by Len Hill

This is a continuation of the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run preview in the February 2003 issue of Inside Texas Running. For the full preview on the event, pick up a copy of that issue.

As thousands of Houstonians get ready for the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K and 5K (pictured) ITR correspondent Len Hill sat down with Felony Criminal Court Judge Ted Poe to talk about the judge's running and exercise regimen, and what part exercise plays in his personal life.

ITR: I am going to make an assumption here Judge, that you are a runner.
Judge Poe: Well, I try to be, yes.

ITR: What type of events do you run in - do you run marathons?
J.P.: No. - 5K's and 10K's

ITR: How often do you run then?
J.P.: I run four or five days a week. Usually four days a week.

ITR: How often do you run an event?
J.P.: Oh, it varies. It has varied from - I have been running since 1984 - so, some years I have run in quite a few fun runs, and some years I don't. It varies. I had run enough fun runs that I had one of my walls in the old courthouse that was covered with numbers. Race numbers. Before we moved to the new courthouse I had put all those on one of my walls. It is a good number of fun runs over the years.

ITR: A typical week of running for Ted Poe, what would that entail?
J.P.: When I run, and like I said, four times a week, three miles, five miles, sometimes six miles. Usually between three and five.

ITR: A day that you are going to run, go thru that. How does that work?
J.P.: I run in the evenings. I will run either at Memorial Park, or Herman Park, or Rice University. Sometimes I run in the neighborhood, but usually it is at one of those places, after work. That is my running now. And then I try to work out the days I don't run.

ITR: Oh, okay, let me get off into that a little bit. You work out on the days you don't run, now what does that entail?
J.P.: I work out at the gym. I try to cover everything. From aerobic exercise to working out with the machines, to working out with the free weights. Swimming, I do a lot of swimming. Several times during the week I will swim.

ITR: You exercise everyday then?
J.P.: Six days. That is the average.

ITR: Do you ever have a problem disciplining yourself to get up and exercise?
J.P.: Some days I don't want to do anything, but generally you just make it a habit. You just make it a habit to exercise. I try to keep that habit.

ITR: You said you have been running since 1984. Judge, do you mind if I ask how old you are?
J.P.: You can ask. Fifty-four.

ITR: 1984 - that is roughly 19-20 years ago. You were like, 35, when you started running?
J.P.: Oh I have run off and on before that, but never on a regular basis.

ITR: Now why did you decide to take up running?
J.P.: I was waiting for that question. When I first became a judge, I was one of the youngest judges in the state.

ITR: How old were you at that time?
J.P.: When I became a judge, in 82, I was 32. I had made a decision that I would just work through lunch, so I worked through lunch everyday for several years. I found that my staff did not like that. It was counterproductive anyway, but I worked straight through lunch, I was going to get a grip on the crime problem, and all that, and my coordinator, who coordinates my cases, said why don't you go run, so we can go to lunch, and that is when I started running at lunch. I would go to Memorial Park, during lunch, get a shower and locker for 75 cents, and run, shower, and cleanup and get back to the courthouse. That's when I started running, back in 1984, and that is the reason I started running - my staff wanted to go to lunch. And then I got to where I liked running. I found other people at the park, you know, that I knew, and I would run in the afternoon. So that is what started it.

ITR: So we have your staff to thank for this?
J.P.: (laughing) I don't know. If they're to be thanked, at least they got lunch out of the deal. I went to the park. I ran at noon for years. I changed my running habits after several years.

ITR: What do think that being in shape, or running, or being fit - what does that do for you? Now that you work out and exercise, what does that do for you?
J.P.: Therapy. It is therapy for me. It is where I can be away from everything. It clears the mind. It allows you to focus on other important things after you run. I run not just because of the physical good it does, but it is a good way to clear the mind of some of the things I see everyday. You know, I deal with the most serious crimes that there are, from rapists to murderers, child molesters. And all those legal issues. So running just kind of helps me clear the mind, to get away from people that are constantly wanting something. I deal with people everyday, and everybody I deal with in my profession, like in other professions, they want something. It is a good way to get away from all of that. It is good mind therapy for me. It relaxes my mind to run.

ITR: What about the physical aspect?
J.P.: Health, sure. You bet. Running just keeps you in better shape. It helps with all of the stuff. It helps with the heart, it helps with your metabolism, and that kind of stuff.

ITR: Could you give me your specs on your height and your weight?
J.P.: Well, I am 6'2" and I weigh 200 pounds. I am in good health.

