What you don't know won't kill you, it will only make you stronger

"I see a 1/2 marathon in your future, Jayme."  

"Maggie, shut it! You are NUTS if you think I'll ever run farther than 3-miles!"  

"We'll see, we'll see..." she keeps saying.

I'm still not agreeing that I will train for a 1/2 marathon, but I have to admit... Maggie has been right through this ENTIRE adventure. The adventure which started by me surprising myself by running 1-mile after being chased by dogs. :) 

Fast-forward 7-months & see below. This is my first race... ever. Which I thought was going to be a 5K, but, "Run for the fair" just sort-of popped up, and Maggie said, "Jayme, 10K's don't come around that often... do it! You'll be fine!" Maggie (friend/personal trainer/life motivator) & Maria (friend/personal motivator) have been confidants & inspirations to me this entire time. Even when all I could do was 1.5-miles at a time... they asked how I was doing, how my runs went (even though I didn't feel like a 'runner' at all), all the time encouraging, all the time inspiring me.  All I ever wanted to do was to be able to run 3-miles, and be able to run with them.  And that, I have done. :)  My first group run with both of them was 5-miles (which I had never done before) outside of Winthrop in 25mph winds!  

So back to the pictures (which Maria HATES & would be appalled if she knew they were on here :). This is Saturday, 4/7/12 about 8:00am (race started at 7am!) 6.2 miles, and the longest I had done previous to this was 5.5 the Saturday before with Maria.  Which was awesome. We ran just over 9-minute/miles, talked the whole time... it was awesome. And that's what I thought THIS 6.2 miles was going to be like.  

And... I was wrong. :)

As it ended up, I ran 6.2 miles in 51-minutes, which equals 8min-15sec/mile!  Which I have ran that pace... for 3, but never dreamed I could keep it up for 6.  And this all due to Maria... I decided at the beginning when she refused to talk to me ;) that I would just keep up with her the best I could for as long as I could.  We ran together the entire time up until the last 1/2 mile where she turned on her burners and took off :) Again, another inspiration that I hope to be able to to do someday. :)

"What you don't know won't kill you, it will only make you stronger."  I like that quote, and describes this run perfectly for me. :) Not even sure I really want to do that again... but I'm really proud that we did.

So not only was this race a huge accomplishment/surprise/shock for me... it is so extra-special to me to have pictures of it!  And these are compliments of Rachel Hurley (friend/co-worker) who is also a runner, but who happens to be pregnant with her 6th child(?!?) "Better her than me!" I joked with her. ;)
We had been running together after school prior to the pregnancy (and hope to again post :) and who is my #1 fan right at the moment. :) So much so, that she drove herself to this spot and waited for me, just to take these pictures... of me.  Who am I to have such great/special/devoted friends?!?

Then drove herself to the finish line and waited on me again.  I still am without words as to how thankful I am to her.  She, also like me, loves pictures, and knows how much they mean to me.

And now I am excited to try my luck at my first 5K tomorrow, Saturday, 4/14 with Maggie this time!  Unfortunately, Maggie was injured for the 10K (though she was their to cheer us on), and now Maria has taken her spot :(  Maria will be walking due to injury and I will be tagging along, trying to keep up w/Maggie :)  Winner of most 5K's she enters... even when she was 8-months pregnant! :D  All kinds of motivators for me.  Wish us luck!