WOULD YOU LIKE AN APPLE PIE WIT DAT?

Posted Dec 13, 2006 by Jeff Houck

Updated Dec 13, 2006 at 01:41 AM

Ah, how I love the holiday classics.

A tip: You’ll want to play this at work. Real loud.

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Cook, Joe, Cook (Cont’d)

Posted Dec 13, 2006 by Jeff Houck

Updated Dec 13, 2006 at 12:26 AM

A few posts below, I wrote about shopping with Joe Maddon while he picked up some items so he could cook for the homeless. I promised to post a link to the multimedia video by Julie Pace and Crystal Lauderdale.

You can view the video by clicking here.

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Don’t Let The Running Bug Bite?

Posted Dec 12, 2006 by Patty Kim

Updated Dec 12, 2006 at 02:03 PM

As I try not to become a bitter party of one lying on my stomach on the couch, I’ve decided to take up a new hobby to keep me occupied.

I like to find ways to justify not running.

Take this article in The New York Times, for example: Is Marathoning Too Much of a Good Thing for Your Heart?

Researchers administered echocardiograms to 60 Boston Marathoners before and after the race. They checked for heart rhythm abnormalities and blood markers of cardiac problems. Results show that 60 percent of the group exhibited cardiac problems after logging the 26.2 miles despite feeling fine at the finish line.

Here are some excerpts:

“This has been an unusual season for the cardiac health of marathoners. After years in which almost no deaths were attributed to heart attacks at this country’s major marathons, at least six runners have died in 2006.”

“Race fields have grown. In 2005, 382,000 people completed a marathon in the United States, an increase of more than 80,000 since 2000, according to marathonguide.com. Meanwhile, the risk of dying from a heart attack during a marathon is about 1 in 50,000 runners, said Dr. Arthur Siegel, the director of internal medicine at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard.”

“Over all, the evidence is strongly in favor of the idea that endurance exercise is helpful in terms of cardiac health,” said Dr. Thompson, who has run more than 30 marathons.

“What worries Dr. Siegel and some of his colleagues is that marathons present an opportunity for silent symptomless heart disease to introduce itself abruptly. The pulsing excitement, the adrenaline, the unpleasant process of ‘hitting the wall’ may trigger physiological changes that loosen arterial plaques, precipitating a heart attack, Dr. Siegel said.”

Bottom line: If you want to run 26.2, get a full medical screening. If you’re older than 40, make an appointment with a cardiologist. Your heart will thank you.

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Welcome Back!

Posted Dec 12, 2006 by Stacey Shick

Updated Dec 12, 2006 at 01:42 PM

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I’ve been on vacation!

My sister got married last Monday on the Legend of the Seas. We spent a week cruising to Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Belize City and Cozumel.

I haven’t run much. In the week before the cruise, I was so busy, I only got in an 8 mile run. On the ship, I managed a 5 mile run on the top deck on the first sea day. After that, my activities changed to climbing Mayan ruins and hiking through the jungle to go cave tubing.

Now, the challenge is to get back on track. I did my weightlifting yesterday. Now, as soon as my breakfast settles, I’m heading to the gym for a 4 mile run on the treadmill. It’s a little easier on the knees than the pavement. I’m starting to hear stories about people training for the marathon getting injured and having their hopes dashed. Patty over at Bring It has a bruised tailbone, for example. I’m determined to stay on track now to keep from getting hurt. My trainer, Melissa Trinidad (you’ll see her in 4you’s “Tips From The Trainer”), says another of her clients has knees so sore she can’t run any more. But I’m thinking my vacation break might be just what my body needed to rest up for the final push.

In addition to this week’s training schedule, I’ll be doing a fun run Wednesday: The Jingle Bell Run in St. Petersburg. Maybe I’ll see you there.

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Mildly-Related Food Photo Caption Of The Week

Posted Dec 12, 2006 by Jeff Houck

Updated Dec 12, 2006 at 12:57 PM

Seen at Yahoo.com:

Ivan Romo, left, and Francisco “Garcilazo” feed beer and popcorn to donkey painted as a zebra at a stand for tourist photos during a motorcycle club toy give away on Sunday, December 10, 2006 in Tijuana, Mexico.

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