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Three of the cutest Cub fans ever!

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Saturday morning run - May 2nd

8:00 Helped Dave B move a few things to his new apartment.

9:30 Visited Darryl G in the hospital.

11:00 Went for a run. The graph is a very distorted. The slowdowns are hills and/or old age. Still thinking about another marathon before summer. 

More wedding photos

Some of the images from Ben and Courtney's reception on April 24, 2009. Thanks again to Paige and Lorin for the pictures.

Paige, Erin and Molly at the Logan temple.

Polly showing off her dress

Paige with Bruce 

Lorin holding Bruce

Beautiful ladies

Polly with Salt Lake City temple in background

Ben and Courtney

Polly and Courtney

Ben and Courtney's Wedding

Pictures from Ben and Courtney's wedding outside of the Logan, UT temple on April 24th provided by Paige and Lorin.





The ceremony was perform by Rolfe Kerr, president of the Logan temple. The theme to his message was that the blessing of a happy marriage are earned through a life long commitment each other and the Savior. The reception in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake was beautiful from start to finish. I'm so happy for Ben and Courtney. They really do seem to be meant for each other and here's wishing them eternal love and happiness.

The Inaugural Illinois Marathon (#23)

When: April 11, 2009

Who: Me with Lesa as the support team along with Tony Oliver and Calvin Smith

Recap: I’ve run two other inaugural marathons. The Washington D.C. marathon in 2002 and the Tecumseh marathon later than same year. The former was never held again, the later continues to be one of my favorite marathons. So where does the Illinois marathon fall?

(1.5 miles into it wearing throw-away Lewis and Clark marathon T-shirt. I never ran it.)

We’ll despite the flat course, I didn’t set a PR but I have never felt less sore after running a marathon. Here are my thoughts on why:

• Walked more than usual in the first 10 miles. (I ran with half-marathoners Calvin Smith and Tony Oliver. Calvin was having blister problems.)
• Spring skiing in March strengthened by legs
• I drank only Gatorade at the water stops.
• I drank at every water stop but two and I walked through each one.
• I tried to drink more water in the 2-3 days prior.
• I focused on carbs including banans the 2-3 days prior.

(Tom Woodall snapped this picture of the three Mormons around mile 9)

However, I probably trained less for this marathon than most others. (Let me just say, it was a long, windy winter.) In fact, I waited until the final weeks to register not sure if I would run the half or full marathon but the half marathon filled up and the decision was made for me.

(Finishing at the 50 yard line in Memorial Stadium where Lesa and I saw Penn State's great comeback in 1994. Lions were down 21-0 at the end of the first quarter but beat the Illini 35-31 .)

So the Illinois Marathon gets high marks for leaving me feeling much better than average. It was also well organized. Marathon & Beyond was a sponsor and Jan Seeley, publisher, organize the entire expo. The shirt is a keeper. It's a navy blue, long sleeve, half-zip performance shirt. The medal is very nice looking but still not better than the Flying Pig medal. The course is okay. Running through Champaign-Urbana is nice but nothing special. No real ugly sections though like my first Memphis marathon. The strong crowd support was a surprise. Aid stations were well stocked. Finishing in Memorial Station was fun except they played Imagine by John Lennon as I entered. That’s the worse song I’ve ever heard played at a marathon. Even worse than when at the Washington D.C. marathon when they played, Another One Bites the Dust as I finished. At least it has a good beat and is easy to run to. The only other downer was that the post-race food was served up in the concourse of the stadium. This presented two problems. It was out of sight with no one at the finish line telling people where the food was plus you had to walk up stadium stairs to get to it. I followed a runner up the stairs who was nearly carried by a friend.

I did see more odd things than usual in this marathon such as a guy running in a cable knit sweater, another guy running in a short sleeve, button up dress shirt, and another guy running with shoulder bag.

Overall: I had a great time at a well run marathon. I may run it again because it's close to home.

Rating: 4/5 carbs.

Spring (much needed) Break

at the top of Stan's at Beaver Mountain, UT

I love my new Patagonia jacket from Norda's Mountain Outfitters.

thanks to Bob for taking the skiing pictures...these and about 370 others.

thanks to Tom for the skis, boots, poles, goggles, helmet, etc.

my skiing idol, Tom

Shelly, Tom and John giving me skiing tips
Playing with Bruce

playing with Bruce and at dinner with Polly and Papa John (thanks to Paige for these last two pictures)

Go West...

