Patriot Run #4 ~ Panther Pant 5K

     How can I not run with the colors close to home?  The small town of Hammond, WI holds a Panther Pant 5K every summer which has a good local turnout.  Does it have the big crowds, or screaming spectators? No, but it was still worth running.  Our middle & high school reside in Hammond, and Panthers are the mascot, thus the name "Panther Pant".

Jordan, my second oldest son and cross country runner also ran this race.  We noticed there was plenty of room at the start of the race.  This was new for us!  At a half a mile into the start, a police officer was helping to direct traffic.  He nodded, clapped and said, "Very nice."  I felt good this race, even though the wind was stronger than I've experienced.  There was just something about the sound of the flapping in my ear as I ran down that country road.  The heart of America is not in a downtown metropolitan area.  It's the quiet country fields with blowing grasses and whispering corn stalks, with wide open roads.  What a perfect place for the US flag!

I had a couple of very small (but very important) fan clubs cheering along the way.  One at the start/finish and one near the half-way point.  Gotta love those cheering sections! ☺  We made our turn around and worked our way up a very long, but gently sloping hill.  I passed a runner and heard him say something like, "Go flag girl!"  When I reached the top of the hill, the policeman was there and in his car.  He saw the flag, got out, stood at attention, and again nodded in approval.

Just a half a mile to go and all downhill, love that!  I thought it was fitting to hoist the colors the last 200 yards.  The elementary school principal was volunteering at the finish.   He was the guy taking the tags.  He congratulated me on a good race.  It's always nice to impress the principal, right?  ☺  Another guy said, "Wow, and that was with an added..." he finished by gesturing with his hands holding something.  I kept walking past because I needed too.  "...strength," he finished.

Our head cross country coach also wondered if my arms were tired after running as we met after the race.  What people don't realize is the strength I receive from holding the flag.  Instead of being tired or having arms in pain, I feel so strong, so blessed.

We ended the morning by walking through a car show in downtown Hammond.  On two separate occasions I saw the phrase, "Freedom isn't Free."  Once hoisted high on a crane, and once on the back of a t-shirt.  May I always remember this simple yet meaningful phrase as I carry on with my daily activities in my simple life.