Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 2

ROAD AND TRAIL TALK March 2011

The Official Magazine of the Albany Running Exchange The Official Magazine of the Albany Running Exchange http://www.ALBANYRUNNINGEXCHANGE.orghttp://www.ALBANYRUNNINGEXCHANGE.org

Capital District Runners Party Capital District Runners Party

On Wednesday, February 23, the ARE hosted the first ever

Capital District Runners Party at Wolf-s 1-11. The event

brought over 150 area runners together from different clubs,

ability levels, and years of experience.

On Wednesday, February 23, the ARE hosted the first ever

Capital District Runners Party at Wolf-s 1-11. The event

brought over 150 area runners together from different clubs,

ability levels, and years of experience.

If you were able to attend, we hope that you enjoyed the

night. From the food to the drinks, videos from races and

runs, along with the raffle prizes and spontaneous “Meet a

Runner” sessions, there was plenty to entertain and do.

If you were able to attend, we hope that you enjoyed the

night. From the food to the drinks, videos from races and

runs, along with the raffle prizes and spontaneous “Meet a

Runner” sessions, there was plenty to entertain and do.

Above all else, it is our hope and mission at the ARE to

provide a platform for runners to find shared motivation and

encouragement to help them reach their goals. From using

the website to simply meeting someone at a run or social

gathering, there is something to be gained from every new

experience. We encourage you to login daily and check the

ARE Event Calendar for runs and other fun events to keep you

healthy, happy, and above all else, having frun!

Above all else, it is our hope and mission at the ARE to

provide a platform for runners to find shared motivation and

encouragement to help them reach their goals. From using

the website to simply meeting someone at a run or social

gathering, there is something to be gained from every new

experience. We encourage you to login daily and check the

ARE Event Calendar for runs and other fun events to keep you

healthy, happy, and above all else, having frun!

Photos in this issue courtesy of Roxanne Gillen and Greg Wolcott. Photos in this issue courtesy of Roxanne Gillen and Greg Wolcott.

BTB

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Finding Yourself – Kathleen Hermann 3

Book Review: Running with the Buffaloes – Tom Tift 5

The Other Corporate Challenge – David Newman 7

The Joy of Running and Unemployment – Zach Russo 9

Louisiana Jambalaya – Michael DellaRocco 12

Tick Tock – Josh Merlis 13

Book Review: 17 Hours to Glory – Michael DellaRocco 15

Into the Woods – Todd Jennings 17

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BTB

The RATT is publExchange and madrun an advertisemPlease note that Areason whatsoeverconsole within thExchange does nviewpoints express

UPCOMING EVENTS

h 12, 2011 ’ of the Green (Island) 4m pring race season begin! This fast race will have

s of runners and is a great season opener.

h 19, 2011 nd Annual Group fRun Day

and run with the ARE today! Post a run and/or join

this fun day celebrating our sport!

l 16, 2011 th Annual Dodge the Deer 5k

BACK! Get yourself some grand prix points and

last at our family friendly 5k!

iseeR. eoe

ABOUT THE RATT

hed monthly as a PDF by the Albany Running publicly available on their website. It costs $50 tont, which must be a full page PDF sent here.E reserves the right to not include an ad for anyArticles are submitted by club members through a ARE’s members page. The Albany Runningt necessarily agree or encourage any of thed by the authors of the articles contained within.

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 3

Finding Yourself By Kathleen Hermann There is a sign above one of the overlooks at Fiver Rivers Environmental Center. It reads, “I come here often to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in this world.” I am fortunate to live close enough to Five Rivers where I find myself there often, at least once a week. As I jog over near that sign to stretch out, I always glance up at it and smile. And then I always start to think. We hear it all the time these days: It’s a crazy world. Kids as young as nine now have cell phones and text throughout the day. We converse more often through Facebook than in person. Many people have never thrown an actual football around the backyard yet have perfected their Madden game for X-Box. We spend an alarmingly large part of our day behind screens – computers, cell phones, iPods, TVs, video games. Technology has expanded our world in so many ways, many of them positive (what would ARE be without quick chat?) Yet with all the positive benefits come a massive overload of noise and information that is hard to weed through; of non-stop voices that are hard to quiet. It seems we are seldom alone with just our thoughts anymore. I could easily say that nine out of ten runners I see out on the road by themselves have earphones in. Music is a wonderful motivator and can be great to give you that extra push at the end of a race, when you hear an inspirational song coming from the finish tent. Music is great to hear with friends, to make you want to get up and dance and laugh and let loose. But why, I ask myself, do we need to fill up the quiet with noise, for every run, every time. “Shoot!” I once heard a co-worker exclaim. “I wanted to get in a couple miles after work, but I forgot my iPod!” The thought of running without it was unquestionable to her. Many of us are not used to being alone with our thoughts. Deep down, the idea of it may even scare a few. When we run outdoors, we find something we forgot we were missing. Slowly as we weave through woods or city sidewalks or lonely roads, we start to release. We hear our own heart beating inside, of our lungs expanding with air, and become aware of how human we are. Suddenly all the “white noise” of our society is filtered out and it is just us. The thoughts start coming. On group runs, we can say the thoughts out loud, and often do. I have had so many deep discussions on group runs, bantering on yet perhaps quieting the last mile as

