Twas the Night Before a Marathon

Twas the night before the marathon, when all through the hotel
Not a runner was stirring, not even a Sal.
Their tights were hung by the closet with care,
In hopes that St. Lou would soon be there.
The runners were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of p.r's danced in their heads.
And Jan in her flannel and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long pre-race nap.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Straining my hamstring and passing gas.
The moon shown clear on the parking lot below
When, what should appear,
But St. Lou and his eight fast marathoners.
With the little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Lou and his team,
More rapid than Kenyans they came
And St. Lou whistled and shouted their names!
Now Radcliffe,now Hall, now Rupp and Goucher!
On Samuleson, on Salazar, on Rodgers and Shorter!
To the top of the balcony! To the top of the hotel!
Now sprint away! Sprint away! Sprint away all!
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each fast foot
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
In the door St. Lou came with a bound.
He was dressed all in Brooks, from his head to his foot
And his clothes were all sweaty from running amok
A bundle of shoes he had flung on his back,
And he looked a Fleet Feet employee, just coming from the back.
The last bit of a Hammerbar he held tight in his mouth,
and the crumbs stuck to his beard for a later snack.
St. Lou had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.
St. Lou was chubby and plump, a right jolly old runner,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
St. Lou spoke not a word, but went straight to work,
And filled all the tights, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, out the door he then closed.
St. Lou sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all sprinted, like the Olympic 200.
But I heard St. Lou exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
Happy marathons to all and to all a good night!

Holiday Wishes

If they let us Sal's embraces all cultures, though we understand some people prefer to keep their distance. In that spirit I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Agnostic season.
This is my gift list for people in our group and others who are welcome to run with us on the historic Erie Canal path.
Mike W. - Super Goggles that allow him to see all roots, rocks, pennies and other objects he continually trips over. Maybe if Mike's feet came off the ground by more than an inch this wouldn't be a problem? These goggles should also allow him to enjoy the scenery while trail running and snowshoeing.
Coach Rick - a 6'5" center who can shoot, rebound and play defense. They just aren't growing the tall boys out in Bergen country. Maybe Rick could recruit from Africa like the colleges do?
Lou K - The speed to stay one step in front of his daughter for at least one more year. Good luck with that!
Joanne K. - Completion of her first 13.1 mile race. Why? Because she can!
Eileen - A summer trip to Lake Placid so you can enter I.M. 2011. Ouch, that hurt Mike. Stop slapping me!
Boots and Ellen - There are still one or two weekends where FF/Yellowjacket isn't timing, c'mon pick up the slack!
Jan - a healthy achilles tendon.
Mike May - a new trail to race, one with plenty of trees, hills, water, and single-track. Maybe Muddy Sneaker is in your future?
Frank and Pete - Less hair on your heads. No, I will never stop being jealous.
Andy - fun in Texas, relaxation from eons at Kodak, and many miles to run.
Dick W.-Hmmm, tough. Already won his age group when completing his first 1/2 IM. Another guy with great hair. Damn. Okay, coal for his stocking. Sorry.

See you all on the roads, or maybe the trails? "Well, keep your nose in the wind, and your eyes along the skyline." Del Gue.

Weigh-In

Began at 173lbs. two weeks ago. Lost one pound the first week. I felt skinnier three days later for some reason and weighed myself again, up 6 pounds! How is that possible? So I weighed myself the next day, still at 178! Okay, this is ridiculous, so I didn't drink any wine or beer for two out of the next four days. It was tough to take such a drastic measure, but the sacrifice would be worth it, I hoped.
I weighed myself today, Sunday, December 13, 169.5lbs. Of course that was after working at a race for 4 hours, riding my bike an hour and lifting weights, but hey, it counts, right?
Well, maybe not.
Okay, okay, I'll weigh myself for real Monday morning and see what it really is. I hope Lou and Mike are home eating M&M's right now.

Lou Wins?

The pressure is on Lou now to be the first to lose 10lbs. Good luck Lou. As soon as I finish this glass of merlot and chocolate chip cookie I'm joining you with the diet plan.

RROY

Congratulations to our Sals runners who are officially Rochester Runner of the Year age group winners! Mike W and Eileen W each finished in fourth place, Lou K finished fifth and Pete L finished second. Once again the westside dominates!

Three Large Men

As I sit at my desk this Tuesday, eating York peppermint patties at 9:45am, I'm reminded that Lou, Mike and I compared our current weight on Saturday's run. Apparently the three of us have gained about ten pounds each in the past few months. It's no wonder I feel like a cinnamon roll with legs when running.
Now that it's December 1, I've decided to get serious about losing my bulkiness (as soon as I finish this last peppermint patty). Please vote on which of the three of us is most likely to lose 10 pounds by January 30 and once again become lightning fast.