Tag Archives: Running

April 16, 2013

My Heart Is In Boston

Three years ago, I ran the Boston Marathon and it changed my life. Tonight, I write with a heavy heart as I watch a horrendous scene play over and over in the exact location that brought me immense joy just a few years ago.

Ever since I first visited Boston in 2004, I’ve considered the city one of my favorites in the world. Boston is the perfect combination of everything that I love – Baseball, colleges, running, its manageable size, one awesome sports culture, wonderful history, intriguing architecture and unique food. Many people have asked me over the years where I would live if I could live anywhere in the world. Besides my Iowa homeland, I’ve always said Boston since my very first visit.

To celebrate Marathon Monday, I worked from the new Dunkin’ Donuts in town, ordered the traditional Boston creme donut and proudly wore my 2010 Boston Marathon jacket. There’s a sense of pride each time I wear the jacket, and I’ve made it a point to wear it each Marathon Monday since 2010. Yes, I finished the Boston Marathon in 2010, but my experience was the start of so much more for me personally.

I ran the marathon as a charity runner for the Massachusetts Chapter of The ALS Association and proudly finished in the bottom 5 percentile. It was my first experience as a charity runner as I had to raise $5,000 to participate in the race. I fell in love with charity athletics that day.

It was also the first time that I experienced the joy of thanking donors publicly in front of landmarks. Journeying around town with Tillie and my sister Anne thanking those who had led me to the experience was remarkable. It is an approach that I’ve brought with me to all of my subsequent running journeys and this blog.

Most importantly, the Boston Marathon gave me an enhanced level of confidence and a new life philosophy that doing good work will lead you to life-changing opportunities.

It’s tough to put into words how I’ve felt today as I’ve watched everything unfold, so I wanted to just jot down a few thoughts that have crossed the brain.

I’ve recommended to hundreds of people that even if you do not have aspirations to run a marathon, simply being a spectator at one is an uplifting experience.

People that know me well know that I do not like crowds. However, I believe that many marathoners develop their goal to complete one after being a spectator. It’s always been my way of hoping that I can convince people to try it out. I don’t know if making this recommendation will ever feel right for me anymore.

Marathons are supposed to be a celebration of life

Marathoners celebrate life through their ability to complete 26.2 miles. Everything about the marathon experience is supposed to be joyous. It is the last place I would have ever expected something like this to happen.

I feel terrible for those who were not able to celebrate their moment

While I am obviously heartbroken for those who suffered great loss today, I also feel terrible for 10,000-15,000 who were not able to cross the finish line and feel the emotions that I experienced. The majority of those who did not finish today were either older runners or charity runners. I’m saddened that the good works that many of these people did were shadowed by fear and sorrow.

The timing of the moment

One of the first things that I did when I heard about the news was find the time on the clock. The clock showed 4:09. I quickly did the math to reference where I would have been on the course. With the delayed start, I would have been about 30 minutes back. I have no idea why this mattered to me to figure out.

Re-affirmed my disdain for politics

I’ve been flipping around channels since late afternoon to see the variety of coverage about the incident. I ended up at CNN as President Obama addressed the nation. Immediately after his speech, Wolf Blitzer went into a diatribe about the political ramifications of Obama not mentioning “terror attack.” I don’t generally yell obscenities at the TV, but I was so appalled that the situation had already become so political. Really Wolfman, you couldn’t just give it a rest for one stinkin’ moment and focus on the families, spectators and runners affected? Pathetic. I know it’s your job, but seriously, be a human for one moment.

I wonder how the running community will be affected

I worry that popularity of large-scale running events will be negatively affected. While many will show their resiliency by continuing to participate, I can’t blame those who might be a little worried to show up. It was a very sad day for the running community.

Did you notice how many people ran to the situation to help?

It’s tough to know where I would have run to if I were in Boston. I don’t think that I would have had the courage to run to the middle of the situation to help. I’m not sure what adrenaline would have done. I felt a bit of comfort watching the coverage on TV as I noticed the amount of people who ran to help. In the midst of such a bad situation, the service of others shone through.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. Tomorrow, I’ll go for a run.

2 comments | tags: Bombings, Boston, Boston Marathon, Running | posted in Uncategorized

March 6, 2013

Day 5 of 8 – 6.0 Miles in Oxford, Mississippi

By Steve Good

Oxford, Mississippi has been on my shortlist of towns to visit for quite some time. Having visited nearly 100+ campuses, many people have mentioned to me that a trip to Ole Miss is a must. The quintessential college town from what they say. When I was planning this year’s run, I knew that I wanted to make it to Oxford. The only trick about the trip would be that Megabus does not run from Memphis to Oxford or from Oxford to Birmingham. A little improvisation would need to be made to make it happen.

Ben Boden was kind enough to drive me from Memphis to Oxford, about an a hour and twenty minute drive. Ben and I arrived in Oxford and headed to its fabled square where I had planned to meet my great friend Sparky Reardon, my host while in Oxford. Wow, the Oxford Square is amazing. Literally a square, it is the hub of the city and it is full of charming stores, restaurants, bars and its impressive old courthouse. Five minutes on the Square will make you want to stay for days.

Ben and I met Sparky and his buddy Vernon at Ajax for dinner. Ajax is owned by an Ole Miss Phi Delt and does not disappoint. A traditional meal of catfish and greens arrived at my table. So good. While at dinner, I learned that Vernon is the uncle of the Manning boys. Yes, those Manning boys. Following dinner, we bid adieu to Ben and headed to the Tad Smith Coliseum, or the “Tad Pad” to watch Ole Miss take on Alabama.

Ole Miss has one of the most entertaining college basketball players to watch in the nation – Marshall Henderson. I’ve never seen such an animated player before. Plus, he shoots lights out. It was fun to see his style as you don’t see many like him. This clip explains his mentality.

Following the game, Sparky and I headed to his house. Man, I was pooped. I had been up since 1am with a nine mile run in the pouring rain under my belt. Seriously pooped.

I slept for six hours and woke up in the morning for my run. Sparky had lined up two of his cousins (also Ole Miss Phi Delts) to run with me that day. Bret Beauchamp and Charlie Cascio proved to be awesome running buddies and provided for many great laughs throughout the run, including one big laugh when they heard how I say the word Pecan. Both guys are remarkable runners as Bret runs the Boston Marathon each year in sub-3 hours and Charlie ran track and cross-country for Ole Miss. I even learned that Bret has been known to run around town in December dressed up as Santa Claus. I find this to be quite awesome.

We started our run at Rowan Oak, also known as the William Faulkner House. William Faulkner was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi. His house is now owned by the University of Mississippi and is used for a variety of things. Here, I thanked my colleague Luke Benfield. I wanted to thank Luke here as it reminded me greatly of Luke. Luke is a Southern Gentleman himself and a reader/writer. Luke is doing tremendous things in the world of education for Phi Delta Theta. Thanks Luke!

Bailey Wood’s Trail began its life as part of William Faulkner’s home and connects Rowan Oak to the University. Faulkner drew inspiration for his writing from the woods, and wrote on the trail. Here, I thanked Sparky for his extreme generosity.

I like to brag a bit about my friend Sparky Reardon. I consider Sparky to be a mentor (as do many Phis) and have heard him deliver many, many inspiring speeches over the years to thousands of undergraduate Phi Delts at our conferences. He is a moving speaker and is the Dean of Students at Ole Miss. When you Google “southern gentleman”, Sparky’s face should appear. I quickly learned that walking around Oxford, Mississippi with Sparky is like walking around with the Governor. I sure as heck know that Sparky wouldn’t be able to get away with anything in Oxford, as everyone knows him!

My favorite Sparky moment was seeing him on one of ESPN’s commercials. The piece is hilarious. He’s the guy in the suit that talks real fast.

The three of us ran Bailey Wood’s Trail to the University.

Our next stop was the Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts on campus, the home of the first 2008 Presidential Debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. Here, I thanked Kelly Derickson, a colleague of mine at Phi Delt. Kelly and I work together on the Fraternity’s communication efforts, and I thought it to be only fitting to thank her here. Her husband Tim is a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 53rd district, which includes Oxford, Ohio.

If you love civil rights history, you will love this article in the New York Times about Ole Miss, the recent debate, and how the community has progressed greatly over the years.

From the Ford Center, we ran to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the home of the Ole Miss Rebel football team. There is much buzz about Ole Miss football as they just landed one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Expect great things from them in the SEC in the near future.

Here, I thanked the Brannon family once again. I thanked them here, because I wanted to honor their connection with an Iowa football legend, who was tragically killed a few years back. Ed Thomas was a legendary high school football coach at Applington-Parkersburg, a collection of small towns known for their strong football team. The city has put four men in the NFL, which is astonishing for its size. The community witnessed great tragedy in 2008 and 2009. In 2008, a tornado demolished the community of Parkersburg wiping out much of the city. A year later, their beloved football coach was murdered. Jason and his family are from Parkerburg, and Jason’s sister is married to one of Ed Thomas’ sons. The family attended the ESPYs a few years back when Coach Thomas was recognized at the awards show. I tell this story, because I thought about the Brannons a great deal when this all was going on.

We ran from the football stadium to the chapter house of Phi Delta Theta’s Mississippi Alpha Chapter. Greek life is huge at Ole Miss, and the houses are amazing. While I didn’t intend to, I woke up my buddy Matthew Porchivina to say hi. Matthew is the son of Rudy and Deb Porchivina. Rudy is a Past President of the General Council of Phi Delta Theta and a good friend. Deb is one of my favorite Iowa Hawkeyes. It’s so fun to see Matthew thriving as an undergraduate Phi Delt and pulling off a Brooks Brothers robe. He’ll be taking me halfway to Birmingham in a few hours, and for that, I’m extremely grateful.

At the house, the guys directed me to the plaque below, honoring my buddy Sparky.

A young Phi Delt then took a picture of Bret, Charlie and me in front of the house. Here, I thanked the brothers of Mississippi Alpha.

From the Phi Delt house, we ran to Sorority Row where as you can guess, many of the University’s sorority houses are located. They are quite the structure. We took the picture quickly as we hoped nobody would see three grown men in tights taking pictures of the sorority houses at 8:00am in the morning.

We then headed to the heart of campus, a place where tailgating is done best during the football season. The Grove is magnificent, and I can only imagine how much greater it would be stacked with Ole Miss fans during the fall. Here, I thanked my good friend Moe Stephens underneath the Walk of Champions sign. Moe is on the Fraternity’s General Council and has become a great friend over the years. Thanks Moe!

At one end of the Grove is the Lyceum, the University’s first building and structure that is on the University’s logo. How about that for an awesome campus building? Here, I thanked Sparky again. Are you seeing a theme here?

We also ran past one of the well-known 18 mph traffic signs at Ole Miss, a dedication to Archie Manning who wore #18 for Ole Miss. There are also 10 mph signs on campus in honor of Eli.

On our way to Oxford Square, we passed another sign worth highlighting. Delta Gamma Fraternity is the sister organization of Phi Delta Theta and was founded at Ole Miss.

Our next stop was the Square. Here I thanked my sister and brother-in-law in front of Square Books. Square Books is one of the neatest independently-owned book stores in the country. I found it fitting to thank my sister here, as we grew up with a librarian mother.

Right across the street stands the Oxford Square Courthouse, right in the middle of everything. Here, I thanked Sparky again.

Upon leaving the Square, I had to take a picture with the William Faulker statue. Guy was just staring at me.

