Last Long Run on the way to Kiawah Island Marathon

I was a ball of nerves last night preparing for my last long run. Both kids had kids sleeping over and I was getting to bed a bit later. All I could think about was how tired I had been this past week. How was I going to hang for long run with these 2 fast guys? I thought maybe I would sleep in and go on my own later. But than my alarm started going off at 6AM and I was wide awake. A bit weary and scared but up so I rolled out of bed trying to not think about the run. The guys were waiting for me when I arrived as they ran a few miles before getting me. Shaun was cracking jokes with me my about my lack of texting abilities and had me laughing with allowed me to jump in with ease next to him. Before I knew it we were 2 miles in and watching 2 whitetail deers cross our paths. It was a cold but beautiful morning and I was falling in love with the run. We were still a bit slower due to it being like 25 degrees out but by mile 4 we were rolling and I was hanging with them fine. They helped out with the chit chat early on but I realized they weren't going to be much help in that department so I told them if they weren't going to talk then they would just have to listen to me. That they did until we hit a mile long climb and I shut up. We dropped Shaun sometime between mile 11-12 and Craig and I went at the rest of the miles alone. Mostly in a comfortable silence. I realized a few miles back that the guys preferred the silence so I obliged and drifted into my own head. So Craig and I clicking off the final miles which made me think of when we first moved to Baxter Village. Craig is my neighbor and his wife, Angela, who is a close friend use to send Craig to run with me. Lets just get this straight, Craig is like Lance Armstrong fit. He does not run as much as he is a avid cyclist that is totally fierce. I was always huffing and buffing trying to act like oh yeah this is easy for me when he would run with me. I was afraid when Angela would try to send for Craig to run with me. Anyway flash forward about 5 years later, I am hammering out a long run with Craig. We are training for a marathon together. Surreal thought for me, for sure! Finish out my long run and very pleased by the last 4 months of training.

I actually have been a ball of emotional all day. Crying lots not out of sadness but out of total gratitude in how far I have come. Thinking back to the trials of last year and all that has pasted and coming back to health. The journey back has been very sweet and filled with lots of emotional highs and lows. But those emotions have been beautiful and the journey has been sweetened by my dear friends that have held the belief in me and encouraged me every step of the way.