26.2

Running has never been my favorite thing to do. I have always been a sprinter, and running was only fun when it was part of a sport like basketball, football, etc., because it had a purpose. In high school, the longest distance I ran was the 400m, and that was only because the team needed another person for the mile relay. I dreaded that race during track meets, finding the 200m much more my style. Why not run as fast as you can for a short distance, and get your work out over with? Made sense to me!

You can imagine my excitement when after high school I went to work at a summer camp that required 30min of running, 3 times a week. Despite many mornings of wondering how 30min could go by so slow, running became less of a burden and more of a joy. In fact, some days I actually looked forward to it!

Then I met husband, the should be Olympian. Not long into our dating relationship he revealed that he had run a marathon. I guess I wasn't too surprised, seeing as there are very few things Mr. Rescue Swimmer cannot do....like maybe...well I cannot think of any right now, which is a little frustrating, which further proves my point. However, this bit of information concerning a marathon sparked an interest in me, seeing as it has always seemed to rank on the same level as climbing Everest.

Well, as you can imagine, one thing led to another, and now it is too late to turn back! Yes indeed, we are already into week three of our training program, and go time is October 25. The longest we have run (together), to date, is 13.1, which was a killer of a race over Thanksgiving. I really began to wonder if 26.2 was a good idea when reaching mile 11 of that race, a point that I was sure my legs were going to up and fall off. I assured myself that it will be no problem, only need to do that twice next time.

Training has been going well, and better than expected. The heat here in L-ville has been pretty intense, which has certainly made the long runs harder. However, it has been great time for the husband and I to spend together each day; a time that I get to hear about his day while I do lots of breathing :)

Disciplining the body has been a neat parallel to the spiritual aspect as well. There are so many times that I just do not feel like putting on those shoes and heading out the door. But, there is such great reward that comes from putting forth the effort and sweat. The same is true when we practice discipline for the sake of godliness, which is of greater importance than bodily discipline (I Tim. 4:8). There are many times I do not feel like reading my Bible, but how rich is that time each morning! And, once again, I am reminded that living a life based off how I feel will hardly get me out of bed. Through all of this training, I have wondered: In what areas am I lacking discipline? Where have I grown lazy? The sad thing is, the areas I tend to neglect first are the spiritual ones, not the daily responsibilities that can wait.

I pray that we will all ask ourselves those questions from time to time, asking the Lord to reveal where we have dwindled in our pursuit of Christ. I know in His grace, He has been showing me. So, maybe running isn't such a bad thing after all. And maybe ya'll should sign up for Oct. 25, or at least come and cheer us on!!