We ran back to the car, and the guys took me by the local cemetery to see Faulkner’s grave before dropping me off at Sparky’s. It did not disappoint. As you can tell, local residents still like to have a cocktail with Mr. Faulkner.

After a quick shower, Sparky treated me to breakfast at Big Bad Breakfast. I had a feeling that I would enjoy it. And I did, a little too much. I had the “Good Old Boy” omelet, cheese grits and a biscuit. So much for those lost calories.

Sparky was even kind enough to buy a BBB t-shirt for me. I couldn’t resist picking up this one.

My time in Oxford is quickly coming to an end as I’ll be making my way to Birmingham this afternoon. I had a blast. Thanks again to Sparky, Vernon, Bret and Charlie for a memorable experience. I will be back.

Leave a comment | tags: 2012 Presidential Debate, Ajax, ALS Association, Archie Manning, Bailey Wood's Trail, Big Bad Breakfast, Castellow Ford Center, Delta Gamma, Ed Thomas, Eli Manning, Iron Phi, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Marshall Henderson, Megabus, Mississippi, Ole Miss, Oxford, Oxford Square, Oxford Square Courthouse, Parkersburg, Phi Delta Theta, Rowan Oak, Running, Sorority Row, Sparky Reardon, Square Books, Tad Smith Coliseum, The Grove, The Lyceum, University of Mississippi, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, William Faulkner | posted in Uncategorized

March 4, 2013

7.65 Miles On Foot, 6.5 Miles By Bike In Nashville, Tennessee

By Steve Good

Nine hours after leaving Chicago I arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. We stopped through Indianapolis and Louisville en route to Nashville. Wow, nine hours by bus will take it out of you, but I was able to catch up on my writing and luckily had some space to stretch out.

When I arrived in Nashville, I was picked up by Nolan Pattee, my pledge dad from my days at Phi Delt at Iowa State. It’s been years since I’ve seen Nolan and his wife Brandi, so I greatly looked forward to my visit. Nolan and I caught up for a bit before hitting the sack.

Nolan and Brandi have four kids, with the oldest being six. Upon waking up, I went into Uncle Steve mode and had a blast with the kids prior to leaving for our run. Seriously, cutest kids ever.

I told Sadi that Tillie would thoroughly love her polka-dot outfit.

Nolan and I headed downtown for our run mid-morning. We started at LP Field, the home of the Tennessee Titans. Here, I threw on my Cincinnati Bengals shirt to thank Sean & Michelle Wagner. Sean has been a colleague at Phi Delt since I started in 2004 and is a Bengals season ticket holder. I thought it was only fitting to sport my Bengals gear in enemy territory. Who Dey!

From LP Field, we took off over the pedestrian bridge into downtown and was immediately welcomed with many a picture opportunity. I quickly had the opportunity to take my first Runner’s Choice photo of the day, thanking John and Kimmy Talcott. John and I worked together at Phi Delt, and the Talcotts now live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I stayed with them last year during my run, and I was able to see them a month ago when I was in Pittsburgh. John and Kimmy will soon be welcoming a little one to the family and will phenomenal parents.

We headed to Broadway, the main strip in Nashville. Broadway is stacked with honky-tonk bars, restaurants and gift shops. We spotted a giant cowboy boot and figured that it merited a Runner’s Choice photo. Here, I thanks my sister and brother-in-law again.

Just a block down the road, we ran into one of Nashville’s many street performers. I promised my cousins Adam & Lindsey Good that I’d stop by the Wild Horse Saloon for today’s picture, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. A small tip and picture later, we continued down Broadway.

We stopped by Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge for a quick pic, one of Nashville’s most famous watering holes.

From Tootsie’s we headed north a block and came upon the Ryman Auditorium. Ryman is the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. Tillie and I came to Nashville over the winter break a few years ago to see a show at Ryman. Despite bringing the average age down by a few years, we saw a phenomenal show that included country-stars Trace Adkins and Little Jimmy Dickens. On this trip, I thanked my aunt and uncle Tom & Colleen Good. Tom & Colleen have supported both of my running trips, and we love spending time with them in the fall during Iowa State football games. Thanks Tom & Colleen!

From Ryman, we headed to the Tennessee State Capitol that resides in downtown Nashville. It’s one of the smallest state capitals out there, but it’s charm makes up for its size. Here I thanked Drew Miller, who is a fellow Phi Delt from Iowa State. Thanks Drew!

From the capital, I had to make a quick stop by Printers Alley, the home of many great memories from my pal Joe Wechsler’s bachelor party back in the day. Printers Alley is a small street stocked with karaoke bars and other establishments that serve wonderful hot plates at night. I will never forget my time spent in the Alley!

We ran south towards the Country Music Hall of Fame. Right next to the Hall of Fame is the new Nashville Convention Center. Wow, what a structure. It’s still under construction, but I can only imagine how much business it will bring to the great city of Nashville.

Right next store is the famous Country Music Hall of Fame. I’ve been through the Hall of Fame before, and even though I’m not a huge fan of country music, it was one awesome experience. Here, I thanked Todd & Candice Thomas. One of the neatest things about these trips is the connection with people of whom I’ve never. I received a very nice message from Todd & Candice during my fundraising efforts. Candice mentioned that her grandmother had ALS, and it once again provided great motivation for today’s run. Thank you Todd & Candice!

Nolan and I headed west towards Music Row, but we soon came across Nashville’s public bike service. As you can see, Nolan was a fan, and it sparked an idea that the two of us would capitalize on later during the run.

So Nashville is obviously known for its connection with the music industry. It’s everywhere, and it is very neat to see. Music Row is an area of town that is packed full of the many businesses that serve this industry. We came across this random statue that merited a picture. Who knows what they are doing and why they neglected to wear clothing.

Near Music Row, I found a friend playing the piano. I had to take the opportunity to thank my main man DeMarkco Butler, a fellow Phi Delt staff member. I consider DeMarkco a little brother of sorts and I’m proud of the tremendous work that he is doing to bring Phi Delta Theta back or to new campuses. He’s knocking it out of the ballpark. While I promised to do the Dougie on Music Row, I quickly realized that I had no idea how to do the Dougie. I may need DeMarkco to “teach me how to Dougie.”

Nolan and I ran Music Row. It’s such a cool place, and it was neat to place a location to many of the things that drive this industry. We found Sony Music, but Taylor Swift was nowhere to be seen.

And the famous RCA Studio B that is home to numerous hits by many famous artists, including the one-and-only Elvis Preasley. So much history here!

Nolan and I thought it would be a great idea to stop for lunch at this point. Who said a belly full of fish tacos and nachos is a bad idea mid-run. We ate at the San Antonio Taco Company, one of my favorite places that I frequented when I helped restart the Fraternity’s chapter at Vanderbilt University. We enjoyed the delicious meal and relaxed at Starbucks a bit to charge my phone. It’s been awesome to catch up with Nolan on this trip, and I was able to learn more about his career and family life at Starbucks. He’s kicking tail and doing many great things.

Looking like a pair of 70-year old men, Nolan and I started “running” again onto Vanderbilt University. Our goal was to run normal when students passed us, but our hobble shone through. We ran over to the Phi Delt house on campus. Here, I thanked Scott and Lisa Mietchen. Scott finished up his role in 2012 as the President of Phi Delta Theta’s General Council. He did many great things for the organization. It’s been great to get to know the Mietchen family. I’ll never forget a snowmobiling trip with Sean Wagner, Scott and Chris Lapple a few years back in Wyoming. We had a blast.

After Vanderbilt, Nolan and I were struggling big time. We decided to alter our route and utilize the help of the local bike service. For $5, we picked up a few sweet red cruisers and continued the trek around town. We picked up the bikes at a park near Vanderbilt and headed to the Parthenon for a wonderful pic. The Parthenon is a full-size replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. As you can see, it’s quite the structure. Here, I thanked two very important people in my life, Neil & Suzanne Alexander. If I hadn’t started this run a year ago, I don’t know if I would know the Alexanders. A highlight of last year’s trip was connecting with the Alexanders. I received a few donations from the family, and through my trip, was able to learn about the Alexander’s story. Neil was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease a few years back, and has truly been an inspiration to me since I’ve met him. Following his diagnoses, Neil started the Live Like Lou Foundation and is doing so many great things to help other families who are being affected by ALS. Neil became a Phi Delt at this summer’s Phi Delt Convention in DC, a very proud moment for many of us. He’s been an inspiration to the Iron Phi program, and through his diagnosis, is helping us educate our members about this terrible disease. Neil’s approach leaves me in awe, and I am lucky to know him.

From the Parthnon, we cycled to the final stop, Belmont University. The Fraternity has a great chapter here, and I have been able to get to know a few of their members through the Iron Phi program. I had actually never been to the campus, but was amazed by it’s spectacular architecture. Here, I thanked my colleague Alex Stefanic. Alex has been the leadership consultant for the chapter over the past two years. Thanks Alex for your donation!

We made our way back downtown to celebrate a great day. Prior to heading back to Tootsie’s, Nolan took me to Fort Nashborough along the river. You have love old structures like this that have survived the new developments of downtown districts. We then headed to Tootsie’s, where we ran into a few fellow Iowans from Waverly.

Whew, what a day. Nearly eight miles on foot and 6+ miles on bike. We considered jumping in the river to complete the triathlon, but we quickly detracted from that idea.

It was great to come across a few familiar faces in Nashville. My family has neat history with the American Gothic painting by Grant Wood. My great-great-grandparents owned the house in the painting when it was painted. It’s located in Eldon, Iowa, my mother’s hometown.

Once again, a big thanks goes to the Pattees for their tremendous hospitality. Their family is wonderful, and it’s been great to catch up with them. They were even kind enough to get this for Cal.

My day has only begun, as I’ll be hopping the 1:40am Megabus from Nashville to Memphis, my first overnight trip. It shall be interesting. I look forward to a great day in Memphis tomorrow, but I need to get a bit of rest before then.

One final note – A week back, I learned that an Iowa State undergraduate Phi Delt, Kyle Bangston’s father was battling ALS. While we have approximately 10,000 undergraduate Phi Delts, only a handful have parents with ALS. This morning, Kyle’s father Paul passed away. My heart goes out to the Bangston family.

Leave a comment | tags: Belmont University, Broadway, Country Music, Country Music Hall of Fame, Fort Nashborough, Honky-Tonk, Iron Phi, Little Jimmy Dickens, LP Field, Megabus, Music Row, Nashville, Nashville Convention Center, Nolan Pattee, Parthenon, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Printers Alley, RCA Studo B, Running, Ryman Auditorium, San Antonio Taco Company, Sony Music, Steve Good, Tennesee State Capital, Tennessee, Tennessee Titans, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Trace Adkins, Vanderbilt University | posted in Tennessee

March 3, 2013

Day 2 of 8 – 8.2 Miles in Chicago, Illinois

By Steve Good

After finishing my run in Fort Dodge, I drove home and had just enough time to shower up, play with the Cal-man for a bit, watch my Cyclones have a complete meltdown in Norman, Oklahoma and head down to Des Moines to catch my first bus. I said my goodbyes to Tillie and Cal (more about Tillie later this week and how great she is to let me go on this crazy adventure each year) and found this thing waiting for me.

I wondered how busy the bus from Des Moines to Chicago would be, and I was surprised to find out that there were only seven us on the bus. I scored the upper-deck front row for a bird’s eye view to Chicago. We stopped in Iowa City to pick up another small crew and made the trek to Chicago.

