I’m not the fastest runner in the world. Actually, I should probably say “Jogger”—as my 8 minute miles are more like 12 these days. I am dedicated, however; two and a half miles a day- six days a week. Following in the footsteps of my father, (so to speak) I also keep track of my exercise, writing down my miles and times- everyday.
That’s why this past week was so alarming. I usually run on the track at the JCC. 40 laps equals my 2 ½ miles. On a good day—I’ll make it between 29 and 30 minutes. On a slow day- it may climb to 32 or 33. One day- this past week- I finished my run—and noticed it took more than 36 minutes. “Boy, I must be having a bad week”, I told my wife. “Maybe there’s something wrong with your watch or your tally counter,” she said. “Yeah, maybe”, I replied like a typical husband—and thought no more about it.
Then on Thursday- another run. This time- I felt great—passing folks- getting that “second wind”- that “Runners High”—(or “Joggers” High). And when I finished—33:15!
Now, I’m getting upset. I really pushed it—and still no progress. After the run, I decided to check my little hand tally counter. It is a brand new YELLOW one I found on the web last summer. I clicked off 10 laps—and suddenly noticed—that somewhere between the “5” and the “7”-- the clicker “clicked”—but the numbers didn’t “move”. Oh, they finally moved—but only after another click or two. Yes, I was probably logging close to 3 miles—to finish my two and a half!
The Good News—I lost a half pound this week. The Bad News—I had to admit to my wife that the new “spiffy” Yellow tally counter I ordered on the internet- wasn’t so “spiffy” after all. It looked different, but it wasn’t doing the job.
I did call the manufacturer and tried to explain the problem. They said- “We’ll look into it and call you back!” Yeah, sure! I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, I called every store I could think of- to no avail. In this age of treadmills and ellipticals, not many of us runners JOGGERS- tend to use tally counters anymore. Then I remembered my high school days at Penfield- when one local sporting goods store would actually come to the school to sell us baseball gloves and athletic supplies. “I wonder if Jim Dalberth Sports Goods is still in business,” I thought. Well, I looked them up! They are. They carry tally counters. $6.95-plus tax. And you know what—the shipping- alone- for my special yellow “gem”—was more than that!
From Dalberth’s—directly to the JCC to try it out! Yeah- 40 laps in 29:42. “I’m Back!” So now, I’ll just wait for the call from the internet company—about the “warranty” on my yellow “special.” I’ll wait for the call—but something tells me-- “Don’t Count On It!”
-Don Alhart, Associate News Director
