What an amazing experience! I just ran my first 10K race ever and had a PR, of course, since you always have a PR when you do something for the first time! Oh, the joys of being a newbie...
Today was especially special because I was joined on the race course by two wonderful friends and familiar characters here, Sarah Hine and Melissa Schulz. Sarah is making the kind of progress every runner dreams of! She has got her groove back from a running practice she abandoned long ago... and she's surpassing her younger self! She inspires me. And Melissa is my running muse... She's so fast, and so diversified, and so Missy Magical!
Melissa actually met up with me at mile 5 of the 6.2M race (after she'd finished) and ran me in to the finish line. Now, when I say she ran me in, you need to understand that Melissa doesn't do anything quietly. I got the full Monty. She screamed my first name, my last name, pointed out unsavory husband candidates on the sidelines, challenged me to run faster than a pair of girls, told me when to slow down and when to speed up, and when to shut up! She told me I was fast. And that my form was surprisingly good. I run like a runner! Yes! With 100 meters to go, she dropped off to the sidelines while I pushed my speed and took it home to the sound of both Melissa and Sarah cheering from the sidelines!
This was my first time taking my earbuds out and running with another person. I couldn't have asked for a more over the top amazing experience! I'll never forget the feeling of being in step with someone who supports you so fully, and really wants the best for you - and is willing to try to find you, even exhausted after her own race - and run with you in her pink shirt, ponytail swaying, screaming basically anything at the top of her lungs that will keep you smiling and going! That's what I call an exceptional friend.
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