This year I ran Pat's run in Tempe with my cousin Dale. There were more than 16,000 participates and was a lot fun. As you can see, there was a group of solders that ran in full gear including backpacks. It was a nice 4.2 mile run that ended on the 42 year line in ASU stadium. The weather was perfect and we had a great time. We didn't set any records, but had a great time.
"As a boy of about 5 or 6, I went with Dad as he would manage a farm 100 miles outside of El Paso. Dad did this for many years, but one year before 1st grade, I spent most of that year with him. When we would walk along a ditch bank, I would be following behind him. I would see the prints of his boots in the dirt and stretch my small steps to try to reach from one footprint to the next. If I tried to do this more than once or twice, I would lose my balance. Really, what I needed to do was take 2 steps for every one of his. Later as a young man following behind him on the ditch banks in Blythe I could match him step for step. These past few years while walking beside him, I would be taking ½ steps to stay even with him.
I knew at a young age that I would try to follow in his footsteps and I also knew at an early age that that would not be easy. There were times during my life that I knew I was reaching with my steps to try to follow him, there were other times where I thought I was equal to his steps, and sometimes I thought I was out pacing him and had to slow down. I now realize that I am really still reaching to keep up with him."
