13.1?

A year ago, I would have laughed at the thought. 6 months ago, I questioned my sanity. A week ago, I thought "I think I can do this." Yesterday, I DID!
They say that the woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes. For me, the woman who started the training is not the same woman who finished the race. I am now a runner. Its always been in my blood. (thanks dad!) It just took me awhile to embrace it.
It all started last July. My friend Michelle and I started running, thinking that MAYBE we could finish a 5K. Well, it didn't take long to get the "bug", and our aspirations grew larger. Our weekly 3 mile runs became 4 then 5 then 6 miles. With the motivation of our drill sargents, Megan and Allison, we were on our way to the half marathon. Our group of 4, affectionately known as BAMM, became my weekly therapy....nothing like some girl time and hitting the pavement to knock out the frustrations.
Soon, our husbands, and other friends were being motivated to get off the couch and start running. Some Sundays, we were running with 7 people. It was like an epidemic!
Finally, our training schedule came to an end, and we drove down to Indianapolis to participate in the Nation's largest half marathon. 34,999 runners and me! The excitement was high, the nerves even higher. Our group of 9 runners crossed the start line 15 mins after the gun. The streets were crowded with runners. We had to duck and weave to keep our pace. Thankfully, the mighty Megan kept me moving.
I would like to say that I enjoyed the race. Truth is, I started too fast and was exhausted half way in. And, this is where I think I started to change. I had trained too hard, too long, to let this course beat me. Yes, I had to walk through the water stations. Yes, I slowed my pace more than I wanted. But, in the end, I still made my goal of 2:10.
I FINISHED IN 2:08:27!!!
And now, I have ammo for the next one. So, watch out pavement here I come!