Are any of you runners? When I was in my 40's I had a friend who insisted I run with her. She ran several miles a day. She got me up to a couple of miles and by doing that I reached the "runner's high". After about a mile, or maybe less, I suddenly felt weightless, and I felt like a bird flying. I didn't want to stop. It's an amazing feeling and I wish I had kept it up.
Wow, no way could I stay in the dark that long, well, at least not alone... Oftentimes I feel I'm in the dark when I'm in the light. I'm a Florida girl, need sunlight.
Love the picture of the kids. They look so very happy. You can't ask for anything more as a dad. You have done so well.
U.C. - They really did well last game. My biggest impression was Free Throws! 21 of 24. They're not called 'free' for nothing. Use them! This will get you wins. Especially when other teams press too much in the end trying to catch up, or just get ahead. Haven't seen this since Bob Huggins' days. Kudos!! Free Throws won that game IMO.
Curfews. My dad would ask what time we were going to be home. We knew if we gave a smart ass remark, we were staying home that night. So we had to say something we knew he would agree to. And since we chose it, we sure as hell better be back by that time. Brilliant. I ended up doing that with my own kids.
Well Doc, seems my dad and your dad used the same, uh, parenting manual when it came to haircuts. Shoot, mine wasn't even as nice as "Sabes", it was more like simply shaved off by my mom with one of those DIY haircut kits at home in the basement. Yikes! Definitely kept the basball cap on in public - even tried arguing with teachers in school who made me take my cap off. Answer to the question: "what did dad stand on and die" with me? Respect for my elders - most especially my mother right through the day he died. "Take care of your mother..." Hair issue was stupid, but respect for elders and others was certainly an important lesson to stand on. Check with my daughter on that.
Beautiful couple. Best of luck to Ruby hoofing up and down the challenging terrain. Her dedication to running and capacity for endurance are enviable. Don't know how marathoners ward off the demons that scream "Enough! Enough!" The Pig is a premier event of which Cincinnati can be proud. The race operators deserve tremendous credit for running a great race on all levels, as does Julie Isphording, who made local distance running cool.
A comment on yesterday's TML: Nice words about Hickory. Played 18 on Sunday mornings and 9 on weeknights in a league for several years. It's a beautiful place to spend a morning. It's a great value and Denny's team keeps the course in great shape, as he has since he built it in the 80's. Good luck getting your approach shot to stick on #10. Questions: have you ever made the #18 green in two? On #12 do you hit your drive to the top of the hill or to the valley beyond? Local yokel- can't let Doc go on thinking he's on Wards Corner when he makes the left on Kroger. That's Loveland-Miamiville and it turns into Paxton Road at the church. You cross Wards Corner at the fire station. :)
I've met several people when traveling that regularly come to Cincinnati for the Flying Pig. Most said it is their favorite race. They really enjoy the city and the friendly people, and appreciate that it is fun and not pretentious. I always hated running and definitely prefer weight training.
I can definitely relate to the haircut issue. My dad's favorite line after I got a haircut was 'which one'. I went to St. X so it wasn't as big of an issue when I was in high school because we couldn't have hair over the collar or ears. It was tough to play in a rock band with short hair. On top of that, it was curly and would frizz out whenever I started to sweat. I was really happy when Roger Daltrey made curly hair popular at Woodstock. When I went away to college, I finally let my hair grow out and it looked just like his. My life changed dramatically. Who knew how important hair was for building self esteem and having girls notice you.
I can so relate to the hating of my curly hair. My cousin used to call me carrot top. Now it's short and I try to straighten it as much as possible. Sad we can't be happy with what we are born with. Life would be so much easier, yeah.
Being youngest of five boys, first born in '49 and who left rural Indiana for Xavier in '67. Good Lord do I remember the holiday knockdowns about his hair from our Marine father, and the next brother and the next .... To my great fortune, by the time my freak flag unfurled in '75 my folks were just too damn tuckered to die on that hill. I actually told them I was going to Young Republican meetings on Wednesdays when I borrowed the wagon to drive country roads with my buds swilling 3.2 and smoking skunk weed jamming everything from Beatles to Nazareth. I don't think they believed me, they just couldn't stay up late enough to battle boy 5.0.
As for the dark therapy, who in the hell does anyone think they are to criticize another's quest as long as it's not harming anyone else?
