Over a year ago I was sharing a message with my students about finishing the race. You know, the whole keep the long range goal in mind and realize that change comes over time not in an instant. My example that night was on the big screen for all to see. It was a training schedule for a marathon.
Fast forward to today. Twenty-five days till my first race. A half marathon though, I am not completely crazy. My training run today was great. I use the Nike+ pedometer to track each run, and my ITouch to feed me some music as I run. The goal today was to finish a 5k in my fastest time to date. Goal Accomplished! 5k in 28 minutes. Not as fast as any body in their 20s or 30s, but I am not in my 20s or 30s any longer. (Insert Sad Sigh Here). I ran a little more after the 5k, basically to make it back to the car.
So, as I wind down the 12 weeks of training, and prepare myself for a 2 plus hour run, I found some thoughts to share:
1. Over 110 miles logged in since September. You don't go on a 20 something mile running spree on just any day. To get to this total it took over 30 different days of running, and even more days of recovery.
2. The parallels to my spiritual life now scream at me as I run each day and draw closer to the race day. The desire to run this race far out weighs the urgency to run each week; especially six weeks back. At that point the goal was far out of my reach, and the weekly runs seemed more like a nasty chore. Spiritually it is the same with me. My desire to do great thing for God is strong, but often the daily task of obedience and growth seem mundane at times. So many times it is difficult to see what God is shaping me for and preparing for me to go through. Just like the two mile run with cramps in my calf muscle. I wonder on some days if it is worth all the trouble. ??? But then I have a day like today, and the world seems to be right, and the plan is well underway.
3. NO WAY to do this on my own. If I did not have people checking in with me, and teaching me about the right training methods..... no way I would even attempt the race. I can not get by spiritually on my own either. Without the encouragement from others, and the ability to share what I am learning (often through trials), I would never make it. We were not designed to be alone or to do this life on our own. I thank God for those who walk beside me in this life, esp. those of you who ask the difficult questions.
So on February 12th, 2012, I will run my first half marathon. I hope that the lessons learned through this process stick with me, and that the inches and pounds lost stay in the past. But most of all, I hope to raise enough money to help pay for several students to go with me on our mission trip to Guatemala this summer.
Spice of Life
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