Gillette looking to win 3 Big Island Marathons in 2011

Melissa Gillette

Husband/wife duo of Justin and Melissa Gillette at Saturday’s Maryville Marathon/Chamber Country Classic.

Justin Gillette won the male division of the marathon with a time of 2:37:50, while his wife finished in 3:16:34 to win the female division. They each won $600 for winning their gender division.

This is not the first time the couple from Berne, Ind., have teamed up to win the male and female divisions. They compete in several marathons each year, often finishing at or near the top of the pack. In just two weeks, they’ll be running in a marathon in Hawaii.

Saturday’s weather didn’t make it easy for the Gillette’s or any of the other competitors in the field. Just after the marathon and half marathon runners began their race at 6:30 a.m., a storm rolled through Maryville that brought heavy rain for about 20 minutes, with light rain continuing off and on for another 20 minutes after the storm had moved on.

“It was actually kind of fun,” Melissa Gillette said of the weather. “And I prefer that over (hot weather). I was afraid it was going to be clear skies and 85. That would’ve been harder I think.”

Two weeks later the Gillette’s were in Kona to run in the UCC Kunitake Farms Kona Marathon with the same results.

Justin Gillette

Justin Gillette, who competed in his 61st marathon on Sunday in Kona, claimed his 19th victory.  But none of the big names showed up to contest his victory.

Big Island International Marathon winner and Volcano resident, Billy Barnett, was a no show in Kona.  Barnett had won the Hilo race in 2:50 but decided not to run in Hilo for personal reasons.

Also, two times defending champion, Aaron Pierson of Oakland, California did not come to Kona to compete leaving Gillette as the lone sub three hour runner in the field of more than 200 harriers.

One of Justin Gillette’s goals for 2011 is to win three Hawaii Island Marathon’s, “I’d like to try to win the Hilo, Kona and Volcano Marathons all in the same year,” Gillette told the Big Dog.

Still in doubt is whether or not there will be a Volcano Marathon for 2011.  Gillette has won the Kona Marathon three times, but has never ran the scenic Hilo Marathon. 

KONA Marathon TOP 10 Results

 Plc Name                       Time

   1 Justin Gillette #2        2:34:53

   2 Mark Schlicting #6        3:02:41

   3 Melissa Gillette #3       3:07:51

   4 Belinda Granger #316      3:10:58

   5 Darin Anderson #162       3:18:42

   6 Bryan Baroffio #51        3:21:13

   7 Fukushima Shinichi #262   3:24:26

   8 Akio Komatsu #195         3:25:47

   9 David Steehler #233       3:28:41

  10 Mel Vigilla #141          3:29:39

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Bike Works 5 & 10K run/walk on July 11

Bike Works 5K/10K Run/Walk July 11

The Bike Works Beach & Sports 5K/10K Walk/Run will take place at 8 a.m. July 11 at Queens’ Market Place on the Kohala Coast.

The event, a benefit for the Waikoloa Foundation, will also offer a free keiki run for children age 12 and under.

Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the entry fees of $25 and $30 for the 5K and 10K races, respectively, include a finisher’s towel, post race refreshments and opportunities to win prizes.

Entry forms are available at bikeworkshawaii.com or at Bike Works, which is located at 74-5583 Luhia St., in Kailua-Kona’s Old Industrial Area. Submit forms in person at Bike Works or Bike Works Beach & Sports by July 9 or mail them by July 7 to: P.O. Box 2192, Kailua-Kona HI 96745.

For more information, e-mail teamhp@hawaiiantel.net

Meeting Met Fan, Alan Rosen, in Cooperstown, NY

Babe Ruth & Ted Williams surround Mets fan Alan Rosen at Cooperstown

COOPERSTOWN, NY – Here we are at the most famous baseball museum of them all, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

  You don’t need to be a diehard fan to want to come and see the legends of the game that is considered to be America’s favorite pastime.