When I was a kid, my parents made me get the high/tight for years. I outgrew Mom in 4th grade, Dad in 9th. The summer after my tenth grade year, I figured I was big enough that they couldnt stop me, so I decided I to grow it out.
Me: Just to see what it looks like.
Parents: Looks dumb. That's what it looks like.
I didn't cut it again until I lost a bet over the OSU-Michigan game my junior year of college, but that wasn't before I got the chance to fill in for a friend's bowling league on base at Wright-Patt AFB.
Whenever someone on his team called in sick or drunk, they called me in. I was 6'1", 320lbs with long long LONG LONG hair pulled into pigtails, just for effect.
The Airforce folk were not amused.
Problem for them was that, along with the long hair, I had a 217 average. I was pretty dang good. So, not only did they hate "the hippie kid from the local college," they had to keep their mouths shut because I beat the pants off of every one of them.
Nothing against the military. I never served, but lots of friends and family did and they have all my respect and admiration. It was just a stupid thing that dumb, long-haired me did when he was a dumb college kid.
One of the AF officers told me once, after I had eviscerated him in the weekly league , "I hope it all falls out some day."
Three years later, he got his wish, and God has been cutting my hair ever since.
Truth be told, I prefer it this way. #BaldIsBeautiful #NoBadHairDays
My Pops (gone 10 years now and I still talk to him most every night) had two things he never let us forget. First, never quit. We could sign up for whatever we wanted, but once we signed up, quitting wasn’t an option. Ever. So what if I got hit in the eye by a pop-up, playing right field, off the coaches bat in pregame? You don’t quit. Boy Scouts not for you? Too bad, don’t quit. Not ever. Second, he taught us that hard work never hurt anybody. He used to say “If a man pays you $2 to do a job, you better give him $3 worth of effort. Every day.” And those are the two things that have gotten me through life so far (I’m 62 now).
Grades....my dad was ridiculous about grades. Not mine, mind you, I was the youngest and learned from the middle child who went before me. She and my father argued constantly about grades, especially, if she, at any time, got a C on anything. She spent the last nine weeks of her senior year grounded over a C in pre-Calculus. Not sure if the penalty for the infraction was for the grade or the fact the previous summer when at our Nana's in Indiana, she had found one of his high school report cards in the attic. Suffice it to say, he had a couple of grades somewhere south of C and she called him out on it. Despite this act of defiance and, maybe because of it, she has always been his favorite. :-)
Running is a punishment, not a sport. Miss a free throw? Take a lap. Don't box out? On the line. I was never fast, but at least I didn't have to be slow for long distances. Runners in general and marathoners in particular astonish me.
My never-ending battle was with my mom - who had to be mother AND father in our house - over what time to be home. Whatever curfew was, it was too early in my opinion. When I came from my freshman year of college after nine months with no curfew, we had some epic go-grounds. "Look, I'm an adult and I can..." "just close your mouth if you like eating, sleeping and having your laundry done here." "But..." "No buts." "How is that fair?" "I never said anything about fair. I said this is the rule in my house." And on and on. Of course she was right, but I was determined to out-stubborn her.
Ruby most likely will not improve on her NYM time of 4:24. I've run both and New York provides logistical challenges ( getting a bus to Staten Island at 4 am) but no where near the elevation changes that she'll find at the PIG. The climb to the top of Mt. Adams comes about midway and is a killer. The field is capped at the 30K mark as that is the number that can be handled at the start and finish and also provide for services along the course. It is truly the best sporting event in Town. I will say there is nothing like being on the Veranzano bridge with 50,000 other people running. The entrance into Manhattan is pretty cool too. Good Luck Ruby
The name Flying Pig - and I first heard it about 10 years ago - has always struck me as extremely rinky dink and it’s pretentious in its own way. First tier marathons, Chicago, New York, Boston have no need for that kind of a thing.
You are missing the point of The Pig, Nancy. It is intended to be a fun race for the every day runners not for the running elite. Prize money was minimal If you are not from Cincy, the name is from the Flying Pig statue commissioned for our bicentennial in 1988 that had four flying pigs on a smokestack in the then new park. It was meant to evoke our heritage as a large pork producer (nickname of Porkopolis) and a center of industry. Many people hated the whimsy of the statue. When Bob Coughlin started the marathon, he chose the Flying Pig to represent the city.
