The road to Pat's Run

January 26, 2012

Hello,

My name is Natasha and I work in the Media Relations Department at Arizona State University.

About a month ago I was sitting a coffee shop with a friend discussing the opening of the Pat Tillman Veterans Center at ASU’s Tempe campus. After detailing my admiration for those who serve in our nations military, she brought up Pat’s Run and how much fun she had participating in the run in the past.

For those who do not know, Pat’s Run is an annual event held by the Pat Tillman Foundation to pay tribute to ASU alum Pat Tillman who lost his life serving in Afghanistan. It is held at Sun Devil Stadium and attracts over 35,000 people each year.

Now, I should take this time to mention that I am not a runner. To be quite honest, the thought of exercising alone exhausts me.  So initially when my friend suggested I sign-up for the run my reply was, “Are you crazy?”  But then we got to talking and I decided that this could be my way of paying tribute to those who serve our country.

I’ve been fortunate enough to speak those who knew Pat well. Though the stories are different, they all speak to Pat’s generosity, strength, sense of humor and love for his country. He was a leader who always tried to do the right thing. If participating in the annual run means honoring this spirit, then count me in. And hopefully, the running part will fall into place.

So, in a nutshell this blog will chronicle my training adventures… and sometimes misadventures. This includes running, diet changes and outlook life as I journey to become a runner. But first, there are some things you need to know about me:

  1. I’ll own up to the fact that I have gained a little “holiday weight.” I should also mention my “holiday” began last June and ended when I decided to do Pat’s Run. This is another reason why dietary changes must be made.
  2. I love food, as you can tell from above, especially when it comes in the form of carbs and cheese. I’ll be including some yummy recipes I try out in an effort to remain healthy while eating well.
  3. I have a new lease on life thanks to the Mayans claiming the world is ending this year. This is not to say I believe it, but just that it has me thinking about my bucket list. We can go over this more later. After all, we did just meet and I don’t like to rush things.
  4. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy so you will see a few references here and there.  If there are enough requests I can even throw in fun facts…no? Pipe dream at best? I digress.
  5. The views of this blog are solely mine and do not represent those of Arizona State University or the employees.

With that I will leave for today. I look forward to sharing my experiences and hope you will share yours too!

Natasha