we push towards the finish with a common goal. We keep each other moving with our presence yet we are each alone with the thoughts in our head. The great running philosopher George Sheehan once penned, “There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” I think of the Summer Trail Run Series, the wildlife in the Pine Bush, the hot summer sun slowly easing its rays, the way our line of runners winds through the woods. I think of how my little girls love to run, laughing and moving until their cheeks are flushed and pigtails are sweaty. It is so natural to run; so innate. The smallest children do it – give them the space and they start running. When they tire, they catch their breath; then they start again. No one has to tell them to run. When does that change, I wonder. When do we lose that innateness and turn into high school gym class, with most people groaning about doing laps on the track. Perhaps it’s not supposed to change, which is why we feel so free and liberated when we move our bodies outside. When we run, we free a part of ourselves that is often pushed down, weighed by the daily tasks of modern society. “I come here often to find myself,” the sign reads. We all play so many roles each day: at work, with families, with partners and friends. And yet somewhere, squeezed in the calendar, there is an ARE group run penciled in. The faces of the friends I know I will see give me the motivation to change from my work clothes into running gear. I think of what it will feel like moving through the outdoors, with the smells and the sounds and the changing views. I think of feeling free; of sorting through my thoughts and reminding myself what is significant and true. At the end, I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection of my car’s window as I prepare to drive back to my responsibilities. I always look sweaty and flushed, triumphant. “There you are,” I think.

Volunteer Opportunities

Want to feel like you are making a difference and giving back? The ARE Event Calendar lists all types of events, including upcoming volunteer opportunities. Whether you are directing a race or simply

looking for help with something, feel free to put it out there.

Upcoming Events Want to stay fit this spring and have fun too?

It’s easy by attending Albany Running Exchange and ARE Event Productions events! From well-organized club runs and functions to precision chip-timing and entertainment at races, we’re here to help you get fit and enjoy it too!

Find out more about all these events by visiting www.RUNALBANY.com today!

ARE’s Spring Trail Run Series—Every Monday at 6pm at Tawasentha Park (April 4 to June 6) Looking to run on a soft surface in a large group that welcomes all paces!? This is your chance! It’s the third year of the series, which features a 3 mile loop and pace groups that truly span the spectrum; usually a few show up to walk too, so anyone can join and no one gets left behind. The series is free and features cook-outs every few weeks! ARE Group Runs—Typically 3-5/day throughout the Capital District The Albany Running Exchange held over 1,700 organized group runs in 2010. That’s a lot of running! If you’re looking for running partners, it’s easy with the ARE! Simply login and click “Search for Running Partners” to find others who are at your same fitness level, or simply check out our event calendar for a group run near you!

April 16, 2011: ARE’s 9th Annual Dodge the Deer 5k and Kids Races Schodack Island State Park, Castleton, NY A true family event! From the Bully the Bear Kids Dash to the Chase the Chipmunk Mile Fun Run, and, of course, the Dodge the Deer 5k, this event is a true celebration of the kid in all of us! Join ARE, Bully, Chase, and Dodge, and hundreds of runners at this fast and non-technical trail race. With a full cook-out for all, tasty awards in 5 year age groups up to 80+, and the coveted Mr. & Mrs. Dodge Award, there’s something for everyone!

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 5

Running with the Buffalos By Chris Lear

out of Book Review by Tom Tift Reading “Running with the Buffalos” was a surprisingly visceral experience for me. I discovered I am not as jaded as I thought, as it gave me goose bumps at several points, and brought me to tears. It tapped into a deep vein coursing with my own memories of high school and college running, since reinfused by following my son’s collegiate running career. Lear authentically captures the brotherhood of pain, the bitter-shared cup of lactic acid. “Buffalos” chronicles the 1998 cross-country season for the University of Colorado, a perennial powerhouse led at that time by Olympian Adam Goucher. It brings to mind a documentary version of John Parker’s classic “Once a Runner”. Without the novelist’s freedom to manipulate plot and formulize endings, Lear’s story nevertheless contains a full measure of tribulation, tragedy and triumph. I won’t spoil anything, but if your eyes stay dry, you are made of more stone than hard ass coach Mark Wetmore. Wetmore is renowned for his hard-core on the edge methods. He is able to squeeze the most out of his athlete’s abilities if they can survive the workouts, but there are many casualties. His motto is “Res Severa, Verum Guadia’ (“to be serious is the greatest joy”). I won’t explain, but it’s growing on me. To be fair, Wetmore is no less demanding of himself than of his charges, and after the season in question, he unflinchingly critiqued his own performance, concluding that the number of injuries indicated mistakes on his part. Reading Buffalos made me confront some uncomfortable truths about my own running. While I consider myself pretty competitive in that I love to race and give full effort when I do, I don’t consistently do the kind of hard workouts that would maximize my racing results. I am also at least 30 pounds above my “fighting weight”. None of this is new information, but there was something about being immersed in the daily striving of these young runners that brought me face to face with these truths. When you’re in oxygen debt, there are no IOUs.

