Thursday night brought a healthy crowd of 40 runners out to RunnersWorld to conquer the summer sauna. Coulda been hotter, but hey, who's complaining, right? There were a few regulars missing, and we'll make them run extra laps Saturday.

(You know I'm kidding!)




Jenni without a hat. I almost didn't recognize her! Kim in her new green outfit delivers on a request for a silly picture.



Ed does a little shopping before the run.

Actually, I think he was trying to find the articles of clothing borrowed by the bunny slipper kidnapper. Bobby actually correctly identified the articles and the retail cost of those items. I am assuming the kidnappers will be pleased with this?? No further clues were left, but I am sure they will have some demands to be met. Stay tuned....

Upon leaving for a run, a huge cloud did it's best to give us a little shade.

Trail Zombie showing his usual lack of maturity.
By the time we had gone one mile, the sun burned it's way through the cloud cover and the heat was on. An occasional breeze gave a little relief. But if you run fast enough, you'll make your own breeze!

Only one newcomer tonight.... Ryan came with his sister Lisa. Ryan ran a spirited pace and will come back for more, I am sure.





He also won a $30 gift certificate in our weekly drawing.

Way to go!!

That's hot

And it was yesterday!! But did 98 degrees keep 45 RunnersWorld runners from coming out for their Tuesday night run???? No. It only made them stronger.

We had more 1st timers join us for some miles. I am always impressed when people take the first step to being fit. And to start their journey on a hot day like yesterday is even more awesome.

To the left, Jen introduces herself. Larry and Marvin to her left are old-timers, not newcomers.
Next is Julia....glad to have you.







And to the right is Gwen, who was a little camera shy, but the paparazzi manages to sneak a pic.




As always, we did a little warm-up walk around the bears. There was no problem warming up!


Two skinny guys and Brian pound out some fast miles.

Carmie tells Mike how she dusted Ken in the final few yards of tonights run. Deon practices his charm on Simone.

Finally, please do not forget about our kidnapped bunny slipper. I hope this case can be solved really soon. Our task this week is to identify if possible what articles of apparel he/she had borrowed from the store for this photo, and total the retail cost. Supposedly he has arranged for a reward for finding that total. I truly hope they do not carry out their threat to lop off an ear!!

Be cool out there, and see you Thursday!! :-)

Running at 5:45 am

5:45 am. That's early. Or for some people, that just means they have to stay up just a little bit longer. Sleep is over-rated.

Starting a little earlier allowed us to get in a couple more miles before the oppressing heat set in. A crowd of runners gathered at Veterans Park for their weekend long run. The Tulsa Run group is growing as well.

While awaiting directions for the morning route, Bobby had a winged visitor soil his hat!

Zink Lake was glassy smooth, indicating the total lack of any kind of breeze this morning. Linda and Jenni pause for a Kodak moment.

Kelly was attentive on her morning miles and uncovered another demand from the bunny slipper kidnapper. I think the kidnappers are getting impatient and are definitely capable of unthinkable acts. This demand was printed on the back of the above deplorable photograph. So now it seems these terrorists want us to do some price shopping. How long must we play by their rules?!?

It's just gonna keep warming up. Please do not neglect to drink drink drink when exercising in the heat. Water is your friend. And, if you're sweating profusely (and who isn't?) you need to take in some sodium to replace what you're losing by drinking Gatorade or another similar sports drink. Also, some salty chips or pretzels will reload your system with what you've lost. Have a great week!

More news

I am not sure if this is a clue, but this photo was mailed to RunnersWorld today along with a small tuft of blue fur that may have been from our bunny slipper. This may be a tip as to where the bunny is, where a clue is, where we'll meet to negotiate, or maybe where yet another clue is. Be on the lookout for this tree.



Turns out this was indeed a clue in the bunny slipper abduction case. The photo was passed around before our run tonight. Some were skeptical, but some studied the photo long and hard. Marvin studied the photo for a few minutes, and then announced it was an x-ray of his knees.

