Oiselle- Totally Trials Entry

If you are a follower of 5 Miles Past Empty you know I have been struggling the past year...not just with running but with LIFE in general. But lets be real, running has been a struggle since moving here from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I left behind some amazing Running Buddies...all of whom are so special to me and shared countless miles with me. One can't help but form a long-lasting bond while suffering through tens of hundreds of miles together. But I digress...

Mel Tall Mom on the Run has been a huge support to me over the past three years. From the moment I met her I knew we would be friends. It's scary though, getting attached and making friends outside of the military circle...how would she react when (not if) I had to move? Would we be true lasting friends across the miles? Is it better to not get close and to save the heartache of moving away, for both of us? These are questions you often ask yourself when making friends who aren't themselves military. You almost feel guilty for exposing them to your chaotic, unstable, ever-chaging lifestyle...but then you take a chance and go for it, you forge a friendship...and through the blood, sweat, and tears you find you made the right choice...you have found a life-long friend.

I can honestly say my life would not be the same had I not showed up to meet Mel for our first Blind Bloggy Running Date on 10/10/09 (read about it HERE). She seems to know just when to call and what to say. She has a knack for saying the right thing at the right time. She is a true friend. That is why I was so excited when she texted me about an opportunity to win a trip to the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR through Oiselle! As she told me about it my mind was already going a hundred miles a minute...How could we win? How could we make this happen? Mel wrote her blog entry, check it out HERE and emailed me the draft. As I read it it brought tears to my eyes. How could two people go through so much, so many life-changing events in the span of a little over a year? So many ups and downs...if there was a single person who deserves to win I would have to point a finger at Mel. She gives and gives and it is her turn to receive. I wish I could win this just to give it to her, as an appreciation of all her support for me. But of course it is a trip for two and well, you can't have a Tall Mom without a 5 Miles Past Empty...we are kind of like peas in a pod, we go together like shot put and hurdles...wait, ok maybe not...but still we both LOVE running, we are Long Distance Running Buddies, and we MISS each other dearly. This would be the ultimate, perfect mommy, running blogger's dream come true!

So here is our joint video entry, taken from East coast and West, for the Oiselle Totally Trials contest....

See you in Eugene!!