Aug. 22 was the final day of a summer full of Abe's Army training for me and my fellow runners. I owe my success to the trainers and fellow runners in my group who worked together and encouraged each other to keep going despite the pain and heat.
The 2010 Abe's Army, a program managed through the Springfield Road Runners Club, produced 445 runners, assisted by 115 leaders.
I finished the 6.2-mile Abe's Amble race in just under an hour and 13 minutes.
My goals were to complete the race and lose some weight. I managed to do both, losing 10 pounds.
My fellow runners also achieved their own goals.
Lesa Schaive, 55, was a member of my training group. This was her third year of training with Abe's Army.
"In my first year of training, I walked it. Last year, I walked and ran it, and this year I participated as a runner," she said. She finished the race in an hour and 13 minutes.
She said a sense of camaraderie among those who trained together helped her reach her goal.
"Pam (Lusitana) and I plan to keep running together along with some of the others in our group," Schaive said.
This connection with others was one of the reasons Lusitana decided to train with Abe's Army this year instead of on her own, as she had done in the past.
"Training with others motivated me," she said. "We all became friends."
The support helped her complete the race 40 seconds faster than last year, in about one hour and 13 minutes.
The togetherness also showed on race day.
"People in our group made an effort to run together and not alone. I liked that," Schaive said. "Sara (Mansfield, another participant) even provided encouragement when I needed it going up a high hill."
"This commitment, dedication and working together impressed me," said Joni Stahlman, 49, one of the leaders of our group.
Seeing how she could help was one reason Stahlman decided to train others for the first time. 
"From day one, I saw confidence increase as everyone practiced and put the effort forward," she said.
Anne Baker, 48, another of our group leaders, pointed out the importance of everyone working out together and striving to follow the leaders' advice.
"People in the group gradually learned how to pace themselves to increase their distance and slow down when they needed to," Baker said. "This led to the success and that there were no major injuries."
Catching up with other first-timers
Back in May, I talked with Greg Romang, 25, and Melissa Xanders, 29, both first-time participants, at the start of the Abe's Army training.
Romang reached his goal of completing the race in an hour and 14 minutes. He lost some weight, but had hoped to lose more.
"The training did help me to get past the first two miles and gave me confidence push on for more miles," he said. "I would recommend this training to others who want to race to keep yourself on track."
Xanders wanted to use the program to lose weight and get in shape.
"I was not as dedicated as I should have been, but I was still able to lose 10 pounds," said Xanders, who completed the race in an hour and five minutes.
"I kept up on the prescribed training schedule and did the cross-training days walking the dogs or biking," she said.
Advice from the leaders also made the difference.
"They suggested stretches to help with knee problems and back problems," she said. "The stretching helped me not to worry about so many miles of hurting."
She is taking what she has learned and doing more.
"I am definitely interested in doing another run," Xanders said.
Click here to read the earlier story on the start of their training.
Todd Smith's last Abe's Army column: Trained hard and finished strong
Top photo: Rich Saal/The State Journal-Register -- The State Journal-Register's Todd Smith completed Abe's Amble in less than one hour and 13 minutes.
Right photo: Rich Saal/The State Journal-Register -- Close to 1,200 runners and walkers participated in the 33rd annual Abe's Amble 10-kilometer road race Aug. 22 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
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