Run.Walk.Honor.

If you don't know the story of Pat Tillman, you should.

Somewhere inside we hear a voice.
It leads us in the direction of the person we wish to become.
But, it is up to us whether or not to follow.
                                                                          -Pat Tillman

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, NFL player Pat Tillman left the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers to defend our country.  Already a multi-millionaire in the prime of his football career, honoring his country was more important to Pat than anything else.  He served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan before falling in April 2004 at age 27.  If you don't already know Pat's story, you should take the time to learn about him.  He was more than a football player and a soldier, from all accounts he was a leader and a friend and the type of person you would always want to know and have on your side.  Born and raised in Northern California, Pat played at Arizona State, ultimately helping lead them to the Rose Bowl before being drafted and entering the NFL.  His exploits on the field, and that crazy long hair, helped to make him an icon in the Valley and his passing has made his legend grow even further and stronger.
The Pat Tillman Foundation was created in his honor and 9 years ago they held a 4.2 mile road race, in honor of the #42 he wore while at ASU, running across campus and Tempe.  3000 runners showed up that year and now in it's 9th year the race has become one of the largest in the world with over 35,000 participants last year.  Always held in April, in honor of his passing, this year's race was held on Saturday, April 20,  and I was delighted to take part.

As an avid football fan, I was always intrigued by Pat Tillman, long before 9/11.  He was the type of guy on the field that anytime you watched a game he was in, you knew where he was at all times.  He played with such passion and ferocity even though he was far from the biggest or strongest player on the field.  His heart and desire easily were big parts of his game.  When he turned down a multi-millionaire dollar extension to leave football and join the Army, it was obviously big news.  His untimely, and controversial,  passing also became huge news and I remember being in Denver the day of his funeral, watching it on TV in my hotel room.  It was captivating and passionate, just as one might imagine when dealing with someone who was bigger than life.  I had heard of the Pat's Run years ago, but not living in Arizona then, I never figured I would attend let alone run it.  But as soon as I moved to Arizona, I signed up for Pat's Run and I'd been waiting for the race ever since.

Registration outside Sun Devil Stadium is held for  full 3 days before the race.

Due to the Boston Marathon bombings, coupled with Pat being a soldier, you can imagine the amount of security and patriotism that was on display.  As most of us can easily take our freedom for granted, we must always remember that we are the land of the free, because of the brave and terrorism may do some tragic damage, but ultimately America will always survive.  So along with 30,000 new friends I was ecstatic to take part in the race.  Due to the enormous amount of runners and all of their friends and family and other spectators, there was going to be well over 100,000 people in a relatively small area.  Parking would be an issue, but luckily my friend Gregg, who is also an active 20+ year National Guard Airman, lives about 2 miles from Sun Devil stadium, so I drove to his house Saturday morning and then rode my bike down to the race, thanks again Gregg!  As you can imagine there was a lot of media and after parking my bike, apparently I look like a guy with an opinion(shocking to anyone that knows me I'm sure) and I was interviewed by a number of radio and TV stations, all asking the same thing, if I was worried about my security.  As far as I was concerned nothing frightened me, let alone some race.  I was going to take part in this no matter what and I had absolutely zero concerns.  Due to the large numbers of runners they put all of us in corrals of 1000, all based on your predicted time of finish.  I ended up in corral #1 and was hoping to run in under 28:00 minutes.  As the race was about to get underway, it was quite a sight seeing 30,000+ people all lined up.  After an emotional rendition of the National Anthem by a solider on a bugle the countdown began and off we went.

And we're off!  Lots of flags on the course today!  USA!  USA!

4.2 miles makes for a fast race and thus it doesn't leave you much time to get into rhythm or hold anything back.  You pretty much have to run about as fast as you can the whole way, if you are running for time.  But with a race this size and with it's mission, there were thousands of people that were walking that just wanted to take part and they also have teams, so you see a lot of people in their company shirts and of course lots of people in ASU gear or soldiers in full uniform.  It was interesting and very cool.  Most races I run have a few hundred or a 1000 people, so this was definitely a new experience.

With so many runners, you were never alone, almost always 3-4 across.

The start in the foreground.  Zoom in on the bridge in the background and you'll see runners around Mile #3.

Another shot of the huge amount of runners.  Signs of Tillman were everyone. He wore #40 in the NFL.

