Mutt Strut 5k

After three decades of running it's all about picking the right race. Jan, Andrea and I ran the Birmingham, Alabama Mutt Strut 5k on April 20. We picked this race because it started and ended on the UAB campus, where Andrea works, was for a good charity and Andrea loves dogs.

A perfect day for northern runners, with temps in the low 50's and sunny skies, it was humorous to see many Alabama natives dressed in tights and long sleeves longing for their 75+ temperature and high humidity. Andrea promised a flat course with one hill somewhere near the 2 mile mark.

The race began with 400+ runners and 180+ dogs. Where to lineup at the start? Did these people really have control over their dogs? I chose to begin near the front while Andrea and Jan slipped in 15 yards behind me. Within a quarter mile we went up a hill, then it was flat for 3/4 mile. My competition was slowed by potty stops, usually in the middle of the road. Some dogs have no shame. Now I had to avoid poop and chains.

We went up another hill turned the corner, slight down grade, then a steady gentle climb which went on for over a mile. Andrea wouldn't mislead her Dad though, right? I tried to keep an even pace and work hard on the incline but the two mile mark came up and my time was slow, really slow. We turned the corner and guess what? A big hill. It took awhile to climb but we were rewarded with a nice downhill. Being in a strange city I wasn't sure of the finish, which street we would turn on to get there. We took a right and ...a hill! But I also caught a glimpse of the 3 mile mark, and my time for the last mile was really fast. Now I realized the 2 mile marker was off by a minute or so, which made me feel better. We came down the hill and had less than 200 yards to a flat finish.

Andrea still insists the course was flat. She did set a pr so to her it was flat. Jan finished 2nd in her age group and I was 1st (it pays to get old).

Top 10 Reasons Why Joanne Should Retire, too.

Joanne, one of the Sals executive committee members, should also consider retiring in light of Lou, her husband, recently announcing he intends to depart the world of work. Of course there are ten reasons why this is a good idea (credit Mike W for these):

1. Lou home alone! What if those 2 Christmas bandits break out of jail?

2. Lou and Teddy constant companions. I am thinking there could be some doggies damaged.

3. Lou doing the cooking and cleaning. Holy Board of Health, Batman!

4. If Joanne is not at home who will be around for Lou to not tell things to?

5. They don’t need Joanne’s pension anyways. Lou has a million $ in his 401 and all that bottled water in his trunk.

6. If Lou isn’t supervised he may try to fix something around the house.

7. After a week of retirement there will be a flat screen in every room in the house.

8. Lou might resume his successful professional gambler career.

9. Lou might go out and buy a pit bull or Doberman.

10. Last reason, without Joanne home …pajamas 24/7.

Lou A Buffalo Bill?

Sals runner Lou K. has announced his retirement from the real world of work. This change won't take effect for awhile, but we need to have plans in place for Lou's transition to a life of leisure. I see the Buffalo Bills needing Lou to quarterback the team next season. Why? Well, there are ten reasons of course:
1. Lou has the Ryan Fitzpatrick look-alike beard going for him, what Bills fan among us doesn't long for the days of Ryan?

2. Lou will be retired and have plenty of time to travel with the team

3. Lou has his passport and can play the “home” game in Toronto

4. Last year the Bills paid QB Tavaris Jackson over $1 million to not get dressed for games and hold a clipboard. Lou will do this for $500k, a bargain.

5. Lou is a local phenom and will be great for ticket sales

6. He will be a father figure to the Buffalo Jills cheerleaders

7. Lou will get his friends/family a suite and limo rides to all home games (and one in Miami where the sun shines)

8. Lou may not be able to throw a pass like Brett Favre, but he can scramble in the backfield tiring out the fat defensive linemen, then hand the ball to Spiller

9. Lou is great at pumping up bike tires, the same skill can be used for all the footballs during training sessions

10. The Bills haven’t made playoffs in 12 years, do you really think having Lou as QB will ruin their season record?


Lou already commented on these facts, stating; " I can do the 40 in under 9 seconds and am deadly accurate passer to anyone within 6 feet. I will do all this just for #7 , plus free parking".

Drink Up!

Somehow I ended up receiving a year's free subscription to Wine Spectator magazine. It's interesting to browse through and see what sophisticated rich people drink. Since I never spend over $10 for wine, unless it's in a box or liter size, I do not fit their typical reader profile. Also I buy wine to drink now, not to store for years in a cellar and savor for a special occasion.
This isn't to say I don't appreciate a collection of wine. If the power goes out for days I want a few bottles on hand to supplement my canned tuna and crackers emergency supply. But a cellar full of wine to say I have a cellar full of wine? That is not in my budget.
There were three interesting studies of the health benefits of drinking in the May issue of Wine Spectator. This is more up my alley and worth having the postman stuff the oversized 10"x14" glossy magazine in my mailbox.
From the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology...subjects who drank red wine while eating a high fat meal experienced lower levels of inflammation in their blood vessels than those who drank other beverages, including water! Drink Coke instead and inflammation greatly increases. The researchers do recommend avoiding high fat meals as much as possible, but the next time you go to the McDonalds drive-thru for a Big Mac and fries, take your own bottle of a nice red wine along and skip the milkshake.
In the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism journal...8,000 men aged 50-59 were monitored for years. Men who drank on a regular basis were most likely to be trim! Men who drank one or two times a week were more likely to be obese. From this study you need to drink around 15 glasses of 5ounces of wine a week.
Finally, in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension (see, this is high-fulutin research!) they found that light drinking can reduce the risk of hypertension. Women who drank a glass of wine a day decreased the risk of hypertension by 13%. Men, unfortunately, did not show as large a benefit, but showed no greater risk.
Excuse me, I have to go shopping for more wine now, Jan has been working on her own study. Drinking seems to help her cope being married to me. The article will be published soon.

Running of Green Photographs

Over 2,000 runners participated in the traditional "first" race of the Rochester running season, Johnny's Runnin' of the Green. Below are a few photographs of Sal's runners. Sorry I couldn't locate everyone. In order , #720 - far right, MMc, 1761 Frank, Barefoot Pete - far right, #719 - Jan, #1073 - Rick Crumb, #1083 Mike W (smiling or grimacing?),