Why I Run

I would never have considered myself an athlete. I played baseball on a boys' team when I was in the 3rd grade. I played volleyball in 5th and 6th grade. I played basketball in 7th grade and I was a cheerleader for a couple of years too. But when I got to high school, I got seriously involved in academics, band, drama, and every extra curricular club imaginable, but had no interest in sports whatsoever. I could barely run a block without gasping for air and my face turning an embarrassing shade of beet red. I used to have dreams occasionally that I was running a long distance and how good it felt, but when I woke up, I knew that I just wasn't capable of such feats.

"I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. " Ecclesiastes 9:11

A couple of years ago, I started doing 2 mile power walks, pushing my two young ones in the double stroller. We would go for a walk every day, weather depending. One day, I decided that I wanted to run. So, sans children, I went running. I lasted about 5 minutes before I had to slow down to a fast walk to catch my breath, and then jogged to the best of my ability to finish the route. After doing this a couple times a week, I found that I was able to go from feeling like my heart was going to explode in my neck and that I couldn't breathe to being able to comfortably take on a mile or two at a time. Once you push yourself past the barriers, past the pain, through the "I can't do this", there is something incredibly empowering about doing something you didn't think you were capable of doing.

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1b

I ran my first road race, a 5K, last summer. I had never run over 2 miles before in my life. This was my first race and the farthest distance I had ever taken on. But I knew I could do it. As always, my goal is not to win or to set any records, but to finish. And that I accomplished. I ran the race in just over 27 minutes. It was about 80 degrees and 90% humidity that day. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and empowerment. I was actually a runner!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." I Corinthians 9:24

I ran my second race a month or so later and my time was now down to around 24 minutes. Again, not striving to gain medals, but to improve my own time and to finish the race. Mission accomplished.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Titus 4:7

I continued to run until the weather got too cold. We moved into a new home, so the move kept us very busy as well. I took on an indoor training regime with the elliptical and stationary bike, doing anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour a day. Then, finally, the snow melted and it was time to head back outside for the real exercise. I got my first run in of the year on March 6th. I went 3.3 miles. My legs were SO sore the next day...and the next day...and the next. I didn't know HOW they could hurt so bad when I was exercising them every single day for an hour, but apparently, running is much different than what I was doing. I pushed myself through the pain, continuing to do elliptical and stationary bike for a couple of days while outside, we had about 3 straight days of pouring rain. On March 9th, I got back outside and ran another 3.3 miles. This time it wasn't so bad. My legs didn't hurt afterward. Well, not nearly as much as they had before. Maybe I could do this after all. On March 13th, I ran over 5 miles in 52 minutes. Still no pain. I have been running now at least 3 times a week and doing indoor cross training on the days I don't make it outside. On Sunday, March 22nd, I am running in the first major road race of the year and my first 8K. I would like to run it in around 45 minutes, but ultimately, my goal, as always, is to finish.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." Acts 20:24

When I run, I feel as though I have overcome my limitations. I feel empowered. I feel strong and confident. I love the freedom of being outdoors with no kids, no housework, no responsibilities. I love listening to my MP3's and feeling the wind blow against my face. When I run, it affirms that I can do anything that I set my mind to. Why do I run? Because I can.

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Phillipians 4:13