Five Takeaways from the ALS 5K

1. Thankfully, the sun was slightly hidden behind some haze. But it was about 70 degrees and very humid. My wife said I was the sweatiest of all the racers.

2. There were 90 participants in the 5K race.

3. This has become one of the best 5Ks in northern Minnesota. The venue has changed. We now begin and end in the City Park. Most of the race is on bike trails running alongside the golf course and the river, over bridges, and some quiet residential streets. The distance is accurate. It's chip timed. There are age group medals for first through third place.

4. I came in 32nd place overall. 1st among the men over 50.

5. My time? Not so good: 30:49. I'm back up over 30. Am I going to have to fire my coach?

Set Yourself On Fire

Big race in Roseau tomorrow. Coach Ironfist shared a quote from the great Bud Grant: “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

Future Warm-Up

As the sun was sapping all my energy this morning, I thought about what Agnes shared: "Just stick with it. What seems hard now will one day be your warm-up."

What distinguishes us

Coach Ironfist had a quote for me from John Bingham today: "What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the day gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate."