Spring 2007
For awhile we thought that winter would never end? It seems like the extreme cold, strong winds, and icy paths prevailed way too long, and prevented us die-hearts from training to full potential. The January 6th annual Lake Geneva, Wisconsin’s 5-mile S-NO-w Fun Run was enjoyed by a group of hardy Pacers. The unseasonably warm day of running and partying included Debbie Vickers, Ron Weber, Stuart Schulman, , John Hebert, Johann Lustenberger, Jim Kelly, Debbie Hoegemeyer, Joanne Kaeding and Bob Sievert. It was not the run, but the dancing at the post race party that brought the “hardy party” Pacers to their knees, and eventually led them to a point of serious exhaustion!!!! The very fun day was topped off with dinner at a little local diner in Lake Geneva…Another hardy winter loving group of Pacers went ice-skating at Warren Park on a very cold day in February. Everyone fairly well on the ice with the exception of a sudden fall by Kathy Elwood. She was ceremoniously carried of the ice, then to the car, and then home by two Pacer “knights in shinning armor”, Jim Kelly and John Hebert. Unfortunately, Kathy couldn’t join the post-skating dinner at Henna’s, an Indian restaurant off Devon. That had to be the HOTTEST food ever consumed at a Pacer ethnic dinner!!!!……. A day of cross-country skiing was planned by John Hebert on the last perfect snow day of the year. The Pacers car-pooled out to Camp Sagawau and the group consisted of about 20 eager X-Country ski enthusiasts who really enjoyed the most perfect ski day ever. Camp Sagawau, about 20 miles west of Chicago, has plenty of free parking, ski rentals, and several trails leading out from a warm and cozy farmhouse, where one can warm frozen toes and fingers between ski runs.…A good luck wish is extended to any Pacer who is planning on running the Boston Marathon in April.. Winter training has proved difficult at best. Tom Bowtell, who has been marathon training though all this cold, will run his first Boston this year. Hopefully, Tom’s wife Prew and the children will be there for support along the course. We will be anxious to hear a report from Tom about his Boston experience….The most hardy Pacers of all trekked out to Cary, Illinois to run the “HILLY half” on March 18th. Usually, the March Madness brings the most “mad” weather conditions ever, so the cool , but beautiful sunny morning was very much appreciated!!. Congratulations to the finishers, Johann Lustenberger, Ron Weber, Debbie Vickers, Joanne Kaeding, and most of all John Hebert, who ran his first ever half marathon. Rick Kennedy was out there at the start line, and claimed he was running a 10-minute mile rather than his usual 6 minute pace (Right—who believes that??!!). What happened to Rick—he was nowhere to be seen at the finish??………….While we all suffered through another Chicago winter, word from Gordon McIntosh is that he and wife Meredyth have been enjoying their stay in Europe, starting with Italy. Gordon has no 10K’s to brag about, but he did have some rave runs, including past the Trevi fountain and along the Tiber in Rome, around the Etruscan city Lucca on it’s massive defensive wall, and (carefully, as Gordon put it!!!) along “the precipitous” cliffs of Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera— just to mention just a few of Gordon’s many runs!!. The two have also taken French classes in Nice, and imbibed continually on the fruits of Italy…wine, cheese and pasta. Next on the travel agenda for Gordon and Meredyth is a journey through Spain-- to enjoy more of the same!!!….Then there’s the adventures of Jim and Debora DesJardins, who as of last week were vacationing in Morocco on a get-away from their current home in the Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa. The two visited the Hassan II Mosque and Rick’s Café in Casablanca, the Imperial city in Meknes, and hiked in the Atlas Mountains at Marrakesh. An enjoyable all-day trek consisted of viewing some spectacular scenery, and also of Jim and Deb getting completely soaked to the bone, as the mountain snow melted with the hot sun. Even with wet feet, they had a great day, including being served a Moroccan dinner in the mountains consisting of tajine, chicken and bread……Jennifer Leslie took off in February for a week of biking through Cuba. She boasted of her wonderful rides through the Cuban countryside and villages, and of the interesting fellow bikers that accompanied her on the bike tour. Jennifer did not particularly relish the Cuban cuisine that was served during the trip, as it mostly consisted of pork, potatoes and rice, but there were no complaints about the rum!!!..Congratulations to Tara Pollack who delivered a most beautiful baby daughter, Sima, on Tuesday, January 30th. Both mom and baby are doing very well, although only a few weeks after giving birth, Tara had to evacuate her building for several days due to frozen water pipes in her condo basement. Tara brought baby Sima to a Pacer Saturday morning breakfast, where several lucky club members, including Cary Adams and Denise DeBo had the opportunity to practice holding a newborn!!!!!