From the Sidelines
The Bellevue sports blog
The big race
May 6th, 2010 at Thu, 6th, 2010 at 12:34 pm by Joel WillitsThe day is finally here.
Over the past few months, I’ve written about how, inspired by former subjects Ed and Linda Sproull, I’d decided to tackle the Kirkland Half-Marathon, along with my wife.
After months of training, the day is finally here. On Sunday, I’ll be trudging through 13.1 miles of road, something I’ve never done before.
As I sit typing out this story, little more than 96 hours before the race begins, I’m feeling confident. It’s not a question of if I’ll finish – my will won’t let me quit – just a matter of how long it will take.
Through all the miles of training, all the days I’ve had to will myself to put on my running shoes and hit the pavement, I’ve figured a little something out.
For a few weeks, May 9 looked like a final destination. Along the way I discovered that Sunday is less of an endpoint and more of a starting point. This journey has once again showed me I can push myself out of my comfort zone. I can keep going when it hurts. I can persevere.
I remember vividly one thing Ed told me when we sat out on the deck on that warm day in late May last year.
“It’s about the journey, not the destination,” Ed told me.
He was right. My journey’s just beginning.
Joel Willits I'm the sports writer at the Bellevue Reporter newspaper. On this blog you'll find extra bits and pieces to stories I've written, observations on events in our area, and a behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring a story together. I'll field questions here, and maybe even ask a few too. I'm a 2007 graduate of the journalism program at Eastern Washington University. Prior to joining the Reporter, I worked at USA Hockey Magazine and did radio work with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox AAA baseball team. When I'm not busy covering the happenings in Bellevue, I enjoy playing hockey, watching sports and spending time with my family. You can also follow me on Twitter or you can send me an email.
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