A bonus for me in reading “Buffalos” was that although it is primarily about the men’s team, there were no less than five references to Jen Fazioli, a former Averill Park standout and Footlocker runner, who was a freshman on the Colorado women’s team in 1998. I used to train with Jen and her father, and Jen sometimes babysat our sons. Jen is currently an assistant coach at UAlbany, and I can attest that some of Wetmore’s no nonsense style rubbed off on her. If you are, ever were, or hope to be, a serious runner, I recommend this book. If you do, you may be surprised to discover what the actual race day breakfast of champions is. Warning: this book depicts graphic injuries, including fractured bones and torn tendons, and it accurately portrays college boys speaking like college boys. If you have delicate sensibilities or a low anaerobic threshold, consult a doctor before reading.

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Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 7

The Other Corporate Challenge By David Newman

ARE’s Aaron Knobloch

In both 2009 and 2010, teams with members from the Capital District (and the ARE) have won trips to faraway places. In 2009, the General Electric Male Team (Dan Jordy, Aaron Knobloch, Ahmed Elasser and David Harwood) won a free trip to Johannesburg and in 2010, the DEC Mixed Team (Rebecca Moore, Margaret Sheen, Dave Tromp and Sean Madden) won a free trip to Singapore. You may say to yourself I have seen these teams as top finishers at the local GHI and now CDPHP sponsored races put on by the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club, but I never heard anything about the winners getting free trips. That is because while these teams do compete in the local race and may have won trophies or other items that recognize their efforts, they had to drive to Syracuse to compete in the JPMorgan Chase & Co. Corporate Challenge to win these trips. That’s right if you can get the time off of work and are willing to take the Thruway to Syracuse, Rochester or New York City, your company could compete for a trip to the 2012 Championship Race (host city not yet announced). This begs the question: Why did HMRRC remove itself from the JPMorgan Chase Series calendar for the 2002 and subsequent calendar years?

The DEC team will be competing in Singapore on April 21st.

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ARE Website: A Quick Guide Has appeared in previous issues of the RATT* ite provides a tremendous resource for club members to

d truly be part of the organization. Here’s some

how the site works.

posed essentially of two zones: one for the public and

mbers. The public zone includes the homepage and the

ere, including pictures, race results, race schedule,

, and more. Some of these areas have special features

can utilize. For example, only members can use the

nd find pictures of specific club members.

area, however, contains all the excitement and gives life

o our name – the Albany Running Exchange.

Members Area

e club online, you created your own username and

u joined via mail, you should have been emailed your

tion. If you need your access information, contact us by

lbanyrunningexchange.org

logged in… now what?

feel free to click around and explore! There’s plenty to

tion to find – the most popular and functional things

e connected include:

s/events are being offered

vent Calendar” and click on the name of an event that

ou will see who posted it (the event “Leader”), basic

ion, a roster of who is attending, and also a chat for the

go? Click the “Sign Me Up” button and you’re now

aders can email that group specifically – so if you plan

’s a good idea to sign-up.

ce results and PRs

, go to the results for a race you ran and click the green

ght side. This adds it to your race history, which is

king “Race Information” – “My Racing History” from the

n or a comment? Put it on the ARE Chat located on the

. Looking for a running partner? Put it out there!

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 8

ARE Caribbean Cruise January 29 to February 5, 2011

For one week, nearly thirty ARE members and their friends and family headed to the Caribbean for what truly was an incredible week that they will never forget. Approximately three thousand photos were taken on the ship. Of those, five were deemed appropriate for publication. Enjoy. ☺

Alicia Bialy, Roxanne Gillen, and Karen Bertasso pose

with Ed Gillen in the background.

Josh Merlis taught a swing dance class on the ship.

Hitting the gym.

Chuck Batcher sports the ARE Hawaiian Shirt

with Rox and Ed Gillen.

Chuck, Josh, and John Kinnicutt vow to collectively not

watch, listen, or speak about the cruise.

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 9

The Joy of Running and Unemployment

By Zach Russo I stood in the backyard of Jim David’s house, on a late autumn Friday afternoon, with a small group of people gathering to celebrate the end of the week. Once everyone had secured their beverages and emerged from the house, I cleared my throat and made an announcement. “For those of you who know me well, you are probably aware that my job has been really frustrating and tough on me. Well, I have some good news and some bad news, and they’re the same thing: I got laid off.” I don’t think they knew whether to congratulate me or give me their condolences. Some graciously offered me both. I joked about my predicament because I was still in shock. It was only a couple hours earlier that I had been summoned into my supervisor’s office, and had the misfortune of hearing four of the most miserable words in the lexicon of the American office: Please close the door. One of our major engineering contracts was nearing its conclusion, and they no longer had a position for me. But once the shock wore off, I discovered that getting laid off was not the worst thing that could have happened to me. It granted me time to discover running in a way that I never expected. So what was one of the first things I did with my newly found free time? Run 50 miles? No, I watched OTHER people run 50 miles! Trekking down to Hagerstown, MD, I supported a courageous group of AREers running the 2009 JFK 50 miler. As part of the support crew, I had the unique vantage point of observing my friends evolving physically and emotionally during six brief windows in time, spread out over ten hours. From my perspective, the six stages of JFK progressed as follows: Stage 1 (9.4 miles) - Enthusiasm: Through only 9 miles of a 50 mile journey at a relatively slow pace, everybody was still smiling and looked like they could take on the world. Stage 2 (15.4 miles) - Relief: This marked the end of the technical trail portion of the course, and the beginning of the flat towpath, providing a sense of relief for most (although JFKer Josh Merlis was absolutely devastated, I’m sure). Stage 3 (27.1 miles) - Deflation: Ask yourself, how might you feel if you just finished a marathon and then realized you had to immediately run another one? Enough said. Stage 4 (38.0 miles) - Delirium: Some people laughed, some people cried, most people walked, and some people stopped. I saw one competitor run through this

