Say it ain't so, Joe!!!

Just back from a run on a cold but bright and sunny day and it is amazing how 11 miles can clear one's head. So here I am to report on the state of SLG and instead of enthousiasm for a new season, I feel that SLG is going the way of Lehman Brothers, Merryll Lynch and the the Big 3 Automakers!

The week started out well enough. Just look at this pictures, taken last Sunday, November 16th. The founding fathers, plus the Queen and the Emperor were very pleased with their results in "The Race to Deliver". This has been the race in which all of us have run our best times, coming on the heels of the NY marathon. Since none of us ran in NY this year, all bets were off but here are the results for this fine 4 miler :

Gil : 26:55 or a 6:43 minute mile (still on top)

Stefan : 30:39 or a 7:39 minute mile (and very happy to have beaten the Queen again)

Lief : 31:34 or a 7:53 minute mile (never imagined she would beat the 8 min/miles again)

Mark : 32:05 or a 8:01 minute mile (was not used to the new corral system yet and got stuck

in the traffic of the last corral)

So all of us were on a runners high but then I got a message from the Supercoach which made my heart skip a beat. Only weeks after planting the seed to run the next race to get to the BIG 5, Clem obviously was in a funk.

While we were running our 4 miles last Sunday, he finished his 92nd (!) marathon. He felt bummed about his finishing time and expressed disappointment about the 4 marathons he had run in 2008. When he told me he even considered stopping marathon running altogether then and there I almost fainted! But after careful evaluation , and with the goal of 100 marathons so close, it seems that he has come up with a plan. It involves weight loss, which he hopes will make running easier and more satisfactory which would then lead to more running motivation and ultimately a better condition. Clem confided a while ago it was getting harder and harder to motivate himself to run, what with 2 very cute grandchildren tugging at his heartstrings and competing for a limited amount of free time.

I am sure that all of you, like me, hope he will stick to his plan, and that we will see him in a few more marathons. He has been such an example to us all and it would be a big loss for SLG if he would stop competing, just a whiff away from his lofty goal of 100 marathons.

Of course we may have aimed a little high, by trying to get a group together for Boston, one of the two remaining races to get to the Big 5. After initial enthousiasm, the reality of trying to get in, has set in. Gil and I, AND CLEM are qualified for Boston. So is Gloria, Gil's sister and according to Gil (who I spoke to a second ago) she has already booked a room in Boston. Dora seems to be able to get a number through some European tour operator and is working on that. Stefan considered charity but finds the 3000$ that he has to raise a bit daunting. And who can blame him with all the uncertainties of the economy. And David also seems interested in running.

As founding father Stefan has pointed out, the number of marathons that we will run and run together as SLG'ers is extremely limited. I think he is right. So, I am exploring all the avenues available, I am looking at all possibilities to get entry numbers for Boston.

I have never had as much fun running as the last four years, when SLG came into being. And not only the running has been great but even more so have the parties, the cameraderie, the teasing, the rivalries! It will leave a big void if all that disappears! So let's see what we can come up with! It is hard to believe that the best years of SLG are behind us! Say it ain't so, Joe!

P.S Weather forecast for Monday April 20th, 2009 is as follows :

45 degrees in the morning going up to a sunny and windless 54 degrees in the afternoon!