I Run: A Reflection-Goal 2!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve written about my running. To be honest, nothing much has changed. Everything I’ve written to date applies pretty much consistently across the board. I cycle through up and down phases of training, but in the end, God always motivates me to complete my goal.

Monday, May 31st at 7:30am, I started goal #2: a 10K race….6.214 miles to be exact. This was so much harder to train for than I expected, so I had serious concerns about actually being able to run this entire race.

(My biggest fan, Joey, accompanied me to the race and took all the glorious pictures you see here=) If it wasn't for his encouragement and coaching, I don't think I'd even have been able to do this. There were so many mornings when he literally would just gently encourage me to get up and go run "just 2 or 3 miles"--"do what you can" he'd always say. Inevitably I would always pound out the 4, 5, or even 6, just because he knew me well enough that if he could prod me to get me up and moving, I'd accomplish my goal. You are more appreciated than you'll ever know, babe. Thanks for always being there for me!)

So, back to the race.....10K, lots of hard training, feeling insecure...

My concerns were only heightened as the rain began to POUR five minutes after the race began. And I mean pour—rain steadily and heavily for the next 35 minutes of the race. For me, that was pretty much the entire first lap. It rained so much that I had issues seeing where I was going and actually breathing because of the amount of water flowing over my face. But, praise God, I never stopped running. I would have been so disappointed if I had.

(I told you I was not a pretty runner...and here is proof!)

So with lap one complete and the rain letting up, I now faced the joy of running in sopping wet tennis shoes and soaked, body-hugging clothing. Now, I won’t lie, I enjoyed the fact that this kept me cool, and I really never broke a sweat. If I did, I couldn’t tell the difference between sweat and excess water run-off=) However, the added weight of wet clothing was a concern and having to spend a little extra energy avoiding large puddles on the road did slow me down a bit.
Nevertheless, 1 hour and 6 minutes later, God got me across the finish line having never stopped running once! It was the best feeling in the world to complete that race. I actually felt like I could have kept going, I had energy to spare, and part of me wished I had kicked my pace up a notch the last mile instead of just the last ¼ of a mile. But no regrets! My goal was always to finish and finish faster than 1 hour and 10 minutes, so I was pleased.

(Joey calls this my "game face"...I was actually determined to sprint across the finish line, thereby passing the elderly gentleman who had managed to stay in front of me the entire race...Ha!)

I wish I could explain, for the benefit of those who read and who are thinking about racing or doing anything that seems difficult or just down right impossible, how amazing it felt to cross that finish line. Yes, the training was miserable. Yes, the training lasted way longer than the actual race, but crossing that finish line!!! There is nothing in this life more satisfying and fulfilling than working hard to meet a goal, making the needed sacrifices to complete a task, beating your body and mind into submission to heed a higher calling.

Nothing is more satisfying.

(And of course, all runners do it for the T-shirt=)

And this applies across the board, across the entire spectrum of life. I keep writing that it’s not just about running. It’s not just about getting my body back in shape. This journey is teaching me about THE Journey. This Journey with Christ. This adventure He has called us to live. Most days of our lives—let’s be honest—are kinda like training. There’s the monotony, the misery, and the “maybe some other time” days. But then there’s the race! The test, the event, the experience that makes it all worth while. The good decision made that reaps great reward, only after countless hours of prayer. The person you were able to help see Christ or encourage in just the right moment, but only because you had been putting in the weeks of steady study in God’s Word. That moment in an argument when you were able to take a deep breath and refocus instead of blowing up in rage, only because for months you’ve been diligently meditating on Christ and His influence on your life.

There just simply is nothing more satisfying.

So where do I go from here? Bring on the Sprint Triathlon, baby! I am pumped about this! August 8th the majority of the women in my family will hopefully join me to complete the PT Solutions Acworth Women’s Sprint Tri at Lake Altoona. (Ladies who read, if you're interested, sign up and come swim, bike, run with us!!!!) Then again on September 18th, Joey and I will complete our first Sprint Tri together in Gainesville, GA. After that, well, I’m signing up for the Disney Half Marathon, but I’m not fully committed to how much will actually get run—only time and training will tell=)

Never be afraid to take the next step toward the next goal. Even if you don’t complete it—and 99% of the time you will—remember you’re in the majority just for trying.

Nothing is more satisfying…I promise=)