   While in Cooperstown I saw the memorabilia of my baseball hero, Stan “The Man” Musial who played for the St. Louis Cardinals more than 30 years ago.  They’re all here, Mantle, Maris and Mays, Cy Young, Babe Ruth, and Bob Gibson, the list goes on and on.

   The fans are here to see their childhood idols and remember the fond days when hero’s where larger than life and admired for their on and off the field heroics.

   One such “super fan” is Alan Rosen of Chicago who I saw admiring the Tom Seaver collection.  Rosen is what I consider a “super fan” for his love and dedication to the New York Mets.

   “I’ve been a fan of the Mets since 1966 when my dad took the family to Shea Stadium for my first professional game,” Rosen said.  “I was 10 years old at the time and my dad was a big Mets fan.  I knew from that day on that I would be a Mets fan too!”

   At Cooperstown the Met fans, along with Rosen, were attracted to the Tom Seaver memorabilia.  Seaver was the first Met player ever to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

   “I’ve always been a fan of Tom Seaver and I’ve idolized him ever since I can remember,” Rosen said.  “I have an authentic Tom Seaver jersey, which is my favorite and Seaver is the best of all the Mets.”

   There are so many Met fans in the United States that their stadium, Citi Field in New York, now has its own Hall of Fame and Museum.

   Rosen will try to adjust his work schedule as the vice president of sales for Medline so that business meetings will often take place in the cities where the Mets are playing that particular week.

   “My business requires me to travel 100,000 miles per year,” Rosen said.  “Over the years I’ve been able to stay at the same hotel that the Mets were staying in and I’ve meet a lot of different players, including Dwight Gooden, Daryl Strawberry and others.”

   Rosen recently bought a house in Port St. Lucie in Florida so that he would have a place to stay during Spring Training for the Mets.

Alan Rosen

“I got a good deal on the house and thought why not,” Rosen said.  “It will make it that much easier to watch the Mets during Spring Camp or to come down to Florida during the regular season when they’re playing the Marlins.”

   During one particular week Rosen had scheduled business meetings in Washington D.C. which happened to coincide with the Washington Nationals playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

   “I’m a baseball fan and will always try to see history being made,” Rosen said.  “If the Mets aren’t playing the next best thing would be to watch an up and coming star make his debut.”

    On June 8 the Nationals were showcasing their rookie, Stephen Straussberg who was making his major league debut.

   Straussberg’s fastball has been clocked at 100 mph and he is considered by baseball sports reporters and fans to be a franchise player and the next big super hero of the sport and Rosen wanted to be a part of this historic day.

   “I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see Straussberg pitch in his major league debut,” Rosen said.  “I had a Trade Show scheduled in Washington D.C. and ended up buying the last ticket, behind home plate.”

  Rosen wasn’t disappointed as Straussberg set several MLB records, striking out 14 batters and winning his first game in the majors.

   “I saved my ticket and I know it’s going to be worth something someday,” Rosen said.  “It is far more exciting to see a game in person than it is to see it over the TV.”

   When Rosen discovered that I was from Hawaii the first things out of his mouth was Benny Agbayani and Sid Fernandez.  “Mets fans loved those Hawaii players,” Rosen said.  “Both players were very popular and had great careers in New York.”

   Rosen also explained to me how he had a giant game room built in the basement of his Chicago home which he decorated with Mets memorabilia.

   “I am very fortunate in this phase of my life,” Rosen said.  “My game room has a large sign over the entrance that reads ‘Welcome to Shea Stadium’ and the inside walls are filled with old Mets photos and other collectables.”

   Rosen also pointed out the difficulty of being a Mets fan in Chicago.  “People in Chicago hate the New York teams,” he said.  “They’re probably jealous of our success and wish they could be as good as we are.”

   During his busy life Rosen will try to eat healthy and get exercise while flying around the country.  “I have so many business meals that it’s often difficult to order what you know is good for you, but I will have salmon and order a baked potato with nothing on it whenever I can.”

