Personal Narrative: The West Seattle Beach Run

At the West Seattle Beach Run 50k yesterday, there were 23 runners. My friend, Anneke, and I were numbers 22 and 23 to cross the Finish Line. For the two of us, running 31.069 miles (an ultra-marathon) was NOT about finishing the race in a certain amount of time. It was NOT about finishing before any other people. It was NOT about running at a fast pace. It was NOT about attaining a new PR (Personal Record). It was about the act of running the distance and crossing the Finish Line. It was about enjoying the scenery. It was about running. It was about being active. It was about seeing the skyline of Seattle, right across the water, and thinking about how I've eaten dinner at the top of the Space Needle and how my great grandfather was a maintenance worker at the Smith Tower when it first opened. It was about running …show more content…
It was about pushing my body to its limits and beyond. It was about disregarding my disease and running further than I've ever run before. It was about putting my Multiple Sclerosis in a chokehold and keeping it there for eight hours, while I ran the race. It was NOT about beating the other runners to the Finish Line. It was about running and being essentially FREE for those eight hours. For those eight hours that my feet were pounding the paved trail, sidewalk and street, I was free of Multiple Sclerosis, the same as all my fellow runners, just running to cross that Finish Line and be able to say, "I did it!" After the race yesterday, my feet and legs were sore from running 50k and my neck and shoulders were sore from wearing my CamelBak with my 32-ounce water bottle in it for the duration. I took a super-hot shower and slept very well but I still hurt. Oh well. The pain will