Bobby was awarded a nice Sunmart hat for his keen eye in finding last Tuesday's clue.






Then it was out the door to run. It was hot, but hey....we're getting used to it, right?? Some went six miles, some went three. Some people like me went 4.455 miles. Why?? Just because!











Simone comes breezing back towards the store, having uncovered yet another clue in the bunny slipper case! Good detective work!!Jenni brought her brother Joseph tonight to run with us. We hope you come back!

Carmie and Sonya taking it easy. Carmie seems to have recovered nicely from her El Scorcho run.

Ruth and Jamie hanging out and rehydrating after their run.

Here is what was discovered hidden in the tree with the knots.
It looks like a tree with some buildings in the background. Given the riddle printed on the other side, it seems as though we are to try to find the tree, the building? Hopefully it'll be clear on Saturday. (Clicking on the picture will blow up the size so it can be read. Plus, you'll get a close-up of Simone! ;-) )Thank you again Simone for your help in finding our kidnapped bunny slipper!

New rules for the shirt alert: there will be a drawing ONCE A WEEK. Check with Kathy for more complete details. Be sure to wear your RunnersWorld shirts to have a chance to win some really great prizes. Tonight, Marvin won a $30 gift certificate. That'll buy a whole boatload of GU.

Tuesday 7/22

In the spotlight Tuesday were CARMIE and CINDY. These ladies just got back from El Scorcho, a 50K in Ft Worth, TX. According to the El Scorcho website, it was "Dark. Steamy. Hot. Sweaty." This was the 1st ultra-marathon for these girls El Scorcho is a 31.1 mile race in which they started at midnight and ran 3.1 mile loops ALL NIGHT LONG, finishing in just a little over 6 hours....6:18 to be exact. The temps were in the upper 70s, but the humidities were sky high, making for an awful heat index. Carmie and Cindy trained together faithfully, getting in ample miles during the week and on Saturday. When they were not running along the river in 90 degree heat, they were power-walking, moving at a pace faster than run pace. They did their homework and aced their test! I hope to post their report and some pictures in the next few days.

Tonight we had 3 newcomers run with us.















Pictured above are Jamie, David, and Jeff at the bottom. We're glad to have you out to run with us!



Then we were off and running. It was a good night to sweat, drink, and sweat some more.

Marvin claims to be #1, while Steve shows a pair of fives.








Ed comes up short with a pair of twos.




















Dana, Kathy, Roman, and Patty make up the last group of runners.

Kathy is A. Almost to do a face-plant after tripping on the last plank on the bridge. B. Doing the Village People's "YMCA" dance routine. C. Breathing in the refreshing air that drifts over from across the river.

Bobby, sleuthful detective that he is, found another ransom note from the bunny slipper kidnapper.






It seems that we are finally getting told what the kidnapper's demands are. It also is clear that he/she has awful feet, and a sick appetite. Anchovy flavored Shot Bloks????? YUK!!!

Saturday at the Mohawk 5000

Saturday part of our running army was deployed to Mohawk to run the Mohawk 5000. (Doesn't running 5000 meters sound more impressive that running a 5K?) We went for a little warm-up run before the race. The course for the race was pancake flat....
a good course to run a PR.

A real fast guy and a real slow guy.





Marilyn cruises early on in the race.

Meg making it look easy.





Jenni and Linda having too much fun.

Deon.... faster than a speeding camera shutter!




Suzanne crosses the finish line.

Kim comes cruising in.















Bobby running like he's in another world.











The ladies of RunnersWorld.

And the rest of the gang.

Here's a good tip....when running a race--always remember to finish. Our own Coach Kathy ran the 5000, but forgot to cross the finish line. She did eventually finish in 58:08 though, and no doubt will better that in her next 5K.

The bunny slipper kidnapper said he was hiding a clue in cyber space, and from the sound of it, it may be hidden somewhere in this blog. Good luck! See yall Tuesday!