   Rosen believes that his regular running through airports also helps support an exercise routine.  “I carry my luggage in and out of airports and am constantly on the go,” he said.  “I also limit my alcohol consumption.”

   “My goal is to visit every major league baseball park in the country,” Rosen said.  “I love the Mets, but they’ve been playing badly as of late.  Something that everyone should know is that only a Mets fans can criticize the Mets.”

Stress Fractures Becoming More Common in Runners

 

 Stress Fractures Becoming More Common in Runners

 

Stress fractures of the foot are becoming more common in runners, especially first-time marathoners, according to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. “Runners who increase their mileage too quickly or change to a more intense phase of training may be more susceptible to a stress fracture due to the increased force placed on the bones,” says Alan MacGill, DPM, AACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeon from Boynton Beach, FL. “A general rule of thumb for runners is to increase the mileage by no more than 10 percent each week. Runners who are training also need to have adequate rest time in between runs to help decrease the risk of injury.”

Dr. Alan MacGill

“Stress fractures can occur anywhere in the foot and can eventually lead to a complete break of the bone if left untreated,” Dr. MacGill explained. “Early diagnosis and treatment are important to ensure proper healing.”

Benefits of Regular Physical Exercise

Big Benefits of Physical Activity

According to the CDC, adults need to engage in at least 2½ hours (150 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity to achieve substantial health benefits. Examples include brisk walking (3 miles per hour), bicycle riding (less than 10 miles per hour), ballroom dancing, or general gardening. Indeed, aerobic activities that keep you moving are integral to an anti-aging lifestyle. Let’s review some of the wide-ranging benefits of physical activity; then get up and get moving with some physical activity of your own!

1.	Help Your Heart. Richard V. Milani, from the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, and colleagues investigated how psychosocial stress influences the effects of exercise training. The team followed 522 cardiac patients, including 53 who had high stress levels and 27 control patients who had high stress levels but did not engage in cardiac rehabilitation. The study subjects were offered 12 weeks of exercise classes consisting of 10 minutes of warm-up, 30 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise (walking, rowing, jogging, or similar), and then a 10-minute cooldown stretch. The researchers found that the subjects who became physically fitter during the study period (by exercising) were 60 percent less likely to die in the following six years.
2.	Grow Brain Cells. David J. Creer, from the National Institute on Aging, and colleagues studied the underlying mechanisms dictating how exercise improves information processing. The researchers prompted adult mice to uses running wheels, finding that doing so increased their number of brain cells and enabled them to perform better at spatial learning tests compared to mice that did not exercise. The exercising mice were better able to tell the difference between the locations of two adjacent identical stimuli, an ability that the team found to be closely linked to an increase in new brain cell growth in the hippocampus portion of the brain.
3.	Build Strong Bones. Wolfgang Kemmler, from Freidrich-Alexander University (Germany), and colleagues analyzed data on 246 older women who were enrolled in the Senior Fitness and Prevention (SEFIP) Study. The researchers found that women who exercised had higher bone density in their spine and hip, and also had a 66 percent reduced rate of falls. Fractures due to falls were twice as common in the controls versus the exercise group (12 vs. six incidents). The authors’ conclusion: “Compared with a general wellness program, our 18-month exercise program significantly improved [bone mineral density] and fall risk.”
4.	Stress a Little Less. Matthew P. Herring, from the University of Georgia, and colleagues analyzed the results of 40 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 3,000 patients with a variety of chronic medical conditions, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and chronic pain from arthritis. The researchers found that, on average, patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise.

So take some advice from the experts, starting today: Get up and get moving! As the research presented in this article suggests, consistent physical activity has profound health and wellness benefits that you deserve to enjoy. Your doctor can help evaluate your current fitness/activity level and outline a fun, energizing, health-promoting exercise routine to keep you happy and healthy day after day, year after year.