High Five.

The aforementioned non-running friend ran 5 miles this past week.

Though I don't think it was particularly transcendent for her, it was at the very least a huge accomplishment. Keeping in mind that it was 94 degrees and 100% humidity and running this past week was akin to trudging through a gelatinous force field caped in a hot, wet blanket, 5 miles is undoubtedly a big deal.

Marc Parent, author of the Newbie Chronicles published monthly in Runner's World, writes about the first time he ran five miles--I'd post a link but it was only published in April and thus not available. Of this experience, he writes

I had just run five miles, and five miles makes you different. I felt it immediately...At the shopping center, I seriously thought people might see it for themselves. I felt like a completely different person--different from anyone who hadn't run five--far more different than if I were wearing a bird suit and people would certainly notice and possibly comment on that. Maybe the checkout woman would finish my order and say, Total is $58.60 and--wait, did you just run five miles? Strangers in the parking lot would yell across the rows of cars, Yo-five mile...Yo--Hawaii 5-0...Yo--fivealicious.

Marc Parent recognizes that it's a Big Deal, and anyone who's ever run those fivealicious miles--or not!-- knows it is too, so I thought I'd send my friend a shout out. Even the Boss says "Tramps like us/ baby we were Born to Run(five miles!)" and who's going to refute him?