The nightmare haunts Amy Parris, a stinging reality of her new hobby.

She's creeping along in the last quarter of The Augusta Chronicle Half Marathon, and Calhoun Expressway is reopened to traffic. She's helpless as cars whiz past.

"And I'm the last one running," she said.

A first-time runner training for the Oct. 26, 13.1-mile race, Parris has been pestered by the ailments that come with running long distances: injuries, frustration, self-doubt. She has found relief and extra motivation by training with a group of about 35, organized by the Augusta Striders, an area running club.

Two Striders members have been training the group since June 30. They meet at least two times a week for long runs that now cover more than 10 miles. About 15 members of the group will be running a race for the first time, at a distance that is becoming the most popular in the country.

Half marathons are the sport's fastest-growing distance, according to Running USA, a non-profit running organization. Participation has grown 10 percent in each of the past two years.

Experts say running with a group is the best way for beginners to train for a race or get introduced to the sport.

"You're all kind of suffering together, for the lack of a better term," said Adam Ward, the president of the Augusta Striders and Augusta State cross country coach. "Sharing the highs and lows with each other can be huge."

Parris always used to see people running and would wonder where their satisfaction came from.

"I've always hated it," she said. "It doesn't feel good, and I've never gotten that runner's high."

Parris, 37, has four children, including a son she had Feb. 22. Wanting to prove to her children the value of exercise, Parris didn't protest when her younger brother, Brian Killips, suggested training for the race one morning over brunch. The idea, especially the word marathon, "honestly sounded impossible."

Killips, along with friend Tony Klinger, leads the group, which includes a physical therapist, a sports nutritionist and a podiatrist. When they gathered for their first run -- 30 minutes, at Enterprise Mill -- on the last day of June, Parris felt intimidated.

She soon learned the group would offer her encouragement rather than criticism. They now joke about obscure running injuries -- black toe, when your shoes are too small and jam against your foot -- and energy sources (sports jellybeans were a recent topic).

On a recent Saturday morning, Parris completed a 10-mile work. She battled knee pain to complete the North Augusta course and, as she caught her breath, described her nightmare to a visitor.

Killips, who is also the boys soccer coach at Evans High School, believes it silly, a fear created by someone who has never run a race and doesn't realize plenty of people sign up merely to walk the course.

"There's always somebody behind you ... there are people who are going to be walking," Killips said.

He said his sister's mile times -- about 10-11 minutes for long distances -- are very good for a beginner.

While Parris still feels like a novice -- she has yet to secure a device that will allow her to change songs on her iPod while running -- she can visualize the moment she'll seem like a professional -- crossing the finish line on Broad Street with her training group cheering wildly.

"I would have quit a long time ago (without them)," she said. "There's not many things in life you can do where people will be cheering for you."