Somewhere in the Middle

I realize that I should have started this months ago but to be honest, I wasn't quite sure how long I'd last. Before I started training with RW the most I'd ever ran was a 5K. (Not even an easy 5K at that.) I ran Race for the Cure several times but it was never easy and I always had to walk at some point. I ran track in High School but my focus was always sprints not distance. Seeing numbers like 8 or 13 on the training schedule made me cringe. I honestly thought there's no way! Whenever I heard people talk about running or training for a marathon I always thought that's NOT for me. Not because I didn't want to, just because I didn't think I could do it. Keep in mind that running 1 mile was hard enough for me. I couldn't imagine doing more.
So this is where my story begins. My friend Amanda started training with Runner's World well before me. I always marveled at her success and determination and thought to myself, I wish I could do that. When she became pregnant in October of 2008 I knew how excited and happy she was to become a mom but I also watched as she lost a little piece of her personal dream which was completing a full marathon. I knew after she had James that she'd return to the running world and that she did. Little did I realize that she would take me along with her! I had no idea what to expect from running with a group. (In my mind I pictured a tight pack of people, running closely together like ninjas or a gang almost. Ha-ha!) So with fear of the unknown, I decided to start running some on my own before training began. I wanted to make sure that I could run 3 miles before joining this group of "professional runners." The last thing I wanted was to be a runner who can't run. Lucky for me, the first training run was a success. We ran some, we walked some and we weren't even dead last, we were somewhere in the middle which is just fine with me.