Mom and I shared our first senior moment when we registered for the National Senior Games last week in Pittsburgh.

We noticed the great number of signs directing athletes to parking and venues on the University of Pittsburgh campus. After all, the Senior Games hosts 10,000 people who tend to lose their glasses with regularity and forget where the car is parked at the mall. I know - I'm one of those seniors.

The next thing we noticed about the games was the excitement in the air. Mom and I browsed the information booths at the Petersen Event Center, then watched our hometown Butler Cubs basketball team.

Competitive energy flowed the following day in North Park at the 5K. We chatted with Pennsylvania Olympians and several Ohio competitors who remembered us from last summer's qualifiers in Akron.

I sized up the competition in my age group, which included several local runners and others from as far away as Alaska. I would have to finish in the top half to earn one of the eight spots on the awards podium. Mom, competing against three others, was assured a prize, though she would try for gold.

It had been my plan to cruise through the 5K if possible to save energy for the harder 10K just two days later. That plan went out the window quickly as I found myself in a pack of four runners of my age by mile one.

I managed to hang on until, with less than half a mile to go, the pack broke one by one. I surged ahead, then sprinted the last one-tenth to finish in fifth place. Mom appeared around the corner soon after to earn a gold medal for first place in the 75-to-79 age group.

Mom and I rested on Sunday by watching the triathlon competition, also in North Park. It was exciting but a little confusing to us novice tri-watchers as four heats of competitors swam in North Park Pool, biked four undulating loops, then disappeared into the woods for a rugged trail run.

Mom and I anticipated Monday's 10K with mixed emotions. We were excited about competing in the event but fearful of a course that sent runners climbing a 1.8-mile hill, plunging steeply down the other side, then finishing with two miles of flat, shadeless pavement before an uphill finish.

The route was one of the hilliest 10Ks we'd seen, its difficulty compounded by the 9:30 a.m. start and the lack of rest time after the 5K event.

Most of the competitors called it a race plan conjured in hell. I called it an invitation to disaster as the temperature and humidity soared at the start.

As expected, the 10K was less a race than a battle for survival. The course, not the competition, took a toll on senior athletes, who, by virtue of age, are less flexible and less able to handle heat.

I survived the major hills to succumb to the heat of the flatland. My pace slowed to a crawl but I managed to hang on for third place behind two area women - a medal sweep for Pennsylvania.

Mom reported that she had never seen so many people walking in a race. Still, she looked fresh when she crossed the finish line first in her age group.

In the race for a long, healthy, and happy life, these people are all winners.

Resist the urge to cram in a few more miles. Pick up your race packet Friday evening and lay out your clothes for Saturday. I'll see you at the starting line.

Sunday:Walk 30 minutes.Monday:Walk 5 minutes, run 20 minutes, walk 5 minutes.Tuesday:Rest.Wednesday:Walk 5 minutes. Run 5 minutes, walk 30 seconds. Run 5 minutes, walk 30 seconds. Run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes.Thursday:Walk 30 minutes.Friday:RestSaturday:Walk 5 minutes warm up. Run Butler Road Race 2K. Walk 5 minutes cooldown.

Saturday, 8:30 A.M.:YMCA 4-Mile and 1-Mile Runs, Brookville. Mostly flat through historic Brookville. 814-849-7355Saturday, 8:30 a.m.: G.O. Fitness 5K Run and 1-Mile Fun Run-Walk, Beaver Falls. Also ¼ quarter-mile kids run. 724-847-4770 or www.gofitnessonline.comSaturday, 9 a.m.: Dayspring Harvest Ministries Run with the Son 5K Race and 2-Mile Fun Walk, Ellwood City. 724-752-1600.Saturday, 9 a.m.: Summer Sunrise 10K, Kittanning. Run along Allegheny River. 724-545-9622 or www.armstrongymca.orgSaturday, 9 a.m.: Moonshine Shuffle 5K, McKean. 814-899-0455Sunday, 8:30 a.m.: Father's Day 10K and 5K, North Shore, Pittsburgh. Benefits prostate cancer awareness, support and education programs. Free prostate screenings at packet pick up 6 to 8 p.m. June 17 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and National City Bank, downtown Pittsburgh. Participants must preregister for screening. 412-572-6830 or jerryL22002@yahoo.comTuesday, 7 p.m.: Longest Day 10K, 5K Run and Fun Walk, Warren. 814-736-0110 or chris@warrenymca.orgWednesday, 7 p.m.: Derry Area High School Cross Country 5K, Derry. 724-483-4727

