Off The Beaten Record: Endurance Pros, Pucks to the Face, and Trips to the DL
By ROSS BISHOFF
Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 15)Boston Marathon week has become my annual reminder of what a monstrous hypocrite I am.
Until about five ago, and every year prior to that, I thought distance runners were the most absurd people on the planet.
Seriously, who enjoys running miles and miles and miles in their free time? A friend of mine once pointed out, running is the punishment for every other sport. And I agreed for years.
Then at some point, I decided I wanted to see if I could run a marathon, if it was even possible for me to accomplish this absurd task.
I did, three times.
That’s not bragging, that’s pointing out the fact I mock most everything until it reels me in.
Now, running—specifically distance running—fascinates me.
My wife has become a distance runner.
My daughter competes as a cross country runner and distance runner for a Hilliard middle school team.
As a family, we’re constantly breaking down races and times. We study shoes … friggin’ shoes, over and over to see which ones offer more support, better times, more endurance.
Mark Altstaetter used to come into the Lima News talking about some 15-mile run he did over the weekend and my eyes would glaze over.
Now, I go to him for pointers.
On Monday during the Boston Marathon, I spent the morning glued to Twitter and calling out the leaders’ times. I was really the only person who cared.
Here I am, reading updates about running.
That’s how much of a hypocrite I am, and I’m perfectly fine with that.
By the way, Geoffrey Kirui won the men’s race in 2:09.37 while the women’s runner, Kenyan Edna Kiplegat, finished in 2:21.53. Late in the race, Kirui was running at his fastest pace of the day: a 4:30 mile. Think about that, he’s running that after like 22 miles.
Watching their times, seeing them run, smooth and calm, clipping away at sub-5 minute miles just boggles my mind.
Nike and Adidas are currently battling to get someone to break the vaunted two-hour barrier using technology and super-sweet shoes.
It’s unreal and, to me, it’s amazing.
Sorry if your eyes are glazing over. I’ll try to pick it up with something bloody and more mainstream.
Face puck
Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie defenseman Zach Werenski isn’t even 20 years old yet (he won’t be until July) but he’s already a legend in my mind.
Even though the Blue Jackets are likely headed for elimination against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had a 3-0 lead heading into Tuesday night’s game in Columbus, Werenski has my admiration.
Werenski took a puck to the face in the second period of Sunday’s Game 3. The puck ripped open a massive gash under his right eye and swelled it up like a purple balloon. Video showed blood leaking out of his face as he struggled getting to the bench. At one point he couldn’t even see out of the eye.
And yet, hockey tough guy that he is, Werenski to the ice. He eventually left again and was ruled out the rest of the playoffs with fractures all over his face. He tweeted a photo afterward, a photo showing a line of stitches and a black-and-blue shiner that looked like death.
The only caption, “Playoff hockey…”
I was wrong … for now
A few weeks back, as we were headed into baseball season, I ripped the Cincinnati Reds for being the worst team in baseball. They immediately began their season with the franchise’s best start since 1990.
Currently, the Reds still lead the NL Central at 8-5. Of course, they haven’t played great competition yet, it’s early, their division – other than the Cubs – isn’t great and the injuries are starting to happen.
On Sunday, the Reds put their fourth starting pitchers on the DL when Brandon Finnegan was placed on the 10-day disabled list, joining Anthony DeScflafani, Rookie Davis and Homer Bailey.
Regardless of how they finish, this young Reds team is much better than I and most MLB gurus predicted. So, there seems to be a future in Cincinnati after all. It’s one of the few times I enjoy being wrong.
Quote of the Week: “We were playing basketball and they were playing MMA.”
– Paul Millsap, the Atlanta Hawks forward was talking about the physicality the Washington Wizards were playing with in Sunday’s game. The Wizards won 114-107.
Number of the Week: 82
– Limaland Motorsports Park began its 82nd year of racing this past Friday.
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