Seven years ago, when Kim Murphy and Kris Carpenter started walking together in the mornings, neither of them had any idea that they would become marathon runners, or that they would co-author a book on fitness.
"I really didn’t like running," said Carpenter.
But three years ago, Murphy and Carpenter began training for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach. They followed that with the Marine Corps Marathon, and early this year, published "The Best Friend’s Guide to Getting Fit."
"When we finished the race, we were ecstatic," said Carpenter. "We were like, ‘How did we get here?’"
"It’s such an empowering experience," said Murphy. "You do things you never thought you could do."
ULTIMATELY, BOTH WOMEN agreed, it was their friendship that kept them going. "We were addicted to the friendship, and that helped us establish a consistent routine that allowed us to transform," Carpenter said.
Murphy and Carpenter believe so strongly in the benefits of working out with a friend that they formed a local fitness company, ah-spire, and began teaching exercise classes through the Vienna Community Center.
"If we can [run a marathon], anybody can," said Murphy. "We thought, ‘We have to share this with other people.’ There are so many women who want to do this but don’t know how, and we get them to do it with a friend."
The book does not focus on running in particular, said Murphy, but examines the details of how to develop an exercise relationship with a friend, and how to work around obstacles such as schedule changes and injuries.
"At times, the book reads like a personal diary," said Carpenter. "We wanted to connect to our readers. We’re no different from them. By no means are we exercise fanatics."
Murphy and Carpenter are also in the process of setting up a website to help other women develop exercise routines with friends.
Carpenter and Murphy are currently training a group of 14 women who will be running the Rock and Roll Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend.
"We’re the loudest group at 6 a.m.," said Murphy.
"MY FIRST THOUGHT was that I’d much rather run alone. I can’t talk while I’m running," said Marina Beckhard, a half-marathon trainee and friend of Murphy and Carpenter’s. Now, she said, she can talk and run easily, and has had "great religious discussions" with her running partner.
"It helps being able to talk to each other, and very quickly you open up to people," said Beckhard.
"Friendship is about the commitment to each other to be there," said Carol Ward, another trainee. "When you don’t show up, somebody’s like, ‘Why weren't you here today? You’re my running buddy, I need you!’ There’s a sense of commitment and belonging to a group to keep it going, and that’s kind of what friendship is too."