Marathon

This past November I completed a marathon. 26.2 miles of beautiful, poetic, running bliss...Ok, so that statement couldn't be further from the truth. My training started the previous spring and continued through the sweltering, humid, tortures summer that we've grown accustomed to if you have lived in Georgia any significant part of your life. Through the training and the aches and injuries that accompanied it, I always tried to stay focused on my main goal. Throughout my training I would always be asked, "what is your goal?" My response would always be "not to die" or "do it in 5:59 minutes," since the maximum allotted time was 6 hours. While I always made light of the situation I would always struggle through my training of what my goal was, or why was I doing this? Granted it was on my bucket list and I'll admit it's pretty cool to say you've completed a marathon as a random fact to someone, but why do it?

It turns out that I answered that why during the duration of the race. I had just passed mile marker 22 and it hit me like a train hitting a brick wall. That one word that professional runners call "the wall."I thought to myself there is no way that I can finish this race. Throughout the whole race, numerous spectators and ones by me would encourage me and cheer me on. I now looked as far as the eye could see and couldn't see a soul in front or behind me and I thought to myself "I'm done, I can't do this anymore." It was so quiet and I've never felt so alone in my entire life. I started to reflect on how alone I was and how this was a mere fraction of the isolation Jesus must have felt as he hung there on the cross. Pretty powerful stuff. It was also at that time that I realized why I was running.

To show to myself that I can be stretched beyond my weaknesses, to one day when life gets too tough to bear I can come back to this moment and take refuge that I can survive it. To one day when my son, or future children, go through various obstacles in their life I can use this moment as a springboard into conversations on how through God's strength and his perseverance in us we can accomplish anything as long as we stay the course and not give up.

Our Christian journey is a race. It is during these tough moments that God builds us and strengthens our faith in Him. But while finishing my marathon race resulted in an indescribable joy of accomplishment for myself, it is nothing compared to what we'll feel hearing our Lord tell us that we have finished life's race and "I am proud."

Great poem written by Rachael's boss and my running mentor, Dan Stonaker, for this race. He sums it up nicely. Thank you for sharing this with me after my race:

Running the Race

It is because of my weakness that I enter the race

It is because of who I am not, what I can not do

My body, my mind, my heart all weak, lacking

Too weak for the suffering, the pain, the doubt

Training them, readying them for the race

Planning, preparing, sacrificing for the coming race

The race is laid out before me, the time is now

The suffering, pain and doubt all battle against me

I am ready, I believe, I over come, I know I am not alone

A crowd of witnesses cheer me on, I hear my name

Some know me, some cheer not me, but for all victory

I have finished the race, still weak, yet stronger

It is because of my weakness that I enter the race