The Ravenswood 5K is not precisely our neighborhood race, but we spend enough time in the Ravenswood neighborhood that the race has the same transformative effects that a good neighborhood race does—we get to see the neighborhood in a different way by running down the middle of the street instead of driving or walking on the sidewalk. It’s a small thing, but the different perspective is always an eye-opener for me.

Also, so many of our friends do live in the neighborhood that we seem to run into people we know at every turn.

I started the race with Erica, who was kicking off her season with the run, and then spent the rest of the race trying to catch up to Shaun, who had Stella in a running stroller. Shaun thought I was ahead of him, and was trying to catch up to me. Neither of us ever saw the other, but the chase meant we both had pretty fine times.

Time: 28:42
Pace: 9:15
Overall Place: 884 / 2498
Place in Male: 584 / 1106
Place in Division (M45-49): 64 / 157