Get outside - a visual guide!

It's spring and a wonderful time of year to be outside.  Perhaps you are looking for ideas of where to go, for inspiration for a new hobby or project, or some fellow enthusiasts.

Whether you like gardening, bicycling, hiking, photography, or nature our visual guide will link you to books, resources, and people to help you pursue your passion.

Click here or on the photo below to get started.
It will take you to a site called flickr.
  



Get outside!

  
 

Bike to Work Day

National Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 18th, part of the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Month, & you are invited to be part of Albuquerque's celebrations!

From the folks at Bike Hub New Mexico: "Get Fit, Look Good, Save Money on Gas: Bike To Work Day, brought to you by the City of Albuquerque and BikeABQ, is a morning of events to celebrate, encourage, and give a 'leg up' to people biking to work. Food stops will be located throughout Albuquerque and in Rio Rancho and Los Lunas, with goodies including T-shirts, leg bands, patch kits, cycling safety and commuter info and much more, while supplies last."


To read more about Bike to Work Day in Albuquerque, visit these sites:

Bike Hub New Mexico

Bicycling - from the City of Albuquerque website

To view items about bicycle touring, racing, trails, design, & more, visit the library catalog.

America's Favorite Pastime

The first day of spring not only signals the beginning of warmer weather across the United States, but it also begins the anticipation of opening day of Major League Baseball! We begin to look at rosters, pitching stats and whose rookie is going to be the breakout star of the year.  You start driving by the stadium more often and you can almost swear you can smell the hot dogs being prepared, even though the games are still a few weeks away.  The oiled baseball gloves come out of the closets, along with the giant fingers, baseball caps and jerseys, ready for the first game of the season. 

Opening day for 2012 is Thursday, April 5th, with seven games scheduled.  Several milestones will be celebrated this year.  The Boston Red Sox will be celebrating 100 years in Fenway Park on April 20th, on Friday April 6th the Baltimore Orioles will be celebrating 20 years at Camden Yards and Jackie Robinson Day will be held across the league on April 15th commemorating his start in baseball in 1947.  Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers April 10th home against the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the 50th anniversary of their first game at Dodger stadium and the New York Mets and the Houston astros will also be marking their 50 years in existence.  You can find game schedules for the first weekend of baseball from the MLB website.

Of course we here in Albuquerque are geared up for our local team the Albuquerque Isotopes beginning league play.  They also start out on Thursday, April 5th with an away game with the Omaha Storm Chasers and the first home game will be at Isotopes Park on Friday, April 13th at 7:05 pm also against Omaha. 

In the meantime here are some items to check out from the library to get you ready for opening day:

The House that Ruth Built: A New Stadium, A Yankees Championship and the Redemption of 1923 by Robert Weintraub

Stan Musial: An American Life by George Vecsey

Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway's Remarkable First Year by Glenn Stout

500 Ballparks: From Wooden Seats to Retro Classics by Eric Pastore

Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress by Harry Katz

But Didn't We Have Fun? : An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870 by Peter Morris

Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig

Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville

Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss

A Mile in His Shoes  DVD

Moneyball  DVD

The Last Play At Shea  DVD

The Natural  DVD

Field of Dreams  DVD

The Pride of the Yankees  DVD

For more sports titles, please visit our Booklists for Adults & Teens LibGuide, where you'll find a "Best Sports Reads" list.

...and they're off!

I realize a lot of you may be spending your free time watching championship football playoffs as we get closer & closer to the Super Bowl, but for those of you whose new year's resolutions include becoming more active, here are a couple of local sporting events you might want to give a whirl:


The 39th Annual Chama Ski Classic
January 14-16

39th Annual Cross Country Ski Events including both Freestyle & Classic Style Races; Snowshoe Race; Combined Ski/Snowshoe Events; at Windy Point, just below Cumbres Pass on Hwy 17.

They are planning a full weekend of fun events!

• Yurt & Ski tours
• Chile/Chili Contest
• Avalanche Rescue Clinic
• Telemark Skiing Clinic
• Afternoon Yoga
• Broom Hockey & Frisbee Golf
• Costume Contest
• Ski Waxing Clinic
• Beginner to Advanced XC Skiing Techniques Class
• Live Music & Beer Tasting 
• Awards Ceremonies

Duke City All-Comers Indoor Track & Field Meet
January 21, 2012

6-9pm
Admission: Free

Albuquerque Convention Center
401 2nd St NW

Open to any high school, age group, masters athlete able to participate.  Events include long jump, shot put, pole vault, high jump, sprint, hurdles & relay.

