Hall of Fame to Notre Dame Inspiration!

Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! or Matty! Matty! Matty! One of the most historical stadiums in all of college football is Notre Dame Stadium. Knute Rockne, Joe Montana, Jerome Bettis, Lou Holtz, Ara Paseghian, Paul Hornung, The Four Horsemen, and the list goes on and on. All of these people played for the Irish and all played on this historic field. One of the most known people to play at Notre Dame was a player that was not all that talented but is the last person ever carried off the field at Notre Dame. Rudy Ruettiger is best known for the movie about him called 'Rudy.' He played on the Irish practice squad for two years and in his final game his senior year he got the opportunity to dress for a game against Georgia Tech. At the end of the game the crowd was chanting Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! and he got the opportunity to get in the game and close the game with a sack of the quarterback.

The past few weeks I have been planning out my training plan for the Chicago Marathon on 10-10-10. In the process I have been thinking about running a longer race to test my fitness and to help me determine my final goal time for Chicago. The Cleveland Marathon was sold out so I went looking for something to fit into my schedule. I finally came across the Hall of Fame to Notre Dame Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. When I read that the finish is at the 50 yard line of the stadium, I gave serious consideration to going to South Bend.

I am not a Gold Domer, or even a Catholic, but the thought of visiting this historic site and better yet running into the stadium is extremely exciting. I have always been one to enjoy seeing the sites where history took place. The most exciting thing to me is to run through the tunnel on to the field that Rudy was carried off.

I happen to love the movie 'Rudy' and I think it is because Rudy would not accept what others were telling him. What better story to think about when running long distances than to think about the story of a 5'6", 165 pound kid who jumped through hoops to play for the 3rd winningest team in NCAA history. A person who overcame dyxlexia to get a college degree from a prestigious university. When they told him he did not have a chance to make the team, he gave it all he had and did so for the next 2 years in order to make the team better.

I often tell my daughters that you can be terrible at something. You can be terrible at singing, dancing, sports, school work, etc... I myself will be fine with that as long as you can look me straight in the eye and tell me you gave it all that you had. If you give all that you have, then you can rest knowing that you have nothing else to give. If you do not give all that you have, you will be stirred up inside thinking, "What if?"

Rudy's story is one that inspires me, and what drew out his passion and effort was the heritage and history of Notre Dame. I, too, am driven by history and others who have inspired greatness in people. I am inspired by those who are given little but use that little to be great. It is not talent that makes a champion; it is heart and effort that makes a champion.

The other night I bit the bullet and signed up for the 1/2 Marathon. The date of this event is June 5, 2010 and the start is at 7:30 AM. I can already hear it as I turn onto Moose Krause Circle and start toward the tunnel to enter the stadium Matty! Matty! Matty! only for me it will not be the crowd but the Lord leading the way and cheering me to completion! Pray for me please!