PUBLISHED 04/01/2008
Is there way you celebrate after a long run?
Running allows me to eat things that I want to eat. Not things that are bad for me per se but things I want to eat. I am not afraid of putting on a great deal of weight, at least at this age with all the exercise I do. I am not one of those to just eat rice cakes and arugula salad all the time. I do eat chicken, I eat soup, I eat crackers. I don't feel guilty about going to a restaurant and ordering something.
Is there anything in your gym bag that would surprise people?
No, I couldn't be more basic. Literally I brush my teeth, brush my hair in the morning. Put on my sneakers, shirt and shorts. I don't pay much attention to appearance at the gym. I'm a fan of the gym. You can go there and be yourself. I'm a no frills guy.
Is there one part of running that's hard?
I don't think there's one part that is hard. The last half a mile or 500 yards was the most difficult. You're near the end yet you can't get there. You're not there yet. That's when I feel it. If I was doing 5 miles it occurs at 4.8. I'm almost there but I got to do the last two. I start thinking about the finish line. As opposed to at mile 2 you're not thinking about the [finish line]. I think the end of the run, believe it or not, is the time when I recognize that I'm running opposed to in the middle or the beginning ... I have a finish line in mind. I am going to accomplish that and that's it. Whatever it is.
Is there a comparison between baseball and running?
The comparison is that baseball is a long season, a marathon, it's not a sprint. That's way I look at life now. You just need to be consistently solid over a long period of time and you'll end up winning the game. In the case of baseball winning the World Series. I am in this for the long haul. That's how I look at it. There are no miracles. It's not something you can cure overnight as far as heart disease or obesity.
What advice would you give other runners?
My advice to people who ask about running or how the heck do you do it is to always start slow. Don't set goals in the beginning. And give it time. Eventually if you have the patience to persevere, barring injury, you'll fall in love with it. It really is a love affair you have with it.