Duke City Marathon

The Duke City Marathon is October 23rd!  Are you ready to run?  There are many levels of participation open to you: the Marathon (be an overall winner, a masters winner, or win for your age group); the Marathon Relay; the Half Marathon Run; & the 10K & 5K Runs.  For those of us unable to run, there is also a 20K Walk & a 5K Walk.  Or, participate in the Miracle Mile, coordinated specifically to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors and the lives of loved ones who have lost their battle to cancer.

Here are the registration deadlines:

Saturday, October 15 (postmarked) - to register through the mail

Sunday, October 16 - to register in any Big 5 outside of Albuquerque

Wednesday, October 19 - to register at Big 5 or Defined Fitness locations in Albuquerque or Rio Rancho

Wednesday, October 19 at NOON - to register via fax (and still get the early registration fees)

Wednesday, October 19 at NOON - to register online (and still get the early registration fees)

Friday, October 21 at 11:59 pm - to register online (final online registration – late fees apply)

Saturday, October 22 at FitFest: Powered by Defined Fitness (the DCM health expo) at the ABQ Convention Center from 9:00am – 6:00pm

There is a Marathon Training Guide (requires Adobe Acrobat) on the website; however, be aware that this is a 12-week program.  If you have not been training, we don't recommend trying to run the marathon.

There will be a Post-Race Festival Downtown! The Post Race Festival will feature live entertainment with a performance by entertainers on Civic Plaza Main Stage, awards ceremonies, refreshments for participants, vendors, exhibits and breakfast food served by Blake’s Lotaburger.

If you are interested, there are also volunteer opportunities listed on the website!  You can also see a list of FAQs.

Here's a list of some of the favorite running books of library staff:

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Chris McDougall

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami

Barefoot Running Step by Step: Barefoot Ken Bob, the Guru of Shoeless Running, Shares his Personal Technique for Running with More Speed, Less Impact, Fewer Leg injuries, and More Fun by Ken Bob Saxton

The Complete Book of Running by James F. Fixx

Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running : The Best Advice to Get Started, Stay Motivated, Lose Weight, Run Injury-Free, Be Safe, and Train for Any Distance by Dagny Scott
Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway

Runner's World Complete Book of Beginning Running by Amby Burfoot

No Need for Speed : A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running by John "The Penguin" Bingham.

Run for Life: The Anti-Aging, Anti-Injury, Super-Fitness Plan to Keep you Running to 100 by Roy M. Wallack

ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running by Danny Dreyer with Katherine Dreyer

Also, consider watching:

My Run
After losing his wife to breast cancer and struggling to raise his children, real-life superhero and modern-day Forrest Gump Terry Hitchcock had an idea. He wanted to accomplish the impossible by running 75 consecutive marathons in 75 consecutive days to bring attention to the incredibly difficult lives of single-parent families.

Ultramarathon Man
Features renowned endurance athlete and best selling author Dean Karnazes, in his attempt to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days to raise awareness for youth obesity and to get America active.

Spirit of the Marathon
A look at the Chicago Marathon, which stretches 26.2 miles, and the runners who participate from all walks of life, each with their own story.

"If you can't play nice, play roller derby!"

Pippi Longshocking & the Merciless Scrapper here.  At least, those would be our monikers if we were derby girls.  Instead, we are just hardcore fans, writing to tell you how much we love roller derby & why you should check out the Duke City Derby!

We went to see the roller derby last Saturday & had a blast as usual!  There were 2 bouts, the Hobots vs. the Taos Whiplashes & the D.I.A. vs. the Santa Fe Discobrawlers.  We love to watch Maria von Scrapp, 67 Stitchez,  C. Anemone, Spittin Venom, Tronsexual, Killer Queen , & all the rest do their thing! Watching both bouts, we were there from 6 - 10 p.m.  Yes, we are the dedicated derby fans who stay for the whole four hours! Both bouts were really close to call-in the second bout, the Discobrawlers came from 50 points behind to nearly tie the D.I.A.-& we were on the edge of our seats a lot of the time. For some more photographs, visit Flickr: Taos vs. Hobots & Hobots vs. Taos Whiplashes (two different albums of Saturday's bout).

