Favorite Pittsburgh Runs #10

Duquesne Heights
While coming back from a month off following my May 2006 seizure, I was limited to running from home, pretty much, so I had plenty of time to explore Mt. Washington and Duquesne Heights. I managed to find some pretty good routes, both including and excluding the McArdle Roadway, and became excited about the prospect of training repeatedly on the hills.
Finishing a run up the McArdle Roadway, while it certainly makes you tough, got old quickly, and if I wasn't able to finish when I was still building my strength and endurance, I was in for a world of trouble, so I started running up and down the streets perpendicular to Virginia Ave, and found most of the time the hills were reasonable enough to justify running them routinely. And I did indeed run this routinely.
Plymouth Street is a bit of a doozy, though. There are a lot of turns, but none are abrupt. The course measures to just under 6.7 miles, but running extra laps around Chatham Village easily tacks on .75 each.
While compiling my list of favorite runs in and out of Pittsburgh, I consider them with little weight to scenery. They are dependable routes that are good for running, usually feature a variety of terrain and hold some personal significance to me. This loop meets all of those criteria, but as a bonus features a marvelous view as a payoff after five miles of relentless hills.