"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." - unknown

It's been another set of interesting days.... Sunday I ran the Blue Mountain 30k, which for those of you who don't know, is 18.6 miles, but to make it easier, we are going to call it 19 miles. I ran 19 miles on Sunday. I ran up 3,600 feet to the top of a mountain, and then back down. Okay okay, I'll be honest, I walked little parts of it and I didn't do it alone. I had a very close friend of mine help me get through this, while endouring her own physical pain. This isn't easy people, and for me, this was such a significant goal to accomplish. I did the same run last year. I weighed a solid twenty pounds more, was still married, and didn't consider myself a runner. Last year it took me a grueling 5 hours. Last year I came in dead last. This year was different. I was hoping to beat my time, but after the car accident, I allowed myself to be happy just finishing again. Even if I were dead last. I was going to be okay with that. The race started at 8:30, at The Peak, and as the group of 100 racers started to climb the hill, we began to spread out. By the time we reached the trailhead, the elite runners were long gone, but surprisingly, we weren't dead last. I sort of expected it to happen. Last year I got behind right in the beginning and was passed by the old lady around mile nine, which was a little discouraging. I'm not a sore loser, and I'm not competitive, so it wasn't the end of the world to be last... But still. I was determined to at least finish second to last this day..... As we continued to climb, people started to slow down to a hike. We did a great job keeping our 'slow jog' going for the first six miles, passing the hikers one at a time. Even an uncompetative girl enjoys passing people. :). I remember getting to the top where we cold take in our first view of the valley and thinking about how last year I could see the sweepers catching up with me. Sweepers are the people who come at the end, making sure there isn't anyone lying dead on the trail. That's how slow I was last year..... They were clipping at my heels the whole time. Not this time. As I looked down the hill I saw people that were actually in this race with me. As I looked ahead of me, same thing, there were people. I wasn't last, I was in the middle of the pack. It might have been the back of the pack, pack, but still! The whole race I felt stronger then I had a year ago. I kept thinking about how far I have come in this past year. I've had such a crazy year. If you would have told me a year ago that a year from then I'd be divorced, dating an incarcerated felon, totaled my car in a life threatening accident, adopted a second dog, had a roommate, gotten a DUI, stopped drinking, among so many other small changes in my life, I would have laughed at you. Yeah right. Not this girl. She doesn't take chances. Life was safe back then. Not the greatest or happiest, but safe. I finished the race 50 minutes faster then last year. Now that's progress. No? I'm still a little in shock, when my friend Mandy suggested we try to run the race in 4 hours I laughed at her, but as we crossed that finish line in 4 hours, 9 minutes, I started to believe in myself a little bit more. This is awesome! I can't wait for next years 30k. I'll actually get to train properly for it. Who knows where I will be then. I CAN'T WAIT!