Harbin-ger of Hope

The cozy houses along Sixth Avenue are tightly shut against the winter cold of an early February morning. Smoke from a chimney swirls around the bricks, as one lonely runner quickly steps off the sidewalk and dashes along the road. The pounding of her feet on the grain of the asphalt is the only sound against the backdrop of snugly-secured homes.At a tiny 5’1, Ashley Harbin has big dreams and an even bigger drive. Just off her first half marathon for year – the Mercedes Half, Ashley is training for a full marathon in April and a 70.3 mile Iron Man competition in Augusta.Running is not some hobby Ashley has just picked up. She’s been running since a young age. However, running was not always a vision for Ashley’s future; survival was.Even though she was born a healthy baby, she had an umbilical hernia. By 18 months, the doctors discovered she also had an enlarged spleen. Through exploratory surgery, the doctors repaired the hernia but discovered Ashley had portal hypertension, a very rare condition in children.

Then, intestinal blockage developed from the scar tissue and doctors had to once again perform surgery to remove it. This surgery led doctors to discover a ureter blockage. By age three, Ashley suffered the first of several severe bleeds and was air-lifted to Children’s Hospital. By age five, Ashley had surgery to remove her spleen.Life seemed normal for the next four years. “It wasn’t until I was in the fourth grade that I had another severe bleed and passed out in class,” Ashley recalls. “I remember that day just like it was yesterday. I immediately began vomiting blood and was rushed to Children’s Hospital. The Blakemore tube was the only way to stop this internal bleeding.”Ashley’s “run” to Children’s Hospital every few months was necessary to look for signs of internal bleeding until she turned 22 when, she jokes, “I was kicked out. My doctor Keith Georgeson really took great care of me, and he will always be my hero. At one of my scariest stays at Children’s, a doctor told me that only God could heal me. Dr. Georgeson always told my parents that I was a fighter. “This same fighting spirit that propelled Ashley through the scariest medical moments in her life is still a part of what drives her today. The other component is a competitive personality, which also began to develop at a young age.“My love for running developed very early in my life,” she laughs. “I loved to race and beat the boys when I was in elementary school, and I always dreamed of competing like Jackie Joyner-Kersee.”After high school, this dream seemed to be a step from reality as Ashley walked on The University of Alabama cross country team. “I will never forget the day my coach told me I could compete in the season opener at Tulane. The day I was issued my crimson and white uniform was probably one of the most exciting days of my life.”However, after three cross country seasons at UA and a plague of injuries, Ashley was feeling burned out and hung up her running shoes. But she soon learned when something is such a big part of your spirit, it is not always easy to put it away.“After graduation and a move back home, I realized a part of me was gone,” she recalls. “I started running again and racing in local runs. This is when I began to get back to the old me and realized I was running pretty good times, some faster than college days.”And, she’s still running today even though her goals have changed a little.“I don’t run to win,” Ashley says as she smiles. She captured the overall best time in every age division during the 12-obstacle Warrior Dash mud run in Tuscaloosa in November. “Yes, I’m still very competitive, but winning has a whole different meaning to me now. I run because I can.”After experiencing a burn out, Ashley knew she had to change how she viewed running mentally or she would end up with that dreaded familiar feeling again.“I love the feeling I get after pounding the pavement,” she elaborates. “Some call it a ‘runner’s high.’ I thank the Lord everyday for this gift because running can turn any terrible day into a great day for me.”For Ashley, running is now about setting goals and pushing her limits. And now that she is married, running is about quality time.Her husband Jeremy started running about six-and-a-half years ago when the two first met and Ashley was just beginning to pick up the sport again. “He would run just to spend time with me,” she laughs. “Now it’s a passion of his. We usually train together when he’s not at work, and we love to cross the finish line hand-in-hand.”Jeremy ran his first half marathon three years ago, and he and Ashley are planning more tough runs this year. The couple will run the Country Music full marathon (26.2 miles) in April and their second Half Ironman in September in addition to a host of 5ks and The Hot 100 (100 mile) bicycle ride in Tuscaloosa.Where most people run errands or run businesses, this power couple is not most people. They run the gauntlet of marathons and road races. Their drive knows no bounds.“Only the Harbin and Roberts crazies would be heading into an ICE STORM to run a marathon,” Ashley posted in December on her Facebook page. 78