The race is for the most part a 4 mile square around Tempe Town Lake, which for my Midwestern friends it isn't a lake at all, rather a dammed up small river, but here in the Valley it's all we got.  But it's a fairly flat course and there were people lining almost the whole way.  They shut down Mill Street and Scottsdale Road, two of the busiest roads around and it really is an event the whole Valley gets into.  Honestly going into the race I was not worried at all about my time or anything, I just wanted to enjoy the experience and the coolest race finish ever, running into Sun Devil Stadium in front of thousands of people finishing on the 42 yard line.  The whole race I felt terrible, sluggish, slow, not really sure why until my dad reminded me that I had given a double platelet and plasma donation about 36 hours before and that probably had an effect.  As an aside, I encourage anyone reading this to contact their local blood bank and consider donating blood and/or plasma.  There is always tremendous need and you will feel better for having helped others I assure you.  But back to the race, I started out on pace for the first mile, could feel myself slowing a bit on Mile 2, but held firm on Mile 3, but as I was running the last mile I was just ready to be done.  But when you see the stadium and you start to run around it, knowing you will be inside it shortly, you definitely feel some adrenaline and as I started running through the tunnel I could see the clock above the finish line and I burned it in finishing in 27:43.  I ended up in 270th place, not bad for the size of the race, but then I found out my friend Dan also ran and he finished about a minute ahead and in approximately 150th place.  Dan is also a U of A grad and supporter, but proves that this race has no rivalries.  Nice work Dan!  Without contacting each other ahead of time, there was no way to know who is there because its so huge.  But maybe next year I can keep up with him.

After I was done, with the finish behind me.  I had written #42 on my hand.

Again, as an avid football fan, running into the stadium and finishing, in essence, at mid field in front of a huge crowd, that was easily one of the coolest things I've ever done and it will be hard for any race to top that.  Due to the large number of runners when I did finish I heard the announcer calling for Corral #28 to get to the starting line, so I actually was finished before thousands had even started.  Thankfully everyone is chipped time, so your time is counted when you cross the starting line, not at the gun.  But that was neat for me to be able to watch the race, because I never get to do that otherwise.  On the way out of the stadium they have a nice statue of ASU legendary Coach Frank Kush, who was a dorm mate of my Uncle Al at MSU, as well as a Rose Bowl tribute, be sure to make note of the LOSING opponent.  Ha ha.

Chip timer I wore on my shoe, has my bib number as well.

 A tribute to winning the Rose Bowl, sure.  But to me anyone that memorializes beating scUM, I'm on your side!

With that the 9th Annual Pat's Run went off incident free.  Thousands of runners and walkers participated and thousands more were there to support and cheer everyone on.  It was a year ago this weekend that I traveled back to Lansing, MI to walk in the 1st Lansing Marathon and 5K with my dad.  I was in horrible shape at the time and my life was really in turmoil.  Walking that 5K inspired me to start running just 2 weeks later.  I encourage you, wherever you live, to take part in a 5K, walk it in honor of someone or just to be a part of a community event.  You don't ever have to become a runner, but when you finish, I guarantee you will feel a sense of accomplishment and you'll feel better for having done so.  The proceeds from Pat's Run help soldiers and all of us know someone who has served or is still currently serving.  The next time you see the soldiers in your life, be sure to thank them again, because after all they have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep this land of ours great.  Pat Tillman's legacy will live on, but let's never forget all of those that defended this great country's honor.  God Bless America!

Those goes that opinion of mine again....

Land of the free, BECAUSE of the brave. 
Thanks Pat!

Climbing the Camel

Camelback Mountain.

All weekend long I heard from my parents in Michigan and other family and friends in the Midwest about how terrible the weather was; it was snowing, cold, tons of rain....and in Mid-April!!!  Well that's why some of us were smart enough to move to a place where the sun shines every day and when it's only 75, like it was the other day, you feel comfortable in long sleeves.  So since I can take advantage of the warm weather and they couldn't I figured I would do something about it and that was to hike Camelback Mountain here in Phoenix.  With tax day being April 15, I propose we make April 14 a National Holiday, I mean we are all getting screwed the next day so why not have a day of celebration ahead of time and in my case that means enjoying nice weather and a great hike.  Come along and at least enjoy it by proxy if you are somewhere cold right now.

A postcard look at Camelback from the other side.

