"My kind of town, Chicago is...my kind of town, Chicago is."

Frank Sinatra totally wraps up what "Chicago is" in his song.

For a variety of reasons, that's why I am totally pumped for another trip to one of America's great cities. Returning to run its marathon on October 7, 2012, will have special meaning, different from when I first ran in it in 2005.  Back then I had a blast being with close marathoning friends from Florida when I would say, I was in my best marathoning physical and mental condition. The 40,000+ runners were supported along the entire way by thousands of spectators screaming encouragement. Hundreds of bands and other forms of entertainment along the route essentially turned the marathon into a 26 mile block party!   Spare time before and after the marathon was spent gorging ourselves on wonderful delicacies and  touring many cultural features the city offers... check out the 2005 slide show I posted ... lots of good memories!

Since then I've run a dozen or more domestic and international marathons, and had a great time doing so with friends. Some marathons were in support of certain causes/individuals and others were for just the fun of it. However, after running the 2010 Hump's Marathon in my hometown Anchorage, AK, I decided to call it quits for running marathons...I was tired of the training (aka burnt out); I had other athletic things I wanted to do; plus, I was wasn't motivated like I was when in earlier that year I trained and ran my three European marathons after my 2009 retirement and corrective heart surgery.  Don't get me wrong, running is still very important...that's why I decided to dial back and still run half-marathons as time and motivation allows.

OK, fast forward seven years to 2012. Two things happened to "temporarily" cause me to come out of marathoning retirement.  A dear friend Casey Randell, who is an active Alaskan outdoors women and "jockett", is battling cancer - Hodgkin's lymphoma. Casey and her family just returned to (a snowy) Alaska (HOORAY!!) from Texas after successfully undergoing a stem cell transplant, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. It was to support Casey's treatment and recovery that I primarily decided to run one more marathon.  She is an amazing person...a person of strong faith and "Be Alive" optimism.  She lights up the room with her smile and uplifting personality.  She totally inspired me to train hard and she'll be running along side me all the way in Chicago.
 
 









My second reason to run "one last" marathon is that I turned 60 years old this year, and I wanted to mark it in the similar way I marked my 50th birthday when I ran the Athens (Greece) Marathon.  It was at that marathon where I made lifelong friends who for 10+ years tempted me (often successfully) to travel around the world and the USA to run marathons and tour the surrounding countryside.

I fully intend to take it all in while in Chicago...the museums, the  food, the marathon expo, the food, the huge tall buildings, the food, Lake Michigan, the food, the 40,000+ runners, the pasta feed, and being with my buddies, especially Bob Bowker, who at 70+ years old, introduced me to marathoning in 1985 and has been along side me (actually in front of me because he is so much faster than I) most of the way.  Marathoning one last time together while in Chicago will be a blast! 

In closing, it's hard to sum up what marathoning has done for me, but I do know it has done-good.  I think Dick Beardsley (a Boston Marathon legend) expressed it best when interviewed for the movie "Spirit of the Marathon" (which was filmed to highlight runners training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon), "When you cross that finish line no matter how slow or how fast, it will change your life forever."  I'm living testimony that it has.  Remember train hard...run far!
   

A lot has happened and will happen...

Jimmy didn't make it...a few months after my February 2011 post, Jimmy took his last swing at life.  Since then, I haven't been motivated to keep up my blog or share any news about what's been going on since then...but it's time.  I remember getting the call from Jimmy's wife Shari, telling me that Jimmy wasn't doing well, Hospice was about to arrive, and I ought to come right away...which I did.  When I arrived, Jimmy's breathing was strained but he was comfortably sitting in his favorite chair with his basset hound doggies Gunter and Orville by his side.  Jimmy recognized me, we hugged hello, but he was too weak to verbally greet me...it was then that I realized the seriousness of the situation.  Annie from Hospice arrived soon thereafter, monitored Jimmy's vitals and then suggested we move Jimmy to his bed, which we did.  Prior to my arrival, the Fuhrer's best friends Jasper and Louise arrived to support Shari and her sister who had arrived days before.  Within hours, Jimmy passed.  His final breaths were labored and shallow.  I recall encouraging Jimmy to take deeper breaths and hang on, but his breaths over time became more and more shallow. He, even while being unconscious, fought on; however, ultimately all of us encouraged Jimmy to let go and find peace, which he finally did.  It's his fighting spirit that, when I'm feeling unmotivated, spurs me on.
 
Later in the summer, I put together a memorial golf outing in his honor at his favorite golf course (Eagleglen), which was heavily attended by all his golf buddies.  It was a lot of fun having his buddies share stories, especially about Jimmy's TERRIBLE sand trap play.  The gathering ended when we all golf carted to the #16 Hole where Jimmy had requested that his ashes be dispersed in the wood lot next to the tee box...it was there that we all took turns spreading his ashes in the woods as well as all around the #15 and #16 greens (on both holes he scored an eagle), their sand traps and cups. 

Whenever we now play Eagleglen, we hoist at cheer on the #15 and #16 greens in Jimmy's honor...he'd like that!