The story of how my grandpa invented jogging

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I believe I have told you all before that my Grandpa invented jogging. This is a fact. I am not making this up, or glamorizing his involvement in the running movement in general, or being boastful, or even just acting all pie-eyed over an idol of mine. It is fact.

Here, I offer you proof. (May take a moment to load. Stand up and stretch your neck and wrists to avoid turning into me protect yourself against HDBS, or Horrific Debilitating Computer Syndrome).

This is an article from the Chicago Daily news, dated April 6, 1968, and the photo shows my grandpa on the left, a YMCA "physical instructor" in the middle and the then-President of the Chicago Board of Health on the right. In one of the best ledes of all time, the writer warns readers not to call police if they see my grandfather running on the street when they peer out from their windows. Why? "He's a jogger."

This, my friends, is the ultimate claim to fame...for he and I both.

Now, all of you Weighting Game readers are about to be richly rewarded for visiting with me so regularly - my grandfather, Mort, has agreed to answer a handful of questions you might have. Oh, please, grab hold of yourselves! It's embarrassing. Pick yourselves up off the floor and take stock of what this opportunity means. It's like being able to email with the founder of the question mark. Or the woman who created the first cupcake. Or God.

Some suggestions re. what you may want to ask him below in Comments:

1) Leslie tells us you judged the 1968 Boston Marathon, won by Amby Burfoot, current Editor in Chief of Runners World. How did you get this chance and what are some of your favorite memories?

2) Jesse Owens was on the National Advisory Board of Road Runners, Inc, the national NFP of which you were President (see here, page 1, for more info.) Did you ever meet him? What other celebrities have had the pleasure of making your acquaintance?

3) Legend has it that us you once rescued a family friend suffering from horrible clinical depression decades ago, before therapy and anti-depressant drugs, by helping her get out of bed and exercise regularly. How did you know the power of exercise light years ahead of the world's best doctors?

4) Tell us about how cute Leslie was as a little girl.

5) What is the "Crotch Muff"? Leslie says you invented something by that name to help keep women runners warm, as well as the "Breast Muff." Please explain yourself.

6) I hear you designed a running shoe for Hush Puppies (see here, page 5-8, for original sketches). What have been some of your favorite running shoes through the years and what features would you suggest I look for in my own pair?

7) Sometimes I get a little overzealous and obsessed with working out. Any tips to help keep myself in check?

Or, ask him whatever you want! The man is the original Fountain of Knowledge and, quite frankly, I can't believe Esquire or GQ haven't tapped him yet for a profile (Morty is an extremely natty dresser, as well as the inventor of jogging, and rocked plaid madras and all-black suits way before Old Navy or The Mafia, respectively.) He's also insanely romantic...go read this love poem he wrote to my grandma in 1946 at Huffington Post (you'll have to skim through some of my sappy writing to get to the actual poem, entitled Just Stuff.)

Comments

resisting the usage of the word MUFF in my comment----but methinks id like that one answered!

oh, and Im a fellow tribemember who has no loving grandfather.
what would it take for you to adopt me and my Toddler Tornado of a girl into your clan?

xo xo,

Jogs If Chased

Got any hilarious/embarrassing stories about Leslie as a little girl? Any PHOTOS???

Or, um, a boring one: any secrets to running for decades without trashing your knees or other body parts?

And seriously, we must hear more about the Crotch Muffs.

I second Crabby, how do you keep running up long term? It seems I can't keep up with running for a few months before my back and my knees start feeling a hundred years old.

Also, since we get to hear how romantical your grandpa is, I want the story of how he and your grandma met.

Okay, I definitely want to hear how cute Leslie was as a little girl. :-)

But what I really want to do is ask the proverbial cliched question, because honestly, how many chances do we get to talk to someone who has been "into fitness" for a long and obviously rich lifetime?

So...if you could pick one single item of wisdom to pass on to those of us striving to make healthy activity and fitness a part of our daily lives, and to pass that on to our children - what would it be?

Because I truly feel that I'm sitting at the feet of a guru, here. :-)

V.

Any cute stories and/or pictures of Leslie when she was a little girl IN a crotch muff?

I am interested to know how he was able to motivate someone to get out of bed during a depressive episode.

How did you feel about the oficial inclusion of women into the boston marathon in 1972?

What did you think about Kathrine Switzer entering & running the Boston Marathon as K.V. Switzer in 1967 and being the first women to officially complete it?

Thanks!

Morty sounds like a mensch!

I'd love to get his opinion on a shallow but relevant debate in my circle of running friends--what's the difference between running and jogging? For example, with my big long legs, I consider 6mph to be a comfortable jog--not a "run". My friend who's 5'2 thinks of 6pmh as a flat out run. Is there a standard? (I know this is a silly question, but seriously--inquiring minds!)

