Today I ran my June Half Marathon right here in the Philadelphia area – Pennypack Park to be exact. The ½ Sauer ½ Kraut ½ Marathon kicked off at 7:30am on a beautiful Saturday morning. Although warm (about 68 degrees at race start), there was no humidity and the majority of the race course was shaded due to the park setting. What a fun race! There were some challenging slopes and part of the course was on dirt and rock trails which made it a little tricky for footing. Although I did not PR this race (1:57:11 is my unofficial time), my time was good enough to place me 2nd in my age group (Male 55-59)! Placing in the top 3 in my age group was totally unexpected so I was really caught by surprise when they called my name. I had just finished congratulating the fellow who was sitting across from me who placed 2nd in his age group when I heard my name called – unreal!
It is unexpected surprises like this that encourage me to keep plugging away. After watching Nik Walenda walk a tight rope across Niagara Falls last night and listening to him talk about fulfilling his dreams brings home the message that having dreams and setting goals are what make things happen. And the key here is that we have to make things happen. Taking charge is what it's all about. No more excuses!
Next month I'll be running the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon on July 22. Between now and then, I'll be kicking off my training program for the Marine Corps Marathon which will be in Washington, DC on October 28. Hard to believe that will be here before too long.
Happy and Safe Running Folks!
John
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