 

Derby meet & greet.

Want to know more about roller derby in New Mexico? From the Duke City Derby website: "Duke City Derby began in August of 2005 with 10 determined skaters and a head full of dreams. Flash forward to 2011 and DCD is 4 teams strong with DIA and the Hobots representing ABQ, the Santa Fe Disco Brawlers and Taos Whiplashes. The All Star Munecas Muertas, DCD's travel team previously went into the WFTDA Western Regional Tournament ranked 17th in the nation and took out the #1 ranked team to earn a trip to the WFTD National Championship!"

The D.I.A. (Derby Intelligence Agency) bench.

The season is already underway, but goes on until October, so take a look at Duke City Derby 2011 Season Schedule to see what bouts you'll be able to take in!

This looks like a hip check to me!

For the rules of roller derby (Merciless & I are still figuring these out!), you can visit the WFTDA Standardized Flat Track Roller Derby Rules, or the Duke City Derby site has the short & sweet version.

We couldn't not give a shout out to our favorite player, Conan the Librarian of the Taos Whiplashes! &, while we're talking librarians, don't forget to check the library catalog for these derby related items:

Down and Derby: The Insider's Guide to Roller Derby by Alex Cohen and Jennifer Barbee

Whip It

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross (the book on which Whip It was based)

Want to be a derby girl? DCD holds weekly open practices for any interested men and women ages 18 and older. Check out the practice schedule here.  The Duke City Derby is also looking for referees & is starting a junior league!

Duke City Roller Derby : kasa.com

World Cup Fever!

As we enter the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (known to aficionados as the Round of 16), things are heating up. The top two teams from each group have advanced & now, to lose a game means you're going home, so the stakes are high! If you've just caught World Cup fever, or even if you'd just like to know a little more about the competition, consider browsing the library catalog! We have some books & media to get you started.

For a schedule of games, try ESPN.

For the most information, try the website of the International Federation of Association Football-commonly known as FIFA for the acronym of its French name, Fédération Internationale de Football Association. You can even follow the games with a live MatchCast!

To watch live games in a group setting, try local pizzeria Saggio's.

The Spirit of Competition

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
--Pierre de Coubertin (founder of modern Olympic Games)

Every two years athletes from around the world gather together in order to celebrate their sport of choice, and to embody what has become known as the Olympic Spirit - a spirit which unites the world through sportsmanship as athletes compete to achieve their dreams of victory representing their home countries. This month all the nations will watch as their representative athletes meet in Vancouver, Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The games run from February 12th – February 28th, and coverage of the games will be provided on multiple NBC TV affiliates, as well as on the internet. The many sports of the Winter Olympics include figure and speed skating, bobsleighing, ice hockey, skiing and snowboarding, and the little known sport of curling. Click on the Olympics widget in our sidebar to get programming details, look up individual athletes, and more!

To get yourself in the spirit for the Olympics, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County library system has quite a few books of interest. If you want an overall view of Winter Olympic sports, you might look for Freeze Frame: A Photographic History of the Winter Olympics. If you prefer the graceful performances of figure skating, you might be interested in Figure Skating Now: Olympic and World Champions, or for a more intimate behind the scenes look at the sport, Inside Edge: A Revealing Journey into the Secret World of Figure Skating. Younger readers might enjoy Boitano's Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating to get a glimpse of what it might be like to be an Olympic figure skater. If you want to delve deep into what the library system has to offer, simply type in “Winter Olympics” in the “Find it” search field on the library’s home page! You can also do a keyword search by sport.

The goal of the Olympic Games is to bring all the nations together and celebrate competition, athleticism, solidarity, and fair play. Be sure to tune in to the games this year and celebrate, along with the rest of the world, all the athletes as they strive for Olympic Gold and to spread the spirit of the Olympic Games to us all.

World Cup 2010

For soccer fans out there, World Cup qualifying continues apace with many games today. So far, 4 new teams have qualified (Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Germany & Serbia). Keep checking the FIFA site for more World Cup updates! If you're interested in reading about soccer while you're waiting the 243 days left before the World Cup, check out our library catalog.