Observer Becomes Peachtree Runner

For years, Jesseca Edwards got up early every Fourth of July and headed out to watch the Peachtree Road Race. The DeKalb County woman never imagined she'd be fit enough to lace up her shoes and join in the fun.

A year ago, Edwards could barely walk, much less run through her Clarkston neighborhood.

"It was exhausting. I was out of breath. I had to stop at the top of the hill," she said. "I'd get up at work sometimes and walk to my boss' office and I'd be out of breath. And it was scary. It was scary to think about 'OK, that's how out of shape I am.'"

The 42-year-old invoice manager said she'd battled her weight since childhood and the older she got, the more it seemed to be winning.

so, Jesseca decided to get tough, not with a starvation diet or a killer workout, but by teaming up with Lianne Horne, a personal trainer willing to meet her at square one -- right in her living room.

"She couldn't do a lot without being very winded and out of breath, and her heart was working really hard, I think," said Horne. "We spent a lot of time in this room right here, lifting weights, working on core, working on abs."

It was tough, sweaty work, but Horne was careful to challenge Jesseca without overwhelming her.

"From day one, she's been incredibly compliant. Everything I've ever asked her to do, she's done. And she's never been in a place where she doesn't think she can do something," said Horne.

As the months passed, things started to change.

"Eventually, I started to see the weight come off, and I started to see muscles develop," said Edwards.

"It was almost like this fuel. It was like, 'OK, yeah, I can do that! Yeah! Yeah, yeah! Like let's go!' She's got this, it's incredible, and she's got this drive! For someone like me, I'm just going with it," said Horne.

Lianne and Jesseca started meeting once a week. They went very slowly. First they walked, then they started running and then running a little bit more. And this winter, Horne started talking about the Peachtree.

"I remember when I first mentioned the Peachtree she looked at me like I was nuts (laughs). And the next Saturday, I brought it up again," said Horne.

"Eventually, I came back to her and said, 'You know what? I think I'm going to run the Peachtree,'" said Edwards.

After years of watching on the sidelines, this Fourth of July, "I'm running the Peachtree Road Race," said Edwards. "I've never done anything like this before! Never! To think I'm 42 years old. I'm going to be running the Peachtree for the first time. It's amazing!"

Along the way, Jesseca has lost almost 70 pounds and no longer needs to take medication to control her blood pressure.

Horne said she's gotten something out of this too.

"A real gift -- I don't know how else to say it without getting choked up. To be a part of that -- I'm honored. I'm completely honored. This woman works. She doesn't expect it to just happen," she said.

On the fourth, Jesseca and Lianne, will team up together for the run down Peachtree.

"I'm going to be nervous. My stomach will probably be in knots. But it will be good. It'll be a good nervousness," said Edwards.

"We're going to have fun. We are going to take it in! If we run and walk and crawl and piggy back each other, it doesn't matter! It just doesn't matter. We're going to take in the event. We're going to listen to the music because it's about enjoying fitness. It's not about being the best," said Horne.

Wherever she winds up in the pack of 50,000 runners, Jesseca is already winning her race.

"I think she's a new woman, outside and in," said Horne.

"I do feel proud of myself. I mean, I did it," said Edwards.

She said she hopes to continue losing weight and she may even try to run the Atlanta Half-Marathon Thanksgiving Day.

Edwards said Horne kept her motivated, without making her feel overwhelmed.

To read more about her training style, click on Horne's Web site Live Out Loud Fitness.com .