What a nice surprise to see your wonderful comments and also for the unexpected trip down memory lane. I would like, however,to lovingly correct and/or minimize some of your flattering comments. First, I did not invent jogging. I got my inspiration in organizing The Road Runners, Inc. from two sources. One was from a book written by Bill Bowerman in conjunction with a Dr. Harris called "Jogging", written approximately in 1966. Bill was a phenom track and field coach at the University of Oregon and also the co-founder of Nike. The other was from an article in the New England Journal of Medicine containing an editorial expression concerning cardiovascular deaths, seen at the top of our membership letter. "There should be an organization working to counsel, cajole and inspire the rest of mankind to get off their collective seats and go a-running". Our concern was to motivate individuals to take their first trot. Credence and publicity were given our organization as unique....after all, this was 40 years ago.

Of course I want all the questions you posted answered. As well as your grandpa's entire life story. Plus I'm with MizFit about wanting to be adopted. The Q I really want to ask your Grandpa? How to make such a loving, close family?

My granpa invented... uh... fish sticks.

But seriously..

Mort - How much jogging do you think a person needs to do a week? 30 mins a day? What do you think of interval training.. where you sprint inbetween jogging to catch your breath and use a defibrilator?

Addendum to the RR's can be quite lengthy and only slightly interesting to others. Allow me however, to first address some of your additional statements and commentary from others.
That Chicago Daily News Article had in it Dick Woit,a gifted exercise guru and formerly a Chicago Bears trainer, and Dr. Sam Andelman, properly identified and me. The dedicated trail is from Belmont Avenue to the Loop and its use today has been beyond our wildest expectations.

I was honored to be invited as an assistant judge because of our involvement with the Kennedy's in the proposed setting up of the Chicago Special Olympics in Soldiers Field.
Being with some of the past great marathon runners in the back of a closed panel truck photographing the front runners was a real thrill, ultimatley seeing Burfoot win. Another interesting event was my meeting and having a picture taken with Avery Brundage. It was then that I laid into him for his idiotic pro Nazi leanings and his view of women athletes.
More to come....

Sorry for the double entry at the beginning, but I'm on a roll....
To Continue:
I was absolutely in awe when I met with each and every individual on the advisory staff and for protective legal reasons obtained signed affidavits of their approval and commitment.

Jesse Owens was my idol athlete and was most gracious in signing on. I spent several hours with him at his home and enjoyed viewing all his memorabilia.

Glenn Cunningham, a famous miler(the famous 4:04/4)ran a boys' camp.. He lived up to his name "the ironman".

Roberta Peters, a Metropolitan opera star, who wore our sweatshirt doing a Maxwell House coffee commercial running in a wooded area. Great sense of humor!

There's more on the list, each one really having a story of their own.

Legend saving a friend's niece from post partem depression effects is true.
She was bed confined in a Milwaukee hospital and was released upon my intervention through Dr. Sam Stein's diagnosis. Three weeks later, I had her walking briskly 1/8 mile.

I hesitate to say this, but I've never been able to get into running (unless chased, of course). Maybe it's because I'm only five feet tall and my little legs have to work really hard to keep up with long-legged companions. Or maybe it's because I had knee surgery years ago.

So, do you think a good, brisk walk is just as good as a jog for health benefits?

Continued--
Since then, she has never had a reaction or setback and keeps reasonably fit. Currently in her middle 70's, she maintains more than an adequate physical regimen. The Dr. Stein, PHD,MD. previously mentioned, was considered a "rogue" kook, because of his attitude toward psychoanalysts. As a director of the psychiatric department of the Family Court of Cook County, he postulated that chemical imbalance, improper nutrition and various environmental factors were the responsible factors for these "emotional disturbances". These
statements were printed in the Chicago Sun Time in May, 1956. His article "A Neuropschiatric Medical Regimen" was printed in early 1963, citing all the terms, pharmacological and otherwise,being used today,45 years later.

Presently, I will skip telling you about Leslie, as a little girl or even as a big girl, will happily take several of these comment boxes,as they only allow 1,000+ characters each.

Crotch Muff and Running Shoes next. Chapter Serial #4

Ooh I'm with Dara, I second that question:

Dear Leslie's Grandpa,
Do you enjoy walking as much as jogging and what is your opinion on the health benefits of walking?
Sincerely, Sagan.

(That's a sweet shirt. Hehe. How awesome it is to get exercise advice from the man who invented jogging:)).

Chapter Serial #4

"Crotch Muff" was for the men... and was for those brave hearts that ran in fairly cold weather, referring to the Antarctica Syndrome rather than saying "its cold down there". We also introduced Ski Masks with folded handkerchiefs deftly sewn inside over the mouth hole so as to guarantee the inhaling of warm air.

The"Breast Muff" was basically the same idea, but a full wrap around became constrictive and cumbersome. As indicated previously, a small wash rag or handkerchief did as well.

