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Airman fit to fight, fit for life

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Valerie Hosea
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Combat ready Airmen practice, live and breathe physical fitness by participating in a wide scale of challenging events from squadron physical training to running marathons to competing in bicycle races. One Sheppard Airman shines in the running arena and has even impacted others because of her achievements.

1st Lt. Erin Fitzpatrick, 82nd Contracting Squadron contracting officer, began her physically-fit lifestyle at the young age of 10.

She said she wasn't preparing for her future career, but simply continuing her childhood passion, soccer.

"I've been running since I was ten," Lieutenant Fitzpatrick said. "I started playing soccer and our coach said that we should run to stay in shape."

Since then, Lieutenant Fitzpatrick has graduated from running for soccer to more challenging events.

"I was at the (U.S. Air Force) academy and started training for marathons in the fall of 2006," she said.

In 2007, Lieutenant Fitzpatrick ran the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins, Colo., and followed that achievement with the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Texas, in 2008 and 2009.

This year she finished in the top 12.5 percent of the 9,524 female runners for the Boston Marathon in Boston, Mass., April 19. With her conditioning, the demanding training for the event wasn't the hard part, it was making the time for it.

"The preparation is just a lot of running," she said. "I didn't have a lot of time to train at night, so I would train in the morning. It's about getting into a routine. To get a good 10 miles in, I had to start at 4:30 a.m. every morning. But even that wasn't enough. Most marathoners will run 20 miles on weekends."

The lieutenant said knowing the effects of physical fitness serves as fuel for her goals. She said that her recent accomplishment even motivated another Airman to compete in a popular local fitness challenge.

"One Airman at our squadron signed up for the Hotter N' Hell Hundred (bicycle race) because he felt like if I can do a marathon then he can at least try to do the Hotter N' Hell Hundred (bicycle race)," she said. "I think one Airman's fitness can contribute to helping others stay fit to fight and stay in shape."

Lieutenant Fitzpatrick said staying fit affects more than an Airman's PT.

"Don't just stay in shape to pass a fitness test; it's also for your own health," she said. "You have to make time to stay in shape, even if the only time you have is at 4:30 in the morning.

"You want to stay in shape the whole year and do it for yourself. The fitness test should only be a motivator, not the deciding factor. Make it a habit to stay in shape because it will benefit everyone," she said.