Monday, October 6, 2008

HOOAH!


Yesterday, Jen, Tammy, Trace Ann and I ran the Army 10 miler. This was my personal goal that I had set for myself and I have to see I'm proud of all four us - we kicked butt! This was by far the biggest race in distance and participation that I have run in to date - 26,000 partcipants ran in this race - so many that the start was in 2 waves. While I know my time was not fast enough to win any prizes (it was 2 hours and 9 minutes or 13 minutes a mile - includes a quick potty break after mile 6), I finished it and never stopped running!

There's so many things to share about this experience - the course was great for the most part - we ran by most all of the DC monuments, landmarks and the Capitol - with lots of water stops along the way to keep hydration. The many Army soldiers and other supporters along the course throwing out their support with "Way to Gos" and "You are Almost There". The Golden Knights and Canadien Army parachuting in before we sang the National Anthem. The 4 Blackhawk helicopters flying low and close to the Pentagon as we sang the National Anthem. The sheer number of runners from all over the US, many wearing tshirts with messages of love for those soldiers they were running for - some alive serving in Iraq or Afghanastan and some who have been killed in action. The soldiers running this race who have lost limbs in combat, but have the amazing fortitude to run a 10 mile race and serve as a reminder of what our soldiers give for our freedom everyday. It's something that I will remember for years.

I think the best part for me was turning that corner at the very end of the race, seeing the finish line and being able to sprint to the finish with Trace Ann. Personal accomplishment aside - it was great to share this with my girlfriends - we've pushed each other and supported each other to get to this race so I would not have wanted to experience this without them.