In mid-June, I attended a wedding on the shore of Priest Lake in North Idaho. The dearly betrothed, Jill Heuer Gilson and Eric Cameron, are active in the same running clubs as myself, which is how they got to know one another.

The wedding was attended by a contingent of fellow running club members, and many assisted in preparations. I was asked to set up chairs for the outdoor ceremony, but I wanted to hike a lakeside trail first.

I spent a lot time chasing squirrels and putting wildflowers in my hair.

When I returned, I still had ten minutes before the wedding started to set up the chairs, but someone else had done it.

I was very angry and vented by throwing large rocks into the water during the ceremony.

There was a wedding morning 4-mile race I’d planned to run but couldn’t because of a stress fracture that has not fully healed.

Nick Freese and Eric Cameron, the top two male finishers of the 4-mile race, pose with Jill.

Amazingly, the night before the race, I had an athletivision. This is a term for a dream in which you win a competition that you were prevented from entering.  Neuroscientists believe events depicted in an athletivision are highly accurate.

Yet when I informed Nick, the winner, and Eric, the 2nd place finisher, that they were being bumped down a place, and I was the true winner because of my athletivision, they had problems doing the right thing.

Nick Freese: “Whatever, Jim”

Eric Cameron: “Jim, I had to set up the chairs for my own wedding.”

It’s a travesty I was not awarded first place. I rectified this grave injustice after returning home. I arranged a ceremony and awarded myself a first place ribbon.It was a touching moment that I’ll never forget.