aid station at full sprint, screaming. Stage 5 (46.0 miles) - Determination: Every person who passed me had a look in their eyes that showed nothing would stop them from traversing the final four miles of this race. Stage 6 (50 miles) - The end of the line: It was dark when they started, and now, it was dark as they finished. I brought Joe Benny a bottle of champagne from his car, the car I had been following these warriors around in for the last ten hours. He popped the cork and took a swig, and so did I. It tasted sweet for me, but I may never understand what it tasted like for him. The volunteer information provided to me before the race issued a friendly warning, comically advising that supporting this race could directly result in me registering to run it the following year. That did not turn out to be the case (and may never be the case for me), but witnessing my friends complete a 50 mile race helped put into perspective for me that 26.2 miles was not that bad.

My first real commitment to running since high school began with Tom Ryan’s Scotia group (many of whom were among the racers and supporters at the JFK 50) on Tuesday nights. In December 2009, on one of my first runs with the group, the topic of the Boston Marathon came up, which many of the accomplished runners within the group had run, and would, run again. Tom assured me they would get me to qualify for Boston too. I chuckled. I needed a 3:10. Only a

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 10

couple months before at the 2009 Mohawk Hudson River Marathon, I had held on for as long as I could before giving up the ghost near mile 20 and limping my way to my first full marathon finish in 3:35, a respectable time, but hardly a 3:10. I continued running with Tom’s group into the spring of 2010, but still wasn’t sold on running another marathon. The great Olympic marathoner, Frank Shorter, once said that you aren’t ready to run another marathon until you’ve forgotten the last one. But the great ARE runner, Karen Bertasso, once said that “You don’t have a job, you’ve got all this time, so you might as well train for a marathon!” And starting in June of 2010, that’s just what I did. Being unemployed gave me the time and the flexibility to crank up the miles. During the summer training period for my previous marathon, I was faced with the daily option of either getting up at 5am to run before work (an option which I consistently declined), or running at 6pm after work in 80° heat, which I also hesitated to do, resulting in only 30 miles per week. Now, an 8am morning run was feasible both schedule-wise, and temperature-wise. In July, I hit 50 miles a week. By August, I was at 60 with intervals mixed in. Thursdays became my most productive midweek days, with a medium long run in the morning and STRS in the evening. I often felt guilty for enjoying myself instead of constantly agonizing over the fact that I was unemployed. People sometimes asked me what I did with my time, how I filled the hours. I would answer those people that among applying for jobs, looking into graduate programs, and assessing new career paths, I took the time to embrace the opportunity to enhance the running aspect of my life, because once I regained a job, I may never get the freedom to do this again. 10.10.10. The day of the MHRM was upon us. My goal was a Boston qualifying 3:10:59. Out of the gate, I was determined to set a reasonable pace, after abandoning my strategy in 2009 at the sound of the starter’s horn. I ran through the first half with fellow marathoner Matthew Brom in 1:35, right on target. As part of my training this summer, I had done miles near my goal marathon pace of 7:15. It seemed to be paying off. For two of the downhill miles on the bike path in Cohoes, I hit 6:59 and 6:57. If you would have told me a year ago I was going to run two sub-7 miles in a marathon, I wouldn’t have believed you. Just beyond mile 21, AREer Dennis VanVlack arrived to run the final 5 miles with me, carry my drink bottles and ably pull me along. He asked how I felt. I told him “much better than last year.” That was not to last.

It was around the mile 23 marker that I began to feel as though I was on the last 400 meters of a 5k race, struggling to take in enough air, my heart beating out of my chest. My body could no longer hold 7:15 pace. Dennis implored me to continue, but I had to walk, just a minute to catch my breath. “I can kick it in on mile 26 if I have to,” I bargained with him. I swear it made sense at the time, but in a marathon, once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. I traversed the final 3 miles at about 8:05 pace, but it felt like 18:05. When I crossed the line, the clock read 3:12:05. I had missed Boston by 66 seconds. Some people expressed sympathy, but I had no regrets. Sure, it would have been nice if I had run 66 seconds faster, but I left it all on the course. What I took away from that race was the experience of running until I had truly nothing left to give. It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Had I not been laid off and was still going into the office at 7:30, Monday-Friday, I may not have been able to accomplish this; I may not have been able to put in enough miles. I may not have been able to drop everything and drive down to Maryland. I wouldn’t have always been able to get out of work and make the group runs in Scotia/SCCC on Tuesdays. I wouldn’t have met many of the people I know, and I wouldn’t have made many of the good friends that I have. Now, I don’t RECOMMEND getting laid off; it isn’t for everybody. But if it had to happen to me, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Thank you to everybody who has helped me during this time, and have made my life happier ☺