I had been doing some reading about a alternative taxi service called Uber that is in approximately 15 cities, and I planned to use it once I arrived in Chicago. It didn’t disappoint, and I can honestly say that it was probably my best “cab” experience of my life. When I arrived at the bus stop, I opened up the Uber app, which automatically identified my location. I then hit a button that said “Request a car.” About ten seconds later, I received a text from Uber stating that my driver would be there in one minute. About ten seconds later, I received a call from my driver who was trying to locate me. We found each other, and I was shocked to find a Cadillac Escalade waiting for me. Score! I had about a four mile drive to Andy Tomka’s house, and it cost $20. A normal cab would have been approximately $15. Because I have my credit card plugged into Uber, I didn’t have to make a transaction upon leaving the car, and received my receipt via email about minute later. What a great experience! It was interesting talking with driver about the company. It sounds like many cities are getting on their case for completing disrupting the cab market in the city. Hmmmm, cities losing cab license revenues because others can provide better experiences?

I was excited to see fellow Iowa State Phi Delt Andy Tomka and his girlfriend Liz for the second year in a row. Chicago is almost a must when leaving on Megabus from Des Moines and then you can branch out from there. I’ll never complain about having to go through Chicago. So much to see! I hit the sack at about 12:30am and woke up at 7am to get ready for our run.

Andy tried to retain the title as best breakfast on my trip with a delicious oatmeal concoction and tea to start our day off. He’s in the early lead! Andy and I switched up the route a bit and just left from his place rather than transporting in to start at Soldier Field. It was a great decision to save time.

On the way to our first stop, a car approached us with the head of a Golden Retriever sticking out of the sunroof scoping out the scene. I have added an item to Lex’s bucket list. Seriously, it was hilarious to the dog just roll by us like it was no big deal.

Our first stop was the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks. Growing up a Bulls fan, a trip to the United Center is always exciting. Here, we spotted the Michael Jordan statue, and I was able to thank my cousins Matt & Jessi Good. Matt is a huge Jordan fan, so it was fun to be able to recognize him here. It’s quite the statue. I stayed with Matt in NYC last year during my trip, and the hotel room was what I needed towards the end of that trip. Thanks again guys for your support!

From the United Center, we headed east on Madison Ave. Ironically enough, I had driven Madison Ave. a week earlier as I was in town for Phi Delta Theta’s Recruitment Workshop. Our next stop was my first Runner’s Choice for the day, the Billy Goat Tavern. The Billy Goat Tavern has quite the history with Chicago. Cubs fans, you can skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to be reminded about the “stinkiness” of your team. The owner of the Billy Goat Tavern had a pet goat (Murphy), with whom the owner (Billy Goat) tried getting into a 1945 World Series game. The pet goat was not allowed in for the reason that “it stinks.” Billy Goat threw up is arms and stated that the Cubs would not win another World Series until they allowed a goat in the stadium. The rest is history. Moral of the story – Don’t mess with the goat.

Here I thanked fellow Iowa State Phi Delt Colin Hueser. I’m very proud of Colin as he was recently hired to be a part of the 2013 Phi Delta Theta Leadership Consultant class. He will soon be a colleague of mine, and I look forward to watching him do great things in the role. Colin is probably the reason I am now helping to advise the chapter at Iowa State. He had a vision in place that I supported 100%.

We then ran to Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower. I remember going to the top of the tower as a young chap with my dad on our first father-son trip. Here I thanked my running buddy Andy. I probably should have just taken the picture of him holding the sign. We ran to the front of the building to check out the grand entrance.

From Willis, we headed to the Chicago Board of Trade where I thanked my cousins Adam & Lindsey Good. Tillie and I are pumped that these two have recently moved to Ames. Adam and I are about a month apart in age, and we both have a very strong love for the Iowa State football tailgate. You can generally find us either filled with optimism after a win or licking our wounds after a heartbreaking loss. Either way, we have a good time. Lindsay teaches in the Gilbert School District just north of Ames and Adam is a financial advisor in Ogden and Eagle Grove. It was only fitting that we thanked them in front of the Chicago Board of Trade.

From the Board of Trade, we hurried out of the downtown shade and into the sun to warm up a bit on our way to Soldier Field. On the way, I took the opportunity to take another Runner’s Choice photo at Field Museum, one of Chicago’s many great museums. Here, I thanked the Brannon family. Jason is a fellow Iowa State Phi Delt and has supported my trip both years, and I recently connected with his mother Nancy. She left me a message that mentioned that both her mom and cousin had lost their battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. I didn’t know the family had that connection. It’s connections like this that completely make this trip worthwhile. I take great pride in representing these families as I run. Serious motivation.

We had arrived at Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. What a cool stadium. I first had to take a picture of the great tribute art erected in front of the stadium. I was telling Andy that in all the years that I’ve been a sports fan, I’ve never made the connection that Soldier Field pays tribute to actual soldiers. Seems so obvious, but it’s one of things that I never knew until I saw this sign.

At Soldier Field, I thanked the awesome Robles Family. Rich is a Phi Delt and former GHQ-staffer, April was Tillie’s boss at Miami University, and their kids Eva and RJ are just plain hilarious. When we were in Cincinnati, I was periodically given the opportunity to drive these two yahoos home. I truly looked forward to every opportunity to do so, and these two had me rolling for a half hour each time. Whether it was RJ pointing at me and telling me that I had a cheeseburger on my head or Eva telling me all about her class that day, it was always hilarious. We miss the Robles. April, I wasn’t able to find the playground where I wanted to take the picture. Sorry!

We headed back north from Soldier Field, ran by Grant Park and ended up stopping at Buckingham Fountain for a Runner’s Choice picture. Buckingham Fountain is familiar to you Married With Children fans. While it was way too cold for the fountain to be operating, the location provided for a serious view! Here, I thanked Matt & Jessi Good once again.

We headed toward the end of our run near the Canal and Michigan Ave. Our first stop in this area was at the Chicago Tribune Tower. The best picture of the tower was ruined by some killer shade at that point of the day, but I was able to find a really neat entrance to the building. Here, I thanked Riley Smith, a fellow Cyclone and member of Farmhouse Fraternity. One of my best pictures of last year’s trip was for Riley drinking a Miller High Life in front of the Miller High Life Lounge in Des Moines. Thanks again for your support Riley! You’re awesome. I can only hope that we randomly cross paths in an airport again in the near future!

From the Tribune Tower, I was supposed to get a picture in front of the Wrigley Building for Allan Hammell, but there was some serious construction going on which ruined every good opportunity. So I improvised. A block over was the Trump Tower, and as you can imagine, is pretty fantastic. Here I thanked Allan, one of my Iowa State Phi Delt pledge brothers. Allan and his wife Hillary recently had a beautiful baby girl! Also, a big thanks to Allan for working to reconnect the Iowa State Phi Delt alumni base with the chapter’s involvement in Dance Marathon.

The final thank-you of the run once again went to my sister and brother-in-law. The Michigan Avenue bride in downtown Chicago provides for one of the neatest views of the city in my opinion. I wanted to make sure to thank Anne & Don here. Quite the view eh?

Andy and I made our way back to his place, where I cleaned up and repacked the old backpack. Once again, thank you to Andy & Liz for their hospitality. It’s always great to see them, and I always enjoy hearing about updates in their lives. Great peeps.

The two of them dropped me off near the bus station where I grabbed a bite to eat before the 9-hour trip to Nashville, my longest of the trip. While waiting for the bus, a few things rattled me a bit. A young lad came up to me and asked for money, I politely declined, and he proceded to talk to me about his alcoholism for about 15 minutes. He said that he had just gotten out of jail, which is always comforting to hear. He eventually left, but was replaced by a young and ragged couple that were obviously high on something waiting for one of the buses. Those of us who were there witness the young girl randomly pass out and land straight on her face on the concrete. Her counterpart proceeded to yell at her with no respect. I think we were all a bit shaken by the situation, but luckily there were about 50 of us. This was really the first bad experience I have ever had with Megabus, but luckily none of these people were on my bus. Moral of the story – Abusing booze, drugs and women sucks. Don’t do it. Having said all of that, I found value in the experience as it was a stark reminder of the many positive influences in my life.

So I’m off to Nashville, via Indianapolis and Louisville. Nine hours in a bus after nearly 16 miles in two days will be interesting, but warm weather and great friends await in Nashville.

Leave a comment | tags: Über, Billy Goat Tavern, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, Chicago Board of Trade, Field Museum, Illinois, Megabus, Running, Soldier Field, Steve Good, Tribune Tower, Trump Tower, United Center, Willis Tower, Wrigley Building | posted in Illinois

March 2, 2013

Day 1 of 8 – 7.75 Miles In Fort Dodge, Iowa (My Hometown!)

By Steve Good

Megabus Part Deux is officially underway. There was no better way to start my 2013 trip than by going home to Fort Dodge, Iowa, to run the city where I spent 16 or so years of my life. We’re all proud of our hometowns, and I am no different. I would select no other place besides Fort Dodge to have grown up. It’s where the young gent below turned into a semi-mature young adult.

So a little bit about Fort Dodge.

Population – A little more than 25,000

Home of the Fort Dodge Dodgers and St. Edmond Gaels

Fort Dodge traces its beginnings to 1850 when soldiers from the United States Army erected a fort at the junction of the Des Moines River and Lizard Creek. It was named after Henry Dodge, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin.

The major industries of Fort Dodge are gypsum and limestone mining, drywall manufacturing, trucking, the manufacture of veterinary pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Gypsum rock is processed into drywall and plaster products at several Fort Dodge manufacturing facilities. Drywall was patented by a Fort Dodge resident, and the gypsum used to create the Cardiff Giant hoax of the late 19th century was mined at Fort Dodge.

Fort Dodge is the home major national trucking companies Decker & SMX. I’ve seen these trucks driven all over this great country. Give em a honk next time you see them. Friendly folks on board.

The Fort Museum has a replica of the Cardiff Giant, which was a fossilized giant humanoid “discovered” at Cardiff, New York. The Cardiff Giant was later proved to be a hoax, sculpted from gypsum mined at Fort Dodge.

Fort Dodge has been the location of Iowa High School Athletic Association championship events. Currently, the cross country championships are held at John F. Kennedy Park north of the town. Fort Dodge also hosts the Iowa girls’ softball championship tournament at Harlan Rogers Park.

Famous Fort Dodgers

Nick Collison, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Karl King, conductor of Barnum & Bailey’s Favorite
Lisa Koll, Olympian and NCAA record holder in 10,000 meters

Today’s run started at the Fort Dodge Senior High School, where I met up with my friend Blake Utley. More about Blake later. I was surprised to find that one of my favorite coaches, Rod Riessen, made the trip over to say hi. Coach Riessen was one of my football coaches/P.E. teaches in high school. I learned two very important lessons from Coach Riessen or “Riess” as we called him. 1) I learned what happens when you assume things (I think you all probably know the play on words), and 2) Never underestimate the value of an Australian push-up. I will also never forget the day of my first varsity football practice. We were doing drills with Coach Riess and I landed awkwardly on my hand. I was shocked to find out that my pinky finger was lodged in a 90-degree angle. I went to Coach Riess and stated, “Coach, I think I broke my f&*#* finger.” He agreed.