 With peaks all around Phoenix in every direction there is never a shortage of hikes one can make.  But one of the most iconic is to hike Camelback Mountain.  Sitting just east of downtown Phoenix and right in the heart of Paradise Valley, the views are incredible, but you do have to earn your way to the top to take them in.  Everyday there are tons of people making the hike, most of them from out of town and they may not make it all the way to the top, but while visiting the Valley of the Sun, they do something that they probably can't wherever they are from, hike a mountain in the winter time.  One of the quirks of hiking Camelback is that there is no parking anywhere near the trail on the eastside, as the trail sits right in the heart of a Paradise Valley neighborhood.  So finding a place to park on 68th Street can be a challenge, but once you do, you get to do a pre-hike to the trail.

Parking along 68th St. with blossoms in full bloom.

Follow the signs.

If you are not an avid hiker, no worries, as Camelback is not a difficult hike, in fact the first half is relatively easy on a groomed trail.  The second half is more difficult, but even making it halfway you'll get great views.

The first few steps up, one you start, there's no turning back!

Well groomed pathways on the first half.

About halfway up you get to a point referred to as the "helicopter pad" because its a round circle.  You are now between the two "camel humps" and you can see in all directions.  As you'll see below the views are pretty great already.

View from the helicopter pad looking over Paradise Valley.

Looking towards downtown Phoenix.  There is an airplane to the right.

Looking northeast to the McDowell Mountains.  If you look really, really closely you can see my place.

After getting to the helicopter pad, many people turn around.  After all they've just taken in some great views, they may not necessarily be much for hiking and it does get more challenging from this point forward.  Of course we are going to keep going, no matter the challenge.

That's where we are heading.  I think that guy has given up, must be a scUM fan.

See the yellow reflector in the middle, that's how we know where to go.

Keep going, see the person in Red, that's where we will be shortly.

One last push up this rock and we've made it to the top!!!!

Not everyone makes it to the top and now you know why, it's not like walking to your mailbox.  But it's also not that difficult, no matter what the pictures make it seem.  Besides, if it was simple, then you wouldn't feel the same sense of accomplishment when you do get to the top.  Enjoy the views.

McDowell Mountains and Scottsdale.

Another peak in Paradise Valley.

Looking South, ASU in the distance.

After soaking in the views and resting up after the trek upwards, it's time to head back down.  It will be easier, but you still have to watch your footing, all the rock we climbed up, we have to scoot back down.

A look down, if you look closely you can see parts of the trail in the far peak.

The views are great going down as well.

Take careful steps, you don't want to fall over the edge.

The Saguaro cactus and great views of the Valley of the Sun.

So there you have it.  You just helped celebrate April 14, our new National Holiday, the Anti-Tax day, by hiking a mountain and enjoying some warm weather.  If you are ever in Phoenix, I highly encourage to do a hike, there are plenty of peaks to choose from and if you are visiting from elsewhere, then why not, you can't do it back home.  Besides the weather is always great here and we have plenty of room, so quit lamenting your cold weather plight and move to AZ!


See you next time and as always FIRE UP!



Over the Road with Trucker Todd

Cousin Todd cruisin' the open road!

So last week I get the following text:

Hey cuz, I'm in town and heading to Cooperstown right now.  Join me if you can.

And with that, I changed my plans and made my way to downtown Phoenix to catch up with my cousin, Trucker Todd, no way I would miss this chance, it's always a good time.

Growing up in Michigan, my dad's brother, my Uncle Fred and his family, lived in Southern California and so I only saw Todd a handful of times in my life.  But since I've been in Arizona, Todd has passed through town a number of times and he and I have had a chance to get together more this last year, than probably our whole lives combined.  The first time he came through last fall I suggested we meet at Alice Cooper's Sports Bar, Cooperstown, and ever since then it has become our regular meeting point.

As an over the road long haul truck driver for 7 years, Todd is based out of Southern California, but on any given day, armed with satellite radio and a gps, he could be in Dallas, Texas or New York City and along the way he often passes through Arizona.  Having heard a ton of stories from him about traveling across our country non-stop, I thought it might be fun to share what its really like to live out of a truck, drive hundreds of miles every day and be privileged to see some of the greatest scenery our country has to offer on a regular basis.

If you are friends with Todd on Facebook, you'll see your share of bug guts.

First some specs for those interested in the mechanical aspects.  Todd drives a 2013 Peterbilt 18 wheel Truck, with a Cummings 450 horsepower engine, when pulling a trailer he's hauling 70+ feet and can carry up to nearly 50,000 pounds of load bearing weight (insert Tim Allen man grunting here).  He gets anywhere from 6-9 miles per gallon depending on his load and even though the truck can certainly go faster than 65 mph, his truck has a governor set at 65 and apparently this is common for trucking companies as it saves on fuel not driving any faster.  For every 11 hours in a row that he drives, he has to take a 10 hour break so on average he drives anywhere from 500-700 miles a day.