Name _____________________________________________ __ __ /__ __ /__ __ __ __ Birthday

Age (on 4/16/11) ___ □ M □ F

Address ___________________________________________ Email ____________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________________ State ______ Zip ____________________

Phone ( ) __ __ __ - __ __ __ __ RACE: □ Sprint □ Mile □ 5k

□ I want to join the ARE (additional $10) In consideration of accepting this entry, I, the undersigned, intending to be legally bound hereby, for myself, my heirs, executors and administrators, waive and release any and all rights and claims for damages I have may have against ARE Event Productions (AREEP), Schodack Island State Park, and any sponsors, as well as any person involved with this event. I fully understand that I, or the person I am responsible for, will be subjected to trails that may have uneven terrain, rocks, roots, or other obstacles, but that I am physically fit and have sufficiently prepared for this race. My physical condition has been verified by a licensed medical doctor. I hereby grant full permission for AREEP to use any photos, videos, or any other record of this event for any purpose whatsoever and without compensation.

Signature ____________________ Date ________ Parent’s Signature _____________________ (if under 18)

Mr. And Mrs. Dodge partner (if applicable) ___________________________

What you need to know

Awards

Delicious treats await the top 3 overall male and female finishers, as well as the top 3 males and females in: 10-under, 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-

49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+

We will also award the fastest male, female and co-ed teams. For team applications, please visit the event website.

SPECIAL CATEGORIES Youngest and Oldest Finishers

Middle of the Pack - Enjoys the Scenery Mr. and Mrs. Dodge (Fastest Couple)

Amenities

It’s Dodge the Deer grab bag! All entrants will be able to choose one of the numerous Dodge the Deer items from a vast collection of shirts, towels, headbands, flip-flops, and more! Don’t forget to bring the kids, because we’ll have plenty of things for them to do, including two kids races (ribbons to all), drawing, and other activities! There is also a cook-out as well as the likes of Dodge, Chase, and Bully hanging out with the crowd.

Event Schedule

8:00am: Day-of registration and packet pickup opens 9:00am: Deadline to submit a team entry form 9:15am: Bully the Bear Kids 200 Meter Sprint 9:30am: Chase the Chipmunk Mile Fun Run 9:45am: Day-of registration and packet pickup closes 10:00am: Dodge the Deer 5k 10:15am: Post-race entertainment begins 11:00am: Awards Ceremony

*We highly encourage you to register online* There are no additional fees and ARE members receive a discount when registering through the members page.

To register, get directions, and more Visit www.AREEP.com

or call 518 320 8648.

Please complete, cut, and return the bottom portion to AREEP, PO Box 38195, Albany, NY 12203 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Chip Timing by ARE Event Productions!

9:30am

Part of the Albany Running Exchange Grand Prix Trail Series

Entry Fee Kids Races 5k

Early Reg. $1 $15

Late. Reg. $2 $20

Early Registration: Postmarked by April 9 Checks made out to: AREEP

Now in its 9th year, this cult classic features the collision of the Albany Running Exchange’s zeal for energetic family-friendly races merged with their lust for over-the-top grandiose experiments in social phenomena. The event, named after a deer named Dodge who you will also have to dodge at the finish, takes you on a jour-ney into the woods where you’ll also meet Dodge’s lady friend Chase and potentially the evil bear named Bully. Be on the look-out for Bully’s buddies who are looking to steal Chase away from her true love in the ultimate battle between good and evil. Also, be sure to come hungry because we have an all-you-can-eat barbeque after the race that can fill up anyone.

Chip Timing by ARE Event Productions

Five year age groups from 10 & under up to 80+

Post-race cook-out with burgers, dogs, and more!

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 12

Louisiana Jambalaya An Authentic Louisiana Recipe for Mardi Gras

Contributed By Michael DellaRocco

(I got this recipe (verbatim) from Fire Captain Richard Mecom, Jr. of Mandeville, LA, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. You can use Andouille sausage for authenticity, but the recipe’s pretty simple and pretty good.)

INGREDIENTS 1 CUP RICE (ZATARAN OR UNCLE BEN) 1 ¼ CUP CHICKEN BROTH 1 ½ CUP (ALL TOGETHER) OF ONION, CELERY, GARLIC, BELL PEPPER 1 ½ CUP LINK SAUSAGE (CAJUN, HOT, ETC.) 1 ½ CUP CHICKEN BREAST OR THIGH MEAT (DARK MEAT IS BEST) CAYENNE PEPPER TO TASTE DIRECTIONS PUT ALL INGREDIENTS IN POT TO A BOIL THEN SIMMER COVERED FOR 45 MINUTES SEASON WITH CRYSTAL SAUCE (USE PLENTY)

