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Six hours, 15 minutes and 26 seconds. That's how long it took me to run the 28th Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC.

Me at mile 21, still going strong.

Believe me, I never thought of myself as an athlete. But I am a 39 year-old woman who spent from February to October of last year working her butt off with 200 other women to do what we thought was unimaginable: run a marathon.

I write this article about me, but truly, it's about the inspiring women that ran with me - women who can now proudly call themselves athletes: alumnae of the JeansMarines (Yellow Platoon) Toronto-based running group for women.

I had certainly never thought of myself as a runner. I've never had a runner's body. In fact, I didn't even own a pair of running shoes until I was 27 years old!

So why would I put my body through running a grueling 42 K when I didn't have to?
Quite simply, running made me feel good. More importantly, I knew that I had the determination and the commitment to achieve this goal.

			How to start running
			If you are new to starting a fitness program, talk with your doctor first Invest in a good pair of running shoes. If you can, find a running store near you that you like and trust. Run with friends or join a group of beginner runners at a similar pace. Try a learning to run clinic at your local community centre. Start off slow. Set reasonable and achievable goals - this is a race that only you will win! Walk and run (I ran the marathon walking one minute and running ten - the whole way!) Skip a day between runs - your body needs rest and time to repair its muscles. Make time for your runs, schedule them into your day. Learn as much as you can about running - there's lots of great information on the Web. And, most important, enjoy yourself!

My story probably started 30 years ago as a pretty inactive adolescent with what I affectionately like to call 'the big butt genes'. I had lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle, loved to eat and always seemed to be battling weight.

I remember the exact moment I changed my ways: I was on a date with a handsome, slim man who told me that he worked out diligently because he had such a hard time keeping on weight.

What a foreign concept! I laughed and replied proudly, "I don't even own a pair of running shoes!"

To this day, I'm so embarrassed that I said that. I bought my first pair of running shoes the very next day and went to my first aerobic class at the local high school only two days later. Honestly, the hardest part about starting was picking a pair of shoes I liked!

That was the beginning of my healthy life. I worked hard at exercise and felt good about myself, but it wasn't always easy to find the motivation to keep working out on my own.

I enjoyed running. Never fast, and always at my own pace, running was a time for me to reflect; it made me feel better than anything else I ever did. It was non-competitive and reminded me that I had worked hard for and earned my healthy body.

Like many people, however, I hit a few potholes along the way. Changes in my life stopped me from running and I put on extra weight.

I missed running, but motivating myself was becoming more and more difficult.

			Benefits of running
			Running is a great way to burn off stress. Running produces endorphins that make you feel happy and confident. Running burns more calories in less time than almost any other continuous exercise. Running lowers your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Running is great to do with friends and family, or even strangers in a race. Running is time just for you!

As fate would have it, I happened to hear Barbara Hall, the former mayor of Toronto, speak at a meeting. During the question period she talked about her experience with a women's running group called JeansMarines. Her elation and pride in her accomplishment inspired me to set my sights high and start running again. I knew I could do it, and joined shortly afterwards!

Why would a woman want to run a marathon? According to Jean Marmoreo, founder of the women's running group JeansMarines, women lead full and demanding lives.

Women shoot high - they set lofty goals. Otherwise, they're just not interested. Women like to be challenged and like to work hard. So what better goal than to get off the sofa and run a marathon in just under a year?

Turning 50 can be a motivator…

You might be surprised to discover that very few JeansMarines are under the age of 40; in my story alone, there are two women under 40, five under 50, two over 50, and four over 60.

When Lise Hansen joined JeansMarines, she says she had a morbid fear of turning 50 and becoming matronly. She felt she was turning into the working mom, fed up with the running around, planning, chauffeuring and overall domestic part of wife-and-mother. She was part of the sandwich generation, raising her own kids, as well as coping with family illness and aging parents. Lise needed something just for her.

JeansMarines has become a phenomenon - it was formed by Dr. Jean Marmoreo of Toronto (also, a member of the CHN Advisory Board) and her husband, Bob Ramsay after they ran their first Marine Corps Marathon in 2001. They loved it so much that they decided to ask some friends to join them in Washington for the 2002 marathon. So they recruited 50 women, who recruited their women friends, and eight months later, there were 100 JeansMarines running, and walking, the marathon.

In 2003, it was the same story, times two. Some 200 women crossed the finish line. And in 2004, 500 women are expected to join them for the Marine Crops Marathon.

JeansMarines are women who never considered running a marathon in their lifetime, who are ready for a different kind of challenge, and who are determined, gritty, strong and committed! They are also your colleagues, neighbours, friends, sisters, aunts, mothers and grandmothers, and now they're athletes, too!

Like many marathoners, Valerie McCormick March was not a runner when she signed up. The owner of a successful business, says that prior to this experience, all of her goals were related to work and finance.

At the finish with some of the Yellow Platoon: Carol, Me, Valerie W, Helene, Valerie MM

What about my 'Yellow Platoon'? Well, if you ask the Yellow Platoon runners, they'd have to tell you the Yellow Platoon is the best of the 2003 JeansMarines! (And best not being measured by speed!) They are the 2003 JeansMarines that ran together through thick and thin, snow and rain, injury and recovery, family crisis and personal success, always together and always in support of each, and if not in body, always in spirit!

If the truth be told, the marathon is about more than just running . It's about camaraderie, achievement, pride, improved health - the list goes on and varies from woman to woman, but the results always include being healthier, stronger and happier.

Liz Carrique and Marny Daglish, lifelong friends and both over 60, continue to be mainstays of the Yellow Platoon's weekly runs. "I met a fascinating group of women. It was amazing, but I almost feel it was a group effort."
And according to Marny, when she doesn't feel like going for a run it's the power of the group that gets her out there. "I would be tired, but I would say I have to go because the rest of them are waiting for me."

How did ten months of never missing a Saturday run affect my life? Quite monumentally.

Enthusiasm in the Yellow Platoon has not waned a smidgen. I swear the Platoon has leaped small buildings since we crossed the finish line in Washington! They've run together every Tuesday and Saturday since, on holidays, through thunderstorms and blizzards, training for the first MORE.Com half marathon for women over 40 in New York City later this month - if that doesn't say it all.

Unfortunately, I won't be running with them (My excuse is that I'm not 40, which doesn't cut it with this lot!), but I will be cheering them on from the sidelines proudly sporting my Yellow Platoon t-shirt.

Me and Jean (JeansMarines founder) show off our marathon medals

2003 was a stellar year for me. It was the year that I set myself the goal of running my first marathon.
And I did it!

But there is more. Not only did I run 42 kilometres through the streets of Washington D.C. in six hours, 15 minutes and 26 seconds. I ran with a stronger body, a healthier mind and an amazing group of women who exemplify the value of friendship and the power of hard work and commitment!