PERSONAL BEST THIS SEASON

Fall is here, and it's a great time for running. Cool, crisps temps make for more pleasant training and faster races.

Unfortunatly, the days are getting shorter, and that means more time indoors. And that;s the time to read about running.

You can enhance your running, gain inspiration, and pick up some very valuable training tips and plans by taking advantage of the fall offer I just posted on my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com.

By visiting the website, you can buy my books, Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice For Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes, or Personal Best, for the low price of $8.99, plus shipping.

Read Running Shorts, and you'll be put right in the middle of stories from the road to which you and your running partners can relate. I tossed in a little running history and folklore, which will make older runners smile, and will have younger runners thinking, "Did that really happen/"

In Personal Best I took ideas from runners I met while traveling around the country, delivering speeches at various race expos, and tried to write a book that would both inspire and instruct. Read Personal Best, and I can guarantee you will become a better runner.

You can go to Amazon and check out: amazon.com/author/joemuldowney, for reviews and to order the books. Personal Best  is available in Kindle form as well.

Finally, you can also go to www.lulu.com, where the books are also available.

I'm approaching my 40th year as a competitve runner, and my best running days are behind me. These days, I enjoy seeing and hearing about other runners reaching their running goals. I have attempted to do so by coaching at the collegiate level, by writing this blog, and through my books.

By doing so, I feel I've made each day my personal best.

OH, WHAT A FEELING!

I felt like blogging this morning, but a specific topic, rant, or report escaped me, so I felt it would be a good time to state the obvious.

Running makes us feel good!

I know, that's pretty much a no-brainer, so, just to remind you just in case you're having one of those periods in your running life where you feel flat, bored or in a rut, simply think about how good you feel when you run and how bad you feel when you don't.

In three weeks, I will undergo arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in my knee. Currently, I am running on what the damaged knee will bear, and it is painful and frustrating. I curse myself for those days when, perfectly healthy, I would whine about my workout. Because, nearly always, when I finish, I feel good.

Right now, I don't feel very good.

Think about it.

You go out and run your personal best at a race.

That nagging opponent who always beats you, then brags when he or she does, fell to you in the race today.

A 20-miler is completed. You smile as you record it in your running log.

You nailed a killer speed workout.

A training run with a friend or friends glides by as you laugh, joke, and compare training ideas.

After a tough day at work, you go for a run, and it becomes the ultimate stress release.

Kids, the spouse, the laundry have you at the end of your rope. A good run cures all that.

You've just completed a run in conditions that drive most people indoors.

At a party, wedding, or class reunion, folks remark about how young and fit you look.

We are the lucky ones.

What a feeling!

Visit www.muldowneyrunning.com, amazon.com/author/joemuldowney. or www.lulu.com, and check out my books. Both books are a celebration of running, with training tips and advice that, I guarantee will make you a better runner.

DO IT ANYWAY

Today is the birthday of a very special friend, Father Chris Zelonis.

I met Chris, a Roman Catholic priest, about two years ago. He is not only a man of God, but a voracious trainer, who began running competitively in 2009, and is now poised to crush the 3-hour marathon. He qualified, and will run his first Boston Marathon in April.

His amazing journey is told in the chapter of my latest book, Personal Best,  www.muldowneyrunning.com,  amazon.com/author/joemuldowney , in the chapter entitled, 'Extraordinary.'

Today, I posted this birthday message on his Facebook page.

No matter what religion one may follow, this message applies to us as runners.

It matters little what adversity comes our way. When it comes to running, we "Do it anyway."

Running is spiritual to us. When we run, we build. We reinvent. We forgive. We reflect.

It really is, when we run, not about "Them." Rather it is about us and whatever spiritual anchor we may cling to.

So to translate the words of this amazing, selfless woman, Mother Teresa, into the language of running:

When they say you can't, do it anyway.

When an injury, illness or personal tragedy stands in your way, do it anyway.

When age slows you down, and you cling to the times and races of the past, do it anyway.

When the finish line appears to lie a million miles away and your legs say no, do it anyway.

When the weather boils, freezes, or ices you, do it anyway.

Because, when it comes to running, we always want to do it...anyway.

GO LOCAL

Local races are h backbone of road racing.