The Running Shoe for Hush Puppy or Wolverine World Wide as the corporate entity is known was originally drawn up as a lark, but was seriously completed when the royalties asked for to be given to The City of Hope was approved.

Best running shoes I ever had was an old pair of Sears Keds...bought around 1957 for about $10..Every five years or so, I would get another pair, until in June, 1996 when I ran the Olympic Torch outside Crown Point,IN. I treated myself to a pair of Nikes.

Cont'd Chapter #5

I don't really have a question for your grandpa, however I am a member of Road Runners organization (it's a small world :-P)! I'm even running in the national championship half marathon for the club this August in Parkersburg, WV with my 52 year old dad (who reminds me of Morty, ironically enough). I really enjoyed reading this post and all of the great responses :-)

I LOVE THE GRANDPA!

seriously.

thanks for making the time for all this!

hey everyone - looks like Morty is on a roll answering these questions in the Comments. Let me know if you need me to summarize them in a follow-up post!
Go grandpa!!

Chapter #5

I am by no means an expert, but at my age, I get away pretty much with giving solomonesque responses.

To Charlotte:
Massive question....the answer contains simple ingredients, not necessarily in order of importance...Trust, Patience, Consideration, Communication, Humor, Giving with no reservations.........
and that's for starters.

To MizFit:
Adoption is not an easy scenario, however, coupled with a Tornado Toddler(Age?)sounds wonderfully like the beginning of a Day Care Center.

To Crabby:
Stopped running when I turned 50. Ran a 10 miler at Hallandale, Florida in my age group. Made it in pretty good time...still remember it! 72.22 !!
I then wanted to slack off into something less exertive and took up swimming, something I hadn't done since I was on the diving team at Hyde Park High School a million years ago.

To Nikki:
I'll have to ask Leslie how to send you the 60th anniversary article done by Power Press on us. That was a doozer!!

To Valerie:

Cont'd Chapter #6

Cont'd Chapter #6:

To Valerie:
Thanks for the kudos, but gurus usually have long hair and can sit cross legged on their haunches.
I have and can do neither....

The one thing in our family that is in my opinion, of ultimate value and which binds a family is a work ethic which states.......DON'T QUIT...

"It's not how many times you get knocked down...it's how many times you get back up!"

To Fitarella:

My interest in women's advocacy started the day my first daughter was born and
became more pronounced at time wore on. My conflict with Avery Brundage on that subject was minor compared to the others I have had...and rightly so. Experiencing the intellects of my wife, daughter and granddaughters and their opinions only strengthens my belief in the fact that maybe God is a woman.....

I think I will wind up on that note. It was wonderful addressing all of you and being a bit like Dr. Phil or Dear Abby. Leslie, no doubt, will contact me on my commentary...as she is my ultimate censor. oxox

Hi Grandpa!

I am a fellow avid runner ;) But my question has more to do with life than with running. So here goes:

In addition to Leslie, who is your all time favorite writer and philosopher and why?

"My interest in women's advocacy started the day my first daughter was born and
became more pronounced at time wore on. / Experiencing the intellects of my wife, daughter and granddaughters and their opinions only strengthens my belief in the fact that maybe God is a woman....."

Thank you for that. It went in my little book (nearly 200 pages front and back now) of affirmations and sayings I want to remember under "Leslie Goldman's Grandpa Morty."

Aww, Morty and Leslie, thanks so much for this post it totally made my day! You guys rock!

i LOVE Morty!!!

To Jen:

Sorry that I was unable to respond to you yesterday.

Old adage is that there is no such thing as a silly question. Have you ever heard or read the wonderful questions that are asked by kids?

In reference to jogging or running speed, age is the determining factor. A nice lope for a 50 year old would be about 7-8 minutes and a drop down of 1 minute for those 40 or even younger.

The running term can be used covering the 60 yard dash or the marathon...long legs not withstanding. Many long distance runners are in the 5'8" to 5'10" range.

The dictionary may deal with the correct definitions, but the speeds and/or the distances are variable but are best measured when you sense the slow, unlabored breathing entering you ultimately into what is called "the runner's high".

To Bridget:

Leslie's writing, for me is absolutely euphoric. I can see the wheels spinning, the thoughts formulating ideas and concepts and the hard and interesting relating of facts and circumstances. But what do I know.....

Your question covers a lot of ground. Most of the reading I do is non fiction, dealing with mundane fields of science, medicine, etc. Occasionally, I"ll read biographies of people I admire...Albert Schweitzer, Helen Keller and a host of others.

As for philosophers, I would like to say King Solomon, Aristotle and a few of that ilk, but the one I seem to be drawn to the most is the individual with the strange sounding name who seems to have comments on almost anything..His name..."Ancient Proverb"

WOW. This was a wonderful post. I read each comment and response. My first question was way up the chain here w/Fitarella since Marathon Woman is one of my all time fav books. So I was curious about that. But, you obviously were not of the opinion that women shouldn't run marathons.

Thanks!!