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 13

Tick Tock

By Josh Merlis “Forty bucks!” My brother and I were elated as we proudly walked the thirty steps back to our house with our new found wealth. Upon getting inside, we divvied up the money, which thankfully was easy considering our neighbor had handed me two twenty-dollar bills. After a quick sandwich and some chocolate milk, we put our jackets and gloves back on, grabbed our shovels, and went out looking for more loot. They were always a reliable sale. While my brother and I never knew exactly how old they were, considering they were older than our parents - especially my dad - they were ancient. He was a lawyer and I never knew what she did, other than open the door whenever I rang her bell, just like on that cold day in 1992. In the summers, my brother and I would play in the backyard, usually either using a ball or our younger sister to keep us amused. I don’t recall the first time a ball was kicked over the fence into our neighbor’s yard, but I do remember the fear and trepidation that accompanied retrieving it. The first time we ever entered their backyard was like venturing into a distant world. While it had trees and a patio, it also lacked anything that looked like human contact. Truth be told, they moved into the neighborhood in the 1960s, not too long after Levittown cropped up just a few miles away. Over the years, the fence in our backyard transformed from a barrier into more of a doorway into our neighbors yard. We tried to hide it first, loosely hanging the fence pieces as they detached from the main supports, but eventually that became too much work – plus we were busy crawling through the holes rather than running around the front of the house to retrieve “homeruns” and the sort. As the dynamics of my family changed along with the typical leisure-time pursuits of growing children, the playset in our backyard began to resemble more of who we once we and not what was yet to be. Several years after we should have gotten rid of it, I took it apart and a day later, it was gone. Aside from a few random weathered objects and a dilapidated fence, our backyard was now nothing more than something to look at out our back window.

In the fall of 2000, I moved to Albany for college. Other than a quick trip for Thanksgiving, I didn’t spend any time at home until winter break. It’s hard to place when the shift began to occur in me that I was inching towards full independence. I had always been rather self-reliant, perhaps more a result of having to be than anything else, but still, I had no idea what the phrase “real world” really meant. It was a different shovel but the same tool that I grabbed a few days after coming home during that first winter break. Excited to be returning to what was my first job as an elementary school student, I walked over to that same neighbor’s driveway and began to shovel. Across the street, a company was using snow blowers to quickly get through as many driveways as they could, and I smiled to myself knowing that I had gotten here before their knock on my aging neighbor’s door. Upon finishing the job, I looked towards the front door of their house, questioning whether or not to knock. It would not be my intention to ask for compensation; rather just to make her aware that I’m home from college for a few weeks, and if she needs anything to just knock on my door. After a few stutter steps, I opted to simply walk the thirty steps back home. Once in my room, I turned on the television I bought six years earlier after a successful season of shoveling. In 2004, my sister graduated from high school leaving my mother in an otherwise empty five-bedroom house. At one time, six of us were living there, and there was a constant buzz and energy in the house. Friends coming over, friends leaving, messes remaining; games, sports, instruments, crafts, and life. A few weeks before my sister graduated, I began graduate school in Albany – I would not be coming home. The summer of 2003 was the last time I spent more than a couple of days in the house we moved into when I was four. It didn’t hit me at first; knowing I would be in Albany that summer, I started the Summer Trail Run Series because I would no longer be able to attend a similar weekly event back home. I figured if I couldn’t go home, I might as well feel like I was there and so it began. Eager to finish graduate school early and get ever closer to that “real world”, I took 18 credits that fall in addition to student teaching every day. With reality drawing closer, I began looking at apartments with Neil Snedeker so that we would have a place to live when we had to move off campus. We joked to each other that with all the stuff ARE had, we’d be better off getting a house. On a day I could have been shoveling my mom’s neighbor’s driveway, Neil and I

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 14

went looking at houses. On that very first day, we stepped in the structure that I have now called home for six years. From the moment my sister graduated, my mom wanted to move. Above all else, it would provide a fresh start for her and also be more economical. Wanting to move and moving are two entirely separate things. While I believed it would be best for her to find a new place to live, her leaving our New Hyde Park residence was a tangible and definitive closing point to my youth. I had already been out of the house for six years, but at least it was always there, even if I rarely made the drive. How could she truly be ready to move if I weren’t even fully ready? In the fall of 2005, I walked into Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School as a teacher, but feeling far more in common with my students than my colleagues. At 23, I was younger than the children of many of the other teachers and some of my students had siblings older than me. Other than receiving a paycheck and the associated responsibilities with my job, I still didn’t feel much different. With three roommates helping cover the mortgage for our house that was purchased solely with the intention of having a place to put ARE’s growing level of equipment and items, it felt more like a continuation of college than anything else. When does one start to “feel different”? A few weeks after the first Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrelly Six Mile, my mother called me to say she was ready. While I had heard that many times before, this time she sounded as though she had finally convinced herself of it too. I found some time in early 2006 to make a trip home to pack my belongings and bring them back with me to Albany. My mom would be moving into an apartment, so if I wanted anything, it would now have to be with me. A few weeks after that, Benny Salo and I went down to see my house for the final time. We rented a box truck and packed up the last of my belongings, along with furniture and other unclaimed family items. I was thankful for Benny coming along to help, but also appreciated the solitude that night when I slept in my room for the final time. The next day we drove it all up to Albany, talking about life during the drive as well as during the 2.5 hour run we squeezed in halfway to Albany. In June of 2010, I returned home for a day. Not to my mother’s apartment, but to the house I grew up in. I pulled up in front of the home, and as I sat there, building the courage to knock on the front door and

