My cell phone alarm went off at 4:15 yesterday morning just before my dear friend, Jen, came barreling through the door to her guest room and jumped on the bed. With me in it. It was time to make final preparations for our half-marathon. We dressed in layers, mixed our electrolyte drinks, and slammed down some coffee as we waited for the ice to thaw on the windshield. It was cold...so cold, in fact, that my toes were completely numb and I could not feel my ass. I was so glad I had not shaved my legs for a few days because I needed every last bit of extra layering I could get. I had no idea what to expect. This was not only my first half-marathon; it was also the longest distance I had ever run. My longest run has been 6.2 miles. A half-marathon is 13.1 miles. That's a huge distance in the running world. I had fully intended to complete a 10 mile run like my training schedule listed, but life got in the way, and it just never happened. But I'm a woman of my word, and I said I ru...

On the final leg of my Christmas trip, I stopped at Jen and Dan's house in Ocala. It was a nice, half-way point where I could get some quick sleep in a real bed and dish a bit with Jen before heading back to pick up the dog from the kennel. My original plan called for an 8 o'clock arrival, which would have given us plenty of time to see each other. However, I really have no concept of time and left South Carolina three hours later than I intended. In the grand scheme of things, I figured that twenty years from now, I would rather have the memories of a few more hours with my 83 year old grandmother than my 31 year old friend. While driving along US301 in south Georgia, watching the clock move closer and closer to midnight and updating Jen with a later and later ETA, my guilt took over. I still stand by my earlier decision, but I also had a difficult time accepting the fact that I would not be in Ocala when I said I would. As a result, I finally agreed to run the Five Points o...