To me Christmas is Christ, family and skiing, in that order. Just about every December we travel from Illinois to Utah for Christmas. Sometimes we fly, this year we drove. We also drove last year and got stuck in Rawlins, WY due to high winds on the way out and were slowed down between Dillon and the tunnel on I-70 going home. You'd think we'd fly this year but even though we looked for reasonable airfare beginning in July, we didn't find any. So again we drove. Here's a summary:

1. Charleston schools closed on Friday morning due to an ice storm that never happened.
2. Left Charleston at 10:30 am with a goal of getting to Denver, CO that night.
3. Lesa and I listened to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - I highly recommend it.
4. I made Lesa a little nervous when I updated our progress on Facebook using my cell phone.
5. McDonald's always seemed to be the fastest option. Lesa flirted with a cute cashier named Jace.
6. See Denver around midnight. I knew the general area where a Fairfield Inn was located and after only a few minutes of being "lost" we luckily stumble upon it.
7. Leave Denver at 7:30 am. Wind in Wyoming made me to decided to stay on I-70. I hate Wyoming's Wind. I pretty much hate wind in general but especially in Wyoming.
8. Snow flurries and snow packed roads from Georgetown to Vail. The roads weren't that bad a few other drivers were terrible. After Vail it was smooth driving (see photo below).



8. Lunch at the worst Wendy's ever in Grand Junction, CO. Should have gone to BK or Taco Bell.
9. Arrive in Riverton a little after 5:00. Polly goes wild, she's really excited to see Erin, and that alone makes the trip worth while.

Tecumseh Marathon Quatre, 2008 (#22)

When: December 6, 2008.
Who: Me
Recall: It was a Winter Wonderland
Overall: Still one of my favorite marathons.
Rating: Remains 5/5 carbs

(The pictures aren't mine or of me. If I get any, I'll add them later.)

I sit down in the last bus seat and the driver calls out, “Does anyone know where we are going?” Normally, not the words you want to hear but this bus was for the Tecumseh marathon, the same race that starts not at 10:00 as advertised but “as soon as the last person is out of the Port-A-Pottie”. Not to worry. The same race director who sets the start time steps into the bus and asks, “Does anyone know how to get to the start?” Two runners who could have played the leads in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure raise their hands. The race director replies “good” and leaves. “Bill” tells the bus driver to turn left out of the Yellowwood camp ground when every other year the buses have gone right. I assume “Bill” isn’t stoned since he’s about to run a marathon but you never know. The runner seated in front me also wonders allowed whether we’ll get to the start. After two hard stops, one backup of 50 feet, and a very slow hill climb we arrive 20 minutes before start time having followed a route that no yellow school bus ever take.



Outside the temperatures are in the high twenties with brisk southwest winds and snow flurries so we all stay on the warm bus and wait. By 10:00 it’s obvious that the race will not start on time. For a second time the race director pops into our bus to announce the race will start in 10 minutes. I wait 5 minutes and go outside to get ready to run where I hear the race director announce that the race will start in about 10 minutes. Wait? Didn’t you just say that 5 minutes ago? And, after another 5 minutes he makes the exact same announcement. Is his watch frozen? My guess is that he’s basing his approximate start time by the length of the lines at the Port-A-Potties. Finally, the lines are gone and race vehicle’s battery is jumped, so we’re ready to start 20 minutes late.




Somehow between the start and mile 2, 500 runners have merged onto a single track trail. It’s slow going at times but I’m in no hurry. My last long run was over a month ago so my primary goal is to finish and secondary to that, stay warm. At the first descent, I sense trouble when I see a line of people standing still on the trail. The snow flurries have put an icy glaze on every rock, stump and exposed patch of hard dirt. I wait as runners slowly make their way around the icy spots. Three young ladies, in particular, are extremely cautious. When I said I wasn’t in hurry I didn’t mean that I wanted to stand and wait while sorority sissies tip toe around every ice pellet. Eventually, we all get past the slick patches and arrive at the mile 4.5 aid station. I’m carrying my own energy sources, Snickers and Payday candy bars, so I don’t stay long and leave the three ice princesses and a few others behind. The runners have spread out between miles 5 to 9 so the slow downs at the slick spots weren’t as long. I snack as I run and stop at the aid stations only to grab a drink and add a cookie or gel to my pocket. The cold temps made gave the energy gels the consistency of fudge. I’ve never had to chew energy gels before. But it’s worth it. Running in a small groups I’m able to notice the sharp contrast of the dark brown leaf covered trail cutting through the brilliant white snow. No one should get lost today. Off to the side of the trail I see green ferns poking through the snow. It’s beautiful. The trail cuts through a small pine forest and it really feels like Christmas! Was that sleigh bells I just heard...or was it gunfire?




