( CNN ) -- At my heaviest , I weighed 385 pounds . I never dared to dream I could run anywhere , never mind finish a half marathon . Yet on April 27 , 2013 , I weighed 219 pounds . At 3:30 a.m. , I ate breakfast , hydrated , laced up my shoes and headed to Centennial Park in Nashville , because I was running the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon . It had taken a village to get me to this day . This run was for Darbi , my best friend since college and her partner Anje , the two people that have taught me about the best me I can be . It was for Team Rio , the running group that became like family to me . It was for April , my CNN Fit Nation trainer . The 13.1 miles I was about to run were n't about the race itself , but about everything -- and everyone -- it took to get me there . Behind the scenes : Training for a triathlon . Anje is the biggest reason I 've been able to lose more than 150 pounds . She became my trainer last June , then became one my biggest inspirations . In November 2012 Anje was diagnosed with uterine cancer . She and I had been working on getting me to my goal weight , which is how we decided to run a 5k and a half marathon in 2013 . The plan was to do them together . I will never forget how scared I was , the anger I felt or the tears I cried , the day I heard her say , `` I have cancer . '' With a cancer diagnosis , Anje and Darbi should 've been thinking about anything except me , but that 's not the kind of hearts they have . Both were worried about how this was going to affect the plans Anje and I had made . So Darbi stepped in with her `` I got this '' swagger and picked up where Anje was forced leave off . I still wonder how she did it sometimes . She would work out with me , work endlessly , go to all of Anje 's doctor appointments and take care of everything at home . I know she was terrified , but never once did she complain . She 's a true testament to the human spirit . Anje 's doctor decided she needed a complete hysterectomy , with possible radiation and/or chemo to follow , depending on what the surgery uncovered . Surgery was set for December 26 . While Anje was in surgery , I was in the waiting room with Darbi . Believe it or not , that was the same day I did my first phone interview for CNN Fit Nation . When Anje woke up from surgery , the first thing she said to me was , `` Did you talk to CNN ? '' I was now training for two races . Johanna , my Team Rio running coach , made sure April got my full running training plan . April then built the half training into my triathlon training . Some days it was a bit overwhelming , but I was the one who wanted this . I knew what I had to do , so I stuck to the plan and kept running . While I was training , Anje was undergoing five weeks of radiation therapy . On April 13 , I had my first true `` runner 's high . '' I had 12 miles to run , my longest distance before the half . The group was small that day so one of the coaches decided to run with me . We like to talk so we kept the pace conversational . Out of that run came a favorite phrase of mine : `` What 's the bigger beach ? '' You do n't need the story behind it to understand what it means . It 's asking whether you 'll go for instant gratification or plan , sacrifice and work on the best possible outcome for the long run . I finished the run so inspired , feeling as if I could run another 12 miles . Get fit and others will follow . On April 27 , just two days before Anje 's final radiation treatment , Darbi , Anje and I ran across the finish line of the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon hand-in-hand . We were freezing and completely soaked from the rain . All I could do was cry as they both wrapped their arms around me jumping and screaming , `` You did it ! '' No , I did n't do it , I thought . WE did it ! When I placed that half marathon medal around my neck , I knew it had all been worth it . I had made it to the `` bigger beach . '' Every time I see the medal now , I see the village it took to earn it . Most importantly , when I see the medal , I see me living . Follow Miller on Twitter @ TriHardAnnette .
Annette Miller has lost more than 150 pounds ; she now weighs 219 . The former Miss America is a mother of two and lives in the Los Angeles area. Miller and her two best friends ran the St. Jude Country Music Half Marathon .