December 20, 2009 The holidays are no excuse to overindulge in sweets Last week the Sights & Sounds 5K was held on Saturday afternoon for a good group of San Marcos and central Texas runners. Overall champions were Zachery Behler for the men in 21:15 and Rachel Harville for the women in 24:40. For the women, Catherine Marler took first in the 15-19 age group; Dino Occhialini took first for the men in 35:28 and Gino Occhialini was second in 40:35. The women’s 20-29 age group had Cely Smart in first with a time of 31:40; Jessica Bowers in second in 40:31 and Elizabeth DeLeon third in 40:35. For the men, Justin Heedker took first, Kevin Sladek was second in 29:24 and Ken O’Kane had third in 29:34. In the 30-39 age group for the women, Liesela Austin took first place with a 30:28 time; Alyssa Long managed a second place in 33:00 and Tiffany Saenz was third in 34:00. There were no men runners in that age group. Ros Hill took first in the male 40-49 age group with a 44:50 time. For the women, Charkene Wilder had first with a 30:38; Anita Long took second in 32:52, and third place went to Laura Mason in 32:58. In the 50-59 age group, for the women Julie Symon Kantz had first in 27:30; Teresa Medina took second in 32:31 and Cindy Shannon-Lee was third in 32:50. The men in that age class were a competitive group that ran together for much of the race, with Robert Duran taking first in 23:55; Phil Sladek was second in 24:47 and Robert Kantz took third in 27:45. Rounding out the 60-69 age group was Eva Sanders in first for the women in 30:49 and Ronnie Murphey in first for the men in 39:19. Organizers hope for a larger turnout next year, and maybe a different starting time so the runners and Sights & Sounds volunteers will be crossing the foot bridges at different times. It was a very popular race many years ago, and it may take a little more time to get all of the runners back for this fun race. I had mentioned the problem of too much food over the holidays, and that runners tend to do better as long as they keep running. The Christmas Lights Fun Run was a good start; and about 25 runners took part in seeing the decorations along San Antonio and Belvin streets. Then, after the run, they had a nice gathering to talk “runners talk” at the Activity Center and to share some food. While most of the food was on the healthy side, there were a few items that probably added some calories besides being so tasty and sweet. Does it really make a difference what you eat, as long as you keep active either walking, running, biking, playing golf and stuff like that? In the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter there was an article that is quite timely on this subject. The article discussed the question of how much a person has to walk or run to burn those calories off. It made for some interesting reading. The article had the weight of various individuals and the amount of time needed to get rid of the calories from eating snacks. The typical weights listed included 125 pounds, 175 pounds and 225 pounds. The 125-pound person had to run or walk for a longer time than the 225-pound individual as it comes down to moving more poundage. For the average 175-pound person, the difference between eating an apple and a Snickers bar had that person walking for 48 minutes for the candy and 20 minutes for the apple. Drinking a root beer soda required a 27-minute walk or an 11-minute run, while a person drinking water didn’t have to run at all. A Starbucks Caffè Mocha required a walker going 48 minutes, and the regular coffee drinker, with a tablespoon of half and half and a teaspoon of sugar, moving for 7 minutes; runners moved for 20 minutes or 3 minutes. How about a glazed doughnut versus a piece of toast and jam? The doughnut takes walking 42 minutes and running 18 minutes, and the toast requires walking 22 minutes or 9 minutes of running. Even with those few examples, it lets you know that, if you are going to eat and expect to keep the weight off, be very selective with what you choose. Then determine if you are really willing to walk or run as long as it takes to keep it off the belt line. Have a Happy Holiday season; and think thin and run long. Dr. Maurice Johnson - better known around San Marcos as “Moe” - is a professor in the Department of Health, P.E., Recreation and Dance at Texas State University - San Marcos. Moe has been a fixture in the San Marcos running community - both as a runner and race organizer - since way back when Moby Dick was a minnow. His column on running and fitness appears each Sunday in the Sports section of the San Marcos Daily Record. • Recent “Running With Moe” Columns • Home • About the Club • Current News • Club Runs • Places To Run • TX Running Clubs • Running Links • Useful Stuff Upcoming Races • Race Results • Country Roads 10K & Kids Run • ARA-Moe’s Better Half Marathon • “Running With Moe” Contact Us!