you find inspiration in really funny places. i found mine at the community center in madison, south dakota, swimming with her three little girls and her husband last saturday. i could tell by looking at her that she was an athlete. she also looks A LOT like my husband's sister, mary. i kept wondering about her, figuring she had to be a runner because of the muscles in her legs. when she took a break from swimming to ice her ankle, she happened to sit in a chair right next to my backpack. perfect opportunity. i went over and asked her about her ankle. that turned into a 45-minute conversation with one of the most motivating people i've ever met. her name is marie sample. she lives in madison and has qualified for the marathon olympic trials in april. she's training hard, and has an amazing spirit. she told me about failing to get into the trials twice by only 3o seconds, and then stopping her training to have kids, and then dealing with an injury, and finally, in 2007, she qualified at Grandma's Marathon. she will run this april against over 100 other women for three slots in the olympic games. she had a huge smile on her face the whole time i was talking to her. i'm going to be praying for her. i hate to admit that i "googled" her, but i did. i hope she doesn't mind. i also hope i see her again someday, but more importantly, i hope that i read her name on the list of olympic qualifiers. it will be fun to watch someone just up the road represent our nation...and what a cool lady to do it.