So I learned two very ironic things about Coach Riessen today that provided for some serious motivation during the run. 1) Coach, and fellow students at the University of Northern Iowa, had been a part of a Phi Delta Theta interest group when he was at school. While it didn’t work out, and they ended up joining SAE (I won’t hold that against him), it was purely ironic as I spent two years as the Director of Expansion for Phi Delta Theta, starting chapters across the country. 2) Coach Riessen lost his brother Rex to Lou Gehrig’s disease four years ago. I had no idea. He told us a very neat story about his brother was living in Indianapolis and Indianapolis Colt, Dallas Clark (fellow Iowan and relative of another PE teacher at FDSH) was extremely generous to the Riessen family as Rex fought his battle.

Coach Riessen, it was truly a pleasure to see you today.

While at the high school, I took my first donor picture in front of our sign. A big thanks to my cousin Amanda (Good) Buelcher for her donation. Amanda grew up around the corner from us, but her family ended up moving to the Seattle-area. It’s been years since I’ve seen her, but I look forward to when our paths cross once again.

From the high school, Blake and I ran to Dodger Stadium. I spent many days at the stadium, playing football and baseball and running track. It’s truly a gem of a high school stadium. We’re proud of our ivy-covered wall at the baseball stadium, and as a right-handed pull-hitter, I enjoyed the very short left-field fence! Here I thanked my fellow Dodgers Brad & Lindsay Klein, two of my best high school buds who ended up getting married. Brad & Lindsay live in Minneapolis with their adorable son Aiden. I’m lucky to see them fairly often in the fall at Iowa State football games.

I went rummaging through the archives at mom & dad’s house and found an awesome picture of Brad and I with another great friend Ben Carse. Classic. I think we were mimicking my dad’s clothes, which surprisingly enough are pretty hip now!

I also found one of my favorite pictures from my baseball days. I’m the guy in the shin guards.

From Dodger Stadium, we headed towards Fair Oaks Middle School where I spent time as a 5^th and 6^th grader. On the way, we stopped by Josh Mason’s chiropractic practice and CrossFit facility. We were able to say hi to Josh and peek in to see a group of people getting ready to start their CrossFit workout. I gave an across-the-room shout to another one of my favorite coaches growing up, Coach Timmerman. Great seeing you coach, wish we could have chatted for a few minutes.

At Fair Oaks, I thanked a schoolmate of my mine, Nicole Beck, now Nicole Ahrens. If my memory serves me right, I think Nicole and I were on the same team in both 5^th and 6^th grade. She’s awesome, and Blake mentioned that she is now teaching in the FD school district. Thanks so much for your donation Nicole!

The next stop was one of my Runner’s Choice stops, the Blanden Art Museum. The Blanden Memorial Art Museum, the first public museum of art in the state of Iowa. It is renowned as one of the finest small museums in the nation for its extensive permanent collection as well as popular touring exhibits. Here I thanked my wonderful sister and brother-in-law, Anne & Don Davidson. My sister is one of my rocks, and I’m one lucky brother. Anne and Don live in Omaha with their sons Will and Graham. I’m lucky to be able to see them more now living in Iowa. Anne was smart to purchase a Runner’s Choice in each city, so she’ll be getting many a shout-out during this trip.

From Blanden, we ran to the next Runner’s Choice, one of the finest establishments in town, in which I will never admit to entering. Welcome to the Top Hat Lounge. Let’s just say that the Top Hat is a place where you can get a drink and watch a dance at the same time. I’m not talking about the March Madness Big Dance either. Here, I thanked Roger Griffith, who I consider my second father. I mistakenly added his very innocent wife Paula on the sign before realizing that it probably wasn’t the best of ideas to thank Paula, who I consider my second mother at the local strip club. Paula and Roger are the parents of my best friend Travis. I probably spent just as much time at the Griffiths growing up as I did at my own home. Come to think of it, I probably owe the Griffiths a gift card from Hy-Vee for a couple thousand dollars. Paula & Roger, thanks for your donation, and Roger, shame on you for not telling me that the Top Hat is a strip club You’ll be happy to know that your donation will be going to the cause and was not turned into twenty-five one-dollar bills. Ok, I’m moving on before I get into trouble.

Following our stop at the Top Hat, I felt that it was necessary to run to my church, First United Methodist. It wasn’t a planned stop, nor did I thank any donor, I just needed to cleanse my soul. Having said that, I don’t think I ever truly appreciate the architecture of the church until today.

From First Methodist, we ran to Phillips Middle School, where I spent my 7^th and 8^th grade years. Blake filled me in that both Fair Oaks and Phillips will only have one more year as middle schools. The schools are being consolidated and will live in a brand new building in town. We were able to drive by the building later in the day. It’s awesome!

Here I thanked one of my ridiculous partners-in-crime, Mindy Christensen. Mindy is one of my great friends and one of a few people who truly gets my randomness. I was able to stay with Mindy & Marshall in Chicago last year when I went through Chicago. Despite almost breaking a bone falling town her icy steps, we had a blast in Chicago. She and Marshall have since moved to San Francisco, one of my favorite cities in the world. I think a trip may need to be in the works.

I also found this etched into the building. I enjoyed it.

In true fashion, I have to embarrass Mindy a bit. I was able to find one of my favorite pictures of the two of us from middle school. Another classic!

From Phillips, we ran to EXPO pool, where I spent my summers as the resident pool boy. Oh the memories here. Here are a few of my favorite memories:

1) One day I was changing the hydrochloric acid pump at the pool (not sure how anybody ever trusted me to do this) and it exploded on me. No joke. Some of the acid got on my face and neck. I panicked, stripped down to my skibs, came out of the back shed and jumped in the pool to rinse off. Little did I know that swimming lessons were going on and I was stuck in the deep end 95% naked.

2) Prior to the pool opening one summer, I was in the pool (with no water) sanding down some of the sharp edges. A work crew was also there working on the pool and had this crazy Rottweiler with them. Well the crew decided to leave for lunch and left Cujo who paced the pool barking at me the entire time. I was stuck in an empty pool getting fried by the sun. Every time I’d try to get out an run to safety, the dog would terrorize me. I ended up staying in the pool until the crew came back. Let’s just say that I left the pool that day with a killer tan.

3) The infamous pool-draining incident of 1999. Yep, I accidentally drained the pool. That is all.

At EXPO, we met Ryan Takatsuka, my second running buddy for the day. More about Ryan later. Ryan decided that we need to jump the fence to get my donor picture. So we did. Here I thanked Mindy again, as Mindy was a lifeguard at the pool.

From EXPO, we ran to Feelhaver Elementary School, where I spent my elementary days. Here I thanked my sister and brother-in-law again.

The night before, I located one of my favorite pictures of my sister and me on a family vacation in Saugatuck, Michigan.

From Feelhaver, we stopped at my house, 1718 North 14^th Street. It was so great to see the old place. The family was home, so we inconspicuously took the pic, where I thanked my immediate family.

There aren’t enough words to state how important my parents and sister are to me. My parents watch Cal every Friday which is awesome. I know that their positive influence will wear off nicely on Cal. My parents are my role models, and I am one lucky guy.

I had to find a classic pic of the fam. Mom doesn’t like her hair, but hey, it wouldn’t be a classic pic without a few bad hairstyles.

From my house, we made the long trek to Harlan Rogers Sports complex, our final desintation. The complex is a source of pride for us Fort Dodgers. Each year, the Iowa State Softball Tournament is held here. I used to work at Harlan Rogers doing concessions, parking and even umping a few games. One of the neatest things about Harlan is that it has little league fields that are replicas of Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Yankees Stadium. Pretty cool.

Here, I thanked my mother-in-law Julie and her husband Rob. Rob and Julie are awesome. They live on a farm in a house on a hill in Madison County, Iowa. One of the Bridges of Madison County is just miles away. I always love visiting them. So get this, there is a neat tie-in at Harlan Rogers. My wonderful wife Tillie was born a day after Julie and Tillie’s dad Tim were at Harlan Rogers at one of Tim’s games. At Harlan, Julie was told to go home by her nurse. Sure enough, Tillie was born soon thereafter.

So a huge thanks goes out to Blake Utley, one of my running buddies today. Blake is one year younger than I am, but we played sports together all through high school, mostly because he is an awesome athlete and played with us older folk. I want to brag a bit about Blake here. Blake teaches at the high school and is a coach for the baseball team. Blake created a class that turns high school students into half-marathoners. He teaches them how to train properly, coaches the mental aspect of running and trains with them in preparation for their first half-marathon. Over the last three years, 130+ student at the high school have accomplished a half marathon. I think this is truly remarkable. Talk about a value-added class! I’m biased, but I truly believe in the many lessons that can be learned through running, and Blake is teaching that to our youth. Well done Blake!

We snapped a quick picture at Harlan. Two-thirds of the 1999 FDSH line-backing core right in front of you. Believe it or not.

My other running buddy for the day was classmate and great friend Ryan Takatsuka. The Takatsukas are FD legends. Ryan’s parents Deb and Alan just finished up 30+ years of teaching at FDSH. If you ask any Dodger, I’d predict that 75%+ would name either Deb or Big Al as their favorite teacher. I spent many days/nights at the Takatsukas hanging with Ryan and his twin brother Kai. Big Al may not remember this, but I will never forget a conversation with him during my senior year of high school. He called me into his classroom after school and had a very real conversation with me, one that I needed to hear. While I won’t go into details here, I wanted him to know that it changed my world.

So here’s my chance to brag about Ryan. First of all, Ryan was a cheerleader at Northern Iowa. As a fellow short man, I have mad respect for this. Ryan is probably 5’8’’, but I always marveled at his ability to do the many cheerleading lifts. My shoulder would fall off. Secondly, Ryan is keeping the Takatsuka legacy alive at FDSH. He teaches in his mother’s classroom and uses his father’s desk. So great.

We snapped our picture at the Fort Museum in front of our famous Fort. Ryan asked if I thought it’d be tough to get inside for a picture. I laughed. My type of humor brother.

No trip to Fort Dodge would be valid if I didn’t stop by the local favorite – Taco Tico. It has a cult following, and I’m a part of the cult. Here, I thanked Mindy one last time (she’s also a member of the cult) and devoured the Sancho platter with a side of crustos. Mmmm.

I had an absolute blast visiting my hometown. The memory was a churning all day long, and I am damn proud to be a Fort Dodge Dodger.

Until next time, I gotta get the heck out of Dodge to catch my bus.

3 comments | tags: ALS, Blake Utley, Blandedn Art Museum, Cardiff Giant, Decker, Dodger Stadium, Expo Pool, Fair Oaks Middle School, Feelhaver Elementary, First United Methodist, Fort Dodge, Fort Dodge Senior High, Harlan Rogers Park, Iowa, Iowa High School Athletic Association, Iron Phi, Karl King, Lisa Koll, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Megabus, Nick Collison, Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, Phillips Middle School, Running, Ryan Takatsuka, SMX, Steve Good, Taco Tico, Top Hat Lounge | posted in Iowa, Uncategorized

February 5, 2013

Running 6 Miles From Wildcats With Cathy Mores In Manhattan, Kansas

By Steve Good

Written By Cathy Mores

It’s the week of my birthday, so what better way to celebrate another year with a lighthearted six-miler? Birthday cake doesn’t appeal much to me anyway…

My running partner today has been by my side for over fifteen years, and has pounded the pavement with me since we started training for our first half marathon just a short two years ago. We’d been running off and on prior to that — we’ve always been active, but I felt I needed something to work for — and the BFHAG (big fat hairy audacious goal) of finishing our first half in April of 2011 was just the ticket. In those two years and thirty pounds later, I’ve run four more, among countless 5 and 10K’s, and am planning to complete three half marathons around the Midwest again this year.

