"O Captain! My Captain!"

This is my friend Yerttle.  

This picture is from today at the expo for the Marine Corps Marathon. The marathon she will be running in just two days.

She is one of the most amazing people I know.

Training for a marathon is tough, no doubt about it. She trained for the MCM while balancing her responsibilities as a mother to like 87 kids (ok, three but still – I am sure three kids feels like 87 at times), her role as an FRG Leader (which is not only a distinguished position to hold it also comes with an insane amount of work and a lot of BS) all while her husband was deployed. Boom! Crazy!

She isn’t just a member of Team Awesomesauce, she is the Captain.

She is the reason why I am able to get out of bed and run every morning. Because I know if Yerttle could make the time to do it why the eff couldn’t I?

I wish I could be in DC this weekend to cheer her on, stalk her from the crowd as she runs, yell embarrassing things at her and hold up a funny sign. In case you were wondering, my sign would say "If a marathon was easy, it would be called your mother."

I wish I could be there to watch them put that medal around her neck and give her the world’s biggest hug. I wish I could be there because it is going to be awesome, just like her!

Good luck, Yerttle! Go kick some asphalt!

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” ~ Steve Prefontaine