Local races are often well-organized and usually benefit local causes.

Following is an article that was published today in my monthly running column in the Republican Herald newspaper. www.republicanherald,com

If you live in eastern Pennsylvania I highly recommend this popular local race.

October is a great month for runners and for running.

Temperatures are crisp, races abound and times are fast.

Runners appreciate races that are well-organized, offer plenty of awards and amenities, serve a good cause and provide a course that is suitable for fast times.

All of those boxes can be checked Sunday, Oct. 18.

The 6th annual Rhoades Race 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk will be held, beginning at the Saint Clair Industrial Park, between Saint Clair and Port Carbon. The Fun Run will begin at 10 a.m. and the 5K will start at 10:30 a.m.

This course is flat and fast. The race starts at the Industrial Park and proceeds north through Saint Clair, looping through the borough, and back to the finish. Unlike most Schuylkill County courses, there is not a hill to be found along the route.

For the Fun Run, all participants receive a finishing ribbon, and the top three male and female runners under the age of 13 will receive medals.

In the 5K, the top three male and female finishers, as well as the top male and female Master’s finishers (40 and over) will receive cash prizes. Unique handcrafted pottery created by local potter Mary Byrne of Mad Potter in Pottsville will be awarded to first-place winners in each age group. Second- and third-place finishers will receive medals. There are 12 age divisions, ranging from 13 and under to over 70.

The oldest finisher will receive the William I. Messerschmidt Memorial Award.
Proceeds from this event will be used to promote the Rhoades Foundation mission through scholarships, donations, events and other means, to educate, encourage and enrich our local communities.

The James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation was founded in October 2008 in memory of Senator James J. Rhoades, who was unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident on his way to a local high school football game where he was to be honored at halftime. Senator Rhoades’ wife, Mary Edith, and children chose to establish this foundation to carry on Senator Rhoades’ selfless spirit, highlighting his lifelong dedication toward education, giving and community for years to come.

The family of Senator Rhoades has continued his legacy of service through this race, as well as through many other community events.

The Rhoades Race is the final leg of the second annual Schuylkill County Triple Crown 5K series.
In August, the Sol Lipton and Truskey 5K events were held.

What binds these local races together is the family spirit of giving that all three events exhibit. The Lipton, Truskey and Rhoades families all donate their time in order to ensure success of these races; then they utilize race profits to offer scholarships to deserving youth of the region.

Two top local runners, former Blue Mountain standout Justin O’Brien and state champion and Nativity graduate, Samantha Snukis, are poised to capture the Triple Crown honors for the second consecutive year.

It is difficult for any athlete, in any sport, to repeat as a champion, so their efforts are to be commended.

The Rhoades Race is a family event that has quickly become a favorite race for runners of all ages.

For a race entry blank, and to learn more about the James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation, visit www.rhoadesfoundation.com, and click on the 'Upcoming Events' tab.

                                          Samantha Snukis-2014 5K Triple Crown WInner

LOOKS LIKE HE'S HERE TO STAY

Following is an excerpt from my book, Running Shorts: A Collection of Stories and Advice for Anyone Who Has Ever Laced Up a Pair of Running Shoes. www.muldowneyrunning.com

 

"In May of 1976 I entered my first road race. Of all the

tiny hamlets in America, my first foray into road racing

occurred in one of the most picturesque and interesting

places.

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, is a small community of

around 4,000 residents that serves as a gateway into the

Pocono Mountains. Its Alpine beauty has earned it the

moniker, “Switzerland of America.” Josiah White

founded the town in 1818, naming it Mauch Chunk,

meaning “bear mountain” in the Native American Lenni

Lenape language. Apparently the name referred to a

local mountain that resembled a sleeping bear.

In 1876, Mauch Chunk was the site of one of the

famous trials of the Molly Maguires, a secret society of

Irish coal miners, four of whom were accused of

kidnapping and murder, subsequently, and in a

controversial manner, convicted, and hung by the

gallows on scaffolding erected behind the Carbon

County Courthouse in Mauch Chunk.

Like many small American towns, Mauch Chunk

became more obscure as the 20th century wore on. A

mass exodus of population and jobs left the area, or in

this case, areas, of East and West Mauch Chunk,

grasping for anything to revitalize the economy of the

region.