We found ourselves in Manhattan almost five (gasp) years ago after living in three other Big 12 college towns. As it was with my husband’s job in college athletics, moving up also brought moving on to another school, which is how we landed here. Now, while college athletics is behind us, we were fortunate to stay in a community we’ve come to embrace, although I don’t know I will ever call myself a Wildcat. More like a lone Cyclone in a Wildcat town. Except fewer cowboys. Unless you’re from Oklahoma State. More bad Big 12 jokes to come.

Manhattan is a quintessential college town. It’s quiet in the summers and over extended university holidays. It revolves around football, basketball, Bill Snyder, and over dinner in the local restaurants, topics often revolve around harsh words about the KU Jayhawks. In the heart of the Flint Hills prairie, our runs are often planned around the windiest parts of the day, or you’ll surely lose whatever hat or visor you were thinking of wearing–those headwinds can put any eight-minute miler to shame. But the views are immaculate and as wide and far as you can imagine seeing. Yes, we’re in flyover country, but it’s charming and beautiful in ways that the coasts can’t compete with.

We started our run near our home–a charming rancher at the top of the hill near campus with a secluded backyard and plenty of wildlife–a rare sight in the middle of town. From here we hook a couple of quick turns up another hill, where we make our first stop at my second home in Manhattan.

I don’t know the person I’d be without the yoga community at large and the practice we share. We laugh, cry, handstand, travel and dream together, and it’s a family I love sharing my life with. (And there’s always the benefit of the relief my hamstrings get after a ten-miler!) Two people that get specific thanks for introducing me to yoga: Jessa and Ali — without you two, I would never have experienced the clarity and grace the asana brings. For the people I’ve been fortunate to meet through yoga, and the practice we share, I am deeply grateful.

From this corner we turn north on Browning and fly down the hill to our next turn and back up the hill, heading east toward campus. At the corner of Denison Ave and Jardine Drive we stop at one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country — Jardine Apartments. Originally constructed for married university housing, it’s now home to more than 1500 residents from nearly 50 countries. The setting itself feels like a small campus right next to Kansas State University. It backs up to K-State’s home for basketball and football, which is apropos for our next thanks. Here, we make our second stop.

The next thanks goes to our dear friends, who are our chosen family. They’ve been part of our lives since Mike and Missy worked together in Marketing at the University of Kansas, as we planned a wedding and fumbled around to find ourselves among the reality of a first real job. Many miles have separated us a time or two, but our friendship is a constant and we love to have an excuse to go to Kansas City for a day or quick overnight to visit them. We have long forgiven them for being Wildcats, (although they do have a little Iowa State lineage in their extended family) although that’s taken a lot of wine and tolerance. We have run most of our half marathons together, and the unfortunate lone adult who decides not to run is in charge of watching the kids. Sucker!

We continue on a bit and start to head southeast through the Kansas State University campus. The university is much like Iowa State — lots of engineers, veterinarians, and dually-drivin’ agriculture majors — and good, warmhearted, Midwestern attitudes. Our route skirts the campus on the east side and begin to head south to the flattest part of our run, and make our way toward Aggieville.

Named back around the early 1900’s, when the school mascot was the Kansas State Agricultural College Aggies (take that, Texas A&M!), it’s been the favorite hangout for after-class and Saturday night revelries. If you’re lucky you’ll even share a cocktail with Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family. However, no visit to Aggieville is complete without stopping at Varsity Donuts. Open just shy of a year and a half, it has developed a cult following with its quirky flavors and awesome people. You just don’t visit Manhattan without indulging in a Party Girl or Flat Tire. On football Saturdays, the line is longer than those at the watering holes next door. They’re that good.

Here, I’m going to thank Parker and Mike—they love Varsity Donuts the way I love them and you’ll find them there every Saturday morning. Sometimes life with my spouse and favorite six year old is salty sweet like a Maple Bacon bar, other days it’s the fun and games of a pistachio donut, and other still it’s everyday Otis or glazed. Yes, I just compared my husband and child to donuts. They are sweet, fun, and I just can’t imagine my life without either one of them.

From here we cruise through Aggieville, past the iconic Varney’s bookstore, and head around City Park, a place where we often bump into other running friends and families we know. Manhattan is just small enough that most of the runners know one another, and it’s not uncommon to have someone honk and wave as they’re driving by. It’s the best kind of encouragement one could ask for.

At the southeast corner of City Park, Johnny Kaw is a giant statue and an icon of Manhattan. (At thirty feet high, he’s hard to miss.) Move over, Paul Bunyan… we’ve got our own “fakelore” here. He’s the mythical character of a Kansas settler who planted wheat, invented sunflowers, and supposedly wrung out the clouds to end a drought our two. His storied pets of a wildcat and a jayhawk rarely got along, and the results of their rumblings is also known as the Dust Bowl. Obnoxious, perhaps, but iconic, sure.

This thanks is a huge shout out to my awesome family. I wouldn’t be where or who I am without the foundation of these people behind me. They are my greatest cheerleaders and the first text after finishing a big race. To say thank you doesn’t seem enough for the sacrifices they’ve made and love they unconditionally have, no matter the situation. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude for them.

We turn the corner to head west up Poyntz Avenue, another thoroughfare and a long, slow, uphill on Seventeenth Street, where we head back north toward Anderson Avenue. There are few flat places in this city, although most of my routes somehow manage not to include them. At this corner we turn west again and stop at Memorial Stadium. From 1922-1967 it was home to KSU’s football and track and field teams before Bill Snyder Family Stadium was built. Since then the field has been replaced with FieldTurf and used for soccer, marching band practice, and my last thanks of today.

This instructor sat me down early in my sophomore year at Iowa State, look me in the eye and tell me that I needed to change my major because it was nearly impossible to make a career as an artist. That conversation makes my heart pound and eyes sting to this day, over fifteen years later, and to her and the others who said it wasn’t possible I want to say to them… watch me. In the five years that I’ve built my photography and design business (editor’s note – you should check out her work, she’s good), after learning everything I could during my nearly ten years in ad agencies, I can’t say it’s always been easy. Some days it’s as much of an uphill battle of balancing art and business as it is taking some of these stairs you see behind me (and I pound them often—it’s one of my favorite workouts) run with grace and speed. But I’m the person who won’t back down because you say I can’t; it will only inspire me further to succeed, and for that motivation, I have to say I’m finally grateful for those hurtful words.

Our route turns a bit to make the horseshoe back toward College Heights Road and back up the hill to where we began. I call it the “glory lap” since it’s where we pick up steam toward the finish.

I love being part of the running community—everyone has their motivation or reason for getting started, and I’m always so inspired during races to see others running for a cause. Today, for this run, I’m honoring my colleague Lori Nordstrom and a philanthropy she cofounded, Dando Amor. She, along with Travis Gugelman and his wife, started Dando Amor for a way to allow other photographers to be personally involved in helping children live better, fuller lives. Someday I hope to accompany them to Ecuador and help improve the orphanages these children live in. I hope you’ll be inspired by the stories they tell. You can learn more at dandoamor.com

I’m honored and humbled and terribly grateful to be part of this project–a huge thank you to Steve for including me and giving me a platform to pay it forward to others. Keep on running!

3 comments | tags: Aggieville, Big 12, Bill Snyder, Cathy Mores, Cathy Mores Photography, Cyclones, Dando Amor, Jardine Apartments, Johnny Kaw, Kansas, Kansas State, Manhattan, Memorial Stadium, Orange Sky Yoga, Running, Varney's Bookstore, Varsity Donuts, Wildcats | posted in Kansas

January 21, 2013

Megabus Part Deux – 8 Days, 8 Cities, 60+ Miles Running

By Steve Good

Last year, from February 23 – March 1, I ran 60+ miles over the course of eight days in eight states and traveled via Megabus. I had an absolute blast. It sparked something for me, and it was the experience that led me to creating http://www.agoodrun.com. Because it was such a great experience, I’ve decided to do it again. I’ll be taking a different route (Fort Dodge (IA), Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, Oxford (MS), Birmingham, Atlanta, Athens (GA)), but I expect it to be just as fun to explore, meet up with friends, and do a little good in the process.

I will once again be raising funds for Phi Delta Theta’s Iron Phi program, and I have a goal of $1,825 bringing my total to just under $8,500. Fifty percent of the dollars raised will be donated to The ALS Association to fight Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS research). ALS is an awful disease and one that we Phi Delts want to help erradicate. The other 50% of the dollars raised will support the Phi Delta Theta Foundation, an organization that has provided me with great experiences, opportunties, core values, and friends.

To celebrate the generosity of those who donate, I’m brining back the scavenger hunt approach. Below is a list of all eight cities and the landmarks I will be passing on my routes. You can “purchase” any amount of the route stops below. In return, you’ll get a picture of me with a personalized thank you sign that recognizes you in front of that landmark. I will be blogging throughout the week and my posts will include the pictues thanking donors. Runner’s choice ($10) stops are yet to be determined, but I will have a lot of fun with these. Make sure to include which landmark(s) you want to “purchase” when you make your donation. I will then update this page.

A few examples from last year:

You can make a donation on this page by clicking on the “Make a Gift” link below the thermometer. You can also send a check made out to Iron Phi to me at 2415 Clayton Drive, Ames, IA 50010 if you’d rather donate that way.

Saturday, March 2
Fort Dodge, Iowa (My Hometown!!): A Homecoming of Sorts – 7.5 Miles
Running with Blake Utley & Ryan Takatsuka

Fort Dodge Senior High School – Amanda (Good) Buechler
Dodger Stadium – Brad & Lindsay Klein
Fair Oaks Middle School – Nicole Ahrens
Phillips Middle School – Mindy Christensen
Expo Pool – Mindy Christensen
Feelhaver Elementary – Don & Anne Davidson
Home – 1718 N. 14th St. – Bill & Lindy & Anne Good
Harlan Rogers Sports Complex – Rob & Julie Waltz
Taco Tico – Mindy Christensen
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

Megabus to Chicago

Sunday, March 3
Chicago, Illinois: Bearing the Cold - 6.7 Miles
Running with Andy Tomka

Soldier Field – The Robles Family
Chicago Board of Trade – Adam & Lindsey Good
Willis Tower – Andy Tomka
United Center – Matt & Jessi Good
Wrigley Building – Allan Hammell
Chicago Tribune Tower – Riley Smith
Runner’s Choice – Matt & Jessi Good
Runner’s Choice – Colin Hueser
Runner’s Choice – Jason, Michael, Nancy Brannon
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

Megabus to Nashville

Monday, March 4
Nashville, Tennessee: Music City Miles - 6.8 Miles
Running with Nolan Pattee

LP Field – Sean & Michelle Wagner
State Capitol – Drew Miller
Ryman Auditorium – Tom & Colleen Good
Country Music Hall of Fame – Todd & Candice Thomas
Music Row – DeMarkco Butler
Belmont University – Alex Stefanic
Vanderbilt University – Scott Mietchen
Parthenon – Neil & Suzanne Alexander
Runner’s Choice – John & Kimmy Talcott
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

