MS 5K run at Ridley Creek State Park

MS 5K run at Ridley Creek State Park - race #3

    It was a beautiful Sunday morning, about 58 degrees, sunny and breezy, and I was able to sleep in a little because of the 9:30 a.m. race start. Downing just a cup of tea (I know I should eat something, but I'm always a little nervous before races), I headed to Ridley Creek State Park on April 17 for my third 5K in three weeks. Arriving at the park, which hosted one of the 18 Walk MS sites held across the Delaware Valley, I was amazed by all the people who were ready to take part in the walk. Many had formed teams and were wearing matching T-shirts. The race and the walk helped raise funds to help local people living with Multiple Sclerosis.
   With a DJ blasting music for the crowd, I saw several people wearing race bibs head to the starting line. It was a small group, only about 50 runners for the up and back race. Right before the start, I heard someone say that the course was downhill in the beginning. At the sound of the horn, we were off and headed down a narrow paved path.  (See photos and video at http://tinyurl.com/3m8odnd.)
      Shaded by towering trees, we ran past old stone homes and rain-swollen streams. The course was very scenic and I can understand why so many people enjoy running, biking and walking their dogs at this state park. The hardest part for me running at Ridley Creek was that there were no standout identifiable markers. Once I made the halfway point and jogged around the little orange cones, I headed back, uphill this time, for the finish. Trudging my way up, I kept thinking, "this tree looks familiar, I think?" But actually I had no idea and just kept pace with a runner in front of me.
     Finally turning towards the end, we ran into maybe a few hundreds walkers who were just beginning their five-mile trek. Veering off onto the grass, I headed towards the flag and finished with a time of 30:08. My best time so far this spring and I was 25 out of 49 runners. It was the most challenging of the last three races. The winning time was a 21:30, way behind the Ridley Run's first place time of 15:41. Offering great support like always were Kevin and my mom. No T-shirt this time (only if you raised $150), but I did receive a cool medal which I wore to breakfast at the Dairy Cottage;-)

This Saturday I'm headed to Aronimink Elementary School in Drexel Hill for the Cure For the Kids 5K. All the proceeds benefit Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Comments

Swimming on in honor of Coach Rick Field

I thought of swimming as a solitary activity. The rhythmic breathing, 18-20 strokes to the wall, flip turn, repeat, blocking out all sound and sights and just following the black line. Other than being a part of my high school swim team, which I had joined because my friend Tara encouraged me, I’ve been swimming laps by myself for more than 20 years. Coach Rick I was in the pool at Rocky Run Y several years ago, when Rick Field walked over and told me my right hand was entering the water too far to the side. I had met Rick in 2011, when he first started as a swim coach and teacher at the Y. I didn’t know what to make of him at first, he seemed loud and maybe a bit pushy, but he grew on me and I saw how much he cared for his swimmers to succeed. The Cedar Island 5K So in November 2019, after many years of asking me to join his swim workouts, I broke away from the solitary swim life to be part of a team again. Every Sunday from 7-8:30 a.m., our swim group would try our best following

Blue Marsh National Recreation Area in Reading

The idea of swimming outdoors in a lake in November sounded amazing, so on a warm & muggy fall day I headed to Blue Marsh Lake in Reading to meet my friend Kari. It started to rain during the 80-minute drive with Kevin & our pup Georgie & I was thinking, "why am I jumping into a lake?" But it was still warm & in the 70s, so I'll just deal with the lake temps.

San Diego Sharkfest Swim

The dream of swimming one last open water race this year was just too hard to resist! So with about a week's notice, I registered for a race, booked a hotel and bought airfare to perpetually sunny southern California for the one-mile San Diego Sharkfest Swim on Oct. 13. With a three-day weekend coming up, and the fact that Kevin and I have never been to San Diego, the race was a perfect time and place for a new adventure. After three days of touring museums, ships, Balboa Park , walking around both the city and Old Town and kayaking in La Jolla and experiencing a trolley tour, I was excited/anxious to swim on Sunday. Walking from our hotel to the start, which was behind the San Diego Convention Center, I noticed a lot of people were wearing wet suits, which made me a little nervous. But the race director, a former champion open water swimmer, joked and told the crowd that they were "wussies" and warned that those who looked to be struggling would be pulled from

Exercising to the Beat of the Street

Search This Blog