A Runner with Style.

This past weekend on July 4th, my good friend Heather ran her first 10k in Atlanta in the super-hot, super-crowded, and hopefully super-awesome Peachtree Road Race.

Heather came out of the blocks marginally motivated-she did get to buy a new running outfit, after all, so she wouldn't have to run in her oversized Chi-O cotton T's from college. But despite the outfit, she's not exactly what we'd call 100% dedicated-not yet, at least. The text she sent me the other day of her McDonald's lunch, which read "Lunch of a 10k champion" featured a photograph of a quarter pounder with cheese, a large fry, and a large frappucino.

Despite what some may consider a

lackluster training diet, she did get some decent runs in before the race and though I haven't gotten an official post-race recap, she did set a PR and hopefully had a great time. Her husband Len also ran, but Len's had the fever for a while now.

What I love about Heather signing up for this 10k is that she did so in the spirit of camaraderie, in an attempt to "get" what it is that Len gets, to understand what all this fuss is about running. The other thing I love is that if you've ever seen Heather, you'd know that she is absolutely made for running. Those of us built like brick houses look at those built like Heather-long, lean legs and arms, and we think, man. What's that like? Like a gazelle. Like a deer. Not like a tank, which is often how I feel. And you can see for yourself at right that she makes running look good!

And again, though she is not yet particularly dedicated to running, she is dedicated to her family, friends and to Simply Stitched, her monogram business, which you can find here. The photos above showcase some of her work; thanks to her the Barnhardts always look at least somewhat put-together, (when I can actually wrangle them into some clothes-all of the neighbors and passersby of Meyers Drive can attest to this fact.) Her website is still under construction but be sure to check back soon or call her if you need the perfect gift. She's so ridiculously talented and creative I find myself looking for excuses for her to monogram things for me. Oh look! My running socks! Those would be cute with my initials!

So Heather is a dedicated wife, mom, daughter, sister, business woman, friend and...runner?

She's run 6.2. And that's quite a start!