Megabus to Memphis

Tuesday, March 5
Memphis, Tennessee: All Jazzed Up - 9.4 Miles

Liberty Bowl – Jonathan Hernandez
Memphis Zoo – Randy & Lori Good
Sun Studio – Leigh Thiedeman
Beale Street – Neil & Suzanne Alexander
National Civil Rights Museum – DeMarkco Butler
Orpheum Theatre – Ben Boden
Peabody Hotel – Tom & Colleen Good
St. Jude Children’s Hospital – Fred Reimer
Graceland – Geoff Wood
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson
Runner’s Choice – Adam & Lindsey Good
Runner’s Choice – Kyle Schilling

Travel to Oxford, MS

Wednesday, March 6
Oxford, Mississippi: A Visit With The Dean - 5.4 Miles
Running with Bret Beauchamp & Charlie Cascio

Rowan Oak – Luke Benfield
Bailey’s Woods Trail – Sparky Reardon
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium – Jason, Michael, Nancy Brannon
Phi Delta Theta House – The Brothers of MS Alpha
Sorority Row – Sparky Reardon
The Grove – Moe Stephens
The Lyceum – Sparky Reardon
Oxford Square – Sparky Reardon
Runner’s Choice – Kelly Derickson
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

Travel to Birmingham

Thursday, March 7
Birmingham, Alabama: Magic City Miles - 8.1 Miles
Running with Lynn Chapman

Vulcan Park – Rob & Julie Waltz
Birmingham Civil Rights Museum – Tyler Cronk
Good People Brewery – Matt & Jessi Good
Rickwood Field – Tom & Colleen Good
The Storyteller Statue – Ross Roti
Alabama Theatre – Haley Abel
Southeasetern Conference (SEC) Headquarters – Mario Villa
Runner’s Choice – Rob Pasquinucci
Runner’s Choice – Todd & Candice Thomas
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson
Runner’s Choice – Bronk & Jessica Harms

Megabus to Atlanta

Friday, March 8
Atlanta, Georgia: Haulin’ Around Hotlanta - 8.0 Miles
Running with Jeremy Sale

Turner Field – Ernie Chan
State Capital – Drew Miller
MLK National Historic Site – Steve Huang
CNN Headquarters – Chris Yow
Georgia Dome – Keith Wysocki
Centennial Park (Olympics) – Neil & Suzanne Alexander
Coca-Cola Headquarters – Jeremy Sale
Georgia Tech – Jonathan Rogowski
Runner’s Choice – Tom & Colleen Good
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

Saturday, March 9
Athens, Georgia: The Search For UGA and the Iron Horse - 11.2 Miles

Megabus to Athens

Iron Horse Statue – Michael Hyatt
Sanford Stadium – Randy & Lori Good
40 Watt Club – Todd & Candice Thomas
The Double- Barreled Cannon – Haley Abel
The Tree That Owns Itself – Brent Rauch
With UGA (I will attempt to find the real one) – Joe & Sarah Wechsler
University of Georgia Arch – Marc & Jennifer Mores
Runner’s Choice – Jon & Ellen Collier
Runner’s Choice – Mario Villa
Runner’s Choice – Don & Anne Davidson

I hope that you’ll share this incredible adventure by supporting me in my journey. Your donations will be put to great use, helping to find a cure for ALS and helping college-aged men become the greatest version of themselves.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Sincerely,
Steve

Leave a comment | tags: ALS, ALS Association, Fraternity, Iron Phi, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Megabus, Phi Delta Theta, Running, Steve Good | posted in Uncategorized

January 4, 2013

6.5 Miles In Little Rock, Arkansas With Clayton & Jessica Schuety

By Steve Good

Written By The Schuety’s

I picked up running a little later in life, when I was about 19 or 20. At the time, it was a way for me to combat the extra calories that seemed to come along with college life. My husband and I (who went along on this run with me and will be co-writing this post) were married after he graduated from Iowa State University, where he was a Phi Delt with Mr. Steve Good- hence the connection to this blog.

After graduation, Clayton commissioned into the Air Force and went right from college life to Pilot Training in the military. I went from only living in Iowa my entire life to suddenly moving every 6 months to a year. During this time, I found running was so much more. It became my way to explore a new “home”. It became a stress reliever when I had to say good bye to so many people, only to meet more people that I would eventually have to say good bye too as well. And it became a way for my husband and I to stay connected when we didn’t have much time in the busy military life. A quick 3mile run would be a great way to spend time together. Here we are, 7.5 years later, two kids and a dog have joined us, and we still use running as a family activity. In fact, when I heard about this project, that’s the first thing I thought, what a great way to get the family together and support a good cause.

We are now stationed in New Mexico, however we chose not to do our run here. We spent the spring and summer bouncing from place to place in true military style, so we decided to go with Little Rock, AR. We spent the summer here, and a few years back we spent a winter there as well. We love Little Rock, and truthfully, it’s a little more exciting than were we currently call home.

We started our run at the Big Damn Bridge. This is a 1mile pedestrian bridge that connects Little Rock with North Little Rock in the river trail system. This trail system is great and allows runners, bikers, and walkers a beautiful area to get outdoors. This bridge was 4 miles from our apartment so it was easy to walk out the door and run down to the bridge and back for a daily run. There was also a park along the way, which was a great stopping point to let the kids take a break from the jogging stroller and stretch! Our plan was to start at this bridge and run to the downtown portion of the trail, making around 13 miles. This would have been a great plan, if we weren’t running in the hottest summer ever in history (I added that fact, it’s probably completely false but it sure felt that way!). It was already 95 degrees at 7AM and quickly getting hotter, so we ran the bridge and jumped in the car to drive to the downtown portion of our route. But not before pausing to thank our first group of people, my military spouse friends.

As a military spouse, you hear the same things from everyone who is non-military. One of the things that tops that list is “I don’t know how you do it”. I’m not a huge fan of this statement, mostly because I don’t know how to respond. I am not super human, I’m not an overly independent type of girl, and I love my husband just as much as anyone who is fortunate enough to spend every single night with their spouse. It’s not always easy, but I also do not want sympathy from anyone because this is a life we chose. This is a life that gives us a great deal of satisfaction, which makes the many sacrifices worth it. So now I stick with the response that I have an amazing support system and I couldn’t do it without my many military spouse friends who have helped me along the way. There is no one else who will truly understand this life other than those of us living it. We get it. We do not offer each other a pitty party, we do not give each other that “I feel sorry for you” look, we offer each other support. We give each other a shoulder to lean on when we are having a bad day, we listen to each other when we need to vent. We understand that there are things about this life we simply cannot talk about to other people for security reasons. We don’t wait to be asked for help, we check in on each other during deployments and instead of asking if everything is ok, we cut to the chase and ask what needs done – around the house, with the kids, quick trip to the grocery store, done.

Thank you to all my friends I have met along the way. There are literally too many to list, it would take up the entire blog entry. From those of you I met in pilot training years ago that helped keep me sane when our husbands worked 12 hour days and then came home to study more. We may not be stationed together anymore, our husbands may not fly the same aircraft, but we still hold a bond and a friendship that will never go away. Thank you. For those of you who I met once we got to our ops squadron…thank you. Thank you for helping me adjust to this life. Thank you for keeping me sane when we don’t hear from our husbands for too many days on a deployment and the news has us freaked out. Thank you for watching my kids when I have to take the other one to the ER in the middle of the night. Thank you for filling in for family on holidays, and making me realize I am part of a new wonderful family. Thank you for the support and understanding that no one else is capable of offering. Thank You.

This wraps up the first 4 miles, now we pack up the stroller, hop in the car and drive a few miles down the road to the downtown version of our run. From here we begin what we like to refer to as our bridge portion of the run, following the river trail through the farmers market and amphitheater area over to North Little Rock. And now I pass the blog over to Clayton.

As you can tell I am married to a beautiful, strong, loving and caring women. Jess and I have known each other since we were kids. We have grown together and continue to do so with every adventure we come across in life. I wanted to first thank my girls, because they are the few in this dynamic life that do not change. They are my inspiration and driving force behind what makes me want to be the best person, father and husband I can possibly be. My wife didn’t sign up for a life in the military, and frankly didn’t exactly know what we were getting into when I decided to take this journey. 9/11 changed the demands on military members and on the family units left behind with constant and persistent deployments. These families became the glue that continues to hold together our nation’s combat capability. It is often a thankless job, but I am so incredibly grateful for and proud of my amazing wife that picks up the slack every time Daddy heads out on the road. Jess is faced with being a mommy and a daddy, an energizer bunny, as well as both good cop and bad cop! Having this amazing family brings so much joy to my life. The girls support and love allows me to focus on the task at hand and accomplish what needs to be done so I can get home. So to my girls, I love and cherish you and can’t remember what life was like before you entered my life.

I love to recharge the battery and make the most of our family time. This past summer we had a great opportunity. I was able to take the girls out with me to Little Rock for a 7 week trip. I’m not going to lie, Jess is way better at staying connected and saw Steve’s blog and I agreed it would be a nice family activity for us to do. We had a blast using this opportunity as a way to get to know different parts of Little Rock. It is a beautiful city, with lots of fun outdoor activities. Inevitably though, we would always end up around riverfront park. Whether it was for the river market, movies in the park, cooling off at the splash pad or to catch a Traveler’s game across the river we were always there. So with all the enjoyment we got out of the park, this is were we decided to pick up our run.

The Riverfront park, like it’s name suggests is right along the river and has access to the other side over the Junction Railroad Bridge. This bridge has been converted for pedestrian and bicycle use and links both sides of the Arkansas River Trail. The picture shows the “little rock” sign where the settlers in the area first came. It is a great place to unwind and there are a ton of events that take place in the park throughout the year. From the bridge we ran over to the Traveler’s stadium were we enjoyed a few baseball games during our stay… or more often than not, watching the girls play on the grassy hill behind left field and/or throwing their toys into the opposing team’s bull pen.

Funny story, the girls were in charge of hanging onto the marker and dry-erase board during the run, and apparently Daddy was driving the stroller “too rough” and we lost the marker. Thus, you will just see a thank you on the board for the rest of the run!

This is where I wanted to take the time to thank my mother. It seems there is a theme here… great women in my life have made me who I am today. In addition to my wife and girls, my mother is no exception. My father passed away when I was a young boy and my mother was forced to take on the role of a single parent. Some of you reading this may be in this same situation and I just want to say thank you to you as well. This has got to be one of the most difficult jobs out there. I cannot express how grateful I am to my mother for all the long days, nights and sacrifices she had to make to afford my brother and me the opportunities in life we had. Mom I know it wasn’t easy, but watching and learning from your example has made me the person I am to day… so for those who know me you can either love or lament my mother! Thanks mom. I’ll pass it back to Jess and the girls for the last few stops.

We continue our run through the River Trail a few miles, and pass over the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge. This is another beautiful pedestrian bridge that connects North Little Rock to Little Rock. This bridge is pretty to run over, but it’s also nice to stop at the top and take in the scenery of the river. Before our first trip to Little Rock I had no idea what to expect of this Arkansas city, but it really is beautiful and has become one of my favorites. When you cross over into Little Rock it takes you to the Bill Clinton Library, and closer to our favorite spot, which I will get to soon enough. I wish I had captured the trail at this point as well, as there is a part of the trail that leads you around an natural habitat through a walkway. In any case, I pause at this bridge to thank our nations military members, most importantly my husband.

