Are we in the midst of a second running boom in the U.S.? The numbers from Running USA's Annual Marathon Report certainly indicate that. Last year alone, over 500,000 people finished the 26.2 mile distance at a race in the U.S., continuing the upward trend over the last ten years.

On May 2, the AADL welcomes seasoned marathoners, John Farah and Nelson Williams, to the Downtown Library from 7 - 8:30pm to present their wisdom and experience with living actively. Their new book, "Let's Pick It Up A Bit: A Guide To A Running Lifestyle" is more than a collection of tips for runners - it is about creating a strong foundation to keep active, fit and healthy, not just physically but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. The challenge of life is to learn how to keep growing to keep getting better!

Join John and Nelson as they discuss their new book and the art of maintaining a healthy lifestyle! Books will be on sale at this event, which will also include a book signing.

The AADL has a diverse collection of marathon training books, for the novice to the pro.

Do you enjoy swimming, biking, running, or other fitness activities? Learn about online resources for training, racing, and athlete communities at Fitness Resources on the Web.

As temperatures continue to rise, so will the number of people out exercising. If you're looking for ways to track your fitness progress, find a good running or biking route, find a race to try, or meet up with other people in our community that enjoy the same activities that you do, then come to the computer class, Fitness Resources on the Web, on Tuesday, April 3 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Traverwood Branch library.

Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Classrooms will open 15 minutes before the class start times. Class handouts are here.

Local businessman and community leader George Pomey was a member of the illustrious 1964 and 1965 Michigan Wolverine Basketball teams that won back-to-back Big Ten titles, and took Michigan to the NCAA Tournaments. This March, he sat down and talked about those glory days.

Pomey remembered clearly his recruiting trip to Ann Arbor along with another teammate from his high school in Illinois; his warm relationships with his Wolverine coaches and teammates throughout his playing career; and their friendship over the years (they still have frequent reunions!). He also remembered the comparatively "primitive" sports facilities; playing to the capacity crowds at Yost Fieldhouse; his brief coaching and radio/television broadcasting experience after graduation; and his continued involvement with Michigan sports.

On March 16, 1965 Pomey and Teammate Larry Tregoning were named 2nd team Big Ten all Academic, Pomey talked about the tough schedule for athletes, and his admiration for the current Wolverine team.

Pomey also brought along these photos from the scrapbook his mother kept.

One year after Lance Armstrong's second retirement from professional cycling, the seven-time Tour de France champion entered the long-course triathlon world, stunning a deep field of professional triathletes by clinching 2nd place overall, just 42 seconds behind winner, Bevan Docherty, who ran Armstrong down at the very end of the run portion of the race.

Lance was almost a minute behind the leader coming out of the 1.2 mile swim, but he made that time up on the 56-mile bike (no surprise there), moving into second place. On the 13.1 mile run, he passed American Chris Lieto to take the race lead until the final few miles, when Olympic medalist, Docherty, ran him down.

Armstrong and his Livestrong foundation bring a lot of attention to the endeavors he tackles, and his impressive performance in his first long-course triathlon is sure to bring more spectators and participants into the multi-sport community. If you are interested in completing a triathlon this year, the AADL has books and video to help you get trained and motivated for the swim-bike-run challenge.

While Mary Stack was born with a rare medical condition called pseudohypoparathyroidism, which limits her mobility, she has competed in a range of adaptive sports since the age of sixteen. As a measure of how far her ability and determination have taken her, Mary recently returned from the ParaPan American Games in Mexico with a bronze medal for lifting 280 pounds! This gave her the first women’s Paralympic powerlifting medal ever for US women at these games. Mary works as a Sports Coordinator at Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living and is training for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She will talk about this and other aspects of her life at the Malletts Creek Branch on Saturday, Dec. 10, 3-4:30 pm.

Wednesday November 30, 2011: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Are you a football fan? History buff? You can enjoy both in John J. Miller's book "The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football". Miller, a U-M graduate and author, will discuss his new book, the history of college football and the social changes in America that made college football popular. Learn how Teddy Roosevelt saved the sport and how it brought about other innovations.

This event includes a book signing and books will be on sale.

It seems like every other person in Ann Arbor is off to yoga, pilates or a spinning class. For the exercise-reluctant, signing up for a class forces you to go -- which is a big motivator for action. But classes cost money, and sometimes scheduled time. Don’t panic when I mention the next few words: home exercise video.

We’re not talking Jane Fonda here. Yes, you’ll feel the burn, MAJOR, but it’s not Jane, it’s Jillian and her DVD, 30 Day Shred. Jillian Michaels, trainer extraordinaire from the hit TV show The Biggest Loser, has many DVDs to get you working out hardcore to get quick results.

