A beautifully inspirational weekend...

Well....I did it!  I can't believe that my goal that I set for myself came so quickly (it seemed)!  As you saw in an earlier post, when I was sick, I made a commitment to myself.  I promised that, if I got better, I would do something that never thought I could do.  That was running.  I not only was never a distance runner in my entire life, but I hated EVERYTHING about it...because I was so horrible at it.  Well, as strange as that sounds, that is exactly why I chose to do it.  So, my friend, Carrie, was starting up a running group at around the same time, and I decided to join.  We trained three days a week for three straight months to make it to our goal:  The Pat Tillman "Pat's Run" 2011 on April 16th. 

For those of you who don't know the story of Pat Tillman, here is some information pulled from http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/:

The Arizona Cardinals selected Pat in the 7th round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He quickly became the team’s starting safety and broke the franchise record for tackles (144) in 2000.

Pat never let his success go to his head; he continued to drive the same truck he had in college (with no air conditioning) and refused to be tethered to a cell phone. He was an avid reader and lively debater, often drawing strangers into conversations.

He kept himself busy and challenged in the off-season, competing in a marathon and a half Ironman triathlon, while pursuing a Master’s degree in history from his alma mater. He also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of Arizona, Boys Hope Girls Hope and the March of Dimes, and read and talked to students in schools across the Phoenix Valley.

In the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001, Pat proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. He turned down a 3.6 million dollar contract with the Cardinals to fight for something for important to him.  According to another website, Tillman told a NBC News interviewer a day after the attacks, "“My great grandfather was at Pearl Harbor, and a lot of my family has ... gone and fought in wars, and I really haven’t done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that,” This decision was just one of many he made over the course of his lifetime to help others and serve a cause greater than self-interest.

Pat Tillman joined the U.S. Army in July of 2002, committing to a three-year enlistment. They were assigned to the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington, serving tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004.   As we unfortunately know, Pat Tillman was killed during his time in Afghanistan. 

Each year here in Arizona, they honor Pat Tillman and raise money for his foundation (for soldiers and their families) by doing the "Pat's Run".  The run is 4.2 miles long (because Tillman's football number was 42), winds through the streets of Tempe, AZ, and the finish line is right on the 42 yard line inside the Sun Devil Stadium.  It is truly amazing (Picture pulled from Pat's Run website).

Well....we did it yesterday....and it was a truly inspirational experience.

Here I was right before heading over to the race.  Here we go, girls!

I am not going to lie...this was not an easy race.  4.2 miles is long way to run for me having no background and and only three months of training, but I set a goal to do run the entire race without stopping to walk and hopefully reach the finish line before 47 minutes.  I was able to achieve both goals!  I never stopped running, and I crossed that finish line at 44:55. I was really happy with that considering that there were many times that I had to "duck and weave" around walkers, and we had some serious uphill climbs. I never trained on hills.  Phew!  You know what, though? I was constantly given reminders that I was lucky to be there and blessed to be running.  I remember that, around the 2.5 mile mark, going uphill, I was starting to feel tired, and it started to play those fun mindgames with me.  At that moment, I looked over to my left, and I saw a parapalegic on a bike and using his arms to push the pedals....uphill....and he was amazing.  I remember thinking, "Wow, of course I can do this.  I don't have half of the challenges that man does.  I have NO reason to complain." 

Here I was charging the final stretch to the finish line!  What a rush that is!

Here were all of my results:

Distance: 4.2 Miles

Time: 44 min. 55 sec.
Overall Place: 10,850th place out of 22,405 total runners
Gender Place:  4,093th place out of 11,511 female runners
Pace: I ran approximately a 10:42/mile

Running into the stadium was the neatest experience.  I was so exhausted, but you really do get a huge burst of energy when you get to the end of the tunnel, look up, and you are running inside the stadium with thousands of people cheering you to the finish line!  The Arizona Cardinals were all there in full uniform and slapping our hands as we ran the final stretch as well as fully uniformed Army officers doing the same thing.  A truly amazing moment...one I will never forget.

After the race was completed, we got to walk around the stadium grounds to visit various booths, etc.  My friend, Celeste, and I had to snag a picture with some of the players.  They were all so kind and congratulatory to us.

When I got home, Eric had taken the kids out to lunch...but this was waiting for me on the kitchen table:



I have the greatest husband.  Thank you, honey...not only for your support on this day but for your support during the scary road that got me to this day.  I love you.

Overall, it was best experience that I could have asked for...except one thing:  one of my best friends, Lisa, got sick the night before the race and couldn't participate.  It broke my heart.  She trained right alongside me for the entire three months, and then she was cheated of the experience at the last minute.  I missed her there.

But....if you know Lisa, you know that she will always finish what she starts.  So, she sent out a text to a few of us that said that she was going to wear her race shirt and run 4.2 miles the following morning right here in Maricopa.  What a rockstar.  Well, Carrie (friend and the leader of the running club) called me and Aubrey to make sure that we knew.  Carrie was going to run it with her.  There was obviously no way that I was going to be able to do that, considering that I just ran it 24 hours earlier, and my legs were NOT having it....so Aubrey and I decided that we were going to surprise Lisa by being there at her "finish line", wearing our racing shirts, and bringing her in to the end!  You know you love someone when you put on the world's stinkiest race shirt from the day before just so that you can give her the opportunity to get the team photos, etc. that she missed out on!  Hee hee.....

So...Aubrey went and bought her flowers, and I brought my camera....

Here she comes down the final stretch!  You did it, girl.

Getting her first hug from friend and running club leader, Carrie.  Congratulations, Lisa, you just did the Pat's Run!

WE GOT YOU!

And you HAVE to have a team photo!

You did it, my friend!  I am so proud of you!

I was so proud of her for finishing what she started and not letting any obstacles get in her way.  I'm also so thrilled that we could find a way to give her that special day that she worked so hard for.  You know, I didn't know Pat Tilman, but I have a feeling that he would be proud of our little "Mini Pat's Run" day.  I can just see him smiling down and nodding his head, saying, "That's what it's all about." 

Here's to a beautifully inspirational couple of days.  I got to help honor an American hero AND my best friend all in one weekend.  Yeah....that is what it's all about.  I felt super tough that I could run this race, but I was reminded that you are never stronger than when you are lifting up someone else.