Catching up

Last Saturday, I took second overall at the Ritley Run 5-K at Perry High School with a 19:12 time!

It's a fast course and I finished it five seconds faster than last year when I also took second place with a 19:17.

This race is really a nice community event as there is a 1.5 mile fun walk and small dashes across the football field for young children, who each receive a finisher's medal.

The weekend before Sunday Sept. 12, I ran the half marathon at Presque Isle in Erie, Pa. I was doing great for the first seven miles then my left leg tightened up and I had to drop down from my 7:30/mile pace down to about an 8 minute pace.

I said goodbye to the pace group I had found, hoping to break 1:40. But I managed to gut it out and finish in a respectable 1:42:05

I finished in 65th place overall out of 694 total finishers so ending up in the top 10 percent is a pretty good showing. My age group at this distance is also very competitive as I finished tenth.

Runners World Quote of the Day:

"The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at."

Jesse Owens, American track and field athlete and Olympic gold medal winner

Happy running!