Cheer Greg of W. Crossings on in the Bucktown 5K!

Greg, who owns W. Grocer along with his brother, Paul, is not sure why he began to run, but six months ago he woke up one morning and decided that he needed to do it.

And he hasn't stopped since. Last month he reached his personal best in the Rock and Roll 10K marathon, with a time of 1:37.

In March, he ran in the 5K Zoo in the Park at Lincoln Park Zoo. "I enjoyed seeing all of the animals while I was running," he said, adding that he also likes the camaraderie that is formed with the other runners.

As for what he thinks about when he's running, Greg says, "Not dying."

Greg's favorite places to run are the Lake Shore path and forest preserves in the suburbs.

The Bucktown 5K is this Sunday at 8:30AM.

Bucktown 5K Parking/Towing ALERT

DO YOU PARK YOUR CAR ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING STREETS:

Oakley, Charleston, Hoyne, Wilmot, Churchill, St. Paul, Winchester, Cortland, Ashland, or Wabansia???

After having my trusty 1997 Ford Escort towed to the tune of $210 ($160 for towing; a $50 ticket from the city) before a neighborhood street festival in May (the only sign on the stretch of street I parked my car at in the dark was tacked to a VERY leafy tree, and obscured, see picture), I am determined to not allow a similar misfortune happen to anyone else in the neighborhood. The economy certainly sucks right now, and parking violations are to be avoided. Please spread the word of the no parking pre 5K race to every local you know! Let No Car Be Towed! In POSITIVE news, it should be an awesome event, and it will benefit Gilda's Club, the Bucktown Community Organization, and Burr Elementary School, all great, community/people focused groups. Let's just make sure that the 5K will not benefit the City of Chicago's Dept. of Revenue, too! There are now four teams able to administer tickets, and special events no doubt are the easiest of targets. Best Buy/Kohl's will provide free shuttling to, and from their parking garage to any displaced vehicles. See www.bucktown5k/neighbors for more information.

The Bucktown 5K will take place on Sunday, Oct. 4th. FIFTEEN STREETS will be no-parking zones from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack's office is working hard to get the word out to prevent mishaps like in past years when many residents, including Waguespack if I recall correctly, got their cars towed due to lack of adequate signage.