I recently found the poster that they commissioned for the early Pig days. As a Cincinnatian who lives in Chicago, and has been gone for 20+ years, I hadn’t rushed to do anything with it. Two years ago I had it framed and it hangs in my kitchen, all art deco flying pig with Union Terminal behind it. It’s both a city pride and a runner thing and the race really does attract runners who appreciate its uniqueness!
Fom the outside lookikng in, I can see that point of view. It's a weird parochialism we have here in the Republic. Funny what we latch on to and keep close. I look at like calling a bald guy Curly or a fat guy Slim. Cincinnati will have an elite marathon when pigs fly. So here we are.
There is one longer enduring ... if not even endearing, local event the Pig symbolizes ... righting the unrightable wrongs, beating the unbeatable foes, bearing the unbearable sorrows and keep dreaming The Impossible Dream ...
I think the name is kind of cool and ties into the city's history nicely.
Of course it could be the Cincinnati Marathon, but that's just kind of boring. Besides, all of those marathons you mentioned have big sponsorship names tied to them - I'd much rather have a unique name for the race. And after 20 years, the greater running community all know about it and where it is.
So is it the whole whimsical fiberglass city/statue identity celebration thing? Or would the realistic statues from my local Bluegrass Horsemania events be either more rinky dink vs pretentious?
Walter Bishop, my favorite character on Fringe and maybe all of television, regularly used a sensory deprivation tank. Of course for him it was to enhance psychedelic drugs. Or to aid in one of his experiments. I can see where AR might want to get away from all the noise for a bit.
I admire runners. Never wanted to join them. My daughter ran half pig relay one time with co-workers. She loved it.
Deja Vu one of the best albums ever. If you have not watched Laurel Canyon documentary on Amazon, definitely recommend it.
I think the sensory deprivation tank is the same thing as those floating pod things. I've done one of those - they give you the option of having dim lights and music playing. They're sort of disorienting at first, but I did find it relaxing overall.
Are any of you runners? When I was in my 40's I had a friend who insisted I run with her. She ran several miles a day. She got me up to a couple of miles and by doing that I reached the "runner's high". After about a mile, or maybe less, I suddenly felt weightless, and I felt like a bird flying. I didn't want to stop. It's an amazing feeling and I wish I had kept it up.
Wow, no way could I stay in the dark that long, well, at least not alone... Oftentimes I feel I'm in the dark when I'm in the light. I'm a Florida girl, need sunlight.
Love the picture of the kids. They look so very happy. You can't ask for anything more as a dad. You have done so well.
U.C. - They really did well last game. My biggest impression was Free Throws! 21 of 24. They're not called 'free' for nothing. Use them! This will get you wins. Especially when other teams press too much in the end trying to catch up, or just get ahead. Haven't seen this since Bob Huggins' days. Kudos!! Free Throws won that game IMO.
Curfews. My dad would ask what time we were going to be home. We knew if we gave a smart ass remark, we were staying home that night. So we had to say something we knew he would agree to. And since we chose it, we sure as hell better be back by that time. Brilliant. I ended up doing that with my own kids.
Well Doc, seems my dad and your dad used the same, uh, parenting manual when it came to haircuts. Shoot, mine wasn't even as nice as "Sabes", it was more like simply shaved off by my mom with one of those DIY haircut kits at home in the basement. Yikes! Definitely kept the basball cap on in public - even tried arguing with teachers in school who made me take my cap off. Answer to the question: "what did dad stand on and die" with me? Respect for my elders - most especially my mother right through the day he died. "Take care of your mother..." Hair issue was stupid, but respect for elders and others was certainly an important lesson to stand on. Check with my daughter on that.
Great lesson. Thank your dad for what he left for you as a gift...that's what a good man is made of in my book..respect for others.
Beautiful couple. Best of luck to Ruby hoofing up and down the challenging terrain. Her dedication to running and capacity for endurance are enviable. Don't know how marathoners ward off the demons that scream "Enough! Enough!" The Pig is a premier event of which Cincinnati can be proud. The race operators deserve tremendous credit for running a great race on all levels, as does Julie Isphording, who made local distance running cool.
