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Her lungs burned with every breath, her saliva felt thick, and it was only sheer force of will that kept her feet pounding one after the other after the other.  Running had never been a passion for Julia.  It had never been a vague wish, like, "I wish I could be a runner."  Julia disliked running and wondered why people would subject themselves to it.  She could see her goal, which gave her the boost she had heard about but never experienced.  She almost thought she could feel the fabled "runner's high", though that was probably just the dizzy relief of knowing she was almost done.  Almost there.  Almost safe.