Race Six...

                          Homer Simpson Bloomers

It started out as a joke but became a real "racy" run!  I'm talking about the Undy 5000, of course.  Everyone runs in their undies, well, boxers or whatever you are most comfortable wearing.  For the very fit guy who wore a black unitard with a hot pink thong on the outside, very nice!  Me, I felt best in a pair of bloomers!  Yes, I made a pair of fancy bloomers out of my son's old lounge pants that had Homer Simpson in his underwear!  The sign on my back read, "Check out me bloomin' arse and say it's fine!"  I'm sure I looked goofy but it was all in the name of supporting The Colon Cancer Alliance and we raised over $30,000 in Sacramento alone.  Most races you receive a T-shirt to commemorate the event, but this time all participants received a pair of boxers!  This was a very fun race and one I plan on running next year, I give the Undy 5000, 5 out of 5 shoes.

Race Five...

Ok, yeah, I know, I'm a "little" behind on my blogs, but life has been throwing me a few curve balls.  I might be behind on my writings but I'm still on track with my runs.  Not quite true, I missed one week due to the fact I did a six day trip to Baja to visit my mother's place in Posada Conception.  A trip that was filled with heartache and joy.

The Getty Owl race was pretty cool.  I met up with a friend from work, along with his wife, daughter, and a very large group of moms and friends of theirs.  There were over 800 participants that raised over $20,000 that will go to research and families with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  SMA is an inherited disease that causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.  SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children and, unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for SMA. 

When I started this quest of 50 races, I went about picking any race that would fit my schedule.  However, after participating in the Getty Owl race and watching the way families and friends come together to support an important cause, my race selection process started to change.  When you run for a good cause, something seems to happen to your stride, your pace becomes quicker, and your head is held a little higher.  I found myself thinking of all the things I am thankful for, my health, my happiness, my job, my family and my friends.  Each step I took, I realized was a step I took for granted, without any thought.  I decided to run for a cause, any cause, it does not matter which as there are so many out there and they can all use my support. So everybody grab your running shoes, a friend or two, and get out there and run for a good cause.  Let me know which one you are running as I would like to join you too! The Getty Owl is a 5 out of 5 shoes.