What a moment at the finish line…All of  this hard, work paying off…It was three hours and twenty four minutes of running…not a second of walking!   Most of that smiling..laughing in fact at the damn weather!  Encouraging others who looked bewildered , as my team mates have encouraged me,  these past few months..
“Who am I?” I kept thinking..  Who is this girl who a few short months ago couldn’t even walk a mile…  Who is this girl who just sailed past mile 7 goofing for the camera?  Who is this girl… I kept thinking who is pumping it up these hills?
Who is this girl about to finish running 15.5 miles?   Who am I?
A Road Warrior that’s who…I love you all more than you know…

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I promised the coaches that I would go to bed early tonight, so I’m going to be brief. I just want to report that my race apron is done. It reads: “Every 15 seconds a woman is battered. Stop the clock. The bravest thing a woman can do is run, so run like you mean it.” I collected signatures from my teammates and the kind folks representing my charity sponsor, Safe Haven Ministries and stitched those on tonight, too. (I left space on the apron for the teammates I missed today and will ask them to sign before the race.)

My running in aprons kick started on the eve of last year’s Fifth Third River Bank Run, but I never thought it would become a pre-race tradition. And never did I envision myself sitting at my kitchen table sobbing as I hand embroidered a depressing domestic violence statistic onto an apron. But that’s when it became clear this race is about so much more than running. We all know we can run, as we’ve been training for months.

Tomorrow’s race is about digging deep and running for causes and reasons larger than ourselves. Whether you’re out there making the most of a second chance or running on behalf of someone who can’t, don’t forget to take a moment to look around and take it all in. It’s such a beautiful thing to run down the city streets in a sea of thousands of people from all walks of life. We’re different people from different places, but for a few hours on Saturday the only thing we’ll really notice is what we all have in common.We’re all runners challenging ourselves for 15.5 miles.

Best of luck everyone! I’ll see you at the finish line.

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As I look back over the past 6 months, it is astonishing at how much has occurred.  I have run trained 4 to 5 days a week, went through numerous pairs of socks, suffered a few injuries, competed in four races (one of which I got 1st in my age group =) ), and ran over 400 miles.  This entire experience has been life changing, and I will remember it forever.  The people I have met, especially my fellow 9 Road Warriors and 2 coaches, have impacted my life in ways that I cannot even begin to describe.  Each and every one of you has come so far in the past few months, and it has been a pleasure training alongside each one of you.

I applied for the Road Warriors hoping to help someone else out there get through their struggles, but looking back, I think I have been the one that has been helped far more.  I encourage any of you out there who are thinking about running, training, or anything like that to join a group such as RunGR, Gazoom, or any other group because the relationships you build last forever.  I cannot tell you how many people from all walks of life I have met through the Road Warriors and RunGR.  Each one of us goes through struggles in life, and it is nice to have people around you who have experienced similar things and can give a word of advice.

Enough of my rambling, I hope each and every one of you out there has an amazing race tomorrow and good luck!  Even though it may be cold, rainy, and windy, every step is worth it.  There is nothing that compares to crossing that finish line =)

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What an incredible journey the last 6 months have been. As Matt and I were reflecting last night, I can recall him helping me with some practice interview questions and then at the last minute decided to do a quick print off for the judges panel to see a list my accomplishments and leave it with them so they would not forget who I was. I recall being very nervous at the interview and Sheila later told me how animated I was with my hands and I spoke too fast!  Words cannot express, how thrilled I was to get the opportunity of this interview.  So, Matt shared in my after interview enthusiasm. By the time I got home and wound down it was near 10:00. At this point, I was a little deflated as by 10:00 I still hadn’t received a call. Astonishing enough, I was able to go to sleep…….the next morning I woke up to a voice mail from Brooke, telling me I was accepted. Brooke was so enthusiastic it was very contagious. Being accepted into the  Road Warrior program made me achieve my goals that I have set forth for the month of May and beyond.

Thank you to all the coaches and fellow Road Warriors. I have made some very special and touching friendships that will last a life time.  To all of you, the best of luck. This journey has been memorable for me and an icon in my daughters eyes with a very clear cut message: NEVER GIVE UP. We can and will overcome adversities in our lives one step at a time. So, take that first step, you will not be disappointed.

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This time tomorrow… I wonder how I will be feeling. Right now, I’m feeling grateful:

As I stand at the start line tomorrow, I’ll be with thousands of other fellow runners. We’ll share the same road, the same weather and the same clock. But I must say I feel privileged to have shared something unique with 9 other friends, the Road Warriors. Together, we’ve run the “puke pace.” We’ve burned our legs and lungs hauling up hills. We’ve raised money for good causes (God Bless Degage and all the other non-profits!). And we’ve shared life. We’ve come a long way since that first meeting in the YMCA, haven’t we, guys.

Thank you for sharing this with me. I’m humbled and grateful to have gotten to know you and travel this route together.

And Thank You! to the Riverbank Run organizers. You don’t just put on a good race. You actually make a difference in our community in more ways than most people realize. And you’ve made a difference in my life, without a doubt.

I’m not just forty pounds lighter or closer than I ever thought I’d be to running the 25k and meeting my speed goal. I’ve become something I NEVER thought I’d be: A Runner.

And that feels great.

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