10-10-10

No, I'm not racing on 10-10-10.

However, I will be one of the loudest cheerleaders in Portland!

Cheering for Julie as she runs her heart out. She is such an inspiration to me. She is the poster girl for mental toughness. When my pansy #$% wants to quit, I think of Julie. What would Julie say? What would Julie do?

I can tell you what she'd do.

She'd push through the pain.

She has answered more running questions from me than I can count on all my fingers and toes. She gets excited for me when I get excited. She drives me to Fit Right in Portland because she knows I'm terrified of driving in P-town. (Okay, she only did this once. But, it meant the world to me!)

Good luck amazing friend! I cannot wait to watch you cross the finish line!!

Then, there's Ashley.

For some reason, thinking about Ashley right now makes me cry. She is such an emotional support to me. She lost her mom to cancer and as my brother faces his battle with cancer, she always seems to know what to say, or what to ask. She is a blessing!

In my head, Ashley is a quiet warrior. She is a powerful runner. She is humble. You would never guess, but I'm pretty sure there are invisible flames flying off her backside when she runs. Her body rebelled in Seattle when she and Julie ran their 1st marathon together. Now, many of us will be on the sidelines cheering her toward the finish line. I can guarantee this emotional mess of a runner will be bawling when I watch her cross that line!

Good luck my sweet friend! I cannot wait to watch you cross that line!!

My dear friend Wendy is running her 2nd marathon. After running in Seattle with her good friend, she now wants to see what she can do on her own. I am so proud of her! Wendy's daughter is our babysitter and although we've had good talks here and there over the years, it wasn't until I started running and we went on runs together that we became better friends. She is such a blessing to me. I love running with her! I honestly think I do my best when I run with her. Our paces are similar enough to push each other along. She is such a blessing!

Good luck Wendy!!! You're going to kill your time!!

Jenae is running her 5th? 6th marathon? I always forget. She makes is look like old hat. She is one of the sweetest people I know. I cannot wait to watch as she runs that race. I can pretty much guarantee a smile will be on her face as she races along. She is amazing! Oh, and did I mention, she's also running Seattle in November! She is a machine!

Good luck my friend!!! Please don't mind the crazy lady screaming for you on the side of the road!!

Sarah from RLAM is running in Portland and although I don't really know her well, I'll still be cheering my heart out for her. After all, we did run together for a whole 5 minutes in Eugene :) Their book, blog and facebook page have become such a support for me. When I know that my facebook friends are sick of hearing about my running, I know I can head over to RLAM and share my excitement. There are so many supportive women over there. So, even though I don't know her well, I'll be screaming from the sidelines as she races towards her goal.

Good luck SBS!!! You are going to rock it!!

It's funny, I'm not running this race yet I have a bit of an anxious stomach as I think of all my friends who are. I know that I will shed tears. I know that I will cheer my heart out. Such inspiring women. Such blessings. Thankful to be able to be down there on 10-10-10!!