The first time I heard someone say they were going home to shred, I had no idea what they were talking about. Then I learned of Jillian’s 30 Day Shred. The DVD features a 30-day plan that has three, 20-minute workouts that progress in intensity, and include cardio, strength and ab work. The exercises are tough, and you’ll barely have time for a water break, but if you stick with it (or any workout routine for that matter) you’ll see and feel the results. Other DVDs by Jillian Michaels also available at AADL include 6 Week Six-Pack and Ripped in 30.

Drive, an action-packed speed thriller starring Ryan Gosling as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night.
When he falls for Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld, he find himself shifting gears and going on the offense. Based on the mystery novel Drive by James Sallis (also available in audio).

I Don’t Know How She Does It is based on the novel by Allison Pearson. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate Reddy, whose daily life is a non-stop balancing act - between her job and family. Complicating matters is Kate's charming new business associate Jack (Pierce Brosnan), who begins to prove an unexpected source of temptation.

Straw Dogs is based on The Siege of Trencher's Farm-Straw Dogs by British writer Gordon Williams. In this re-make of a 1971 film, David and Amy Sumner, a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife, return to her small hometown in the deep South to prepare the family home for sale after her father's death. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie, leading to a violent confrontation.

Killer Elite is based on a shocking true story that pits two of the world's most elite operatives --- Danny, an ex-special ops agent, and Hunter, his longtime mentor --- against the cunning leader of a secret military society. Originally published as The Feather Men by Ranulph Fiennes.

Michael Lewis's Moneyball : the art of winning an unfair game (also in audio) is now adapted in a film starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane - the Oakland A’s general manager who reinvents his team to outsmart the richer teams by signing undervalued players considered flawed but who have a knack for winning games.

What’s Your Number? is based on the novel 20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak. When Delilah Darling reads a survey revealing that most people have 10.5 sexual partners in their lifetime, she begins to feel like a tramp. She’s slept with 19 men so far --- almost twice the national average. Unwilling to up her number, but also unable to imagine a life of celibacy, Delilah tracks down every man she’s ever slept with in a last-ditch effort to make it work with one of them.

Back in June, Nancy Pearl raved about Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding *. She read a preview copy and was doing some heavy-duty hand-selling. This week, NPR gave it a glowing review.

Henry Skrimshander, the star pitcher of Westish College's Harpooners is on the brink of greatness, destined for big league stardom, rising above his small-town roots. However, an errand pitch goes disastrously off course, making havoc with the lives of 5 individuals.

Henry's confidence is deserting him, his bright future is in jeopardy. Owen Dunne, Henry's gay roommate, is caught up in a dangerous affair. The college president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Pella Affenlight, Guert's daughter, is home licking her wounds from a failed marriage, looking for a fresh start. Mike Schwartz, Henry's best friend and team captain, realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own.

"Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others."

"Harbach paints a humorous and resonant portrait of a small college community while effectively portraying the Wisconsin landscape and a lake that provides an almost mystical source of solace and renewal."

A big-hearted and defiantly old-fashioned coming-of-age story in the tradition of Chaim Potok's The Chosen, John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, and Scott Lasser's Battle Creek.

Harbach, a native of Wisconsin (Harvard and University of Virgina) is the cofounder of literary journal n + 1. This is his debut novel.

* = Starred review

A new 3-person team bowling league made up of totally blind, partially blind and fully sighted bowlers will begin play at 7:00 pm every other Thursday evening beginning Sept. 8 at Colonial Lanes in Ann Arbor. The cost is $10 per week plus a one-time sanction fee of $15-$25. The league will follow all standard rules of league bowling such as alternating lanes, using the foul lights, and using a 90% handicap. Bowlers will have the opportunity to participate in state, regional, and national tournaments if he/she wants to.

A blind bowler uses a guide rail that is aligned on the first board outside the gutter on the approach so it doesn’t interfere with the bowlers.
• The rail is 12 feet long and is placed on the left side of the approach if the bowler is right handed, and placed on the right side of the approach if the bowler is left handed.
• The bowler holds the rail with one hand and the bowling ball with the other hand. The bowler walks on the approach toward the pins like a person does with normal vision.
• This rail is not like the ramp that persons in wheelchairs use. It is constructed with PVC pipe tubing that is round and is held in place by bowling balls setting on the feet of the rail.

A sighted bowler will spot pins for the blind bowler by telling them what pins are still standing, if any, after rolling the first ball. In addition, the fully sighted bowler will monitor the rail to maintain straightness so it doesn’t become out of alignment causing the bowler to roll the ball into the gutter.

You don’t need to have your own team, but if you have 3 people who want to bowl together, that would be even better. Please contact Gerald Rickert, at 734-845-3064 or Email Gerickert@gmail.com for more details on how to get involved.