Gotta Run

From Death To Life

2011-05-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

I have now officially passed the three month mark of running on a frequent and regular basis. That in itself is a miracle, but what's more: I think I'm... addicted! I never would have predicted that I would form this of all new habits to form. As I said before, I never enjoyed the sport. My funny joke was always, "I only run if I'm being chased by a snake." I've always had friends who were runners, and I've "tried" to start a program before, but beneath all the excuses was a big bunch of fear. I feared the buggy man. I feared getting too tired. I legitimately did not want to go running for fear that I would see a snake. To be honest, I was afraid of my own shadow!

The past three months of running have given me a first row seat to watching the earth wake up from it's (short) winter's nap. I watched the grass green up. I saw blossoms turn to berries. I witnessed the process of leaves bursting out of buds. It's true that all creation really does sing His praises:

See the crosses at the top of that pine tree?

If I had been in a gym--or stayed inside my house where it's safe, I wouldn't have seen morning skies like this, or felt the crisp, fresh air that comes with them:

The death of a fear has given me a whole new life! I've learned that 99 times out of 100, what I think is a snake, is really a stick:

I've learned that there's a far better chance of getting bit by one of these:

And that I'm for more likely to run into one of these than the Boogie Man:

This thing really did scare me! I'd had my eyes closed and was running into the sun. All the sudden, there it was!

Most recently, I had an experience I never would've had if I hadn't started running. My Grandad died of a very short but painful fight with cancer on Mother's Day. I flew to Denver and drove to Nebraska with my brother so that we could attend his memorial service. By the time we got there, our Grammy was dying, too. They had been married for 66 years and he had taken care of her for 20ish, as her health had been failing. She literally could not live without him. She passed from death to life at 8:30 a.m. the morning that his funeral was to be at 2 p.m. She had been surrounded by four of her five children and eight of her 14 grandchildren in the hours before she went to join Grandad in the presence of the Lord. It was precious and beautiful. That morning, I decided to take a run around the small town I had been going to visit my whole life, knowing I will probably never go there again. I stopped and took a picture of their house, my Dad's boyhood house, the elementary school where we used to play on the playground, and a huge evergreen tree, whose fragrance I will never forget. I relived memories of playing hide-and-go-seek at night in the cold grass, of eating supper on the front porch steps at Grandad and Grammy's because there was no way all 25 of us could fit around the table--let alone inside the house-- that summer we all went to visit, and of feeling positively famous when we would all go to swim at the high school natatorium because we were "Harry Dowell's grandkids." I cried the whole time. I let the reality of my legacy sink in and begged the Lord to make me worthy of it. I took deep breaths that filled up my lungs to their capacity. I prayed. I ran fast. It was beautiful. I'm so glad my fears of running are dead, so that I can experience life in this new and wonderful way.

"Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:13-14

90 Miles Down...

2011-04-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I trained for eight weeks and ran a 10k trail run with my Band of Sisters. I didn't miss one single training day. I ran 84 miles, and as I crossed the finish line, I rolled over 90 miles. In eight weeks. Of running. Ninety miles of running. Me! Who would've thought!

From left to right: Meagan, Melissa, Julie, Me, Jeana, Leah, and Audra. Don't we look GOOD!?!

It was so much fun. Actually, I had the time of my life. I'm definitely hooked. The whole race atmosphere thing is so exhilarating! And the after party! What could be better than free crawfish and beer after a 6.2 mile afternoon run through the woods?

Did I mention I came in FIRST!?!?!

Julie and I had the race of a lifetime. We were kinda tired, but Jake, Julia and Matt ran the last .2 with us to inspire us to finish strong... and first!

Jeana was not far behind us... we were all pretty far out in front of the pack...

Leah and Audra brought up the rear, finishing in almost an hour and a half...

OK, that's all how I dreamed it would go down. The photos are real, but the narrative, a complete novel. Actually, Melissa and Meagan were on their second plate of crawfish by the time Julie and I hobbled across the finish line. Audra and Leah and their long legs smoked the rest of us normal people, Jeana was marvelous in the middle, and everyone else was nice enough to hang around waiting for us slowpokes to come down the final stretch. Thankfully, my family was proud of me just for signing up. I am not about winning. I'm about finishing, and finish I did. I have started my "wall of fame" in the garage. I've hung up my first two bibs, and plan to have a whole collection of them before it's all said and done. What a fun way to spend a Saturday! And I've never felt better! It is so fun to challenge myself by setting and accomplishing a goal! Stay tuned... another 10k race coming up in three weeks. It is a street race, and my goal is 1:10:00!

An Unassuming Runner

2011-03-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I've always said I only run if I'm being chased by a snake (more on that later). Somehow, in the past four months, I've been touched by the lives of several precious people who ALL run. I'm not trying to be a 'bandwagoner.' I like my resting heart rate! I'd rather curl up on the couch and watch a good movie or get lost in a novel than subject my lungs to exploding. Or at least, the old me would. I hit the streets in late January, after an inspiring testimony of a brave woman who trained for and finished her first marathon. When I felt like my chest cavity was going to crack open, I thought about my friend and told myself that if she could run 26.2 miles, then I could run for one whole minute without stopping. Amazingly, I was right. One minute turned into one mile, and then before I knew it, I was wearing a bib with the number 18 on it, and finished my first 5k race. In a little over a week, I will hit the trails with my Band of Sisters as we tackle 10 kilometers of mud and who knows what else. And wouldn't you know that my sights are now set on a 10-miler, and then the half marathon next January. I believe I'll run/walk the longer races, but that's okay:

   "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the
   LORD will 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

I have not enjoyed every run during my last eight weeks of training. But I have enjoyed the vast majority of them. And wouldn't you know, the still, small voice of God has said some very large things to my heart along the way. I have learned that the physical act of running is also a spiritual and emotional reflection of life. Not every day will be the greatest. But there will be wonderful moments of great joy and exhilaration along the way. No matter the weather, the pain, the joy, or the fear--we all have a race to run. I may have gone reluctantly, but I've learned that as a Believer in Jesus, if you're name is on the roll, you can expect to get called. We all have a race to run. So lace up your shoes and let's go!

   "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything
   that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked
   out for us." Hebrews 12:1