Full Circle (Meghan)

My earliest running memory is watching my dad at his first triathalon at Hagg Lake outside of Portland, OR. Two weeks ago my dad and I did a 100-mile Livestrong bicycle ride that included Hagg Lake.

There is no doubt. My dad is my running inspiration. He started running in his 30's and got a solid 30 years out of his body. He has run too many marathons and ultramarathons for me to count. I grew up hearing about 'running buddies.' There were the noon hour boys at work and the Sunday morning crew. There were nicknames and designated joke tellers. There were always smiles.

While I could see that running was a great thing for my dad, I never really got it. That is, until, I ran with him. For a brief time we both lived in Germany, the land of heavenly trails. My dad didn't have any running buddies and I didn't have any money for a gym. So I ran. We ran. And we talked and laughed and told jokes. And I got it.

We trained for the Berlin Marathon and I tore my achilles 6 weeks out. I had a great time cheering for my dad and sister and a few of his Seattle running buddies. But I really wanted to run.

Fast forward 5 years. My dad ran all the cartilidge out of his ankle and as a last resort had to have his ankle fused 2 years ago. He can no longer run more than 40 minutes. It has been a big adjustment. We have since become cycling partners.

He's never run NYC. I'll do it for him.