Somewhere around the corner of Penn and South Braddock Avenues on marathon Sunday. That's where my family waits for me. I've finished plenty of other long races without seeing anyone I know along the way and getting that lift, but having them there is a big part of what makes Pittsburgh's marathon my favorite.

A close second is about five miles farther along the route: Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. The whole course is terrific, but in Bloomfield, you know you're only about three miles from the finish. And you're going downhill into the Strip, and all of these people--kids, elderly couples, families, musicians--have come out to the street, and they're making noise for you and the other runners. One year a guy shouted toward me and said, "Look at this guy. He's still smiling." That was a compliment, I think. I'll never forget it.

My family. My great-grandparents and some great-aunts and great-uncles came from Poland and Slovakia. My grandpa was one of the first of that generation of my family born here. He worked in the mines in the eastern part of Pennsylvania from the time he was a little boy. He met my grandmother not long after her first husband died in a mine collapse. They got married and she got him out of there. They moved west, out this way, and my grandpa got a job at (and retired from) Westinghouse. They raised eight kids. My parents are compassionate, forward-thinking, and not afraid to do things a little differently. I want to be like that. Right now my wife is in nursing school at Chatham and on her way to becoming an RN. She's in the hospital, doing her clinicals. She's a hard worker. She's fearless. No exaggeration--she's one of the top students in the whole class. The other nurses, patients, her instructors--they speak highly of her.

A couple of years ago I passed my favorite pro boxer, Andrew Golota, walking outside of Madison Square Garden. He'd just knocked out Kevin McBride. I'd gone to NYC to see that fight, which was on the undercard. The main event was kind of lackluster, so I left before the decision was announced. I took a few steps out of a side exit and saw him walking toward me. He was by himself. I just waved as we passed, and he waved back. I don't know if I'd call it a meeting, but I was thrilled. I felt like a little kid.

Working with words. Working with people who care about doing good work. Most of all, the friends I've made here.