Cody Eugene Smith

CODY EUGENE SMITH, 26 of Cypress, Texas passed away on August 21, 2008 at North Cypress Hospital from an accidental drowning. He was preceded in death by his father William Eugene Smith, Grandmother Louis Smith, Uncle Terry Smith and (PawPaw) Juan J Rios. Cody went to Cy-Fair High School and then received his GED from Windfern High School and later attended ITT where he received his associate's degree. He was employed by Smith Services of Houston as a draftsman in the engineering department. When Cody attended Cy-Fair High School he ran cross- country track. He decided to start running again in Feb 2007. His first marathon was the M2M in Oct. 2007. After training four long hard months he ran the AT & T Austin marathon in Feb 2008 with a time of 3:06 which enabled him to qualify for the April 2008 Boston marathon which he finished with a time of 3:15:34. He also had started running with the Tornados running club in Houston. Cody is survived by his mother Olga Smith, Brother Casey Smith, two uncles, three aunts, and numerous cousins and many great friends. Visitation will be held 6-8:00 PM, Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at Brookside Funeral Home Cypress Creek. Funeral Mass will be held 3:00 PM, Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Community 11507 Huffmeister RD, Houston, TX 77065.
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I just returned from the visitation service for Cody, a fellow Tornado Runner who died on Thursday of last week. I didn't know Cody well, but I ran with him -- which is to say I understood him. You can run side by side with someone for a hour without saying a word and still bond. A long run is like a battle, fighting the enemy of fatigue and the internal and external voices that say you can't do it. I went to battle alongside of Cody, and he was my brother in arms. He left his mark on me, and I won't forget him.

The last time I saw him was during the Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer 5K. Cody was fast -- so fast that I was originally intimidated by him because I assumed he wouldn't care to hang out with a slow-poke like me. It didn't take me long to find out how wrong I was about that assumption.

At the race earlier this month he was in a battle for the lead in an out-and-back course. I got to see him for a while, but he ended up too far ahead for me to see. I got to cheer him on again as he passed the turnaround point and ran by me in the opposite direction. As soon as I finished I looked for him to find out how he did. He was so excited that he broke his goal of 17 minutes (16:52). I could see the glee and innocence of a child in his eyes.

It seems unfair that someone twenty-six years old, born in 1981, should die while swimming laps at a gymnasium. Jaime (also from the Tornados) and I spoke with disbelief trying to make sense out of this nonsensical situation. We pondered the idea that you should live every day as if it were your last day. It seems irresponsible to disregard the future in lieu of "carpe diem", but then again you never know when you will take your life's last breath. I'm a planner and a saver, and I can't fathom emptying the bank account on trips, expensive food and experiences as though I was at the end of my days. But I finally settled on understanding that living like it's your last day doesn't mean partying it down. I think it means to be the best person you can possibly be. Be a good husband, wife, parent, sibling, son, daughter, friend. Add to the ultimate happiness of the world. And if you do that every day, your life achieves its maximum value.

Cody, you were always faster than me and managed to beat me in this race as well. So cheer me on as I complete my race through life and I'll do my best to run every day like it's my last.