A Mirror with a Memory: Q: Where Have You Been? A: Running.

I completed my first half-marathon this past Sunday. I ran/jogged/trotted/old-man shuffled for over 13 miles.

I got to run with my best friend from college, Brittni. She flew to San Diego from New Orleans for the weekend to participate in the race. She was sweet and encouraging, and stayed at my (sometimes brutally slow) pace the whole way. She told me stories to keep my mind off the pain and the tiredness of my legs. She helped me finish without walking more than a few steps (due to some, um, stomach issues). She helped me sprint through the finish line.

I couldn't ask for a more supportive friend :).

Maybe in a year or two, after some more practice on my part, we can run together again at a faster pace!

There was pain. But I trudged through. I was slower than I wanted to be, but I finished the race.

There were so many hurdles for me to get to the point of jogging for 13.1 miles. There were injuries in training that went away, and there were injuries that lasted through the race. There was learning to win the battle with my mind.

I survived, and I pushed my body to its limit. I pushed my mind to its limit (as evidenced by not being able to form complete sentences for hours after the race...:)...). I may not be the fastest, but I sure did finish.

For me, even though I was slower than I wanted to be, I achieved something HUGE. And now I have a foundation I can build upon. I didn't have that 6 months ago. I was starting from scratch. 6 months ago, I couldn't even run a mile without huffing and puffing and quitting because of a stitch in my side. Now I can say to my friends "Hey, want to go run 5 miles?" on any given day of the week, and I know I'll be able to finish out the run strong.

At the expo, Saturday before the race: