Exercising to the Beat of the Street

         A small, but dedicated group of people were ready to race at the second annual Red Cross Delco Run/Walk for Life in Brookhaven on Oct. 9.  The race/walk benefited the Red Cross' Southeastern Pa. chapter.  It was a beautiful sunny morning with the temperature at 60 degrees.  When I arrived at the Brookhaven Community Center and saw only a few people, I thought "maybe I had the wrong date."  But with two other more established 5K races in the county that morning, this race brought only about 25 runners.  To see photos and video of the race visit  http://tinyurl.com/62bwpbo.      After receiving my bib number, I learned that I would either have to walk a 1/4-mile or drive to the actually starting line.  I get a little anxious as it is before a race, a finding out that the start wasn't right there was really annoying!  Surprising me was Kevin, who helped me from spazzing out too much.      Lining up on Coebourn Boulevard in front of an elementary school, we t

     After a summer swimming in a crystal blue outdoor pool, I headed back to the pavement and started running a week after Labor Day.  After running eight races in eight weeks last spring, I was excited to try and accomplish that goal again for the fall.  I was looking forward to my fourth annual 5K Run for Merry Place Oct. 2 in Havertown.  The event benefited Merry Place, which is located in Glendale Park and includes a playground and nature area. The run also kicked off Haverford Township Day, which included a parade (that I drove my yellow VW Bug in), food, music and more.  See photos and video of the race at  http://tinyurl.com/4x4oqja .        This year the run was at a new location, the Haverford Reserve off of Darby Road.  On the grounds of the former Haverford State Hospital, the Reserve boasts carriage homes, trails, athletic fields, Freedom Playground and a dog park.  Thankfully, the forecasted rain never materialized and when I arrived at the Reserve, the sun a