A cool spot for runners, walkers and those who work with them

/ May 8, 2015

Crowds will buzz around our Onondaga Lake Park a month from now, a Tuesday night in June that will transform the usual recreational trails and the surrounding shore space into the tented village for the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge.

From May edition, Central New York the Good Life Magazine.

From May edition, Central New York the Good Life Magazine, on newsstands and available digitally for Post-Standard subscribers.

For my freelance story in the just-out May edition of the glossy Central New York the Good Life Magazine, race director Dave Oja estimated to me that some 6,000 runners and walker representing companies from the Syracuse area and beyond will participate. And as I interviewed team captains and other participants for the piece, hearing their stories about colleagues, friends and families — theories about participation and solid opinion regarding what they get out of the event — sure, my blood pressure rose and my breathing became a bit more rapid.

Writer’s empathy. It’s a great tool.

But their memories also triggered thoughts of several past events when my dear wife Karen and I signed up and took part in collective walks for the common good. We are not runners, but we hit our best stride to help raise money for the American Heart Association and the Carol Baldwin Cancer Research Foundation, a 3K and 5K, respectively, the former at the lake’s Willow Bay side and the latter at the New York State Fairgrounds. We enjoyed it.

That, however, was in earlier days, before Karen fell and broke her kneecap, which needed surgery to reattach important things inside and left her less desirous of such lengths in crowded situations. Now our walks are with Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle at the lake and on our own terms, or around the neighborhood taking in neighborly sites. I’ll go faster if it’s just me, getting the rates up for beneficial exercise and mind lifting.

No signing up solo, though. Contributions can be made on other people’s feet. No matter the writer’s empathy.

Do you walk or run for exercise, and if so, why do you choose either? Do you participate in organized races or walks, and if so, why? If you run or walk, how far do you go and how far would you like to go?

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53 thoughts on “A cool spot for runners, walkers and those who work with them”

  2. Back in the good old days bro Mark, when I could still walk more that a few feet at a time, I did the MS walk every year. Always had loads of sponsors, and did the whole 9 yards. I also have memories of strolls from one farm to another with the kids — 10 miles round trip. Where would we be without our memories?
    BTW, our story hit the front page today, full spread, top of page. HUD is heavily involved now.

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    • Well, your paper’s site would only let me read the first two parpagraphs without buying a subscription, sis. The front page looks like the did it up right, though. Now everybody in Owensboro knows what management put you all through.

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      • The reason you could only see the first two paragraphs is because the paper isn’t doing well, costs too much for anyone here to afford it ($1 for the daily 8 pages) and most people were reading it online, so they started charging for online subscriptions 15 years ago. They still haven’t improved the readership, because there just isn’t that much news in this town to print. That’s the biggest story so far this year.

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      • Just to make sure, I now have the phone number of the HUD contact. If the air is NOT on by the promised date of June 1, as it hasn’t been by all the other promised dates, I will call him. I’m debating giving him an update on some of the, uh, imaginative quotes in the paper, that came from the man from Louisville. There is a crack between what he said and what actually happened here you could drive an 18 wheeler thru.

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      • Lots of it now bro Mark. We are now represented by a darn good attorney, who was here a couple days ago taking photos. I was on my way out to the funeral home, so didn’t have time to offer to share my photos with him. An old friend also suggested reporting them to OSHA, for the thingies hanging in the public areas we have to pass thru on our way in and out of the building. Since she’s the one who taught me all I know about emergency and survival techniques, I’m taking her advice on that one. I’ve been setting my computer back up all day today, so haven’t really had time to work on it yet, Just trying to get my apps loaded again now.

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  3. Enjoyed reading your post and recollections on your more active days.
    I think its a great pleasure to share those activities with your wife.
    I still enjoy hiking and extended walks, but unfortunately Osteoporosis has slowed me down.
    Keep active as much as the years pass by.
    Cheers
    Aussie Ian aka Aussie Emu

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    • Thanks for sharing your state of walking affairs, Aussie Ian. You have me in your camp on this. Use your physical being as we get older, or it will go away completely! Do as much as you can with your osteo, sir.

