Running Zaidy

How long did it take?  As a runner I get lots of questions. Some of them are funny, some are based on misinformation, and some provoke thought. After the “knee” question this question is in second place. “So, how long did it take?”. It usually follows the question “How much did you run today?” or after running a full marathon.   After a marathon I sometimes answer “I tied for first in distance” but most of the time I answer that I have no idea how long it took. Really??? they’ll say. Yes, really. I don’t time my runs and haven’t for a very long time. I used to but got to the point where my day would be spoiled if I was off my pace from the previous day or if I didn’t beat my previous best time for a run. Then one day I decided that I would stop timing myself. It was the best decision I’ve made when it comes to running. I now run to run. I stop to take pictures; I talk to other runners. When I run on the mountain here in Montreal, I’ll usually stop to give directions to...

Upon finishing a marathon (26.2 Miles) every finisher receives a medal. On the back of the medal there is a space for engraving a name and finish time. After my finish in New York in November 2022 I debated whether to engrave my medal or not. Do I put my official time, or do I engrave “Six Months” because that is how long it took me to train. Then it dawned on me that the reason I started running was to control my high blood pressure without having to take medication. For me the marathon is a celebration for the good health I have enjoyed over the past nine and a half years. And I don’t take any medication anymore! So, what better way to commemorate my marathons than recording my numbers on my medal as in the pictures below. I hope to do it again this coming November! New York City Marathon November 2022 New York City Marathon November 2023 Laval Firefighters Marathon June 2024 New York City Marathon November 2024

 I just got back from Pasadena where I gave a talk about healthy eating and exercise from a Torah perspective. The event was very well organized and well attended. Many thanks to Chabad of Pasadena who hosted the event and especially to Rabbi Zushi Rivkin who arranged everything. And thank you to the Honokas who hosted me during my stay. The best feedback I got was hearing that 2 people started running after hearing my story. 

  I recently read a post where the author compared some life events to running a marathon. I’m guessing that he never ran a marathon. I’ve completed five since I started my running journey in 2016 at 59. I’m 67 now and as long as G-d gives me strength I hope to complete many more. From my perspective there really is nothing in my life experience that compares to running a marathon. I’ve planned events for 400 people, I’ve done Pesach many many times, I built a software company. Nothing I’ve done can physically and emotionally match running 26.2 miles. I would say that we should look at it the other way around from the authors perspective. That is, rather than comparing life to a marathon we should use the marathon as a model to help navigate life. Let me explain. A marathon is 26.2 miles. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. What the spectator is seeing when they watch and cheer the runners is actually the end of the marathon. The real marathon started months before race da...

  First of all, welcome to the wonderful world of running! The only sport that has no half time, bench, seventh inning stretch etc. As we say: running is a mental sport, and we are all insane! Here is some advice I can give you. Most of this I learned the hard way. The most important thing is to get the proper shoes. You should go to a running store to get them. Not a general sports store. The salespeople in those stores are probably kids doing summer jobs and know nothing about runners. At a running store most of the people are runners so they will know what they are talking about. They will analyze your gait and suggest the best shoes. In my case I pronate which means when my foot falls it tilts inward. So, I wear a stability shoe. Some of the shoe brands are Brooks, Asics, Saucony, Mizuno, Hoka etc. I am wearing Brooks and Saucony now. I used to use Asics, but I was having some leg pain issues during long runs, so I switched, and the pain went away. When choosing a shoe make...

Pre Disposition You are trying to convince someone to put up a Mezuzah. He is not interested. You say that the Mezuzah protects the home. He answers, “I have a friend who is religious, he has a Mezuzah on every door, yet he’s been robbed 3 times in the last 2 years; why would I put one up?”. Someone tells you “Look at so and so, he’s been working for 50 years yet doesn’t make a living, why should I work”. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? So, why is it that when we hear about an exerciser and health buff who dies young we say “Look at him, exercising and watching what he eats all his life, and he dropped dead, and look at me, never exercised, eat what I want, and I’m fine” These arguments and rationalizations don’t really hold water. A Mitzvah is incumbent on an individual. We can’t compare ourselves to someone else. We must put up the Mezuzah because it’s a Mitzvah, we must work because it’s a Mitzvah, and we must live healthy because it’s a Mitzvah. What someone else experiences does...