Why Run? Some reflections on running & life

I run for my health. My dad has had three heart attacks, and I have bad genes on both sides of my family. I run so I can have a healthier future.

I run because the discipline of training carries over to other parts of my life. In twelve weeks, I went from running less than a mile to running over five consistently. Running helps me to grow, to challenge myself, to focus on goals, and to achieve more. The challenge continues through the years with old records to be broken, new goals to be accomplished. Next month, I am conquering my first 10K. Perhaps next will be a half-marathon.

I run because in a race, the only person I am competing against is myself - my previous times & my best effort. Everyone gets to run their own race, whether it is their first competition with the goal of finishing, or whether it is to conquer a new course or set a new record. In a world of other people’s expectations, it is freeing to have to live up to no one’s expectations but my own.

I run to celebrate community. Regardless of where I am in the pack, everyone is cheering everyone on. The comraderie is so valuable. From novice to advanced, everyone is running the same course and faces the same challenges. We’re more alike than different. We are excited to be able to learn from those who came before us and to share our knowledge, our stories, our encouragement with those who come after us.

I run because running teaches me so much about life and what it means to live well. I learn to pursue excellence and to foster community, to seek out wisdom from others and to invest in those who come after me. I learn to act with purpose and to chart the way forward, to follow the course and to prepare for the challenges ahead. I learn to be a better person and to run a better race. I learn what it means to run and to live.

“Even youths grow tired & weary, and young men stumble & fall. But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV

From Running Fast to Running Well: Part 2

This post is part 2 of my journey about learning to run again. Read part one in the series here.

And so it was with me... the failure and disappointment from dropping out of the training made it hard to think about running again. Once I moved to Texas, it was hard to get back into running. I didn't have my Columbia running community here. The summers are hotter. The training opportunities more limited. The excuses piled on, giving me every reason I needed to stay away from running.

But, the truth was that I missed it. I missed the feeling of finishing my first race and realizing that I could do what I once thought impossible. I missed the freedom of running my own pace and taking pride in new personal records, even if I wasn’t the first or the fastest. I missed the camaraderie of other runners who support & encourage each other along the way.

This past year, I decided to give running another chance. I recruited two friends to join the Waco Women’s Training Program with me. It was fun spending time with them and allowing myself to remember. I ran my first race since moving to Texas. I didn’t set any personal records, but I remembered what it was like to cross the finish line.

Later, I joined Waco Striders. I was again a part of a community of runners. I made new friends and discovered new places to run. I remembered the exhilaration of conquering hills and the adrenaline of finishing a race well. But, I still had this sense of failure hanging over me when I ran. Running is a mental activity, and I was still trapped with messages in my head on constant replay - You’re a failure, a disappointment. You’re a quitter. You’re the weakest link.

Then came another invitation, from another friend. We’re training for a half-marathon. Come join us! Really? I immediately discounted the notion. Been there. Done that. Failed miserably. But the thoughts continued to linger. Over the holidays, I kept rolling it around in my head. Am I crazy? Am I a glutton for punishment? I know the time & energy it takes. It was too much before. What makes me think I can do it now?

The challenge had been issued, though, and something in my soul wanted the chance to write a new story, wanted to discover again what is possible with training, focus, discipline, community. I wanted the chance to run the race well and to erase that sense of failure once and for all.

"See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43:19, NIV

Long story short, I’m signed up to run my first half-marathon, 13.1 miles, on April 4th, Easter weekend, 12 weeks away. What can I do in just 12 short weeks? I want to find out again. I want to be amazed again at what happens in a short amount of time, with planning & intentionality.

Please join me on this journey, as I share the struggles and successes, the friendships and the lessons learned, as I train and prepare for this goal. The challenge is not any less difficult or daunting than it was four years ago, but rather I find myself less intimidated by it and more eager to take it on.

Running is a spiritual journey for me as much as a physical one. As much I have experienced and lived with successes & failures in running, I have experienced them in life. And I find that God has much to teach me/us about how to run the race of life well in Christ and how to be trained in His righteousness. In Him, all things are possible, and in Him, He equips us for the work He has called us to do. I look forward to God teaching me in new ways how to run both races well.

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” – 1 Timothy 4:8, NIV

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14, NIV

From Running Fast to Running Well: Part 1

As some of you know, I enjoy running. When I lived in Columbia, I ran my first 5K race, and then conquered the Governor’s Cup 8K, and those challenging hills. I discovered that running was a valuable stress reliever, a good way to stay healthy, and a powerful metaphor for life. In my first training program through Fleet Feet, I remember being amazed at how I went from not running at all to running 5 miles comfortably in just 12 short weeks. I remember wondering how many other ways I could probably grow in my life if I applied that same focus, training, discipline & community that I had learned from running.

Then, one of my favorite students approached me. I know you’re not supposed to have favorites but you develop deeper relationships with some students as they open up different parts of their lives to you. This student had a heart that reflected a deep love and understanding in Christ. She had a big, hairy, audacious goal, to run a half marathon. AND she wanted me to join her for the journey. We were going to raise money for Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization that ministers to hurting families and communities around the world in the name of Christ. It was a bold vision, a God-sized dream, from a heart that echoed His. I want to be a part of God-sized challenges and grand visions, so of course I said sign me up!

Full of confidence from my recent successes in running, I quickly jumped on board and joined in the big plan making. We pulled together training schedules and a donation page. We got others on board and started the journey of preparation.
Training was hard. It took more time that I had imagined. Running with my student and her friends meant recognizing I was the weakest & slowest link. I had a decade of years on them, but somehow I thought I should still be able to keep up. Oh, the danger of comparison!

God was also starting to do something else in my life; He was starting to lead me toward a new job and a new place in Texas. Slowly, I was becoming less engaged in training and more focused on a pending move and logistics. The big dream gave way to working out details and breaking away from a community and a place that I had called home for four years.

Eventually, it became apparent that I needed to drop out of training. I couldn’t complete this journey, as I was beginning one of a different kind. Others would run the race and complete the journey I left behind. Read more about their results and our journey together here.

For anyone that has ever dropped out of training or out of a race, though, you know the bitter taste it leaves in your mouth. There is no way to spin it that doesn’t seem like failure, like you aren’t good enough or strong enough. Add in the disappointment of others that were counting on you, and it feels like a pretty miserable experience. And so it was with me...

Stay tuned for Part 2: Learning to Run Again.