In 1970 Mike McCorkle's junior high coach convinced him to try running. Forty-two years later, McCorkle is still at it, running with passion and running fast.

"I've always enjoyed the competition and the challenges," said McCorkle, a 60-year-old credit manager at Transit Mix in Colorado Springs. "I've been running all these years with no major injuries."

McCorkle runs to race and he easily admits he loves competition. He knows the top runners in his age group in Colorado and he often travels to Denver and Boulder to run against them.

He finished second in his age group at the Thanksgiving Four Mile Run in Fort Collins last month, covering the distance in 28 minutes, 12 seconds.

"I averaged 7:03 a mile," he said. "I wanted to break seven. I was on target I was at 13:50 at two miles. That third mile I laid back a little cause I wanted to save it for the fourth. I ran a good fourth mile, I was under seven minutes, but I could have gone a little bit harder I think."

For his big effort on Thanksgiving Day, not to mention a lifetime of hard running, McCorkle has been chosen as the Runners Roost Runner of the Month for November. He also wins a new pair of Mizuno shoes, plus bragging rights.

The Runner of the Month program is the combined effort of Runners Roost, Mizuno and PikesPeakSports.us.

McCorkle never played football or baseball, but he learned to love competition when he discovered running. He was a Top 20 high school cross country runner in Missouri, then ran as part of a Div. II national championship cross country team at Missouri State University. That same team won four consecutive conference championships.

"I was real competitive coming out of college and continued to run in local races in St. Louis," he said. "I've carried it through ever since."

Discipline, he says, is important to a running career of many years. His training routine includes an average of about 36 miles per week on the Pikes Peak Greenway Trail along Monument Cree. He starts with fartleks on Monday. He'll do tempo runs on Tuesday and Thursday, hills on Wednesday and long runs on the weekends. Friday is always a rest day.

At 6 feet and 160 pounds, he is lean but strong, with the easy stride of a much younger runner. He said a visit to the chiropractor once a week helps to keep him moving, and he has learned that a stretching routine is mandatory.

He said runners new to the sport would be wise to keep their mileage low.

"I know runners that put in a lot of miles and it doesn't do them any good," he said. "It's better to keep mileage low in the beginning and gradually add more. These guys who do 80, 90 or 100 miles a week are crazy."

McCorkle said he'll start the 2013 race season at the Runnin' of the Green in Denver March, then do the Cherry Creek Sneak in April. In May he'll return to Bolder Boulder where he placed fifth in his age group last year, and then aim for Sailin' Shoes in June in Colorado Springs. He'd also like to run in the Denver Half Marathon in September.