Why a Half-Marathon? --Part 2

In the previous post I mention a couple encounters that will change my life. The first came during my morning workout here at a local gym. That day my wife was working out on the elliptical while I was on the treadmill. After I finished, I wandered back to her to say "Hi" when I noticed William. William was furiously running on the elliptical next to Amy. Afterward, Amy told me that he had gotten up to 15 miles an hour! While that may be hard to believe, it is true. William was a very large man with extremely long legs, which helps on the ellipticals. Very friendly, I said hello to William and did not think anything more of it.

This is the point of the story where the chronology breaks down a little bit for me. I believe the previous encounter was on a Monday, the next day, a Tuesday, I am meeting with an associate here at church and I mention that I am still praying about my next fitness goal. He then proceeds to completely shock me by sharing that he has begun "working out" and has even been signed up by one of his friends for a half marathon in 2008! This really caught me off guard and my first thought was, "That's a really neat idea!" And while our conversation digressed to other things, the thought of a half marathon in Myrtle Beach lingered in my mind as an intriguing idea, albeit one I would never consider for myself.

The very next day I am back in the gym working on the weight equipment, moving from one side of the gym to the other. As I am moving in between pieces of equipment I literally bump into William. I immediately recognize him for a couple reasons. One, William is big and once you meet him you don't easily forget him. Two, my wife had just been talking about him the morning before commenting again on how she was amazed that he had gone 15 miles an hour on the treadmill!

I say "hello" and ask him how he's doing. The conversation that ensues is one that will change both of our lives moving forward.

To be continued...