care? Catholic Charities teams with The Barnyard Swing in Cooperstown for child care event

Oneonta Man crosses the finish line in Boston Marathon

Thomas Slicer hasn’t been a marathon runner all of his life. “I only started training for marathons last year,” he said. “Before that I was training for all of the shorter distance races.” mr. Slicer turns 28 in June, and he just finished his first Boston marathon in April — the average age for male runners in that 26.2-mile run is 42. It’s the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s bestknown road racing events.

“There are so many inspiring stories that come out of the Boston marathon,” he said. “The one I remember the most is when Jacob Russell pushed Patrick Dewey on a stroller. It was incredible.” mr. Slicer is from Oneonta and went to Oneonta High School, then on to SUNY Delhi. He trained for the Boston race in Oneonta.

“During the fall, I was trying to build up a solid foundation for my running,” he said. “I’d go five to ten miles a week, then go to thirty miles a week; around Christmas time I was running 70 miles a week.”

“February through march I was into big mileage, 80 to 90 miles a week for two weeks, then the third week I did 60, then back up to the big mileage,” he said. “It was pretty intense.”

In April, before the Boston marathon, he tapered back on his mileage to be rested for the big race.

Qualifying for the Boston marathon isn’t easy.

“It depends on how badly you want it; you have to hit a qualifying time based on your age category,” mr. Slicer said. “The 18-34 age group has to run a full marathon in under three hours.”

“I’ve run two full marathons so far; my first was mohawk to Hudson in October,” he said. “That was an easier race, more downhill. I used that race to qualify for the Boston race. It was my debut marathon!”

“I was very proud to be in Boston, and I was pretty chilled about my approach the day of the race. The only thing I was counting on was putting in a good time.”

He ended the race at 2 hours 53 minutes.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it to the end,” he said.

Around mile 20, after what’s known as Heartbreak Hill, mr. Slicer struggled. “The last five miles were extremely painful. my legs started to seize up and I found myself in a position point, I’d need to get to a medical tent. I had to force myself to move the rest of the way. I felt like I was going to collapse when I finally got back to my car.” “Even though I struggled at the end, it felt great when I crossed the finish line,” he said. “It took me three full days to recover; I literally slept for two straight days.” mr. Slicer has a lot of running ahead on his calendar. “Next month I’ll do the Rat Snake Trail

Run at Gilbert Lake

State Park, then in July we go to Utica for the Boilermaker. September and throughout the fall, I’ll be in Albany for a half marathon, then back to the mohawk to Hudson marathon.

“I have no plans on doing the Boston marathon next year, but in November 2023 I plan on doing the New York City marathon,” mr. Slicer said. “I will do Boston again, just not next year. I want to improve my marathon time before I do it again.”

where, if I stopped at that

Need help with child care? Find help at the Barnyard Swing

Local child care providers will get together at The Barnyard Swing in milford on Saturday, may 21, to let area families know more about the services they provide, and enjoy a day of talking and meeting about their profession.

The ‘Spring Swing Child Care Professionals Appreciation Celebration’ — an idea that arose from a discussion at a winter women’s group meeting with the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce — takes place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. An Otsego County Community Events grant helps cover the expense of hosting the event.

“One of the topics at our meeting was the absolute lack of affordable child care in Otsego County. Our area has been deemed a ‘child care desert’,” said marcy Birch, owner of The Barnyard Swing. “The idea to have this event percolated out of those sessions.”

“A lot of the older women in the group remembered when they were raising their children, there were plenty of family-run day care opportunities right in their neighborhoods,” ms. Birch said. “They just aren’t available anymore, and it’s difficult for these young families.”

Any current childcare provider in Otsego County, whether center or home-based, is welcome. “They can set up a table and talk about their programs, and parents can meet all of these providers here,” ms. Birch said.

“Catholic Charities will be at the event for anyone in our county who may want to learn about starting their own family-based child care program,” she said. “They will provide useful information for parents and potential child care providers, and let them know of any available grant funding.”

All families are welcome to come to this free event. mini golf, build-a-teddy bear, and teddy bear ice cream sundaes are free for the kids.