revisit my past, a young boy and his mother came out, got in their car, and drove off. I continued to sit there, now aware I wouldn’t go inside, but still finding grace in looking at all that had transpired on that property. As my eyes grazed around, I saw the neighbor’s driveway. They always kept their cars in the garage, exposing a vacant expanse of pavement that sometimes became our own play area considering that our driveway was always filled with vehicles and bikes. I wondered if they still lived there – put more accurately, I wondered if they were still alive. A few weeks ago I spent a week on a cruise ship with many others from the ARE – and also my mom and her boyfriend of thirteen years. Other than a few days at trail running camp two years ago, it was the first true merging of both the family I grew up with and the group I have called my family since Albany became my home. Last week, while driving in a snowstorm, my phone beeped to indicate I had a new message. My mother randomly bumped into that old man while at the store and she emailed me to tell me of the encounter. The man and his wife are still alive, but she is bedridden and he is not doing too well himself. And all I could think while reading her email was that I wish I were down there, back in New Hyde Park, with a pair of gloves and a shovel. And while there would be no need to shovel her side of the driveway, the side she always kept her car on, the fulfillment in giving back to the nice old couple next door, who never complained when we got older and began to use their backyard as our own, would be purely wonderful.

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Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 15

17 Hours to Glory: Extraordinary Stories from the

Heart of Triathlon

By Mathias Muller with Timothy Carlson (translated by Mark Deterline)

Book Review by Michael DellaRocco Even if you have never considered competing in or completing a triathlon, you will enjoy the stories of courage, determination, and personal triumph presented in 17 Hours to Glory. Ironman World Championship competitors have 17 hours from the moment the starting gun is fired on Hawaii’s Kona Beach to complete the grueling event, including swimming 2.4 miles in open ocean water, riding a bicycle 112 miles over demanding terrain, and running a full marathon with the particular challenges of the island’s lava fields and wind. The forces of Mother Nature, beyond the control of even the most highly trained triathletes are what make Ironman Hawaii unpredictable and unforgettable. Mathias Muller provides the reader with a more comprehensive picture of each of the triathletes he profiles than one can obtain from watching a short segment of the competition on TV. In seventeen chapters, this short book offers the reader moving and motivational stories of Hawaii Ironman triathletes, and there really is something here for everyone. You may even be inspired yourself to try a tri. 17 Hours to Glory isn’t just about the winners of Ironman Hawaii; it’s also about the underdogs who

despite disabilities and their own specific challenges, struggle to the finish line to achieve their own victories. Many runners may be familiar with Team Hoyt, from reading about the father-son team in runners’ periodicals or from seeing them in the Boston Marathon. Their Ironman story may be new to you, but you will never forget it after reading this book. At the date of publication, Dick and Rick Hoyt had raced in 234 triathlons, including 6 Ironman competitions and 27 Boston Marathons! Have you heard of Sister Madonna Buder or Robert McKeague? They hold the records, respectively, for being the oldest Ironwoman (76, 2006) and Ironman (80, 2006) to complete the world championship. Most runners are probably aware of Julie Moss’s iconic achievement as she dragged herself across the finish line in 1982, and video of her conquest will be replayed over and over again each time the competition is televised. The history behind that dramatic finish is less well-known, however. Muller gives us her story and others in a writing style that is clear and concise, but which is gripping and full of emotion, too. Truly, a reader cannot help but be inspired by these incredible accomplishments. Muller describes how wheelchair athletes David Bailey and Carlos Moleda were driven by an extremely intense rivalry, yet were encouraged by each other, as well. Marc Herremans was a formidable triathlete until a serious bike accident left him permanently paralyzed. But he did not give up. He fought off infection and continued to train harder in a new category, as a wheelchair competitor, and ultimately, in 2006 he reached his goal, to become an Ironman champion. Sarah Reinertsen was the first above-the knee amputee to realize her dream, in 2005. These are just a few examples of the great stories presented in this book. 17 Hours to Glory contains such compelling accounts that it is very unlikely that the reader will not be affected by them. Hawaii Ironman weather is notoriously vicious and unpredictable. Competitors can expect nearly 90 percent humidity, intense heat, fierce headwinds and crosswinds, and lava-encrusted terrain. In 1978, Navy Commander John Collins conceived the original Ironman race and held it in Oahu, where fifteen men participated, with 12 finishing. At that time, Sports Illustrated called the competition “lunatic” which probably helped stoke its fascination with athletes and the media, and the competition since became known as the ultimate mental and physical test. Since 1981, the race has been held at Kona. The winds there have a reputation for brutality and often become cyclone gales. The Kona lava fields are also infamous for their cruelty. “Anything can happen over the course of

