Hit and Run: Oh, it’s hockey playoff time, is it? I hardly noticed.

If you guessed 87 as the number of minutes the Pens spent in the sin bin Sunday, you'd be terribly close. (Photo: Getty Images)

You can blame the Leafs’ freefall from playoff contention on this, but I’ve been suffering from hockey fatigue. And so, you’ve been without an NHL Playoff Preview, and for that I apologize.

It seems I haven’t missed too much actual hockey, if the Pittsburgh-Philly series is any indication. The Flyers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the quarterfinal series with an 8-4 win Sunday over the Pens, a game highlighted with more Pier 6 brawls in a single afternoon than I’ve witnessed in recent memory. Someone want to remind Crosby that he should be using his stick to score goals, not whack Bryzgalov’s glove? Ugh. Thankfully, there’s a nice cooling off period for these guys – they don’t meet again until Wednesday.

Because good things come in threes, there’s three Game 3’s happening tonight: the Rangers are in Ottawa, Boston visits Washington and San Jose hosts St. Louis. Each series is tied 1-1.

Now let’s talk baseball…after the jump.

How I Learned To Get Off My Arse and Love Running

The running shoes that guided me through my first 5K and many others. Enjoy retirement, smelly Zoom Vomero+ 4s! (Photo: Bee)

17 months ago, my sister bought me the sneakers pictured above as an early birthday gift. This all stemmed from a conversation we had about how I always wanted to run the CBCF Run for the Cure and tried to learn to run but never quite got past a couple of tries. She thought it might have been the shoes, so she treated me to those pricey Zoom Vomeros.

I took them for a trial 1K run in a subdivision near my place during an unusually warm April afternoon…and thought I was going to die. I wasn’t sure what possessed me to agree to this commitment: I was never considered athletic or even remotely coordinated. I was the classic Last Kid Picked On The Team and never played sports in high school or college. I even have a distinct memory of one of the snobby girls in 9th Grade making fun of how I ran around the bases in softball during phys ed. So knowing all of this, how did I ever expect to run a 5K?

17 months later, with a number of 5Ks under my belt, I am aiming for my first 10K. 2010 Bee’s head just exploded after reading that.

With the Terry Fox Run coming up this Sunday across Canada (shameless plug to sponsor me can be found here), I thought I’d share with you, dear readers, some advice on how I got over that hump and turned those best intentions into action and water blisters. These tips may not be for everyone, but they worked for me. And if they work for even one of you, then my purpose for this post will have been fulfilled. Just don’t blame me for your occasional spending sprees on cute workout gear.

How To Get In Shape With These Hotties

I don’t know about you guys, but I am really looking forward to vacation this summer. I mean checking and re-checking my airline seat assignments excited! Except for the fact that I’m going somewhere warm, with a waterpark, and I’m going to have to wear a swimsuit. Now, I truly do want to work out; I just wish I had the dedication. Or even just someone with a cattle prod to move me along. But I don’t. I’ve had memberships to gyms I’ve never used. I have an expensive machine in the spare room that is covered with dust. Dusting it might be the most exercise I’ve had in months. I’ve even had times I’ve planned to walk with a friend where I’ve begged off – feigning illness. I’m one of those women, ashamedly, who thinks having kids is workout enough. I need some motivation to get fit. And I think I’ve found it. Follow me to find out how to “get fit by summer,” after the jump.

Hottie Runner Wins Long Island Marathon, Nails Jurisprudence Final

Dan McGrath is a 2L at the University of Notre Dame Law School. What is he doing this week? Studying for finals, preparing to leave for his summer job…and WINNING THE LONG ISLAND MARATHON. He’s from Long Island and he flew home this past weekend just long enough to finish the marathon in 2:25:38. He then hopped a 5 pm flight back to South Bend and took his Jurisprudence final at 9 am Monday morning.