I’m so glad these three lovely ladies made time for us to get together for dinner! If it weren’t for these three, I probably would never have completed a single half marathon, let alone about 25 half marathons, 7 marathons, numerous 5 & 10 K’s, a couple 12K’s and a couple 15K’s! We all joined a local running group about the same time. Because none of us were fast (I was the slowest), we accepted our place as “back of the pack” runners. We depended on each other to show up on Saturdays for our long runs. We may have gotten lost each week, but we had tons of laughs, and developed a very special bond. We encouraged each other and began signing up for run events like piranhas in a feeding frenzy–especially half marathons! We all became Half Fanatics and wore our gear with pride. We were very competitive yet supportive with each other. I was the first to complete a marathon, but I will never forget when I saw Tina and Cathy about mile 16 along the marathon route! I cried when I realized it was them cheering me on…not strangers cheering for some other random person named “Nancy”! Their trip down to Portland to support me like that meant more than anyone can know. The following year I trained with Tina and Diana so I could run with them for their first marathon. Running as much as we did may not have been the smart way to go about it, but we will treasure all the memories.
Our goals and personal situations started to pull us in different directions. Cathy did more long distance running as she entered the Ultra world. Diana introduced me to triathlons. I was scared to death about the open water swim, but it became my favorite part. Ironically, the run was the most difficult leg for me because I’m just not a fast runner. BUT I loved the world of triathlons. I joined Experience Momentum Multi-Sport Team for better training. Even though our individual goals and personal situations continued to physically put us in different places, we have stayed in touch. I am forever grateful for our friendship!
THANK YOU for the laughs tonight as we reminisced!!! You all rock!!
Braces for Diana and Me! (Cathy got hers off last year!)