Cesare Manetti

I've been running for forty years.

I started running to improve my tennis game.

I loved sports and while playing tennis, I experienced a lot of leg problems. I started running to get stronger legs and to eliminate the injuries. I then found out that I loved running more than other sports.

Today, I run thirty plus miles a week with my longest run of fifteen miles. I get up early, five in the morning and do my run before my wife awakes.

I love the beauty of the sunrise in the early morning. I feel like I'm thirty years old and feel full of energy. I like to run alone with only my thoughts. I start slowly but at the end of the run, I challenge myself and give it my best shot.

I believe training and mental commitment are the most important aspects of running and life.

Most people don't know that I had a private pathology practice and served most of the local hospitals. I also spend two months living in Italy enjoying the mountains, family and friends.

My training for a marathon is as follows: I run a marathon two weeks before my main goal as a training run, and then give the next marathon my best effort. I also train the full length of the marathon and do not save the full length for the event itself.

At the Chicago Marathon I finished and got separated from my wife and ran an additional six miles to find her.

My advice to runners is to do the long distances at a slow pace but if you start to hurt, slow down or stop. The distance is the key because that builds glucose storage in your muscles.

The body is remarkable and if properly trained can do amazing things.

My goal is to enjoy life and all that it offers!