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  4. I have to admit that since I got my infamous Fitbit, I do try get more steps in throughout the day. My goal is not very aggressive but walking is walking no matter the number of steps. 🙂

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  6. I “want” to run so badly. Every single time I start to add it to my work out I get injured. So I stop. And do the treadmill, walk on the trail. I manage to do hiking, off and on a good bit when it’s “on”. I love it thought. I’m jealous of those who can, successfully.

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      • You are a good friend to know this MBM. It is low impact. Has to be or you are correct, I can’t. Though I ride my bike “inside” every day, you would cringe if you knew how long it’s been since I’ve been outside. And if it isn’t soon….I’m going to revolt.

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      • Guess what? Go on….guess…..guess????? 🙂 I Got A Bike Ride In Today. Talk about a beautiful and unbelievable joyful day. 🙂 No bail money needed. 🙂 Thank you MBM.

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  10. This week I ran for a train only to discover that it was the wrong one 😦 I am a walker. Poor karen I winced when I read about her kneecap.
    Love that you are in print – which is exactly where you ought to be. Just sorry i can’t dash out and buy my copy.

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    • It was a many-month rehab with physical therapy visits for Karen to get the strength and flexibility back in her knee. I felt so badly for her as I was the one left to cook and tidy up around the Little Bitty for weeks. Poor Karen! Once she got better with the crutches, she got back to doing as much as possible. All of her friends at work pitched in, and one of her closest friend’s husband who is the main cook at a family restaurant showed up at our front door with a dozen extra large trays of his specialties and boxes of uncooked hamburgers! I had to go out and buy an extra freezer for our porch to fit it all!! What a village of friends we have.

      Thanks, Rachel, for your kind words about my freelance writing. I keep at it.

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      • Now you can’t be that bad a cook or cleaner! The friends husband sounds like a very nice guy – that’s a very thoughtful thing for someone to do. From what i glean from your blog you and Karen are equally helpful friends when folks around you find the going tough.

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  11. congrats on the article. i’m more of a walker than a runner, though i use some odd hybrid when in these kind of events. we’ve done some as a family, the 5ks, and i once did the 3-day 60mile walk to raise money for breast cancer. all good –

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    • That three-day 60-mile walk is a true monument to your stamina and devotion to the cause, Beth. Holy cow and wow, wow, wow. I love that you still participate in the big things as a family, too. Yay to that. Elisabeth and George Three run in lots of these things now, but I just can’t keep up and won’t even try!

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  12. I don’t run often. When I run, it’s usually because I am at play or chasing something, but sometimes I’ll do it to burn energy. My husband is a runner off and on. He runs a lot more in the summer.
    I walk ALAWT. Sadie and I pretty regularly walk 2-3 miles, and less often, more. I like to get out and see things. I’m especially fond of driving somewhere lovely to walk. We have a pile of city parks and trails here, and I love it. Quite often, our family walks Indy’s White River Canal downtown. My only coplaint is that there should be more restrooms. I think the city needs to spring for some portables or somethin!

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  13. Mark, the Big Daily used to have a pretty decent co-ed team back in the day. Jim Emmons was ridiculously fast, so we took home some commemorative plates a few years. The very fastest teams can advance to the international challenge, sometimes in very cool destination cities. The Syracuse race does always seem plagued by extremely humid conditions, including the year they canceled it.

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    • I remember my former colleagues getting all steamed up about this race, Jim, including you. I also still see Jim Emmons tooling around our city on his bicyle, and FAST! 🙂 Speaking of which, I’m still on your list to join in on the cycler benefit day bonanza somehow, right? I need details so I can help you in any way.

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      • Will do, Mark … Bicycle Around America Brian is in Boston today speaking at a school. He heads to Maine and will make his way through CNY in maybe 10 days(?) … He updates his website, FB and twitter faithfully, so that’s how I’m keeping track. Thanks again for your offer to help! Stay tuned.

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      • We went from winter to summer, forget spring, don’t pass go or collect $200 … I went for a run this morning and the humidity was oppressive, 75% or something! At least we don’t have to shovel it, right?

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  14. Oh the joy of running. Many years ago;in my first life I ran. Marathons, 5k, AAU cross country. The whole shabang. Issues with my knees made me stop. Now I just walk. Great for the heart and circulation; or so my Drs. tell me.

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