With all the running this year, I began looking for Patriot Day-themed races.  This is an especially meaningful day for me, and I love the thought of doing something in honor of all those lost.

Today, I ran the Frogman Charities’ Patriot Day 5K.  Frogman Charities was formed by a former Navy SEAL, and benefits several Navy SEAL charities.  Add to that a medal and challenge coin (both shown in the header above), and suddenly I found myself signing up for another race!

I couldn’t have picked better weather for today’s run, which I did at lunch.  The beginning was awesome… temps in the 60s, clouds and breeze.  Mother Nature only suckered me in though.  By the time I hit my turnaround point, I was dealing with some sunlight breaking through the clouds, and a crazy amount of humidity as the morning’s rain began to suck back up into the atmosphere.

My first two kilometers were really amazing, and were some of the fastest times I’ve had in a while.  The last three kilometers, and in particular, the last kilometer, were pretty ugly.  Too much speed up front, and worsening conditions (for me, anyway!), and that spelled a tough second half of the race.

But done is done, and every mile matters.  I can live with that.  And I had some time to reflect on the meaning of today.  As I wrote a long, long time ago, I think 9/11 was my generation’s Pearl Harbor, and I know I still think back to that day, and the weeks after, and it’s as clear as day to me.

This race benefitted UDT-Seal Association, Navy SEAL Museum and Foundation for Navy SEAL Veterans.

Race Course