Bring on the heat

The NBA playoffs, the weather and the Center's basketball league all heat up in May. Some say the Miami Heat are the team to beat in the NBA, but there is not a clear cut favorite in the Center's league. The parity and excitement of the league is evident with numerous games being decided by last second buzzer beaters and desperation shots. Any team can win on any given night, and there are no easy games.

Halfway through the season, Cortez Kat Charters, Ross Built Construction, Walter & Associates, The Island Sun and LaPensee Plumbing will all be the teams the others are shooting for. These teams have set the bar and only time will tell if they can maintain their lead.

Adult co-ed kickball schedule:

May 19, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
Ross Built Construction VS. Jessie's Island Store

May 19, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Beach to Bay Construction VS. Slim's Place

Adult co-ed kickball week #3 results:

Beach to Bay Construction – 0
Jessie's Island Store – 2

Slim's Place – 1
Ross Built Construction - 6

Baseball Schedule:

Tee ball:

May 21, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.
Gulf Bay Realty VS. Air & Energy

May 21, Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Gulf Bay Realty VS. Beach to Bay Construction

Pitching Machine:

May 21, Saturday, noon
Cedar's Tennis & Fitness Club VS. Island Real Estate

Basketball Schedule:

Instructional League:

May 20, Friday, 6 p.m.
Coastal Orthopedics VS. Beach Bums

May 21, Saturday, 5 p.m.
Beach Bums VS. West Coast Air

May 24, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Coastal Orthopedics VS. West Coast Air

Division III (8-9-year-old):

May 20, Friday, 7 p.m.
Anna Maria Oyster Bar VS. Cortez Kat Charters

May 21, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Anna Maria Oyster Bar VS. Agnelli Pool & Spa LLC

Division II (10-11-year-old):

May 18, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Sandbar Restaurant VS. Connie's Landscaping

May 20, Friday, 8 p.m.
Beach Bistro VS. Southern Greens

May 21, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Southern Greens VS. Sandbar Restaurant

May 21, Saturday, 3 p.m.
Connie's Landscaping VS. Ross Built Construction

Division I (12-13-year-old):

May 18, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Holy Cow Ice Cream VS. Walter & Associates

May 19, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Eat Here VS. Walter & Associates

May 21, Saturday, 12 p.m.
Eat Here VS. Holy Cow Ice Cream

May 21, Saturday, 1 p.m.
E Training Solutions VS. Walter & Associates

May 23, Monday, 7 p.m.
Holy Cow Ice Cream VS. A Paradise Realty

Premier League (14-17-year-old):

May 18, Wednesday, 8 p.m.
Rotten Ralph's VS. Dip's Ice Cream

May 21, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Dip's Ice Cream VS. Island Sun newspaper

May 21, Saturday, 11 a.m.
Rotten Ralph's VS. LaPensee Plumbing

May 23, Monday, 8 p.m.
Island Sun newspaper VS. Rotten Ralph's

May 24, Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Island Sun newspaper VS. LaPensee Plumbing

The question of running on the beach

If you ask runners if running on the beach is a good idea, the jury will be split. Runners will be about as opinionated as they are about their running shoes. So I'll approach this week's topic by trying to gingerly stick my big toe in the water, which after a hot run on the beach is about as close to heaven as a runner can get. Ooops, I think I've tipped my visor.

We moved here for many reasons, ranging from living as close to the beach as possible, to living as close to the beach as possible. Our first house had a great view looking across Bayfront Park with unobstructed views of Tampa Bay. That alone sold us.

After we'd signed the contract, my hubby said, "Let's take a walk down the street." Six blocks away was the wood boardwalk that took us up to the panoramic view at Bean Point. If you haven't been there, don't leave the Island until you do. As we climbed the boardwalk ramp under the whispering Australian pines, we just looked at each other and gasped, "Oh my!" We had no idea this was walking distance from our new home.

I have run that path many times. Sometimes, I'll only run down the crushed shell trail to the boardwalk. Other times I'll get a little hill workout by running up and down the fairly steep ramps leading to and from the flat part of the boardwalk. But my favorite run is right on the beach. My only rule is I won't run if the beach is too sloped. I have an app on my IPhone, or you can Google tide charts to find out when low tide is. I try to run at low tide because it usually carves out a flat section of beach right at the shoreline.

Some runners say, "I never run on the beach because it hurts my feet, knees or hips." I find this to be true if the shoreline and where you run is sloped from high tides. Another objection is the sand is too loose. Again, by running closer to the shoreline at low tide, you also have firmer sand that is soft enough to support your feet, but not too soft.

After my stress fracture in my arch a few years ago, I began trying to run on only soft surfaces. That can be the lush trails at Robinson Preserve or Emerson Point, or even crushed shell parking lots at Manatee Beach or Bayfront Park. But when the weather and beach conditions are just right, nothing beats running at Manatee Beach alongside a manatee or a mama dolphin and her babies. Paradise and running don't get any better.

Update on my book

The publisher sent me the final proof of my book, "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," last week. The first printing is scheduled for this week. The book is available for pre-sale on Amazon.com. My publisher told me one order came in from Canada for 500 copies the first week, and sales are robust!

As I mentioned previously, the doctor who wrote the foreword to my book, Dr. Neal Barnard, was the star of a Dr. Oz show recently. He and some other plant-based doctors, researchers and athletes appeared on the show promoting a new movie, "Forks Over Knives," as in surgical knives.

The movie was produced by a patient who, like so many people, had reversed heart disease and achieved tremendous weight loss and other health benefits by switching to a plant-based diet. The producer was so incensed that none of his regular doctors suggested changing his diet before medication/surgery, he made the movie.

If you're interested in scheduling a book-signing, contact me for availability. I've been told I can attend every vegetarian festival in the US and abroad, so grab the local/yocal while you can. Next week, I'll tell you my fave restaurants for local vegetarian fare.

Islander Ellen Jaffe Jones is also the author of "Eat Vegan on $4 a Day," which has just gone on Amazon.com for pre-sales. For training in a gym or private hire, she can be reached at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.

Island resident Ellen Jaffe Jones is an accomplished endurance runner, cookbook author, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America certified personal trainer and RRCA certified running coach. For coaching or training, she can be reached at ejones@vegcoach.com or 941-704-1025.