The Run For Tony

Today I’m running probably my favorite run of the year, The Run For Tony.
It has all the elements I look for in an organized run: It’s close to home (within three blocks of my house), it’s an easy distance (5K), there’s a post run party & it benefits a good cause. I’m thinking back to the first time I ran this race six years ago & how difficult I thought that running three miles would be, and it was. Now, in my mid-forties, I run this course at least three times a week. If I need to put in six miles, I’ll run it, turn around at Van Sciver School, and run it backwards. Some may find this boring, but for the most part, I enjoy the familiarity of running a course I know by heart. Also, since I’m often up and running before sunrise, I know where just about every divot, pot hole & bump on the road is.
Since I have to pound out five miles today, I’ll have to finish, then turn around & run two miles backwards. I’ll hear the inevitable "You’re going the wrong way!" from my neighbors, which will be fun to hear. My son Gavin is also running with a few of his buddies. I’m hoping his broken wrist & cast won’t slow him down too much. It’s supposed to be around 86 degrees at race time, so I can say with a fair degree of certainty that the post-run beer on the front lawn with my family will be most welcoming.
Thanks for reading,
Pat