Until . . .I Met

My friend Angela. . . I met her at church. She had run 18 marathons at the time and was getting ready to run her 19th .. . which would be Chickamauga.



She told me she'd love to run with me and that a couple of other people from church would be running this race. WOW!! I got to meet a new friend and she likes to run!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?



Let's just be honest here, people who like to run come a dime a dozen. I was so very excited!!! I was excited about actually training with someone this time around. The last time I trained for a marathon I trained all by myself. . . Well, and I did meet my "break wind friend" (who was at my church this past Sunday night). He was so sweet.



So once a week Angela and I would run a long run together. In the process we have become great friends. I tease her and tell her "I want to be like you when I grow up".



She's AMAZING!!! After this marathon she has 19 marathons under her belt, one includes Boston (which I DREAM of running one day). She has taught me so much. . . not just about running. . . but about motherhood. . . about friendship. . . about church life. . . about nutrition (she went on a total raw food diet for 2 years) . . most importantly, though. . . she has taught me so much about Christ!!! She really is a spiritual mentor to me. I really trust what she has to say. She's incredibly smart. . . and she's a thinker (like Jon). There are times when we will run and the whole run we will talk about Christ (anywhere from 10 to 18 miles). She's also very so much fun to be around and makes me laugh 'til my belly hurts!

Also, my new friends Doug and Chuck. Doug's wife (another Angela) went along with us. She took great care of us and is now known as our "marathon mom".

This race was awesome. My best time yet (4 hours 19 minutes). I was really weepy with this race (look at my face crossing the finish line. . . I just knew I was going to bust into tears). Jon or the kids weren't going. My dear friend, Lisa, was supposed to go, and then couldn't at the last minute. I was lonely for my loved ones to be near me. Plus, I was really nervous that I would be the weakest link or . . . worse. . . ride the loser bus.

I did get silly and confess to my new friends my mind trick I play on myself while I'm running these long distances. . . after seeing their reactions I thought, "Oops, maybe I spoke too soon. They need to get to know me a little better." Stay tuned. . . next marathon post I'll share with you my crazy mind trick.