A Great Day to be Alive!

January 2006 nears the end. What a terrific running month it's been; starting with Fattest Butt on New Year's Day, and the past couple of weekends at Killens with our newest Slug-recruit. The weather has certainly cooperated here in the mid-Atlantic, but it seems there's more to it than that. Suddenly life seems a bit more fresh, and more folks are closer to the old Slug ideal than ever before. It's all about friendship, and sharing your life, being kind, and discovering who you are; accepting it, and being as happy as you can. I have the good fortune to hear from my old & honorary California Slug-bud, Ms. Catra regularly. Today, i want to share an excerpt from her most recent letter/adventure....... Catra says, " I spent a couple of days alone training on Mt. Diablo in the (San Francisco) Bay Area. I got a good 15 mile training run in on Friday....it was super cold Friday night so I decided not to set up the tent; rather I slept in the warm van. It was super foggy and drizzly on Saturday. I ran a good 28 miles. I felt so alone and saw only three other people all day. It was wet, cold, and windy. I couldn't complain. I could only be happy that I was alive and healthy. I forget sometimes how special I am. I can run and travel and do everything I love to do. I see the beauty of the wilderness and explore the trails with my body and mind. We should all stop and think for a moment just how special and lucky we are. We are alive. Be thankful :)" Catra always makes me think, and keeps me grounded in my life. We should all stop for a moment, and remember just how lucky we are. Yes, this is going to be a good year----one day & one moment at a time. happy days, john.

Sixty degrees in January (in Delaware)?

My third good running week of '06 is coming to an end. The weather has been eerily cooperating with the past two days at 60 degrees. Though this incredible warm spell will have to end....we're now only three weeks from TSI's Annual Daytona Spring Training; and greatly looking forward to the break. Today's run at Killen's I enjoyed the company of Ms. Mandy, a Dover native, who's preparing for her first ultramarathon this September at the Russell B. Cheney 50K. She's in the beginning stages of her training but is very physically and mentally strong, athletic, and capable of completing the fall ultra here in the First State and gaining Slug-status. Like all da' Slug's she is a very nice person, and fun to talk to and run with. In her short twenty-seven years she's gained a world of experience, and accomplishments. Thanks for coming out Ms. Mandy, and welcome to what will be a challenging, but rewarding year of training. I hope all friends are doing fantastic this month, and are getting ready for the Spring/Summer (ultra)marathon season. Happy Trails, John.

"The Animal" heading to the ROK!

I'm spending my final weekend with my slug-brother Justin "The Animal" Jones out on the treacherous trails of Central Delaware. The past two years chasing him on long runs have helped me stay focused and motivated to keep moving. We've had a lot of good times --- at Philly with the Swamp Rocket; and with the Trail Dawgs where Justin "earned" a river rock for slu-ogging with me for over 9 (nine) hours. We shared the Honorary Crazy Horse Award that day. Running and Life, don't get no ---pardon the WV, in honor of Justin, English--- better than that. This morning at the top-secret Main Slug Compound & Training Grounds the Dover Post came out to interview us for a story appearing in the local paper about TSI. I'll provide a link on site when available. Justin reports to Kunsan Air Base in the Republic of (South) Korea on 10 Feb. Coincidentally, and i enjoyed chiding him about it this morning, that is the same date on which I report to Daytona Beach for Spring Training. See, getting older does have its benefits. Happy Trails Slugs.

'06 Off to a Great Start!

The year is off to a great start with the Fattest Butt, see report on site, and Daytona Spring Ultra-training just over a month away. Many thanks over the past several months to all my Slugg-budds and other friends for the kind e-mails and phone calls. Many of you are aware of my serious health issues late last summer and into the fall. The physical struggle changed my life, and completely blew my JFK plans off course. But every day i feel just a bit better; and I fully intend to make a complete recovery. Many personal changes are brewing as i prepare to retire from the military after 21 years. I am ready. Running goals this year are The Big Butt (RFH 50K in SC in July), and then JFK in November as I chase my fifth finish. I will mix in some marathons in the meantime, and maybe a 50K or two. Also, Team Slug continues to enjoy success. The site finished '05 with 22,600 hits. Thanks for all the support. While it's true that TSI is not your typical running club (not an actual organized group); it continues to serve it's purpose of spreading kindness, friendship, and running accomplishments; and further providing a forum & opportunity for those interested in joining our community of long-distance affecionados. I wish each of you health and prosperity in the coming year and always. happy days, john.

Fattest Butt Won by Bursler, Koch, and Callahan

Happy New Year's to all the Slugs, and all our friends. The 16th Annual TSI Fattest Butt was held this morning on some of Central Delaware's finest trails. The weather was gorgeous with temps rising to 46 degrees, and a beautiful party cloudy & mostly sunny day. The event was absolutely successful with 11 starters and 11 finishers. Ms. Gloria Callahan repeated and kept the women's title in 7:15, while Dave Bursler and Rainer Koch paced the men with a solid 4:48. The Crazy Horse Award was won by Douglas Bartocci in 8:13. A full report will be posted on www.teamslug.com within the next 2 days.