The Sugar Bowl 5 Miler on July 16th was a great way to spend a Thursday evening. I was having one of those frustrating weeks (you know what I'm talking about don't you?) and needed to get out of town for a couple hours. So with the computer age at my fingertips I found a road race in South Boston. I thought I would just hide amongst the 1200 plus runners, run my race to LET IT ALL GO, and head home a bit more relaxed. I went there with no real social skills to think about displaying and not to be a people person-- just to let the week and its grief go. But runners are such a great bunch of people to be around that I didn't stand a chance of staying pissed off at the world. Just before the start I ran into the booth where there were 2 smiling people working to help Team Leukemia. To me, getting to talk with them about their charity (remember I haven't chosen a charity yet) helped soften me up and remind me that I was in a good place in life compared to many others. Then after the race I looked up and saw Leila's smile and had a great conversation with the Rhode Island college student and all the STUFF I came there moaning about was gone. Thanks for the uplifting. It was needed and appreciated.
The morning of July 18th was warm and humid. The rain had stopped and the temperature started to rise as race time approached. I was in Shrewsbury, Ma for a run to raise money for the Shrewsbury Parks and Rec. Special Needs Program. Even with the humidity a great number of people came out to help support the cause. Of all the people there for race day the fastest person in the entire crowd was Peggy. Peggy, the race director, is the woman pictured with me and Joe. She has a full length leg brace, which you can see the top of in the picture. WHAT!!!! OH YEAH. Peggy was in and got to more places faster than any sprinter I know. She was in the school answering questions before the race. She was at the starting line giving out instructions. I saw her in at least 2 different places along the course. She somehow got back to the finish line before I did. She did the final sweep of the course to make sure nobody was still out there. And was back giving out awards to finish the day. Overall Peggy, Joe, and all the volunteers put on a great race and did a great job.
Then there was Ann. Ann is pictured with me wearing her 30k race tee shirt. That was what started our conversation. Ann I found out is an English teacher. I immediately apologized for the grammar mistakes I was probably about to make. She was also a very talented runner, whom, like many runners, thinks her accomplishments don't stack up well against some other runners. In our conversation, however, I learned that on her __th birthday she ran the Boston Marathon. Did I mention I've never run a marathon? Our conversation was then interrupted when Peggy announced that Ann had taken 1st place in her running bracket. AND AND I heard that she had kicked my butt time wise for the course. If you go back to an entry I made that had a picture of a woman pushing a stroller with 2 kids in it, you would read something interesting. It talks about how I have this running backround, how I'm Italian, and how I have that male ego thing we don't like to admit to. And with all that said, all I could think of and say was" what a great day for Ann". She truly helped make the day wonderful watching her being rewarded for her talent.
So a great day, meeting new and old friends, running another race, money raised for a great cause, great conversation, in a place I'd never been before. And some people ask why I go to these races. I'll close with some great words said to me by Ann. When I asked her why she did the long runs she said: "Because one can".
What an inspiring event the GE 5k Road Race To Benefit The Petit Family Foundation turned out to be on July 19th. You need to take a little time to research both the reason for the race being started and the great help the Petit Foundation offers to those in need. I thought it ironic that me, Average Al, was headed to a town called Plainville to run a road race. If you don't quite "get it" now, don't worry, it will hit you eventually. However the day overall was neither average nor plain. Over 1300 runners and 100,s of walkers came to this event, in only it's 2nd year, to pay tribute to a woman and her two daughters that had their lives taken from them. Bill Petit (who lost these family members) and I became new friends race day. As I sat with him just after he crossed the finish line, (7 minutes ahead of his last years time) I could see the love and friendship people in his community shared with him. The day was family friendly, too. There was a bounce house for the kids, Ronald McDonald was at the starting line, a 5 foot ice cream cone was wandering around, and there was a race car on display. The sun was shining and the weather turned out beautiful. Then the other inspiring part of the day occurred. The 2nd picture here are the first 3 finishers in the 80-89 year old age division. And the winner of the catagory could have won 1st place in some of the younger age divisions. TAKES AWAY A LOT OF EXCUSES DOESN'T IT. With my Alaska to Florida run coming up, and with my renewed desire to help as many people as possible as part of my life's goal (I'm promising my daughter I'm living to at least 150) I can only say "THANK YOU" to these 80 plus folks for setting an inspirirng example for all to see. Put this race on your next years schedule.
There are alot of volunteers that donate their time, energy, and talents to making a road race happen. These people do things behind the scenes and most times receive a mention, or sometimes, not even that. It's not just the organizers that make an event happen. It's also the volunteers that believe enough in the cause that money is being raised for or respect the organizers enough to want to help that truly make things happen. Two examples pictured here are a small number of the total group of volunteers(the ones in the yellow shirts) that helped at the GE 5k Road Race To Benefit the Petit Family Foundation in Plainville, Ct. on July 19th. Then there was Jamie who was at the Shrewsbury 5k on the 18th in Shrewsbury, Ma.. Jamie did free massages on the runners before and after the race. Now you might argue that, because she represented the Second Sunrise Massage Therapy business that she was there just to "drum" up business. As a small business owner myself I can only hope she got some new business out of the day. But think for a minute... the majority of the runners that come to a road race probably don't come from the town the road race is in... so give people like Jamie the credit they deserve for giving up their time to help YOU out. The next time you go to a road race and something doesn't go quite to YOUR perfection level---remember--- the volunteers you might be getting mad at or that you give grief to are not being paid to take you lip. Calm down and work with them they are nice enough to be there UNPAID to give you a day to run.
