“I can’t feel my legs!” I exclaimed with the little breath I had left. Although my legs were running, it felt as if my mind more than anything was the real runner. We were both running off of determination, Jaclyn and I. The feeling in our legs had abandoned us and our lungs felt like they had contorted in a million ways.

As we turned the corner around the Hometown pond, we crossed the half-way mark in the Honor Connor Run. The runners around us cast me un-convinced glares. What did a small, scrawny kid think she could do in a 5K? to be honest, I didn’t really know myself. And another great reason is, how did I think I was going to be able to keep up with Jaclyn, the tall, muscular, conditioned soccer player? Well, like I said before, I was running off my mind than my legs. We’d both signed up for the run, not really thinking about the fact that we may not have really been prepared, but more because we wanted to bond. We bonded, alright. I mean, if you call Jaclyn running non-stop and me trying to keep up, while also trying not to pass out bonding. And the hot, humid haze of June 1st wasn’t really helping me out, either.

But in the end, we managed to stay together and support each other as we approached the finish line. As our feet crossed the line, I felt relief and accomplishment buzzing inside me. Highfiving Jaclyn, I realized no matter how hard the situation, friends will always be there to help you get through it.