This is the year! This is the year that I will complete a marathon.
Looking back over my running log I realized that I haven't run regularly since September. I ran a beautiful 10K race, and then got sick. Got better. Got sicker. Got better. My kids got sick, sleeping patterns were disrupted to the point that I was averaging 4-5 hours of sleep per night, and it didn't let up for weeks. I was in a continual state of exhaustion. My intention was to run the Lace Up Against Breast Cancer half-marathon on February 12. I registered for it in November and had a good training plan figured out. It wasn't until mid-January that my life returned to some sense of normalcy.
Weeks of no running. Would I be ready to tackle a half-marathon? I seriously doubted it. I talked to my trainer who challenged me to try to get in a nine-miler and see how I felt. Honestly, I had three weeks to train for the race, and it was a stretch to run 3.5 miles. I made the decision to downgrade to the 5K race instead. I wasn't selling myself short; I was being realistic. I know that one big mistake people make when learning to run is doing too much too soon, and they usually end up injured. As a mother of two small children, I owe it to them and to my husband to be wise in how I approach this goal. So, I ran the 5K.
It was a chilly beautiful day. Temperatures were around 20 degrees with a light wind and best of all--NO ICE on the trail! That was my biggest concern. I could handle the cold, but I didn't want to risk injury in icy conditions. I joined with over 400 participants (combined with the half-marathoners and the 2-mile walkers), each one of us there for different reasons. My reason was to keep up with my running goals, but the evening before the race I was praying and asking the LORD what He had on His heart for this race. It seems that He usually has something to teach me as I'm going through this process. He brought to my attention something so obvious. I can't believe it didn't occur to me before, and I'm ashamed to say that the purpose of this particular race was completely lost to me as I was focused on myself. The purpose of this race was to raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer, and there would be people there who were touched in some way by this horrific disease. This Bible verse spoke what I believe was God's heart:
"So I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him. May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
At the registration table there was a special place for "survivors" to register. I noticed that some wrote notes on the back of their race number bibs and pinned them to their shirts stating, "Running in honor of _____________." For some the race was a celebration of triumphing over cancer; others were running as an act of mourning the loss of someone dear. My reasons for being there seemed small and petty. Nonetheless, as my husband and I ran we took the opportunity to pray for restoration of hope and healing for these dear people.
The race went well, and I'm ready for the next phase of this journey. I registered for the Med City half marathon at the end of May and I joined a marathon training group. The group meets for an education session on Tuesday nights and then for a group long run on Saturday mornings. The first Saturday run was this past weekend. Most in the running group are experienced marathoners. I was the least experienced runner there. No matter. I know the paradigm transformation I'm undergoing. When I got into my car to drive to the meeting place, the car filled with the presence of the LORD, and I heard Him clearly say to me, "This is really going to happen. You're going to run a marathon." I wept the whole way there.
The group took off running and the leader of the group, a woman in her sixties who has run multiple marathons, came alongside me and said, "That's it. Slow and steady. Walk if you have to, and run when you can. Remember, this is supposed to be fun." Ha!
