Sixty?

There is a friend of ours, a longtime Sal's runner, who is moving into firm AARP age on Wednesday, November 30. Think of doubling that birthdate number. His name might be Lou, or maybe not, I certainly won't crack open the vault to say.

Here are twelve reasons to run with Lou!

12. The King of the One Liners. Invented the line, “is that a Halt Spray in your pocket or are you just happy to see me.” (courtesy MW)
11. Never have to initiate the pit stop on the run. Lou goes in 15 minute intervals. (MW)
10. He is easily convinced to drink Bourbon (no, not while running).
9. Anyone who can get trapped under his bike while riding indoors is a friend of mine.
8. Lou and I share November as our birthday month, this must be important.
7. He falls prey to peer pressure easily. Lou, want to attend Tri-Community College? (invite from Jan and Eileen) sure. Want to do the Shoreline Tri? sure. Lou, want enter a snowshoe race even though you've never been on them? sure. Want to run the xyz marathon? sure. The list goes on.
6. Lou willingly volunteers at many races throughout the year no matter what the weather.
5. Lou rode his bike 50 miles in the hilly Tupper Lake 1/2 IM despite losing half his gearing. This was a major accomplishment and testament to his determination.
4. He might be a vampire, waking up by 4:30am everyday, running by 5:20am, asleep soon after sunset.
3. Much like a Labrador Retriever Lou is gentle, intelligent and family-friendly with a  stable temperament suitable for a variety of activities while possessing a sound, athletic, well-balanced conformation.
2. Lou knows we go east on the canal path, except when we go west. Much like Ken Kesey writing, "you're either on the bus, or off the bus", Lou knows we don't leave the path.
1. He is my lifeline for baseball answers, especially concerning the Yankees (don't call it trivia, there is no trivia in baseball, it's all important - Lou tells me this all the time, so it must be true).

Rodney Dangerfield

Sharing a birthday with comedian Rodney Dangerfield is an honor. Here are a few one-liners you may enjoy.

I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it.

I had plenty of pimples as a kid. One day I fell asleep in the library. When I woke up, a blind man was reading my face.

I looked up my family tree and found three dogs using it. I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said I was being ridiculous - everyone hasn't met me yet.

I was so ugly my mother used to feed me with a sling shot.

Speed Limit 55

Sammy Hagar performs "I Can't Drive 55" at Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985. When Hagar did this song I was 28 with three daughters ages 6, 4 and 1. Times have changed a bit. I think I had as much hair as Hagar too.

A wonderful thing happens tomorrow, November 22, 2011, I move into a new age group for running and triathlon races, 55-59. I will be the youngest in the age group with my first race two days later, the Race With Grace in Hilton, NY. It is the 21st running of the race and will be my 20th time participating.

Interesting Facts and notions;
1. I turn 55, the former speed limit for the NY State Thruway. We used to think we were going fast when we got to 62 and had to watch for state troopers pulling over speeders. Now the speed limit (suggestion) is 65 and if you don't drive 70+ cars will run you off the road or ride three feet from your bumper, while they are on the cell phone and drinking coffee.
2. My birthday is on 11/22/11. A bit weird.
3. I was born on Thanksgiving Day and have been a turkey ever since.
4. My father retired from Eastman Kodak at 55, in 1985. I thought he was old. He is 81 and closing in on being retired longer than he worked there.
5. My children don't remember my father working at a real job.
6. Usually I feel like I am in my thirties, which is ridiculous. Fifty-five? That's someone old you read about in the paper wondering why he/she is acting like a young person instead of their real age.
7. Is it too late to begin another career- my third?
8. Hey, my kids don't remember me being anything but a librarian. I am old, having worked at Kodak for almost ten years before changing careers.
9. Advice - don't wear triathlon shorts to a public pool without checking to see if they have become threadbare.
10. Thanksgiving, with or without it being near my birthday, is still one of my favorite holidays.

Wrestlers

Saturday Jan and I were doing our regular swim at SUNY Brockport. The 5pm start time is nice. We get in a good swim and still can be home at a decent hour with our take-out pizza...I mean to cook a nice meal, get in our pj's, have a glass of wine (2 for Jan) and relax. It  really works out well.

This past Saturday was the yearly Brockport State invitational wrestling tournament. Teams from all over the country come to compete, including many Division one schools. The coach at Brockport likes to put his kids up against the best. Generally this would not effect our swim in the least, in fact Jan and I had our own lanes and I swam 2300 yards, my longest since the season closed at Canandaigua Lake.

After the swim I went into the locker room for a quick shower and change to street clothes. My timing couldn't have been worse. Four shower stalls that can fit thirty-two athletes were filled with naked wrestlers. Not wanting to fight a crowd (or embarrassed at my 54 year old body?) I decided to wait on the shower until home. My locker, though, was in the midst of the Maryland University wrestling team. A bunch of twenty-year old, washboard abs, 3% body fat, testosterone laden athletes who had just come off the mats after wrestling all day.

Why should I feel bad though, right? I'm lean, have a tad of muscle, a good comb-over for hair, muffin topped belly abs and a wrinkled face. Yeah, I fit right in with this group. I was ready though, if any of them started making snide remarks about the old guy in the room. I'd just say, "that's right boys, you might look like super heroes now, but see this?", and I'd whip off my towel, "this is what you'll be in thirty years, if you're lucky!" Plus, I have a really big.....401k, and a fixed pension coming to me to boot, now try and match that! I can go home and eat 6 pieces of pizza, 2 glasses of Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon and half a bag of chips while you have to eat carrots, celery and water to make weight for your next match. Hah!"

There are times being old does have advantages.

NYC Marathon

Congratulations to Sal's runner Frank Q., who completed the NYC marathon for the first time. Frank started off at an aggressive 7:40 something pace and went through 13.1 miles in 1:42 (sub 8/mile). He ended up fading over the last few miles, as the marathon makes most people do, and finished in 3:58:28.

Marine Corps Marathon Results

Two intrepid Sal's runners did complete the full 26.2mile MCM on Sunday, October 30. Though DC missed the east coast snow storm, apparently most of the bridges were iced over for much of the race. There were 21009 total finishers, 12,418 male and 8,591 female.

Jen K. 3:50:57, 180/1767 in age division (close to top 10%), 3,154 overall, 719 female (top 9%).
Mark R. 3:55:57, 183/1174 in age division, 3,829 overall, 2,906 male.

Congratulations.

Completing the MCM 10k were the husband/wife team of Lou and Joanne. They stuck together over the icy bridges and finished in 1:08:17. Joanne was 95/281 in her age group and Lou 73/147. Nice!

New York City Marathon

The 41st running of the NYC marathon is Sunday, November 6th. We wish Sal's runner Frank Quattrone the best of luck and are sure he will beat at least 30,000 runners!

There are, however, several reasons why many people may not win this race, in fact MW came up with 10 of them:

1. You have to stop to pick up your “nip” band aids.
2. Dan traps you at the start to discuss a structures design. (Dan is an ITT engineer).
3. You are stuck behind a French runner having his good luck cigarette. (happened to me in 2001)
4. Sprained a wrist giving high fives.
5. Breathed deeply by a NY deli and had to stop to get a sub.
6. Got dq’d because you started after the wrong gun shot.
7. Got lost on the Verrazano Bridge.
8. Accidently wore a Red Sox hat.
9. Stopped to let 1 runner ahead of you and 3000 snuck in right behind him.
10. Got delayed explaining to a native New Yorker what pop and white hots were.