Rich on Running: Superhero 5K brings Halloween treat to running scene

Just in time for Halloween, the Superhero 5K gave runners a chance to compete dressed as their favorite hero or villain in Cambridge on Sunday morning.I ran as a pirate, wearing a red bandanna and gold hoop earrings that my girlfriend helped pick out from the Joker’s Wild store in North Reading. I also wore a blue-and-white sailor shirt, a souvenir from the Mexican “Tall Ship” Cuauhtemoc when it visited the Charlestown Navy Yard several years ago.The race evoked images of Salem on All Hallows Eve. One group ran as Super Mario Brothers characters, several people sported the Batman logo, and one competitor won a prize for her head-to-toe Wonder Woman getup, completing the course, amazingly enough, in a pair of red high-heel boots. Equally amazing given the wintry weather, about 500 people finished the course.The snowstorm emerged as a potential spoiler, but race organizers sent emails assuring us that the 5K was still on. While the streets were relatively snow-free, the park on Pacific Street where the race began and ended was a muddy mess.The race featured a mostly flat surface on Mass Ave., although runners had to tackle a sharp downward slope on Bay Street and a similarly steep upward climb on Hancock Street. I reassured myself that I had seen such sloping surfaces before, on both the rolling ground of the North Cambridge bike path and the steep hills of Lynn Woods.Running in costume can be tricky. I lost one of the pirate earrings (it must have fallen off at some point) and put the other earring and the bandanna in my pocket so the wind wouldn’t carry them away.My girlfriend was there to greet me at the finish line. We stayed for the awards ceremony and watched Wonder Woman walk away a winner. It felt good to congratulate fellow runners, not only for completing the 5K, but also for doing it while in a costume. Shiver me timbers, maybe I’ll do it again next year.uDr. Elizabeth Bradt of All Creatures Veterinary Hospital in Salem has some helpful advice to those with canine running buddies (a subject of last week’s column).”The big thing is to make sure they are trained to heel,” Dr. Bradt said. “Also don’t use a play out extend leash as many dogs will take off so quickly they can get in front of a vehicle before you can hit the button to stop the extension.” She did note that there are places where dogs can legally run off-leash, including Trustees of Reservation sites.Just like humans, dogs have foot, knee and muscle issues.”Dogs of every age have to work up gradually to increase their endurance and toughen up their foot pads,” Dr. Bradt said. “Dogs can also have lots of knee issues that can be aggravated by pounding on pavement so have your veterinarian check for luxating patellas and proper conformation of all the joints before you hit the running circuit with Fido.” Luckily, she noted, “Dogs have muscle fibers built for much longer endurance than human muscle cells so they usually will love a good run.”Indeed, it seems that a “runner’s high” exists for dogs, too.”Mostly a dog that gets to run with its owner is a very lucky dog,” Dr. Bradt said. “A well exercised dog is a happy and well behaved dog.”Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].