Running into Eve Pell

Tried to run last night - made it half a block - said not tonight - turned around and walked home - got up and was in Central Park by 6:30 - clocked 11 miles, half on dirt/gravel - half on road - I'm @ 27 Miles 24 hours into the new running week - that's okay - this morning I saw lots of friends running in the 18 Mile NYRR Tune-Up for the NYC Marathon race. Since I've been altering my running surfaces - there is no way I will ever again do something like race (pound) the street for 18 miles 5 weeks before a marathon race. Quite honestly I question the sense in that. I used to always race in that event - but now? I won't road race the 2 months before a road marathon. I expect to clock another 9 miles this afternoon - we'll see...and speaking of "seeing", I see earlier today in Berlin – just as I said would happen - Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, that guy on the right, set a world record for the marathon in 2:04:26. He's the greatest distance runner ever. Yesterday too locally was a fun event, the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile, from 80th Street to 60th Street, straight down 5th Ave. The performance of the day might have been from that woman on the left, 70 Year old Eve Pell, she ran that road mile in 7:04. That's quite impressive. I never heard of this woman so I did a little digging and learned after turning 60 in 1997, she won the over-60 age group at the Boston Marathon, finishing in 3:25, a personal best, she broke the age-group world record for 10,000 meters on the track and at the end of the year was ranked #1 woman U.S. road racer in the 60-64 age group. She wrote a perspective, personal reflection on her career and life that you can read just by clicking that link. She closed her piece saying, "Some fortunate people are born knowing just what they want to do: They make hard choices, keep their goals in mind, work very hard, and succeed. Maybe one has to do that to succeed in important ways - like becoming Secretary of State, running a Fortune 500 company or winning gold medals in Olympic competition. But for those of us content with smaller triumphs, sometimes adventures come unbidden and unexpected. The only choices we must make are whether to let an opportunity go by, or to take it up and follow where it leads". I don't know Eve Pell, never met her, but just by knowing how passionate of a runner she is I sensed some wisdom to behold within her - so I dug - and I was right - it's s a great 1 page inspiring read, check it out & have a great. day.