Debbie Mizikowski, 55, of Millcreek Township, has qualified for the World Reebok CrossFit Games, which begin July 13 in Los Angeles. Mizikowski was photographed at the CrossFit EOS gym in Erie on July 5./CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Debbie Mizikowski, 55, of Millcreek Township, heads to LA this week for the World Reebok CrossFit Games.

I’ve known Debbie since grade school, and more recently, our daughters lived together in Pittsburgh.

A frequent winner of cross country skiing and cycling events in the Highmark Quad games, this mom qualified for the ages 55-59 Masters Division of the CrossFit Games. She finished 12th out of 240 women at a regional competition.

Pam Parker is an award-winning writer and editor for Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

The sun shines on Her Times, even in bad weather.  Our cover gals — the Berlins and Gloria Morgan — must have some kind of magic, along with Erie Times-News photographer Greg Wohlford, because the day the cover photo was taken was rainy, cloudy and cold. Do these gals sparkle or what? And they should — they made it a family affair — running and walking in the Her Times 5K (on an equally miserable cold and rainy day). Sunny dispositions make for great stories!
Inside, we also have the inspiring story of Ginny Keim. I’ve known Ginny for a long time, and she was on a mission. She biked 425 miles in six days and raised $3,000 for the YMCA. That may not sound like something spectacular for a fitness buff, but Ginny was not a cyclist. She trained for a year and she did it.  I am so glad she shared this story. It’s encouraging to all of us that we can do some pretty awesome things if we put our minds to it.

And Sabrina Fischer of The Sassy Peacock gave us a great story with a makeover of Alice DeGeorge — awesome outfits and great prices! And speaking of awesome outfits, don’t miss our free stuff this month – stunning red dress, fun cape/coat, Ginny’s earrings and 100 years of Girls Scouts book. Great times at Her Times!

The Her Times race is Saturday at the Rotary Pavilion on Presque Isle, and the Her Times staff will be there to root on the more than 800 — that’s right 800 women who will be running for fun, for good health and for private reasons that often inspire me.
Congratulations and a huge thanks to Heather Cass. Without her, there would be no Her Times 5K. Make sure you give her a huge thank-you when you see her!
Last year, an acquaintance of mine told me she ran because her friend, who had passed away, ran it every year. It was a connection to her friend.
This year, we received a call from a woman whose Bible study group is running together. This is one of dozens of group efforts that are all part of the Her Times experience.
Whatever your reason for running, go for it. And walking is just fine, too in this 5K. The 3.2 miles (that’s what a 5K is) isn’t all that far when you do it with friends and enjoy it. It’s going to be a beautiful day — perfect for running. I hear a possibility of showers with temps in the 40s. I’m working the race, so we’ll see you there.
For more info, check out Heather’s blog

Even if you don’t like tennis, you’ll love this story. Last night, during the U.S. Open (televised on ESPN), Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, the world’s top-ranked men’s player, was clearly on his way to bageling Carlos Berlocq of Argentina. The scores of 6-0 and 6-0 told the story in the first two sets. In mens tennis – it’s the best three out of five sets wins a match. Winless in 12 games, Berlocq never gave up.
He wasn’t playing that badly, but you’ll never see that in a news report from Reuters, Associated Press or other news media that indicated Djokovic thrashed, smashed, humiliated and demolished Berlocq.
Those news folks missed some of what I watched.
Commentator John McEnroe said it best: Berlocq was playing the best tennis of his life. He was honestly in a lot of games and pushing Djokovic on some points, but he couldn’t win one game. Then again, Djokovic is a machine. No one beats him.
In NYC, Berlocq’s effort received big cheers. The nighttime crowd in Arthur Ashe stadium rooted loudly as Berlocq battled hard. He came up with some extraordinary shots that would have been winners against any other player. In the third set, after 66 minutes, after losing 14 straight games, Berlocq finally won a game, and even Djokovic smiled.
The crowd rose to its feet in a loud and heartwarming standing O. Appreciative, Berlocq won another game – even beating Djokovic on his serve, but it ended there. Djokovic took control and ended the run in the third set at 6-2.
Berlocq will never forget Sept. 1, 2011 when he took two games from the world’s No. 1 tennis player.
Encouraging words, actions or just a pat on the back for a job well done goes a long way for all of us no matter what challenge we face.
Here in Erie, in less than a month, hundreds of women will don running shoes and enter the 6th Annual Her Times 5K that takes place at Presque Isle, Oct. 1. Whether you are running or not, you can encourage the women who will run. Take a moment to visit http://www.etnextras.com/hertimes5k/.
Encouraging words pack a lot of power. This one’s for the girls.