A comment on yesterday's TML: Nice words about Hickory. Played 18 on Sunday mornings and 9 on weeknights in a league for several years. It's a beautiful place to spend a morning. It's a great value and Denny's team keeps the course in great shape, as he has since he built it in the 80's. Good luck getting your approach shot to stick on #10. Questions: have you ever made the #18 green in two? On #12 do you hit your drive to the top of the hill or to the valley beyond? Local yokel- can't let Doc go on thinking he's on Wards Corner when he makes the left on Kroger. That's Loveland-Miamiville and it turns into Paxton Road at the church. You cross Wards Corner at the fire station. :)
I've met several people when traveling that regularly come to Cincinnati for the Flying Pig. Most said it is their favorite race. They really enjoy the city and the friendly people, and appreciate that it is fun and not pretentious. I always hated running and definitely prefer weight training.
I can definitely relate to the haircut issue. My dad's favorite line after I got a haircut was 'which one'. I went to St. X so it wasn't as big of an issue when I was in high school because we couldn't have hair over the collar or ears. It was tough to play in a rock band with short hair. On top of that, it was curly and would frizz out whenever I started to sweat. I was really happy when Roger Daltrey made curly hair popular at Woodstock. When I went away to college, I finally let my hair grow out and it looked just like his. My life changed dramatically. Who knew how important hair was for building self esteem and having girls notice you.
I can so relate to the hating of my curly hair. My cousin used to call me carrot top. Now it's short and I try to straighten it as much as possible. Sad we can't be happy with what we are born with. Life would be so much easier, yeah.
Being youngest of five boys, first born in '49 and who left rural Indiana for Xavier in '67. Good Lord do I remember the holiday knockdowns about his hair from our Marine father, and the next brother and the next .... To my great fortune, by the time my freak flag unfurled in '75 my folks were just too damn tuckered to die on that hill. I actually told them I was going to Young Republican meetings on Wednesdays when I borrowed the wagon to drive country roads with my buds swilling 3.2 and smoking skunk weed jamming everything from Beatles to Nazareth. I don't think they believed me, they just couldn't stay up late enough to battle boy 5.0.
As for the dark therapy, who in the hell does anyone think they are to criticize another's quest as long as it's not harming anyone else?
When I was a kid, my parents made me get the high/tight for years. I outgrew Mom in 4th grade, Dad in 9th. The summer after my tenth grade year, I figured I was big enough that they couldnt stop me, so I decided I to grow it out.
Me: Just to see what it looks like.
Parents: Looks dumb. That's what it looks like.
I didn't cut it again until I lost a bet over the OSU-Michigan game my junior year of college, but that wasn't before I got the chance to fill in for a friend's bowling league on base at Wright-Patt AFB.
Whenever someone on his team called in sick or drunk, they called me in. I was 6'1", 320lbs with long long LONG LONG hair pulled into pigtails, just for effect.
The Airforce folk were not amused.
Problem for them was that, along with the long hair, I had a 217 average. I was pretty dang good. So, not only did they hate "the hippie kid from the local college," they had to keep their mouths shut because I beat the pants off of every one of them.
Nothing against the military. I never served, but lots of friends and family did and they have all my respect and admiration. It was just a stupid thing that dumb, long-haired me did when he was a dumb college kid.
One of the AF officers told me once, after I had eviscerated him in the weekly league , "I hope it all falls out some day."
Three years later, he got his wish, and God has been cutting my hair ever since.
Truth be told, I prefer it this way. #BaldIsBeautiful #NoBadHairDays
My Pops (gone 10 years now and I still talk to him most every night) had two things he never let us forget. First, never quit. We could sign up for whatever we wanted, but once we signed up, quitting wasn’t an option. Ever. So what if I got hit in the eye by a pop-up, playing right field, off the coaches bat in pregame? You don’t quit. Boy Scouts not for you? Too bad, don’t quit. Not ever. Second, he taught us that hard work never hurt anybody. He used to say “If a man pays you $2 to do a job, you better give him $3 worth of effort. Every day.” And those are the two things that have gotten me through life so far (I’m 62 now).
Grades....my dad was ridiculous about grades. Not mine, mind you, I was the youngest and learned from the middle child who went before me. She and my father argued constantly about grades, especially, if she, at any time, got a C on anything. She spent the last nine weeks of her senior year grounded over a C in pre-Calculus. Not sure if the penalty for the infraction was for the grade or the fact the previous summer when at our Nana's in Indiana, she had found one of his high school report cards in the attic. Suffice it to say, he had a couple of grades somewhere south of C and she called him out on it. Despite this act of defiance and, maybe because of it, she has always been his favorite. :-)
Daughters tend to be dad's favorite, and sons, mom's.
