In some ways, Joe Vega is your typical 67-year-old grandfather of five. He's retired, he goes to church regularly and he is active in the community.

Then again, you aren't likely to find too many grandfathers who have earned a first-degree black belt in karate, who drag race professionally, who sing professionally and have run the Chicago Marathon in under three hours.

How does he manage to do all this?

"I believe in goal setting," Vega says. "Without goals you have nothing."

And goals he has. Vega rattles off a few that he's set and accomplished.

"I set a goal never to get a traffic ticket," he says. "I also never wanted to take any medication or other drugs in my life."

If any reader still doubts in the power of goal setting, think about this: Vega says he earned his first-degree black belt during the same time period he was running marathons in under three hours.

"It's all up here," he says, pointing to his head. "All physical feats are 85 percent mental and 15 percent physical. If you want to accomplish anything, you have to give 150 percent."

He may be an athlete, but Vega isn't just some jock. He is just as inclined to put on a hat and sing his rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," with a smoothness that would likely have the Chairman himself beaming.

From there, Vega can transition quickly into country, gospel or blues like a pro, despite being new to the game.

"I started singing six years ago," says Vega, who can be seen around the Heights, often performing at the Harold Colbert Community Center.

So, if you're keeping track, Vega is a karate expert, runner and singer, but that's not all.

In his basement he has a punching bag. If Vega were given a fighting nickname, it might be "Iceman" because, like the Top Gun movie character, "It's the way he fights—ice cold, no mistakes. He weeds you down, you get bored, frustrated, do something stupid and he's got ya."

"I'm a counter puncher," Vega says of his fighting style. "I wait for you to make your move, and beat you to the punch."

He remembers one fight he got into, in which speed and patience were the deciding factor.

"The guy was 6-3 and outweighed me by 50 pounds," Vega says. "I waited until he committed to a punch and beat him to it."

He demonstrates his punch to my solar plexus. Fortunately for me, this was just a demonstration. The other guy wasn't so lucky.

Vega's next move? He popped in some old DVDs of his drag races. He said he competes on courses throughout Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri.

"I don't get drag racing. Don't you just put the pedal to the metal?" I ask.

From there, I get a lesson in drag racing. The first key is reaction, Vega explains. After the cars warm up, they're in gear but in break. In the beginning of any race, the driver who reacts to the flag first gets the advantage. The rest of the race is about feel.

"You have to shift at just the right time," he says of the journey from zero to 130 mph in just under five seconds.

"I wake up at 5 a.m. I make coffee for my wife and me and then I jog about six miles," Vega says of his daily routine.

He hasn't competed in a marathon in years, but there was a time when he didn't merely compete.

"In the '80s, I placed in the top 15 consistently," he says of his finishes in the Chicago Marathon.

His efforts weren't without recognition. In his basement is an old Runner's World magazine he appeared in. While he no longer competes, his penchant for treacherous long-distance events have rubbed off on his family.

"My daughter just competed in a triathlon," Vega says.

These days, Vega, who was born in Texas, is among the most active volunteers in the campaign of Chicago Heights mayoral candidate David Gonzalez. He was encouraged to run himself, but thought better of it, instead throwing his support behind Gonzalez.

Vega's political views are rather unusual, considering his status as a lifelong union member.

"Unions are ruining this country," says Vega, who worked for ABC rail for 35 years, belonging to AFL-CIO the entire time.

Coming from a working class family, Vega has seen Chicago Heights in all its forms.

"Our family were migrant workers," Vega says of his youth. "We were living in Paris, Texas, when a fellow Hispanic came through town and said, 'Go to Chicago Heights because there are jobs there.'"

At the time, the city had just received its place in the Guinness Book of World Records for most factories per capita. While Chicago Heights has experienced difficult economic struggles since then, Vega says, "It takes ingenuity to make money. Sometimes you have to be creative."

Vega's prize possession, at least in the mind of this reporter, is his vintage 1958 Chevy Corvette.

"I rebuilt the engine myself," Vega says, displaying a stack of catalogs featuring wholesale car parts. "It probably cost me $500 (for the parts)."

While taking the sports car for a drive, Vega spoke about what inspires him most.

"I want to be an example to my five grandkids," he says. "I want them to know that age is just a number."