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 16

Ironman Hawaii and in the lava fields of the Big Island; blisters that form on the soles of your feet, which have been softened by water and sweat; gastrointestinal distress that stems from excessive consumption of electrolyte fluids; dehydration- the other extreme- which begins when your body can’t absorb all the liquid you pour into it; cramps; and fatigue, pure and simple. These are just a few of the variables with which every competitor must contend. Not to mention technical issues with the bike, the swim goggles, the running shoes…” It becomes clear that (like the rest of us) Ironman champions also suffer from cramps, injury, illness, and just plain bad luck. In 2008, Chrissie Wellington suffered a blowout during the bike leg and due to an error, twice failed to inflate her tire adequately. Given a spare air cylinder by another competitor, Wellington went on to become the female Ironman winner that year. We all can gain some perspective, too, from the descriptions of Ironman champions and their struggles. When the average runner tanks, it’s a bad day (or small part of the day). When one of these athletes falters, however, the whole world is watching. Maybe that sore foot is not such a big deal, after all. An added bonus at the end of the book is a statistical listing of Ironman record holders, their times, and the dates of their accomplishments. It might be helpful to peruse this prior to or during your reading to better understand the information given by the author, especially if you are unclear about what constitutes a good time versus a great time. Most of the black and white photos that precede each chapter are also provided in full color, too, a nice touch. A good companion read with 17 Hours to Glory is Becoming an Ironman: First Encounters with the Ultimate Endurance Event by Kara Douglass Thom, first hand accounts by Ironman triathletes. From the book jacket: “Some will become champions; some will overcome all odds just to finish. But, as 17 Hours to Glory shows, there are no limits on the possibilities of the human spirit.”

Pacers Needed for 2011 Adirondack Marathon

Opportunity to Stand Out Among the Standard Marathon Crowd without Masquerading as Elvis or the Blues Brothers. The 2011 Adirondack Marathon in Schroon Lake, NY is scheduled for Sunday, September 25. We would like to offer participants the option of running with a pacing team, whether the goal be to secure a coveted Boston qualifying time, to achieve a personal best or simply to complete the journey with a new bunch of friends. We are seeking 12 pacers, two for each of six time goals: 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15, 4:30, 4:45 Qualifications: 1 Previous marathon experience on hilly courses 2 Previous marathon times of 20-30 minutes faster

than the group you are pacing for 3 An ability to remain positive and encouraging What’s in it for you? 1 Free Entry 2 Free Pasta dinner 3 Lots of warm fuzzies 4 An opportunity to be a working part of “the

friendliest” marathon 5 An opportunity to join an enhanced pacer program

in 2012

For further information and to sign up for the team, contact Laura Clark. Email: laura@saratogastryders.org Phone: 518-581-1278

Road and Trail Talk MagazinePage 17

Into the Woods

By Todd Jennings I had brought my master map along with me to show everybody first-hand what the project looked like on paper, and I had also had enough forethought to bring along a set of red map pins as well. And so with red pins in one hand, I squatted down with a tasty beer in the other hand and proceeded to place the final 12 or 13 pins on the map, closing the book on the project, and filling my heart with a combined sense of pride and melancholy.

It was over. Done. No more new miles to cover.

I suddenly felt an anxiety starting to grow within me. What would I do now with no immediate sense of purpose in front of me? I didn’t like the way this felt. Not at all. It was as if I had been standing on a red carpet at the steps of a grand castle, and the rug had been abruptly ripped out from under me. But I didn’t share this sentiment with the others, because I knew it would pass. I also knew that any feeling of purpose the completion of this project had created was merely a material one. For the finish line was not real. In fact, in truth, it didn’t even really exist. It was simply a target I had created in order to give me something to aim at. And just as easily and quickly as I had created this goal back in May, it had disappeared, and I watched it blow away with the whispering wind here on this beautiful November day.

I learned so many lessons out on these trails over the course of the past 6 months. So much about myself, and about what it means to truly live, and to be conscious. There is a sanctity in trail running, a simplicity that cannot be described in any words that I know.

Out here on the trails, there are no board meetings, or bills to pay, or groceries to shop for, or driveways to shovel. There are also no enemies to damn, or wars to worry over, or bosses to please, or politicians to criticize. It is a world of nothingness, and at the same time it is a world that has everything. When you run into the woods, it is just you and the woods – arguably two of the most beautiful of God’s creations. And when you get right down to it, that’s all anyone really needs, at least in my mind. I will continue to make many trips into the woods in the months and years ahead. For I have discovered something there that does not exist anywhere else I have ever been. And with each of my trips into the woods, I know – with 100% certainty – that I will discover something new about myself, something that will enrich me, and with luck, that I can share and enrich others with as well.

This is just the beginning………………………

Todd Jennings was president of the Orange Runners Club from 2008 through 2010. This article is extracted from his blog chronicling his experience of running every trail (several hundred miles) at Harriman State Park. Read the entire story here.

A R E E P ’ s Tr a i l Ru n n i n g C a m p O u r f o u r t h s e a s o n !

Join us for a weekend of exercise, relaxation, learning, and

camaraderie! Beautiful accommodations, gourmet meals,

optional yoga and kayaking, along with nearly 1000 private

acres on which to roam are just some of the reasons you will

love this experience!

Camp is limited to 50 participants.

Visit www.AREEP.com to learn more and register for camp.

Highlights

♦ Geared towards and exclusively for adults!

♦ Learn the basics of trail running.

♦ Yoga and fitness classes.

♦ Special clinics on running form.

♦ Technical DRI-FIT shirt to participants.

♦ Gourmet meals provided.

♦ Pond open for kayaking and swimming.

♦ “Run and Tube” Tubing Trip.

♦ Entry into the Froggy Five Mile.

♦ And much, much more!

ARE Event Productions PO Box 38195 Albany, NY 12203 info@areep.com 518.320.8648

Dippikill Wilderness Retreat, Warrensburg, NY

Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 17, 2011