Then along came Jim Thorpe.

Jim Thorpe, an American Indian who grew up in

Oklahoma, spent much of his youth at the Carlisle Indian

School, located in south central Pennsylvania. In 1907, it

is alleged that he walked past a group of athletes

practicing the high jump. While still clad in street clothes

he launched an impromptu jump of 5 feet, 9 inches.

Thorpe became a tremendous track and field athlete, but

his athletic abilities extended to baseball, football,

lacrosse, and even ballroom dancing.

In 1912, The Carlisle Indian School, led by Jim

Thorpe, won the national collegiate football

championship, but it was in Stockholm, Sweden, at the

1912 Olympic Games where the Jim Thorpe legend

would be born. At the Games, Thorpe won both the

Pentathlon, a sport consisting of five events, as well as

the Decathlon, a ten-event competition causing King

Gustav of Sweden to proclaim, “You, sir, are the greatest

athlete in the world.”

Prior to Thorpe’s Olympic participation, he accepted

meager compensation for playing baseball during his

summer vacations. Strict Olympic rules forbid the

acceptance of any type of remuneration, thus Jim Thorpe

was stripped of his Olympic medals.

When he died in 1953 his widow became angry

because the state of Oklahoma refused to erect a

monument for her late husband.

Far from Oklahoma, Mauch Chunk’s town fathers

came up with an idea. In an effort to bolster tourism in

their town, why not obtain the dead Olympian’s remains,

unify and rename East and West Mauch Chunk in honor

of the Olympic champion? Thorpe had never even set

foot within 100 miles of Mauch Chunk , but Thorpe’s

wife thought it was a great idea, so she obtained her

monument and the town had its tourist attraction. She

sold his remains to the town, and a monument was

promptly built there in his honor, at the site of his new

grave.

In 2010, Thorpe’s son sued the town, hoping to have

his father’s remains returned to Oklahoma."

Today, the Associated Press released this story.

"The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Indian tribes and Jim Thorpe's sons to move the remains of the athletic great from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma.

The justices on Monday left in place a court ruling that ordered Thorpe's body to remain in the Pennsylvania town that bears his name.

Thorpe's two surviving sons, and the Sac and Fox Nationn have been seeking to bury Thorpe on American Indian land in Oklahoma.

Thorpe was a football, baseball and track star who won the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics. He died in 1953 at age 64.

Thorpe's wife won agreement from two merging towns in Pennsylvania to build a memorial and name the new borough, and Carbon County seat, Jim Thorpe, after the athlete. Police then seized Thorpe's body during his funeral service in Oklahoma."

It looks as though Jim Thorpe is going to remain in Jim Thorpe.

---

 

YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED

The weather is getting cooler, and soon you'll be spending more time indoors.

What a great time to catch up on your reading.

Right now I'm offering the lowest price ever on my two running books.

Visit www.muldowneyrunning.com and you can pick up a copy of one of my books for just $8.99 plus shipping and handling. I'll sign your book, and offer service after the sale with advice. You just have to email me at: runnr@hotmail.com to receive additional training tips..

You can also go to Amazon, amazon.com/author/joemuldowney where you can buy the books in print or Kindle format.

Many people have read and benefitted from the stories and advice offered in both Running Shorts and Personal Best.

I promise you won't be disappointed.

PRAISE TO ALL

As a model to the way things should be done, cheers to St. Paul, Minnesota mayor, Chris Coleman, and Black Lives Matter leader, Rashard Turner, for meeting face-to-face for over two and a half hours today to assure that runners will not be disrupted or interfered with during Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon.

"The Mayor took the time to listen, he heard our concerns," Turner shared. "We will not disrupt the course."

Turner said BLM St. Paul still intends to protest at the marathon, but in a designated space without blocking any runners.

On behalf of every runner who will participate in Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon, and speaking for all runners, I would like to commend the mayor and Mr. Turner for resolving this issue in a rational manner.

Perhaps all elected officials and community organizers should follow the lead of these two men.

A dialogue can go much further than name-calling and finger-pointing.

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/2015/10/01/mayor-blm-strike-deal-to-avoid-marathon-disruption/73151784/