"Do or Do Not, There is No Try"

Today I am 47. Today I ran 6 miles.

When I began this journey several months ago I had no idea how I would fare. The one thing I did know was that failure was not an option. I have 11 other women depending on me to complete each leg of my run. So today I woke up with a plan. I was going to run 6 miles. I was not going to try to run 6 miles, I was actually going to do it. So I packed Abby's lunch, hugged her and sent her to school. I kissed Bob good-bye as he left for work and I got dressed. I put on my "I'm Saving Babies" t-shirt and my Nike running skirt (both favorites of mine) and drank a few sips of Spark, my energy drink of choice. I stretched a bit and kenneled Rory with her beloved peanut butter filled Kong and I left.

I hit the trails and I marvelled at the beauty of spring. I thought about my Aunt Debbie who would have celebrated her 58th birthday yesterday if breast cancer had not taken her from us much too soon. I cleared my head of all the stress of last week and I ran. I powered through the hills and hit my stride. I just kept going. As I hit the hills on the back side of my run I took a brief water break and kept going. I never felt tired or winded or sore. My legs had an energy I had never felt before. As I walked into my house 1 hour and 13 minutes later I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment. With 8 weeks left to train I thought to myself, "No worries, I've got this!"

Today I am 47. Today I ran 6 miles.