Monday, October 13, 2014

Army Ten Miler


Yesterday was a milestone in my amputee life.  For the first time ever I ran 10 miles.  Consecutively.  Without stopping.  In under two hours.


I owe much of yesterday's success to my wife, Brooke.  She's been running these races for years while I've been the spectator.  This was our first time to race together.  

We kept a good pace throughout the race and got an enormous outpouring of support from other runners.  High fives were easy to come by at every mile.  We even had a group of runners ask if they could pace with us for a few miles.

At the end of the race I felt strong enough to keep going another three miles.  So next March I plan on running my first half marathon with Brooke (the Rock 'n Roll USA Half Marathon).  

The leg felt amazing throughout the entire race.  I couldn't believe how great it did.  Mark, Elliot, Megan, and Ben at Orthotic Prosthetic Center all did an amazing job getting this leg to fit and perform the way it did.

The race ended up being a moment to reflect over the last four years.  We've endured pain, suffering, recoveries, glimmers of hope, and eventual setbacks.  This amputation was absolutely the best thing we could do to improve our lives.  I am so glad I did it.  And I can't thank you all enough for the love and support over the years.  I'm not sure where we'd be without it.