Some people think if your as involved in running as I am that the only people I should hang around with are people that eat, sleep, and breath running. For anyone in any serious part of their life, no matter what the subject, this for the most part is true. However, I feel there should also be people you can turn to that take you, at least temporarily, away from being so wrapped up in something you loose yourself. Dave Sparks is one of those people for me. Golf is one of those sports I enjoy playing. Dave is one of those people anyone would enjoy playing a round of golf with. He kicks your butt on the course but he does it with such a relaxed easy going nature you actually don't mind loosing. He always keeps the talk light-hearted and comical while he birdies a whole compared to your bogey. But for some reason it seems ok. Five or so weeks ago he announced that his wife was pregnant with their first child. What a great thing. We are pictured here at one of our areas best kept courses. The Southampton Country Club and it's owners, Tom and Jimmy, have also been good friends of mine for a decade or better.
Things like these signs inspire me. Sometimes they show up randomly and sometimes they seem to show up at a time I need them. Since someone reading the blog might be in need of a boost, I thought I needed to share these. The one by Carol Burnett I ran across at the gym while visiting one of my trainers (note that if you look closely you can see my reflection while taking the picture--never said photography was my place of expertise). To complete the other one it says "Pain is Temporary-Pride Lasts Forever". I have no clue who or what "L Street" is but I thank them for the sign. I hope someone out there gets some benefit from these coming across my running pathway.
Who you see in these pictures are 2 people who 30 years prior were doing the same crazy thing, on the same roads, at the same time, just a few hundred miles apart. David McGillivray ( you might know him as the race director of the Boston Marathon and president of DMSE ) and I were both running across the U.S. at the same time. We did not even know of each other's simultaneous efforts until David was told about me at a motel in Sheraton, Iowa where I had stayed just a week or two before. What is unique is that we spoke on the phone once or twice and then for the next 30 years we never communicated. However the picture of the two of us in the restaurant is the first time we ever met. It was on the date of my 30th anniversary of the finish of my run, August 5th 1978. Dave and I had been communicating for a short time by phone and email and he took some time out from his schedule when I asked if we could finally meet one another face to face. The other photo is of David and me outside of Fenway Park. This was the celebration of the 30th anniversary of his finish. Dave raised money through his run for the Jimmy Fund and was sponsored by the Red Sox. To commemorate his 30th anniversary, he reenacted his finish into Fenway. I was proud to be a small part of his celebration and see the people's appreciation for his efforts. I'm sure more about mine and David's run will be written as this website grows.
May 16, 2009 was 6th annual Fitness Concepts Health Club 5k Family Run/walk, in Gardner, Ma.. What a great day and a great event. It was one of the few sunny weekends this past spring (the first time it didn't rain on the race) and it made for a just a wonderful day to meet new people. Anthony Cali (the president and general manager of the club) and Joyce Gosselin (race director) were tremendously personable, energetic, and out to make sure that participants, new and old, had a great time. They are pictured with me then giving out trophies and prizes. Want to impress me? Boldly display an American flag in your place of business and I will forever sing your praises. Great work folks "Thanks"
I love to go for long runs. I love to go to races for the friendship and the competition. But every once in a while I like to get out by myself and do some REAL speed work
What a great bunch of runners I was able to meet on this past July 4th. On the left is Dave. Dave was in site the whole race. Unfortunately it was his back that was in sight and even though I got to within 10 feet of him on occasion I just wasn't able to pass him. But Dave became a great new friend and introduced me to many of his friends. On the Right are Debbie and Jillian. Not only was it great to meet them at this race, but one week later i met them at another race. Deb Took 2nd in her age division at that race and finished far enough ahead of me that she was able to be one of the cheering supporters as I was finishing my race--THANKS.I am used to traveling a good distance each weekend to run a race. I do this because as a small business owner I like to just "run away" and leave my home turf for a few brief hours. Usually by leaving the area I am able to either 1: forget about--IT ALL-- because -IT ALL- is not surrounding me wherever I go and 2: the travel time, sometimes, allows me to think about-IT- and make some decisions peacefully. However on this past July 4th I decided to go to a race that was advertised as a 5k and had a picture in it's newspaper ad of at least 100+ runners at the start of a race. WOW, a 10.5 mile trip, on a holiday weekend, to be able to run with a big group of people sounded great. There was also a festival going on in the same park during the weekend and that included alot of the best live music the area has to offer--a home run! Where the picture in the ad came from I don't know. 35 of us actually ran. Turns out it was the 1st annual race put on by this group. Also turns out instead of a 5k it was a 5 miler.---TIME OUT--- I need to say something here that some of you may disagree with, but, I feel it has to be said. I watched people come to the sign up table, find out it was a 5 miler, and leave. These people had decided to come to this park to run this race. They had set the time aside to- enjoy the run, the day, the people they were going to meet,and feel the feeling of completing a road race---AND THEY LEFT. These people walked away from the chance of having one of the best running days of their running experience. You need to understand that there are only a small number of people that even think they have a shot at winning any race of this type. The rest of us should be there to do the best that we can do--OUR OWN PERSONAL BEST. As I told a couple who came together and left together because they didn't want to try the extra 1.9 miles---JUST SLOW DOWN AND GIVE IT A SHOT. The times of the first few runners are the only ones matter to the whole race. The rest of us should be there to give it your own best. Had those people stayed and ran or walked across the finish line they would have done what they thought they couldn't do--- WHAT A BOOST TO THEIR RUNNING EGO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN.
