SalsMiles2

Apparently some people consider fun to be attempting to "drink around the world" at Epcot in DisneyWorld, especially the day after a marathon so you are really dehydrated. Augie followed the group for awhile, then proving again to be filled with commonsense and wisdom, abandoned me halfway around, before the group got more rowdy. I'm the tall, sober one in the back. The rest will remain nameless. Three people "won" the contest, having a drink in every country.

When I was twelve I used to change my bicycle tires, put in new tubes, fix the brakes, and clean the bike. Once I even took apart the gears and put everything back together with no parts missing and the bike still worked. Now I'm much older and apparently less wiser. I purchased two tires for my mt. bike that are less for backcountry riding and more for the street and canal path riding I do. Figuring 10-15 minutes at the most and I would be flying down the street with the bike all set for my commute home on Friday. The front tire came off the bike fairly easily and I removed the old tire using the my usual tool, a screwdriver. Not the smartest tool to use, but it really sped up the process. After installing the new tire and putting it on the bike, getting the brakes adjusted and making sure the tire spun correctly, I heard a noise. Pssst. Pssst. Not a good sound. Pssst. Damn. Okay, one tube gone, but not one to give up easily I began working on the rear tire. This was more difficul...

If one were racing in an early morning event I could see a slight possibility of wearing mis-matched clothes, maybe colors that aren't quite compatible. But it seems to me that if your race doesn't begin until 10:00am this shouldn't be a problem. But then most of us aren't like Lou. Jan and I arrived at the starting line for the Run For Health 5k and saw Lou for the first time that day. His shorts seemed a little long and baggy, but Lou has been losing weight so we just figured he needed to do a little shopping. Turns out Lou was wearing his swim trunks for a 5k, no swimming before or after was going to happen! Lou is the type of guy who thinks sleeping in is 6am, so it couldn't have been that he was in a rush to get to the race and grabbed the first pair of shorts he could find. No, Lou probably was eating a bagel and drinking coffee, fully dressed, for hours before leaving for the race. It wasn't until the ride home Lou realized what he had on. Jan and I are j...

Jan's running buddy, Eileen, took a trip to Florida this week, leaving me to run at 5:30am with her. Of course I didn't have to get up 1.5 hours earlier than normal to run with her. The tough female she is, Jan would have gone alone. But the guilt, sending my wife out there in the wild streets of Spencerport, would have kept me awake all night. At 5:00am we woke up, got dressed, and off we went. Jan led the way. I have many issues about running in the early morning, such as possible bathroom concerns, being scared of the dark and muscles not working. I had trouble keeping up with Jan, especially on the hills, but some of that was due to a speed workout I had done the night before. Actually it was a beautiful morning to run, 40 degrees, little wind, the sun came up on what was going to be a warm April day. On the rare occasions when I run before work I always feel like a accomplished something special and the rest of the day is better. Tired of fighting the expressway traffic I ...

Well I rode my bike home from work and came in the house to show Jan my new helmet. Unbelievable, I bought the exact helmet as her, same make, model and color! The only difference is my head is fat so I have the large size. Now we are going to look like the cute old couple with matching gear. How sweet. UGH. It's too late to take my helmet back, I already sweat all over it.

Jan said a new helmet would cost around $100. I said no way would I spend that much. I had $70.00 in cash and that was all I would spend. At lunch time I walked to Full Moon Vista and 10 minutes later walked out with my new $100 helmet. Maybe I could have found it cheaper by shopping on the internet, but there is something to say for shopping local sometimes, getting a good fit from an expert, and seeing what else is available. Now I will be so fast and look so cool, like Jan.

After listening to Bill Rodgers (4x Boston and NYC winner, Olympic athlete, 4x winner of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler) talk at the expo on Saturday, I jokingly told Jan my goal was to run with, or at least yell to, Bill during the race on Sunday. Of course, out of 12,000 runners that was about as likely to happen as winning Lotto. I just purchased my lottery tickets for this weekend, as I not only saw Bill, but ran next to him and had a conversation for at least half a mile! I've seen Bill at other races, even been passed by him and said hello during the Utica Boilermaker 15k . But, as a race fan and runner this experience was the best. Just past seven miles Bill caught me (yes, he was behind, I was beating BR!). Sure, it was just a semi-long run for him, he was recovering from some health issues and he is a few years past his prime, but I don't care. I'm not exactly in my prime either. This was like being in a flag football game and having Jim Kelly show up and start throwi...

10. Trees in bloom, green grass, much nicer than the brown mud, dormant plants of NY. 9. Cool morning weather was perfect for racing. 8. Transport to race via hotel shuttle and metro was perfect (despite much pre-race day anxiety). 7. Transport back to hotel after race, even easier. 6. 10 mile traffic free tour of DC, monuments. 5. Volunteers were great. 4. Flat course. 3. Timing clocks at every mile. 2. Tightly monitored corrals assured a good start and view of professional/elite women beginning their race. 1. Bill Rodgers.

"Ten Signs you too may be a bumpkin", or "Reflections on our trip to the Cherry Blossom 10 mile race in DC". 10. You stop to read the guide maps on kiosks in the city you are visiting. 9. The bellhop carries your cooler along with suitcases to the $250+ a night hotel room you are staying in. 8. You press the crosswalk button to stop traffic (they really don't stop traffic and change the lights). 7. You read menus at ten restaurants and end up eating at the first one you saw. 6. You beg the valet parking attendant to let you park your own car. 5. You are sure the attendant will take off on a joy ride in your car like in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". 4. Strangers come up and help you at the metro ticket vending machines because you look so confused. 3. A wild night of entertainment is eating out, then watching "Lord of the Rings" in your hotel room. 2. Tipping is totally alien to you. How much, how often do you tip a valet person, b...

Only 38.5 years to train for my new running goal. At the Boston Masters indoor track meet this past weekend, "Orville Rogers, a 90-year-old youngster from Dallas, set his second world and American record of the meet with his time of 4:19.97 in Sunday's M90 800 meters. It was a huge improvement over the previous world record of 4:50.81 run by Bob Matteson one year ago at this meet. On Saturday, Rogers ran 9:56.58 in the mile." www.usatf.org I can take Mr. Rogers. The real question is if I can keep my legs moving for another 4 decades? Jan will only be 87, maybe she'll slow down and only be participating in duathlons by then?