The Race

An ancient Chinese proverb reads: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”  Certainly this was the case as I stepped out of my room and into the hallway as I’ve done countless of times before.  However, in a little under two hours, I would begin a half marathon race (13.1 miles) around Presque Isle.  I was ready in the sense of being dressed and putting suntan lotion on my face but I wasn’t so sure about running 13 miles.  The longest distance ever ran was a mere 8 miles through the countryside of Western PA, past horses and fields and up hills—I even have my own ‘Heartbreak Hill’, which I’ve not yet conquered.

I was even less sure of running 13 miles as I opened the door to a torrential downpour!  As I sprinted to the car I mumbled to God, “Well, you have a sense of humor this morning.”  Since he has a robust sense of humor he split the sky with a lightning bolt and lit the early morning land up. Thunder followed and the storm continued.  I laughed and thought, “Now how did I get into all this?”

Oh yes, now I remember, late June as I chit chatted with my new co-worker, Alaina, I mentioned that one of my hobbies was to run.  She then informed me about the half marathon she and her friend were doing and said, “If I can do it, you can do it.”  Hmm…I wasn’t quite convinced yet because I was only jogging 3 miles and had about three weeks to train for 10 extra miles…Hmmm.  When I visited with my younger sister, Jenny, she encouraged me to go for it.  “It would be a great accomplishment for you.”

“Well, I don’t know.  I mean I’m not quite sure what to eat in preparation for it.”  My lame excuse didn’t work on her since she is in the medical field.  She directed me to several web sites about eating healthy and drinking plenty of water before the race.

So now I drove in a vicious storm heading towards the peninsula, wondering if the unknown ‘they’ would cancel the race and call me before I reached it.  They did not and slightly after I reached the peninsula, the storm stopped and the rain let up.  The race would go on.

Some 800 to 1000 people ran so I positioned myself at the end of the crowd. The gun boomed and I walked and had to stop because of the number of people in front of me.  “If this is the pace we go at, I should be able to finish.” I joked to the runner next to me.  He laughed and we soon picked up pace.

Then I ran and ran for 13.1 tiresome miles.  Yet as I ran, my eyes caught the beautiful scenery around me: the lake still gray in the cloudy morning, a sassafras tree standing tall, red berries on bushes, tall grasses unknown to me waving to the sky, the sandy beaches and the shifting clouds in the sky.  Several times I consciously listened to hear the birds chirp and remembered my Lord’s encouragement in Matthew 6:26 to ‘consider the birds of the air…are you not much more valuable then they?’ 

Yet something greater then picturesque scenery ran alongside of me.  Through my long jaunts through the solitary countryside with vultures circling around my head waiting for me to fall over (okay so it wasn’t that bad!), I became accustomed to running alone but not with people.  People.  They proved to be a wonderful joy and asset to me (and hopefully I to them) as I would set pace with someone and talked with them for as long as they could endure the conversation.  One woman told me she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and I pointed her to the creation around us.  Someone else told me they worked at Disney World in Florida a few months ago and worked 15 hour days.  Near mile nine or ten (after awhile they all run together—no pun intended) I paced with a man who adopted an anonymous ‘cheering team.’  He said he didn’t know them but was grateful for the encouragement on the sidelines.  I told him, “I think I’ll adopt them to.”  He is also the one who made a crack about how smiles and pain seem to go together more often then not.  And when you’re running distances…they have the tendency to do so. 

Near mile 11 I felt my body wanting to slow down and my left ankle started to throb.  “Lord, I’m going to need someone to pace with or talk to.”  A few tenths of a mile went by and up ahead a woman stopped to walk.  As I passed her by, I asked, “Are you okay?” 

She nodded and started running again.  “I’m trying to get my personal best.”  She said.  She then informed me that her PB was around 2:07 and that we were about an hour and forty-seven minutes into the race.  “I’ll keep pace with you.” I said.  She appreciated it and we went on together for the next two miles.  During these last two miles, I became aware of the great need of friendship we all have.  God created us for relationship—first with him and then for each other.  While solitude and silence are good and oft needed in this fast paced society, we must always return to run with the rest in the race of life.

Near mile 13 I felt enough strength to sprint ahead to the finish line, where I received a little medallion for completing the race (as we all did).  I came in 510^th place in two hours and seven minutes.  Hip-hip hooray!

Since I did not see my co-worker, I walked back through the racecourse and found her still running.  So I set pace with her for a few tenths of a mile until it down poured again.  She left her I-pod with some random person and I stayed with it till she was done.

Thus ends the story of my first half marathon but ironically begins the beginning of this blog.  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with endurance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Keep running the race, my friends, and cheer each other on!