Run, Forrest, Run.

In response to my training, Monika continues to inspire and ridicule me with her quotes from Forrest Gump. My mileage is increasing, along with my speed and endurance, and I can't wait to run the ING Philadelphia Distance Run on September 20th. Already, I've completed a 12 mile training run, so I am well prepared.

The Distance Run has been in existence since 1978 and promises to be a great course. The race begins and ends at Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, winds through historic parts of the city including Fairmount Park and boasts musicians all along the 13.1 mile route. I even convinced Monika to run it. My cousin Carrie will also be on the course, along with more than 13,000 other runners. Maybe I'll even make some new friends at my pace, since Monika and Carrie are both speed demons compared to me.

This past Saturday, I ran the EMC Relay for Life 5k in Horsham. All summer I've been trying to break my personal best (PB) time for a 5k which was 27 minutes flat. Not very fast, at all. On Saturday, I blasted through my PB and ran the 5k in 24:24, averaging a 7:52 mile according to my Garmin Forerunner 305. I was thrilled. I placed 46th overall in a field of 160, and I was the 5th woman in my age group. Had there been 5 year age brackets for awards, hardware would have been mine. Next time, maybe. At least I am finally fast enough to keep up with Natalie.