Running is a punishment, not a sport. Miss a free throw? Take a lap. Don't box out? On the line. I was never fast, but at least I didn't have to be slow for long distances. Runners in general and marathoners in particular astonish me.
My never-ending battle was with my mom - who had to be mother AND father in our house - over what time to be home. Whatever curfew was, it was too early in my opinion. When I came from my freshman year of college after nine months with no curfew, we had some epic go-grounds. "Look, I'm an adult and I can..." "just close your mouth if you like eating, sleeping and having your laundry done here." "But..." "No buts." "How is that fair?" "I never said anything about fair. I said this is the rule in my house." And on and on. Of course she was right, but I was determined to out-stubborn her.
I couldn't. She was and is the champ.
Ruby most likely will not improve on her NYM time of 4:24. I've run both and New York provides logistical challenges ( getting a bus to Staten Island at 4 am) but no where near the elevation changes that she'll find at the PIG. The climb to the top of Mt. Adams comes about midway and is a killer. The field is capped at the 30K mark as that is the number that can be handled at the start and finish and also provide for services along the course. It is truly the best sporting event in Town. I will say there is nothing like being on the Veranzano bridge with 50,000 other people running. The entrance into Manhattan is pretty cool too. Good Luck Ruby
Magical. I told my younger brother that Pt One was so good it was almost holy.
The name Flying Pig - and I first heard it about 10 years ago - has always struck me as extremely rinky dink and it’s pretentious in its own way. First tier marathons, Chicago, New York, Boston have no need for that kind of a thing.
You are missing the point of The Pig, Nancy. It is intended to be a fun race for the every day runners not for the running elite. Prize money was minimal If you are not from Cincy, the name is from the Flying Pig statue commissioned for our bicentennial in 1988 that had four flying pigs on a smokestack in the then new park. It was meant to evoke our heritage as a large pork producer (nickname of Porkopolis) and a center of industry. Many people hated the whimsy of the statue. When Bob Coughlin started the marathon, he chose the Flying Pig to represent the city.
I recently found the poster that they commissioned for the early Pig days. As a Cincinnatian who lives in Chicago, and has been gone for 20+ years, I hadn’t rushed to do anything with it. Two years ago I had it framed and it hangs in my kitchen, all art deco flying pig with Union Terminal behind it. It’s both a city pride and a runner thing and the race really does attract runners who appreciate its uniqueness!
That's just always been my gut reaction - from the first time I heard it. And honestly, I was kind of embarrassed for the city.
Fom the outside lookikng in, I can see that point of view. It's a weird parochialism we have here in the Republic. Funny what we latch on to and keep close. I look at like calling a bald guy Curly or a fat guy Slim. Cincinnati will have an elite marathon when pigs fly. So here we are.
There is one longer enduring ... if not even endearing, local event the Pig symbolizes ... righting the unrightable wrongs, beating the unbeatable foes, bearing the unbearable sorrows and keep dreaming The Impossible Dream ...
https://images.app.goo.gl/r1REBsB3duRHJgfu8
I think the name is kind of cool and ties into the city's history nicely.
Of course it could be the Cincinnati Marathon, but that's just kind of boring. Besides, all of those marathons you mentioned have big sponsorship names tied to them - I'd much rather have a unique name for the race. And after 20 years, the greater running community all know about it and where it is.
Are pig pride party packages pretentious too?
https://365cincinnati.com/big-pig-gig/
Just rinky dink.
So is it the whole whimsical fiberglass city/statue identity celebration thing? Or would the realistic statues from my local Bluegrass Horsemania events be either more rinky dink vs pretentious?
While having father to son talks during dinner about various subjects, usually things like haircuts, my dad’s famous saying was:
As long as your knees are under my table and my roof is over your head….
Walter Bishop, my favorite character on Fringe and maybe all of television, regularly used a sensory deprivation tank. Of course for him it was to enhance psychedelic drugs. Or to aid in one of his experiments. I can see where AR might want to get away from all the noise for a bit.
I admire runners. Never wanted to join them. My daughter ran half pig relay one time with co-workers. She loved it.
Deja Vu one of the best albums ever. If you have not watched Laurel Canyon documentary on Amazon, definitely recommend it.
I think the sensory deprivation tank is the same thing as those floating pod things. I've done one of those - they give you the option of having dim lights and music playing. They're sort of disorienting at first, but I did find it relaxing overall.
I did watch. Loved. Amazed at how much creativity flowed