My five month
marathon adventure ending yesterday after a 26.2 mile run through the streets
of Oklahoma City. I started training
back in December, and logged over 425 training miles in three states. I have lived and breathed marathon for the
past five months.
What is the point
of doing something like this? I have
nothing to offer the athletic world. I
have no talent for running. I’m not fast
or graceful. Back in November, a pastor
in Houston suggested I try running a marathon.
I had run a few half marathons, and knew I could do it, but I was not
sure if I wanted to do it. She suggested
the marathon and training for it was a metaphor for ministry- if you can endure this, you can endure
anything. I have to say after
completing my marathon this is true, not just for ministry, but for life.
Training for a
marathon is a grueling experience, both physically and mentally. Running is punishment in every other sport,
and many mornings it felt like that to me.
So what special talents or abilities did I use to accomplish this? The only thing I did was get out to the trail
and put one foot in front of the other, whether I felt like it or not. Whether it was raining or hot, or freezing
cold, one foot in front of the other.
Like Forrest Gump, I ran and ran and ran, and when I got tired, I
walked. Then, one day, it got easier. Over time, ten miles was a warm up, and my
Saturday morning 10k barely made me break a sweat. It wasn’t easy, and it didn’t happen over
night, but eventually, I was ready to
run.
The race day experience
was a tremendous one. I did not want to
be in a hurry, so I chose the early start, 4:30 AM, for those of us who are
slow. It was two hours before anyone
else was on the trail, and I past the half marathon before anyone even passed
me. On that day, I put one foot in front of the other. As the hours passed and miles amassed, I just
put one foot in front of the other. 15
miles, and I started to feel good, my fastest miles actually being from 16 to
20. Then, I crossed mile 20. 20 miles was the furthers I had ever
run. I realized every 10k I had run on
Saturday mornings was to prepare me for
this last six miles. I had heard horror
story after horror story about the last six miles. When I got there, I just put
one foot in front of the other. I could
not believe it, but I was to mile 24 before I suffered at all. A blister had
developed on my left foot. I gingerly
walked mile 25, and then reached for everything I had to run the last 1.2 miles
and cross the finish line with a smile on my face.
Everyone has
asked me, will you do it again? After
the race, after I had cooled down, I could not even move. I went to get a massage, and asked a child to
take my shoes off for me. Pain. This morning, I woke up, and I was sore. Now, I feel great. So, will I do it again? The answer is, of course.
