Well, scratch that one off the bucket list.
Sunday morning I woke up bright and early and made my way down to Juanita Beach State Park, ready and eager to run the Kirkland Half-Marathon. As I’ve written here the last few months, it’s been a challenge to prepare for a 13.1 mile race around the city of Kirkland. Prior to training for this run, I’d never run over five miles before.
Yet there I was, with the 1,000 or so other runners ready to begin their day with a short jaunt through the city (can you note the sarcasm?).
As my wife and I made our way to the back of the starting pack (the start is staggered by mile time), I saw a familiar face.
There was Ed Sproull, my inspiration for running this race, standing there ready to run. Ed, as I profiled last summer, lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. Along with his wife, Ed transformed his life from couch potato to endurance athlete. When I met Ed, he and his wife Linda were training for the Issaquah triathlon, an event Ed would compete in using three different prosthetic legs.
I was inspired by Ed and Linda, and seeing Ed milling around here, ready to run the same race as my wife and I, brought everything full circle.
After exchanging pleasantries, it was time to race.
I’d never run anything further than a 5K for an official race and was surprised at how fast the pack broke apart. As we headed up the first minor hill of 124th Ave, it was amazing to see just how many people were competing in this race.
The hardest part for me was the mental side of running. You knock off those first couple miles and can’t help but think about the daunting miles that remain. Throw in a treacherous hill in mile two, and I wasn’t in the best state of mind.
But come mile three, things started to click. I was in cruise control. Although my body hurt, my mind wasn’t letting me know that.
My wife and I crossed the finish line in just over 2:58, which was a bit slower than our goal, but that was the furthest thing from my mind after completing this race. After a post-race hug, I took a second to let what I’d just done sink in. I hadn’t pushed my body like that in a long time. And I’d done it, alongside my wife and training partner.
What a thrill.
A few observations from the race
•The range of running skill was quite amazing. There were plenty of five minute mile men milling around, but there were just as many amatuer runners like myself. There truly was a great mix of age and skill levels in the race.
•Runners are great people. Every person I encountered was encouraging others on. It was like a small community out there, from those participating, to the great volunteers not only handing out water, but words of encouragement during the tough miles. Even such a small gesture as a clap and “you’re doing great” went a long way to boost morale.
•If I didn’t convey that last point well enough, here’s a final story from the race that’s sure to get the message across. As Ed Sproull began all out sprint near the finish line his prosthetic leg fell off. “I’ve felt it slip before but never come off,” Ed wrote me the day after the race. “I hit the ground pretty hard but other than really shocked I was mostly OK.”
What happened next was the truly amazing part. Two female runners scooped up Ed and helped him hop across the line on one foot, finishing the race.
Truly inspiring stuff there.
•The last thing I’ll say is this: If I can do a half-marathon, anyone can. Challenge yourself – you’ll never believe what you can do.
