I remember...

That just a year ago I could barely run two miles.

How hard running for 2 minutes straight was.

That volunteers saved my run more than once.

That I started from scratch, and didn't think I could do it. (And with the exception of some awesome volunteers and my husband, neither did anyone else)

And this year, I hope I don't sound crazy telling the ladies in the NCRC program how far you can go even when you don't know you want to. Trust me, last summer, I didn't even know I wanted to run a half-marathon. It's pretty wild to look back on.

This year, as a volunteer, I have a totally different perspective. This year, I'm the expert. People ask me questions and, as it turns out, I usually know the answer.

Best socks? Smart Wool PhD. If I could wear them to work, I would.
How's my time? Awesome. Get off it. You're running. That makes you awesome.
Am I going too slow? Seriously. You're fine. You're awesome.
What if Zombies are the fast, chase you down kind? Well, then we're all screwed. Hope for the slow, moaning types.
Why am I not losing weight? Because you're probably overcompensating by eating more. No biggie. Fuel your body, learn to run, then work on weight later. For reference, you burn about 100 calories/mile - I wish I could tell you it was more!
Where do I get an awesome headband like that? Stay tuned. I've been known to get crafty.
Does it get easier? Not really, because once you get into it, you'll spend a lot of time challenging yourself, so you're always working on the next thing - next race, better time, further distance, whatever. But, that's OK.
How can you have so much energy? I run. Which means I sleep really well, and the running really helps my stress level. You'll get there.
How do you stay motivated? For me, blogging helped. Also, telling everyone I know. And my family is amazing. Besides, there was this whole, "I didn't think I could do it, but I'm stubborn, so damn it, I'm going to" thing.

So, to my ladies out there, you're killing it. You are doing an AMAZING job. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as we are of you. We've literally been there - and recently. If you stick with this, and continue to challenge yourself, running can open all kinds of doors to challenges you don't even know you want to do.

Sarah