Todd's truck/home.

Outside of Cooperstown, taking up two spots.  Parking's a bitch.

Step inside and get ready to drive. Can you handle a big rig?

As you can only imagine, Todd has a million stories of things he's seen as he's traveled to nearly every state, having only missed a few in New England and besides they're so small they don't really count anyways.  But more interesting is the scenery that he gets to see every day and if you are friends with him on Facebook, you'll see the fantastic pictures he takes on daily basis, besides the bug guts.

Utah canyons, the beauty of Utah is still a mystery to many.

Fall foliage in Ohio.

Driving through the Rocky Mountains.

Near the Bonneville Salt Flats, west of Salt Lake City.

Through any driving conditions, the truck must keep going.

A train lift bridge in Oregon along Highway 84, Todd's favorite drive.

But of course it's not all fun and games, living out of your vehicle has its own challenges.  One of which is how would you get your mail?  Well for Todd, he has a P.O. Box in California and he gets to it every month or so.  With the online world we live in, he can pay any bills and do almost anything online and not really need conventional mail.  He used to have his own place in California and for a while in Las Vegas, but realized it wasn't worth the rent when you're literally never there, so he does indeed, live out of his truck.  With truck stops across the country, he's always close to somewhere he can stop for the night and he's no traditional trucker as he travels with a bbq grill and often times makes his own meals that would rival anything you might make at home, as he's determined to try and stay healthy while out on the road.

Home sweet home.

Every trucker has milk jugs.  If you don't know why, you won't want to.

A daily meal by Chef Todd.

Having seen some of the best parts of the USA, I asked him what the worst areas were for him and he said as a trucker, NYC is awful, as you can imagine the streets weren't built for 18 wheelers, but without hesitation he says the worst two places to ever go are Gary, Indiana and Ontario, California(outside of Los Angeles).  Ontario is the only place he's every had anyone break into his truck.  He was hauling boxes of lunchmeat and they stole a few of them.  Often times he has to go the Mexico border and pick up a trailer, as no US trucks ever cross over the border, but you are then definitely inspected at every possible stop for "passengers". 

If you are near Mexico, above the cab is a common place for "hitchhikers".

One of the interesting things is what he may be hauling on any given day.  Since he doesn't work for a specific company like Coke, he hauls anything and everything including hauling garbage out of NYC and taking it to Ohio to be dumped; going directly to farms for potatoes in Idaho; peanuts to the Oakland Raiders Stadium; office furniture(which he often picks up here in Arizona); beer; and even bales of hay that he will take to Long Beach, CA to be shipped overseas.  So he really never knows what he will get and where he is going until a day before. That certainly would make things interesting on a day to day basis.

The hazzards of driving every day, bad accidents.

Another day, another sunrise.

As for some of the crazier stuff that's happened, I'm sure you can imagine that anything and everything debaucherous can happen if you want. But Todd says they have really cleaned up the truck stops and stuff probably still goes on, but its not out in the open at all, like it used to be.  But out on the road, well he's seen plenty of random nakedness, once had a girl roll down her window and ask him for his number while they were both driving, he's seen every type of animal you can imagine and been fortunate to never hit one, too many accidents and some stuff that's better left to hear about in person and not in a quasi-public blog.  He did have a weird day on an actual Friday the 13th a few years ago as he went from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to northern California, he saw a series of fatal accidents, another trucker plowed into his truck while he was unloading and a huge office building fire, all within a few hours; enough to make you maybe stop for the night.  But as a trucker, that's not an option, you always have to keep going.

No doubt our Grandparents, Fred and Jo Studenka, are looking down on us.  Family was really important to them and they'd be so happy that as cousins we are still in touch with each other.

As for me meeting up with Todd, I once had him text me late at night saying he'd be in Phoenix for only a few hours and I met him at a Waffle House at 3 a.m.  Certainly an interesting crowd in there at that hour; a passed out hooker, a guy in a wheelchair, a few thugs and us.  But I'd never miss a chance to hang out with cousin Todd because I know when I do it will always be a good time, so I'm always ready for the random text.  Besides he's no cousin Oliver, quite the opposite actually.  Wait, does that make me cousin Oliver? I hope not.  Anyway, stay safe out there Todd and Keep on Trucking!

The Studenka Cousins, making it happen at Cooperstown! Big Unit!!!!