National Senior Games 5K, June 11:Carl Hildebrandt, 2nd 50-54 M, 18:01; Dan Nets, 5th 50-54 M, 18:12; George Dieffenbachia, 7th 50-54 M, 18:43; Charles Leader, 3rd 55-59 M, 18:54; Tony Mauro, 1st 60-64 M, 19:04; Leonard Swanskin, 5th 60-64 M, 19:20; Cindy Grimm, 3rd 50-54 W, 22:01; Roger Brockenbrough, 1st 70-74 M, 22:57; Patricia Neubert, 5th 50-54 W, 23:36; Pattie Liebman, 6th 50-54 W, 23:43; Udon Beidler, 2nd 55-59 W, 23:47; Mary O'Brien, 8th 50-54 W, 23:51; Carl Trimber, 8th 70-74 M, 26:34; Margretta Lutz, 1st 75-79 W, 28:09; Joseph Havlik, 6th 75-79 M, 29:38; Francis Albaugh, 4th 80-84 M, 29:57;Christopher Gibson, 19:00; Paul Szymonski, 19:52; David Sobal, 20:25; Merrilynn Kessler, 29:34National Senior Games Triathlon(400-meter swim, 12½-mile bike, 5K run), June 12:Mac Martin, 1st 50-54 M, 59:39; Bill Kenarek, 2nd 50-54 M, 1:04:24; Barry Shields, 3rd 50-54 M, 1:06:42; Debra Cully, 2nd 50-54 W, 1:08:40; Jody Mulvihill, 3rd 50-54 W, 1:09:35; John Cully, 6th 50-54 M, 1:10:11; William Manteris, 5th 55-59 M, 1:10:34; Kenneth Allhouse, 7th 50-54 M, 1:13:21; Mark Liebman, 6th 55-59 M, 1:13:31; Terrence Timko, 7th 55-59 M, 1:14:32; Tom Murray, 4th 60-64 M, 1:16:17; Roger Brockenbrough, 1st 70-74, 1:17:19; Han Vansnik, 4th 65-69 M, 1:20:33; Deborah Sagan, 6th 50-54 W, 1:21:29; Joseph Maroon, 6th 65-69 M, 1:24:30; Benjamin Zappa, 8th 65-69 M, 1:25:36; Karen Kaighin, 7th 50-54 W, 1:26:46; Ralph Swain, 2nd 70-74 M, 1:26:58; Robert Eazor, 2nd 75-79 M, 1:28:37Leslie Evans, 4th 55-59 W, 1:32:24; Leonard Murphy, 3rd 70-74 M, 1:35:40; Vicki Murphy-Kendall, 1st 60-64 W, 1:39:58; Vere Bellian, 7th 75-79 W, 1:40:21; Ruth Hopp, 3rd 65-69 W, 1:40:41; I-Sing Fan, 6th 55-59 W, 1:42:20; George Freeman, 8th 70-74 M, 1:45:52; Susan Goldman, 7th 65-69 W, 1:51:31; Christine Brubaker, 2nd 60-64 W, 1:55:50; Sally Martin, 3rd 75-79 W, 2:04:54; Katherine Blair, 5th 60-64 W, 2:07:55; Jan Hurst, 2nd 80-84 M, 2:11:50; Joyce Schroeder, 2nd 80-84 W, 2:19:29Ray Burdett, 1:15:57; John Adams, 1:16:04; Mickey Hornack, 1:18:09; Bruce Kessler, 1:21:34; William Hoon, 1:25:13; Rolf Vonhellens, 1:28:19; Bob Rock, 1:29:12; John Paule, 1:32:15; Thomas Hadden, 1:32:48; Dan Cush, 1:33:49; Scott Ewing, 1:34:11; Barbara Oelschlegel, 1:35:44; Paul Bernick, 1:37:12; Fred Gerbstedt, 1:46:09; Alfred Rogers, 1:47:41; Stephen Oliphant, 1:48:36; Robert Henderson, 1:54:49; Jean Atkin-Gool, 2:16:48National Senior Games 10K, June 13:Dan Neitz, 3rd 50-54 M, 40:12; Tony Mauro, 1st 60-64 M, 41:08; Curt Grimm, 6th 55-59 M, 44:13; Paul Szymonski, 8th 55-59 M, 44:54; Cindy Grimm, 1st 50-54 W, 47:03; Roger Brockenbrough, 1st 70-74 M, 49:09; Ray English, 2nd 70-74 M, 49:56; Pattie Liebman, 2nd 50-54 W, 51:25; Patricia Neubert, 3rd 50-54 W, 51:57; Udon Beidler, 1st 55-59 W, 52:05; Carl Trimber, 8th 70-74 M, 1:01:01; Margretta Lutz, 1st 70-74 W, 1:05:44; Joseph Fennick, 4th 75-79 M, 1:10:33; Christopher Gibson, 42:00; Jim Benson, 50:58Send comments and suggestions: to: 435 Cherry Valley Road, Saxonburg, Pa. 16056. Phone or fax: 724-352-4395. Email bigp@highstream.net