Two Secrets Of Chief Spook Michael Hayden

His job title should be warning enough not to mess with him. But when it comes to pro-football betting and running, be especially wary of CIA Director Michael Hayden. As you would expect of the nation's top spook, the Air Force general has a few tricks up the sleeve of his well-pressed dress blue uniform.

Let's start with the simple issue of running. Aides say he's a jogger who likes to clear his mind with a solitary 5-mile run around Langley. But those three pairs of Adidas Supernovas he keeps around should tell you something: He's a past Pittsburgh marathoner who is known to sneak in a few miles on the treadmill with his wife, Jeanine. "Whatever good it does for the body, it does much more for the mind," says Hayden, who changes into a T-shirt, sneaks, and shorts for a jog about three or four times a week. He was even the first spy chief to run in the agency's annual 5K.

As for betting in the office pool, fellow spooks shouldn't test his football knowledge, either. His grade-school football coach at Pittsburgh's St. Peter's? Steelers owner Dan Rooney--which explains the Steelers helmet signed by all Super Bowl Xl winners on his bookcase. Hayden nearly won last year's Scripps-Howard Celebrity Super Bowl Poll. The prognosticator saw the Colts beating Da Bears 27-14. The score: Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17.

By Paul Bedard