…….A visit by Russ Ramaswamy to the Pacer breakfast on March 10 was completely unexpected. He and his wife moved to Australia several years ago. He is doing well, but reported how difficult running is over there due to lack of proper places to run and roads with crazy drivers. This is the case in many foreign countries. It should remind us how lucky we are to have the lakefront and woodsy paths near the city in which to run…….I want to give a giant kudos to Denise DeBo, our newsletter editor. She has survived quite well through chemotherapy, and is now undergoing radiation for cancer. Denise has already been out running a bit, and hopefully by summer, she will be feeling even better. If anyone is interested in running and donating in the Y-Me Breast Cancer 5K on May 13th in honor of Denise, please contact Jody Mendelson Gordon at JodyGordon@McKesson.com………Congratulations to Ron Weber and Rick Kennedy who ran the New Orleans Marathon on February 24th and to Debbie Vickers, who completed the half marathon. They boasted about some pretty fun (not necessarily fast) times at dinner post-race, singing and dancing on the tables at Pat O’Brians in the French Quarter. Rick paced a lady friend through the marathon. Could it be the same blonde woman sporting a cowboy hat that Rick was spotted with at a neighborhood tavern in Chicago several weeks later?… ……….Hal Olin just returned from his winter stay at his family condo in Steamboat, Colorado. Every year he heads out there for a month or so of skiing and family bonding. Check out the updated website for a current photo………Carol Tebbe and husband Karl Fife spent a long weekend in Chattanooga, hiking in the mountains of Tennessee…Carol and Karl have been absent from the Pacer runs lately due to work and in addition, Carol is obtaining her certification as a personal trainer. Does anyone want any training advice?… Jim Kelly’s new profession is that of a life coach. Is there anyone who doesn’t need help with life decisions? Good luck to both of them in their new career choice!!!!…There are some unusual but very healthy diets being observed by several Pacers. Ask Joanne Kaeding and Jim Kelly how difficult this is for them to abstain?? Their special food eliminations are for different reasons. While Joanne complains a lot and lusts for her sugar fix, Jim never complains, and claims more energy and is running faster than he has in years!!!!….Johann Lustenberger recently had a black tie work related event to go to. He dug out his tux from years ago, and was quite pleased that he could still fit into it. See what happens (or doesn’t happen) when you run all the time??!!!……..My personal plea is to encourage those Pacers who we seldom see to come join us on a Tuesday evening (6:30pm) or Saturday morning (8am) “fun” run. There are all different speeds completing the 5-mile course, from 7 minutes per mile to 10 or 11 minutes per mile. Walking is also permitted!!! We would love to see some new faces this spring. Also, plan to join us for dinner after the run on Tuesday nights, and breakfast after the Saturday morning run. When attending the fun runs, you find out what’s happening on the Pacer “social calendar”. Many of the activities are “last minute”, so if you snooze, you lose out on the fun!!!!! We also relish new ideas for interesting things to do, and club members willing to organize some fun events! Two Pacers have offered their services as club Co-Presidents. Debbie Vickers and Johann Lustenberg have both been active Pacers for over two years, have run many of the local races, and join us often for the fun runs and dinner. We appreciate that they have agreed to head our pack of runners!!!. A BIG thanks to Jennifer Leslie and Jim DesJardins who will be stepping down from the top spot. They served us well for several years!!!!…………There are many races coming up every weekend this spring. Think about getting out there and running for fun, to win the race, or just for Pacer camaraderie!!!!!!………….. Last, but certainly not least, our sympathy goes out to Loraine Morgan, who’s daughter passed away in February, and also to Bob Sievert, who’s father passed away March 8th.____________________ |