ITR: What about your diet? How do you balance that with your exercise program?
J.P.: I would not say I have the model diet. I would not do that. That is part of the reason I run, because I like to eat. So, I go in spurts about eating well and then in other spurts when no Blue Bell ice cream is safe around me. No gallon of Blue Bell ice cream is safe around me. I would not say that I have model eating habits, although I eat pretty good.

ITR: Are there any foods that you avoid?
J.P.: I like everything. I try to avoid fried foods, but I will eat them from time to time.

ITR: What about alcohol or tobacco?
J.P.: I don't drink or smoke. Never have, never did.

ITR: Let's look into the future a little bit Judge. You are 54 now, what do you see when you are 64, when you are 70, when you are retired, how do you see exercise is going to play a role for you?
J.P.: I will always be doing something with exercise. It is a part of life. I think we are finally seeing that. Society is finally seeing that exercise needs to be a part of everybody's life, like eating or brushing your teeth, or anything else. It is something that needs to be done. We have a problem I think. We have the people who try to keep in shape, and then we have a real large group of people who don't exercise at all. And I think the gap is widening between them. We should have the mindset in our society that exercise is something that we all should be doing. It should be taught, just like anything else should be taught about life. It is something you do, you know, pick something you like, hiking, or swimming, kick-boxing, or working out at the gym. Kids are really a concern to me. We have a lot of kids that are growing up and not getting the proper exercise in schools, for different reasons, and they are not getting their own, and they develop that lifestyle and they never pick it up.

ITR: As far as your running goes, is this a social event? Are you a member of any groups or clubs, or are you pretty much the Lone Ranger out there?
J.P.: (laughing) I think I am the Lone Ranger. I don't belong to any running clubs, not that any of them would have me. I kind of run like a water buffalo sometimes - stomp the ground, shake the earth and the trees tremble when I run. No running clubs. Generally I will run by myself.

ITR: Is there any running event that you look back on and say that was one of the better times of my life?
J.P.: I can't think of any one thing. I will tell you this, I keep a log of places that I have run. When I am out of town, of course, I always run when I am out of town. When I go to some city, I will run no matter what the temperature is. That is one of the things that I do. I always log and I have a long list of places that I have run. London and Moscow, Berlin, and places all over the United States. Jerusalem. Just different places that I have run. When I am in some foreign place, which I include other states, sometimes I run with some kind of Texana shirt that I wear. That is one of the things I do.

ITR: Have you ever run in anyplace that has been inhospitable to running?
J.P.: Well, when I ran in Moscow in 85, in 86, and ran around the Kremlin, wearing my Texas flag tee-shirt, I got plenty of looks from the Russian police. That was back in the days of the Soviet Union.

ITR: Where you by yourself?
J.P.: Yes, I was by myself. I, like other runners, have had my problems with people driving too close and over this time that I have run, there have been three occasions where cars and I have collided. There hasn't been a major - I wasn't majorly injured. But on three occasions I did have collisions with cars. No injuries.

ITR: The cars weren't hurt, where they?
J.P.: (laughing) No, no cars hurt in those accidents. That is a problem all runners have. People who don't run don't understand to give runners a little room.

ITR: Just one thing Judge, is there any advice you would like to give to runners out there? Anything you would like to say to any of the readers out there?
J.P.: I don't have any advice for runners. I probably could take some. No advice, except that whatever we do for exercise, we should enjoy it.

Judge Ted Poe bio

Ted Poe grew up in Houston, Texas. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Abilene Christian College, where he was class president, and his law degree from the University of Houston, graduating as a member of the law school honor society.

Upon graduation, Judge Poe was a trial lawyer for the District Attorney in Houston for eight years. There he rose to the position of Chief Felony Prosecutor. He tried all serious felony cases, including those where the state was seeking the death penalty, and he never lost a jury trial. He was named Outstanding Young Lawyer for the City of Houston.

In September 1981, Judge Poe was appointed Judge of a Felony Criminal Court in Houston by the Governor of Texas becoming one of the youngest State Judges in Texas. He has been elected six times. Currently, Judge Poe has the fewest number of cases pending. He is noted for his innovative sentencing techniques.

In addition to his judicial duties, Judge Poe has been an instructor at the University of Houston, and has served on the advisory boards of such notable organizations as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Parents of Murdered Children, Child Advocates, D.A.R.E., and The Houston International Theater School. He frequently speaks to groups of school children. Judge Poe has been honored by numerous victims groups.

Judge Poe has been named Outstanding District Judge by both the Houston Police Officers' Association and the Harris County Sheriffs' Association. He has appeared on national television such as 20/20, Dateline, 60 Minutes and German, French and British Newscasts.