his column takes a look at the year through a runner's eyes and legs. Sometimes whimsical, sometimes serious and I hope always entertaining. Originally published monthly in the Newsletter in 2000, they have been updated to fit the races and seasons for this year. This issue will cover the two months, April and May. [ Disclaimer: I have no pretentions of being an expert at anything, but I've certainly been around the block a time or two.]

Advice from Papa Bear

April: Rounding Papa Bear says: When training, we round our training mileage UP. So naturally 5.7 miles becomes 6 miles in your running log. When racing, we round our finishing times DOWN. So when asked our time after a 3:10:57 marathon we say "3:10", or to be really brazen to non-runner friends we might say "three hours and change". Note how useful the expression "and change" is, use it often. Did you know that the Boston Marathon rounds your time down when checking if you qualified! Yes, if you need to run a 3:40 to get in, and you do a 3:40:59, Your in!

May: Rest Papa Bear says: As you get on in years, consider taking an extra day (or 2) off each week. The extra rest may actually improve your performance. Rearrange your mileage into longer runs with more days off in between. Papa Bear trained just 4 days a week between 1995 and the mid 2000s, during which time he ran 9 marathons and qualified for Boston three times. Rest works! Try it.