We all know that being in the military is a job full of sacrifices. Clayton is an amazing husband and an incredible dad, the girls and I are so fortunate to have him in our lives. With that said, I have lost count of the number of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, vacations, and special occasions he has had to miss out on. Can you imagine having to miss all that? It amazes me how much our men and women sacrifice to protect our country, and they do so in a time when many people continue on with their normal lives as if there is no war, there is no threat. I know I could personally not do this job, yet my husband manages to balance it all. Even when he is not with us physically, he makes sure we know he is thinking of us. My oldest daughter, Emme, calls these people (especially her daddy) super heroes, and she is right. To my husband and every military super hero out there: Thank you.

From here we run down to my all time favorite place from our summer in Little Rock. The River Market district. We loved to come to the farmers market on Saturday mornings, or go to a movie in the park in the amphitheater right outside of the market. I personally think the best thing a city can do is provide outdoor entertainment like this. It gets people outdoors and moving! The girls’ favorite park was the Peabody splash pad. It seemed only fitting that we pause here and say our final thank you.

I know Clayton already thanked his mom, but I would like to thank her again, along with the rest of our family. Our parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, everyone. We have a pretty darn good family. They have not only been supportive in our crazy mobile lifestyle, they have also embraced all the changes that came our way a little over a year ago when our youngest daughter, Layna, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Layna had some continuous health issues for her entire first year of life. She was constantly vomiting or spitting up. She wouldn’t sleep, would scream in pain all the time, and the list went on. We were going to the doctor every month it felt like, and she in return would refer us out to all kinds of specialist. No one had answers and my poor baby had more x-rays and blood work done in that first year than anyone should have in their life. At a year, we finally found an answer. Her body could not digest gluten. She had some other food allergies as well, so we found ourselves suddenly changing our entire lifestyle. Within a few weeks, the vomiting had stopped. Within a month we were able to take her off medication she had been on her entire life for excessive spit up and she was finally starting to gain weight.

Over the next year all of her random symptoms started to disappear. We knew this would be a big change for us. The way we ate and thought about food would need a complete makeover. We knew our family would be supportive, but we had no idea just how wonderful they would be. They have all embraced this with us 100%. We go home and there is safe food waiting for Layna. For those of you with food allergies or celiac, you know this is not always easy. There’s always a risk of cross contamination if the food is even near what she is eating. It is so comforting to know that she is surrounded by people who care about her health and well being as much as we do and will do what it takes to keep her safe. Layna is now a healthy and happy 2 year old, and we have all of you to thank for this.

To finish our run, we make a stop at one of our favorite deli’s. This was a really hard decision, since there are so many great food choices in Little Rock. We are used to not going out to eat much because of our food restrictions, but we found so many restaurants that accommodated to a gluten free lifestyle here. We decided to go with Dempsey’s Bakery because the kids really did love going here, and it is a 100% gluten free restaurant. They also carry many foods free of allergens (eggs, dairy, peanuts, soy, etc). It was nice to go there and know for 100% certainty that there was no risk for getting sick. And the food was amazing! They serve all kinds of baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, pies, and brownies. They also had fresh baked breads and served a lunch menu that was beyond good.

We’ll take this chance to talk about the charity we donated too. We went with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This charity provides full educational scholarships to children of fallen special operations force members and also provides assistance to wounded special force soldiers. With Clayton being a member of the special operations community, this was an easy choice for us to support. If you’d like to learn more about this charity or how you can donate, please check them out here http://www.specialops.org

Clayton and Jessica have been married for 8 years and have two children, Emme and Layna (4 and 2) and a dog, Baxter. Clayton is a pilot in the USAF and Jessica is a part time hairstylist and a full time mom and military spouse. They currently reside in New Mexico but grew up in Iowa and will always consider the Midwest “home”.

2 comments | tags: A Good Run, Air Force, Arkansas, Arkansas River Trail, Big Damn Bridge, Bill Clinton Library, Celiac Disease, Clayton Schuety, Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, Dempsey's Bakery, Iowa, Jessica Schuety, Little Rock, Military, Phi Delt, Pilot, River Market District, Riverfront Park, Running, Special Operations Warrior Foundation | posted in Arkansas

December 19, 2012

42 kms (26 Miles) In Mississauga, Ontario With Calvin Chan

By Steve Good

Written By Calvin Chan

When I started the sixth grade, I was given a piece of paper and told to write down 3 goals that I wanted to accomplish in my life. I can only remember one of the things I scribbled that day – “I want to finish a marathon before I turn 16.” When my brother Ernie, who had done a run of his own in Halifax, told me about Steve’s website, I was 15 years old. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to run for a good cause, show off my city, and also follow through with the goal that 12 year old me set out.

I have to admit that 42 kilometres (or 26 miles) seemed pretty crazy to run, but I decided it would be now or never to meet my goal. I knew I would need help and motivation to get me through my run, so I enlisted the help of my friends to run “legs” of my marathon with me between each of the landmarks.

My route proudly shows off the beautiful city of Mississauga, the place that I have called home for my entire life. Mississauga is the 6^th biggest city in all of Canada, and is a suburb located in the Greater Toronto Area in Southern Ontario.

The week leading up to my run had been filled with miserable weather, with Superstorm Sandy passing through. It had rained every single day leading up to the morning of my run, so as I crossed my fingers to at least have clear skies throughout the day.

So two days before my 16^th birthday, I took off bright (well, it wasn’t exactly bright) and early from the house that I had lived in for all 15 years, 11 months and 363 days of my life. I ran 12 kilometres in the brisk November air to hit my first checkpoint. Straight in the heart of downtown Mississauga is a place called Celebration Square. Sitting at the foot of the steps of City Hall, the Square is home to numerous outdoor events that run in the city. It boasts a main stage equipped with a state of the art lighting and sound system, an amphitheatre, 2 large digital display screens, and a large central lawn. In the summer, it is home to things like concerts, art shows, exhibitions and much more. In the winter, the lawn transforms into a beautiful outdoor skating rink open for the public to enjoy.

My first thank you at this stop goes out to my Mom and Dad. Mom, I know that we are hard on each other a lot of the time, but in the end I know that you just want the best for me and for me to reach my full potential. Dad, what can I say other than… NUZ! (inside joke, don’t ask). Ever since Ernie left home, you’ve I’ve needed someone to fool around with and hang out with, and other than the fact that there’s about an 83 year age gap between you two, I guess you’re doing fine in his place! My mom and dad are the best parents I could ever ask for, they do everything for me and more so I can have every opportunity I desire in life. So much credit goes out to you two for me being who I am today!

From there, I took off on my second leg of the day along with my friend Leah Bracey. We ran 6K together from Celebration Square, down to the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus. UTM holds a lot of significance for me personally, as it was the site of my summer camp, Peel Summer Academy, that I attended every summer for a number of years. The memories of playing games on the football fields, swimming in the pool, eating lunch in the cafeteria, and taking part in activities in the classrooms are all still fresh in my head. Our stop point here at UTM was in front of the student recreation and activities building.

Here, my thank you goes out to two other very important family members, my Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma, you are a wonder to have in my life. No matter what, you always have a smile on your face and tell me how proud you are of me every time you talk to me. I’m so glad to have you around to share your wisdom and advice with me! Grandpa, even though you’re no longer with us, I know you watch down on us every single day. I still remember how I used to make you play hockey with me in our basement, and no matter what you were always willing to do it with me. I think I was to little to know it then, but looking back, you played a big role in my life, and I miss you every single day!

At this checkpoint, I met up with my buddy and football teammate Lucas Steger, who joined me for my third leg of the day. Huge kudos goes out to him for sticking with me through…. well let’s just say an adventurous 10K run. I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get through to my next checkpoint without him urging me along, staying by my side despite the agonizingly slow pace. We did in fact finally make it to the next checkpoint, Lorne Park Secondary School. Founded in 1957, Lorne Park High is the oldest school in our school board. With its longstanding tradition of academic, citizenship, and athletic excellence, I am very proud to call this school my second home.

A very appropriate thank you goes out to the whole LP Family at this stop. Stepping in the doors of high school for the first time, I literally knew about 3 kids going into the first day. I’m so thankful to the each and every student and teacher that I have come across throughout my 3 years at this school, that helped me come out of my shell and really enjoy the high school experience. I can honestly say that the people of Lorne Park have played a huge part in making me who I am today. Major shout-outs have to go out to a few groups of people. My Spartan football team, we’re a band of brothers and I love you boys! Clarissa and Mackenzie, my mentors of sorts when I was a grade 9, thank you for inspiring me to get involved and be an active part of my school! And of course, thank you to all my friends, both old and new – you know who you are – you’re the best group of people I could ever wish to spend 5 days a week with for 10 months out of the year!

From the school, I met up with David Parsons, who would join me for the next 2K leg of my route. We made our way to the next checkpoint of the day, which was Birchwood Park. The park houses a soccer field, a playground, as well as 4 baseball diamonds. Birchwood is a staple in the Lorne Park neighbourhood – the practice field for our high school baseball team, a local hub for minor baseball, and a popular filming site for many projects alike.

Here, my thank you goes out to my running partners for the day, specifically the boys – David, Mike, Steger (along with Matt, who I’ll mention later). Thank you guys so much for not only being willing to help me with my run and take part in it, but also sticking with me through the struggles of it! These guys have been like brothers to me since I first met them, I can always count on them to give me and hand with anything. Davey, what can I say, you’re just a fun guy to be around! Mike, my partner in crime and fellow class-clown for 3 years running, school wouldn’t be the same without you! Steger, you’re the most enthusiastic person I know, and it rubs off on everyone around you! And finally Matt, who unfortunately couldn’t join me on my run because he was up in Sudbury for a hockey tournament. The kid is a wonder, one of the most gifted athletes I have ever met and also one of the nicest guys around! I know you would have been there every step of the way if you could have buddy!

For my next leg, I met up with Mike Crews, who I mentioned just before in my post. Together we did a 3 kilometre leg to Jack Darling Park. Jack Darling is a beautiful park situated along the shore of Lake Ontario. Its many playgrounds and open fields, beautiful scenery, and stunning Waterfront Trail that winds through it make it a popular attraction for families in Mississauga to picnic, run around, or just have a nice afternoon lakeside walk.

Thank you Part II for my running partners go out here, to the girls this time, Leah, Catherine and Jade. Much like what I talked about with the boys before, thank you to these three for sticking with me through the run and helping me get through it! They are always willing to lend a helping hand, and do it with a smile on their faces too! Leah, my grade 10 math buddy, it won’t be the same this year not sitting beside you! Cat, you’re such a good sport, you’re always in good spirits and it puts a smile on my face to see it! Jade, I don’t think there are words for you! You’re just an overall great friend, you’re so easy to talk to and you’re always there whether I need someone to whine to, or just talk to if I’m bored! Thank you all for being there for me!

I ran my next 4K leg with Catherine McDougall, who I also mentioned just above, and our route took us to Port Credit Memorial Park. The park boasts many different features. The hockey arena sits atop the hill at one end of the park, and a newly converted lawn sits next to the Credit River, which cuts through the middle of the expanse. The park lies right next to the Marina, where the Credit River empties into Lake Ontario. It is all highlighted by a lighthouse that overlooks the park on one side, and the Marina on the other.

My thank you here goes out to my brother Danny. He is one of the biggest sources of inspiration in my life. My brother lives with autism, but despite that he goes through every single day of his life with a smile on his face. Living with him really gives me a broader outlook on life. He teaches me that sometimes, you just have to sit back and appreciate the little things in life. You never cease to amaze me Danny, we have always said you are the most gifted brother out of the three of us – the smartest, most athletic, and most talented! No matter what, at the end of the day, I can give you a handshake and a hug and know that there will always be a bright and happy spot in my life with you around!

