transit system is becoming less and less reliable, I decided to dedicate this blog entry to the subject matter of incorporating exercise into your daily commute. Now, there is nothing really revolutionary here, as I am sure that a lot of you are already familiar with different, more economical and green friendly ways to get to work, but allow me to rant/vent my frustration here for just a few moments.
Ok, so I live in the South Side of Pittsburgh which is a whopping 2 miles from where I work downtown. I was minding my own business yesterday morning at the Big Dog Coffee House, sipping on some Amasi and Brazilian coffee when a fellow neighbor popped in for their morning brew. The man informed us all that there was some unforeseen delays with the transit in our neighborhood, as Arlington Avenue was shut down for construction (for those of you who are not from Pittsburgh, Arlington Avenue leads to the upper portion of the South Side, also know as “The South Side Slopes.”). With the major road cut off from a good portion of residents in Pittsburgh, I grabbed my coffee to go and bolted out the door. It was 7:45 am, and my bus normally leaves at 7:57 am.
By 8:00 am I was on 24th Street and Carson with some seriously angry Burghers who were cursing out the Pittsburgh Port Authority via cell phone/blue tooth device. After witnessing a mob of people wave their middle fingers at buses filled to capacity with passengers, I was left with no choice but to take matters into my own, primal hands. By this time, it was now 8:05 am and my morning shift starts at 8:30 a.m. The solution to this problem?
RUN. LIKE. HELL!!!!
What yinz are looking at over here is my 2 mile dash from the South Side of Pittsburgh to Downtown (pronounced “Dahn Tahn” for those of you needing another dose of Pittsburghese). I had 20 minutes to make it from the bus stop (marked green on this map) to my building (marked red on this map). Now, I will most certainly admit that I did not sprint this entire distance. I was fortunate enough to have parked my lovely vehicle just a few blocks from the green starting point. With enough energy to spare, I decided to take the mornings transit mishap and turn it into a workout. Check out this sprinting routine.
RUSH HOUR MAD DASH SPRINT
Circuit #1: 0.2 mile sprint from 24th and East Carson to 26th Street to hop in my car.
5 minute rest as I drive wildly through traffic and make it to the parking lot of the Consol Energy Center to park my car.
Circuit #2: 374 ft dash from the parking lot to my office building downtown.
30 second rest on the escalator in my building because everyone and their mother is jamming up the line to work.
Circuit #3: 25 ft sprint to my elevator.
30 second rest period as I ride to the 23rd floor.
I clocked into work right at 8:30 a.m. Can I get a “WOOT WOOT!” ?
Now, I realize that sprinting all over Pittsburgh isn’t exactly the best way to get your little behind to work. This is especially true when your VIBRAMS are at your APARTMENT and YOU are in your HEELS! HOWEVER, if planned accordingly, you primal options to get to work would be to take a leisurely walk or bike.
Speaking of biking, I am considering getting a bike to do just that, bike to work to avoid all the inconsistencies of Pittsburgh’s horrendous transit system. Yes, I realize that a heavily tattooed girl who consumes exclusively organic/free range products, lives in the South Side, and bikes all over Pittsburgh fits the stereotype of a hipster quite well. But you know what? I DON’T CARE! I am so disgusted with being late to work and that I would much rather fork out the investment to my health than continue to submit myself to all this stress and aggravation. And that’s real talk, ya heard?
CALLING ALL BURGHERS: Are you as fed up as I am with all this Port Authority hoopla? Are you also looking for ways to increase your daily activity and get back in shape? Then it’s time we take our fitness to a whole new level! Functional fitness is practical fitness. Walk, hike, and BIKE around this city. We will all save money on our bus passes, and reap the rewards of vibrant health in the future.
For more information specifically pertaining to bikes and biking routes in Pittsburgh, please visit Bike Pittsburgh at http://bike-pgh.org/ . As always, remember to eat smart, train hard (even if you combine your training with your morning commute 
) and enjoy your life!
Love Always,
Janelle
Whiie the public transit sucksss, we’re super lucky to have incredible access via bike trails and walkways through all parts of the city. You aren’t a hipster for that. You’re smart
Thanks Ken! Thank you for publically stating that I AM NOT a hipster! LOL
But seriously, you should see South Side right now. I can’t figure out what the heck these yinzers are doing to the neighborhood with all this construction. It’s like someone decided to tear up the roads for no reason one day, and just let them stay torn up. WHAT THE!?!?!?
Not a single resident in my neighborhood can figure out the bus schedules because of this. It’s all so horribly delayed and inaccurate that I’ve decided that enough is enough. I also heard a rumor that the incline to Mt Washington was supposed to be shut down as well at some point. OH! OK! Shutting down half of Pittsburgh from getting to work on time makes COMPLETE LOGICAL SENSE!
Ugh, I’m venting again. I’m sorry. BUT HEY! If I end up getting my bike soon, I will just be adding extra conditioning to my HKC certification. It’s a win win sitaution for me
Man, I would LOVE to be able to bike to work. Hopefully I’ll be able to once Chris and I are able to move. Right now, in order to get to a bike path that leads downtown, I’d have to bike through Hazelwood. NUH-UH, NO WAY.
HAZELWOOD?!?!?!?? Yeah… DON’T BIKE THROUGH THERE! I’d rather bike through Wilkinsburgh than Hazelwood. God, I DROVE through Hazelwood at 9:00 a.m. once and was totally freaked out. That has to be the most unsafe area in Pittsburgh. Hands down!
As quirky as this post is, I’m dead serious. The Port Authority is getting outrageous with the increase of bus tickets and with more cuts to the service in the future. I’m over it! Why not just save money on the transit and enjoy biking all over this beautiful city? I think it’s a win win, don’t you?
If you find any good deals on bikes let me know. I want to check out REI at some point here in South Side and see what they offer. I know there is a bike rental shop in South Side works too. It’s worth investigating.
We’re fighting the opposite problem here–trying to win support for the development of bike trails out in this mainly-farm area of the country. We have hordes of DC/MD/VA bikers who (with good reason) love to bike our roads, but with no bike trails, and extremely narrow shoulders to the road, it’s hazardous for biker and driver, frankly. Not roads that I would want to try to bike on a regular basis for my commute.
Now, if George and I get our mid-life-crisis-mobile: HARLEY, baby!! Now we’re talkin.
XD
Harley’s are bad ass! I’ve always fantasized about getting one. That is upsetting though that you have no biking trails around your area. Pittsburgh is pretty biker friendly which is why I’m considering getting one. The only problem with that is the fact that A) I have HKC tuition to pay and B) More kettlebells to buy for RKC preparation.
UGH! EXPENSIVE HABITS! lol!