At the mile 12 aid station a runner ask about a ride to the finish as I put two peanut butter cookies in my coat pocket. After the aid station, the beauty of the last few miles is replace by a one mile run on a slick gravel road. The only traction is on the larger, uncomfortable gravel poking through the ice. I would walk but I know the road will soon turn upward at an angle know as Indian Hill so I might as well shuffle along until I’m forced to walk. The good news is that Indian Hill is half way. As I summit the snow has slowed but I definitely feel the wind on the top of the ridge and for the first time feel a pinch of cold. I’m glad that I wore my old New Balance trail shoes and an extra pair of socks. I’m also glad I wore my Marmot coat with wind stopping capabilities and even more glad that my brother Tom gave me the coat in the first place. I went with a red Marmot ski hat to not only match the coat but to let the hunters know I’m not a crippled dear and not to shoot.

Back on the trail I follow a young couple at a comfortable pace until we catch four slow men. At this point the trail runs along a hill side and slants downward to the right making the slick spots even more challenging but come on guys. It’s almost worst when you go slow. There are too many to pass and we’re not too far away from the 15.8 mile aid station so I adjust down to their speed and hope the any energy saved is available over the last 6 miles. At the aid station we are greeted by a sign that says, “All You Can Eat” but I just grab a banana. Before I leave I hear the slowest of the four runners ask about a ride to the finish.

The ascent at mile 16 starts with not just any icy spot but a 20 foot section of ice. One slip to the left and it’s into a creek. Grabbing ferns on the upper hill side with both hands, I crab walk sideways on all four over the icy stretch. Never done that before in a marathon. I walk up the rest of the hill and descend into another beautiful section of trail that I run through at my own pace taking in the scenery as I go. The snow picks back up and is wetter than before but I remain warm. Thanks again Marmot. At the mile 18 aid station I feast on Gatorade and pretzels for a minute and leave. Before I know it I’m at mile 20 and as long as I’m not walking up hill my legs feel fine. Wait! This hasn’t happened before. No wall. No bonk. No problem.

The snow is lightly falling at mile 22 as I “cruise” down the last major switch back decline and think this is as close as I’ve gotten to skiing in the Midwest. A mile later I’m at the northwest end of Yellowwood Lake, opposite from the finish line. From here it’s two miles along the west side of the lake then the home stretch mile on icy gravel roads. I hate that last mile even without the ice. At least it is the last mile. After five minutes short of six hours and about 10 minutes slower than last year I cross the finish feeling better than I ever have at the end of any marathon. I’ll take that.

Now for the swag. The sweatshirt in the race packet was ugly and the only other freebie was some Vicks cold medicine samples. But, I didn’t mind. I know from past experience that the real treat comes after the race. I line up for the traditional Tecumseh post-marathon meal of soup and a sandwich. Sounds ordinary but I’d run 26.2 miles for it. No offense to mom or Lesa but it is the best tasting soup I’ve ever had. I tell the serving lady the soup is the reason I run the marathon. She says, “That’s a lot of work for soup”. She might be right and it probably doesn’t taste as good without the running. Now that I think about it, running, like Bill and Ted’s favorite herb gives me the munchies so just about anything taste most excellent after running a marathon. But, really, this is good soup.




[According to my Nike Plus system, I ran 26.61 miles and burned 3522 calories. It also shows that I passed out at mile 16. Huh?]

Annual Norda's Dr. Pepper, Banana Bread and Cheese, Ultra Half Marathon Run for the Cure, 2008

October 11, 2008. Logan, UT. Cloudy, 40 degrees, rain turning to snow. Great fun.


Setting my iPod Nike+ running system.




We're off!


With Ben and the first aid station sponsored by Spyder


Heading south towards Providence on Main Street


Approaching the Nyman's aid station in River Heights


With receiving some coaching tips from Courtney



Bringing up the rear


Snow! I love it!


Ben receiving coaching tips from Polly and Molly


Heading for home


Ben can win since Courtney came to see him run


It was a tie among brothers


Part of the excellence support team.
Check out Emmettville Blog for more photos.

First (Maybe) Annual Norda's, Dr. Pepper, Banana Bread and Cheese, Ultra Half-Marathon Run for the Cure

The official non-certified route for the First (Maybe) Annual Norda's, Dr. Pepper, Banana Bread and Cheese, Ultra Half-Marathon Run for the Cure.

For more information go to Norda's Ultra Half-Marathon blog