So this brings me to the final leg of my run – probably the longest 5 kilometres I have ever ran in my life! This route took me along the shore of Lake Ontario down to the Lakefront Promenade Park, which also happens to be the finish line of the Mississauga Marathon every year. The Promenade boasts 40 hectares of beautiful waterfront developments, including numerous hiking trails, cycling paths, boardwalks, beaches, playgrounds, and picnic areas.

Last but definitely not least, my final thank you goes out to the most important person in my entire life. My brother Ernie is many things to me – a mentor, a role model, and my best friend just to name a few. Ernie, you are the whole reason I decided to do this run. You inspire me every single day to strive to be the best possible person that I can be. I model myself completely after you, because to me you are the coolest person on earth! (despite that grade 8 haircut of yours) It’s been tough on me these last couple years since you moved away, not having my best friend around to talk to and joke around with. I know it has been hard with both our busy schedules to keep up with each other, but you will always be the biggest part of my life. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss you, and I’m just counting down the days until I get to pack up my things and come live with you like we’ve always talked about! You are the best brother that anyone could ever ask for, thank you isn’t enough to sum up what you have done for me and what you mean to me!

I’d like to finish off my post by highlighting a restaurant I didn’t get around to featuring along my route, the Clarkson Pump & Patio. “The Pump” as we call it is a local staple, the favourite post-game restaurant of my high school football team the Lorne Park Spartans. The wings here are unbeatable!

So with that, ended my epic journey of 42 kilometres around Mississauga! I would like to take the chance at the end of this post to highlight my cause for this run. I decided to donate to the organization Community Living Mississauga, which is a group that provides assistance and support to special needs individuals in the city.

It was a massive long haul, but I am so glad that I took the time and effort to complete this run. Thank you to each and every one of my friends and family who backed me on this run, I means so much to me to have such great people rooting for me. I literally could not have done it without you all! I hope you get the chance to visit the awesome city of Mississauga, the place that I call home!

3 comments | tags: Birchwood Park, Calvin Chan, Celebration Square, Clarkson Pump & Patio, Community Living Mississauga, Jack Darling Park, Lakefront Promenade Park, Lorne Park Secondary School, Lorne Park Spartans, Mississauga, Ontario, Port Credit Memorial Park, Running, University of Toronto Mississauga | posted in Ontario

November 14, 2012

13.3 Miles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin With Kirstin Leih

By Steve Good

Written By Kirstin Leih

Hello and welcome to Milwaukee! My name is Kirstin, and this is my hometown. I grew up out in the suburbs, and then left for awhile during college, grad school, and my first job. I moved back to the city in August 2011 when I accepted a job as an Assistant Director of Student Involvement at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I have discovered that running has been one of the best ways to get to know the city. Well, that and eating. I am probably better at eating.

I have to start with a few confessions. First, that I am relatively new to running. I picked it up back last January with the goal to complete a half marathon before turning 30 (which happens this February), and then for some reason signed up for the full Lakefront Marathon. Is it crazy to immediately train for a marathon? Probably. But that was my goal. Running and participating in marathon training is something that was totally out of my comfort zone. I certainly felt vulnerable being constantly last in the pack in the group training runs. But I stuck with it most of the way, getting up to the 16-mile run. Unfortunately, I ended up getting injured during the training process and had to put my goal on hold. As challenging as it was, I really loved the milestones that I accomplished with training. I went from a Couch to 5K plan, to running a 10K and a ten-mile race. Each new distance become the longest I had ever run. Completing a marathon is still a goal, but I may just try a half-marathon first.

My second confession is that I actually completed this run back in July. You might notice that the weather looks a little different than it does today. It is currently snowing as I write this post. I also had a ponytail back then, while I am currently sporting a pixie cut. As a newbie, I thought it might be easier to fit it my run of Milwaukee with my marathon-training schedule. It actually worked out perfectly with a week that I had to miss a group long run.

I completed this with my colleague, Becca. She is basically my unofficial running guru. She is a serious runner who has completed several marathons and an Iron Man. She’s my go-to person for those random questions like, “which socks should I get,” “should my feet look like this,” etc. It should be noted that while I ran 13.3 miles this day, Becca ran five miles prior to the start of our run. Total inspiration!

One of the absolute best things about Milwaukee is living by Lake Michigan. I am only about a mile away, and enjoy all that the lake has to offer. Initially, we were going to drive down and meet near the beach, but instead we started our run by heading down Lake Drive where all the fancy houses are, and through Lake Park. A theme for our run was free-styling it. We ended up doing a few trail runs along the way, not necessarily on purpose.

Check out the North Point Light House. It is one of my favorite things in Lake Park, which has great running trails. Our marathon training runs started and ended here each week. You can actually go up in the lighthouse and look out of the tower for quite possibly the best view of both the city and Lake Michigan. Definitely worth the trip. Since this was an unplanned stop, I didn’t have a sign or a thank you for here.

Next we continued through the park and down to the lakefront, making stop #2 at Bradford Beach. Bradford is always packed with folks playing beach volleyball and enjoying the sun. They also have a great custard and burger stand that you’ll definitely want to check out. It is beautiful during the summer, but also fun to run past during the fall and spring. A little cold in the winter…

My first thank you here goes to Becca. Both for tagging along with me on this run, and more importantly, for being an excellent motivator and keeping me positive throughout my training experience. And for being the first to tell me it was okay to stop when I just couldn’t do the marathon training any more. Thank you Becca!

From there, we ran down the lakefront path to stop #3 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Does it look familiar? Our beautiful museum was featured in Transformers 3, although sadly was not a transformer itself in the movie. In real life, it does transform a bit. See how the top looks like a bird? It is engineered so that based on the wind each day, the wings will swing out. If you love art, they have a pretty decent collection, and a fantastic gift shop.

Here I would like to thank my mom. She is an all-around rock star, and a totally inspirational woman. I don’t think I tell her that nearly enough. I appreciate all of the opportunities that she gave to my sister and I growing up, especially our appreciation for the arts. Thank you Mom!

Practically right next door, we made our next stop – The Summerfest Grounds! Actual name: Henry Maier Festival Park. If you didn’t know, Milwaukee is known as the festival city, because we have tons of festivals throughout the summer, most of them right here. The biggest one to take place on the grounds is Summerfest, a 10-day festival of music. In my opinion, the best week of the summer. Fellow runners will also appreciate that we found one of the cleanest porta-potties in the city here. I learned a lot about just how important those are during my training.

At this stop, I would like to thank my sister, Rachel. Rachel and I didn’t get along much when we were growing up, but she is my best friend now. I am also very proud to call her a colleague. This girl is one of the best student affairs professionals and social justice advocates that I know! I thought this would be an appropriate stop to thank Rachel because she and I share a love of music. I can remember a few years where she was at Summerfest almost every day. Thank you Rachel!

From here, we cut through to The Third Ward, a great location for restaurants, bars, and cute little shops. I couldn’t do this without making a stop at the Milwaukee Cupcake Company. I have a small obsession with cupcakes. If it was open, I totally would have paused for one. Other great things to check out in the area include Smoke Shack, a BBQ restaurant just down the block, and the Milwaukee Public Market, an awesome marketplace with a variety of vendors. So many great destinations!

Here I would love to thank my colleagues from my graduate school cohort – the ELPS 2007 crew from Iowa State University. They will appreciate that I tagged them at a stop about food. But really I couldn’t have gotten through graduate school, or life, without them. Thank you friends!

This is where our run got really fun. We cut down St. Paul and over on 6^thStreet to head to the Harley Davidson Museum. If you didn’t know, Harley Davidson’s headquarters are in Milwaukee. Even those who may never ride a Harley have pride in this local company. I have never been in the museum, but it is supposed to be really cool, and to have a great restaurant. We did take the opportunity to take some great pictures with bike statues out front.

Although it’s hard to read my sign (sorry!), this is the stop where I would like to thank Janelle and Susan. The three of us worked together at Saint Louis University for four years, and while there, they convinced me to enroll in the PhD program with them. Although reluctant, I agreed. They both now have the title of Dr., and continue to provide me inspiration and encouragement to work on that dissertation everyday so that I can join them in the next year or so. Thank you Janelle and Susan!

As we continued along down the long stretch that is Canal Street, this is where we had to do a little bushwacking and go off the beaten path. If you look at my map, please know there are probably more direct routes to our next stop, Miller Park! There was no way that I could leave out our gorgeous ballpark, home to the Milwaukee Brewers! Miller Park is known for its great tailgating before games, and the famous running sausages, of course. I had the chance to do the stadium tour this summer, and highly recommend it, if you happen to be in town on a day where there isn’t a game. But you are always welcome to come route for the home team!

While we were at Miller Park, they just so happened to be hosting a 5K, and the volunteers were nice enough to let us have some of the water before they dumped it. I have never been quite so happy for a surprise water stop. Another quality porta potty experience here as well, folks. They are very diligent about keeping them clean.

Here I have to thank Chris, my wonderful significant other, who moved to Milwaukee with me last August. We have greatly enjoyed exploring the city together, although I can safely that my training runs certainly put a damper on his fun this summer. He is a huge baseball fan, and we missed a lot of games. I cannot thank him enough for being patient with me through many Saturdays that involved lots of ice packs and whining through the pain. I owe him a million more thanks, but here is one public one. Thank you Chris!

Becca and I left Miller Park and headed on down the road to our final stop, Miller Brewery. This is another point where you might be able to find a more direct route that what my map shows – don’t try to cut through the tailgating lot like we did. There are probably routes that feel slightly more safe – I wouldn’t run this path at night. But, it was worth making it to the Brewery, especially since the High Life Cruiser was out front! I moved to Milwaukee from St. Louis, another major brewing city. I definitely think a good brewery tour is always a fun stop. We have a bunch here in town, but this one is definitely a classic. Sadly we were a little too smelly to participate on this day.

There was no one more appropriate to thank here, than my friends/colleagues, Todd and Kate. Todd and Kate were actually the people who inspired me to start running. They trained for the Chicago Marathon a few years ago, and inspired me to try my own endurance run. Even though they didn’t know it, they are the voice in the back of my head telling me to keep going. And they love a good brewery tour! Thank you Todd and Kate!

Here is the map of our route:

Finally, I want to share the donations that I will be making. I think that was one of my favorite parts of this project. First, I’ll be donating to Milwaukee Pets Alive. This awesome non-profit started just this year, with the goal of finding homes for homeless pets in the Milwaukee area. It is a truly amazing organization that saves lives every day. I will also be making a contribution to the Alpha Phi Foundation, an organization that has made a huge impact in my life and my work as a fraternity and sorority advisors And finally I will contribute to the American Cancer Society in support of UWM’s first Relay for Life this year. Cancer has had a profound impact on my family, and although my contribution is small, it is made with the belief that we will find a cure and that everyone will be able to enjoy more birthdays.

This was an awesome experience. Thanks so much to Steve for letting me participate! Send a note my way if you are ever in Milwaukee! And feel free to keep up with my other adventures (both running and eating) at my personal blog.

Have a great run!

1 comment | tags: Alpha Phi Foundation, American Cancer Society, Bradford Beach, Harley Davidson Museum, Kirstin Leih, Miller Brewery, Miller Park, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Cupcake Company, Milwaukee Pets Alive, Milwaukee Public Market, North Point Lighthouse, Running, Smoke Shack BBQ, Summerfest, The Third Ward | posted in Wisconsin

A Good Run

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