26.2!!

I had no doubt when my best friend Julie told me that she "might" want to run a marathon someday (after having completed a 1/2 marathon), that she would make it happen. While she hemmed and hawed about it for a few years, the desire was in her blood. She did finally make the decision to go for it, and in high style nonetheless. Julie does not just go out and "do" something half-heartedly. You might say, how could one run a marathon half-heartedly? Well, I don't know, but trust me this was not her approach. Even choosing the right race was important, and she managed to fall into the great fortune of securing her place as a runner in the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon. So she didn't just get to the finish line and get a T-shirt from a random volunteer - she had a medal placed around her neck by a U.S. Marine. Not bad. I would be remiss not to mention that Sam and Jenn also completed this amazing feat yesterday. And I must also add that my dad successfully ran a marathon in 2000, so he was my first hero to achieve this impressive feat. I happen to have a photo of Julie running her very first road race ever, the Cooper River Bridge Run. I don't remember what year it was, maybe 2004? You will notice in the photo she is running about two steps behind me, and now she is countless steps ahead. Congratulations Jules!