The List...#13

#13.  Run a Half Marathon

(FYI...this is a little long!)

Running the Half has been a personal quest this year.  I don't pretend to be a runner, because I'm not one.  I don't pretend to enjoy it, because I don't.  So, why run the Chicago Half Marathon?  I guess it's one of those challenges that I gave to myself.  Something that would require me to step out of my comfort zone.  Something that would require me to harness all my inner strength and discipline (especially having to get out of bed early!).  Something that is bigger than me, and would throw me into a state of total trust and reliance on God for His strength.

Growing up, I was on the track team and ran sprints, typically the 100m, 200m, the 4x100 relay.  As I got older, I started running 5Ks.  Initially, I ran 5Ks because it was for a worthy cause (I only participate in ones that are fundraisers for a non-profit).  I told myself that 5Ks would be the longest race I'd ever run.  I don't have the endurance nor the stamina to run anything longer (or rather, I don't have the endurance or patience to want to train for anything longer!).  I also thought the long runs would be boring.

Anyway, I challenged myself this year to doing something significant, to check something off my bucket-list, and to make my 40th year stand out a little bit more in my story.  And if that something significant could somehow benefit others, then I should do it.  Last year, I had the honor and privilege to travel to Bolivia with 5 other members of my church (one of them being Jared!).  We spent time at a local church in El Alto called Bethesda, and participated in the children's program.  And, oh the children!  They captured my heart!  You can read all about my experience in Bolivia here.

We found out earlier this year that the children's program is in jeopardy because of lack of funding.  Their previous sponsors had decided to pull out.  So our church is stepping in, and has committed to help them by raising funds to keep the children's program going.  We committed to raising $5000 by November 1st.  Without the children's program at Bethesda, I can't even begin to articulate the dire consequences.  These children will be back on the streets, roaming around the most dangerous city in South America, and who will fight for them and their future? 

It's because of the gravity and sense of urgency of this situation that I decided not only to run the half marathon, but to also use my run to raise money to help keep the children's program going.  I don't know how much I will raise, or even come close to putting a dent in their financial needs.  But I know that I can't sit on the sidelines and not do anything about it!  So, I made a decision to sign up for the Half and began my training in June.  (I would be honored if you'd like to partner with me, and if you are considering a financial gift, please go here to donate.)

It hasn't been an easy few months of training.  There were many days that I wanted to quit.  But as I saw the financial support of people coming in, I knew that there was no turning back.  Darn it, I had accountability now!  I remember mornings when I would lay in bed and try to come up with excuses as to why I can't train.  Then the faces of the children of Bethesda would come to mind.  I just had to get my butt out of bed and do this for them.

At every run, I always start off by praying for these kids.  It helps me to keep focused on why I'm doing this.  I know most people run with music on.  But this is something that hadn't worked for me.  Maybe on the short runs, I can handle listening to music.  But those long runs...the ones that I thought were going to be so boring...I had to figure out how to get through them without going crazy.  So lately, I've been listening to messages online pretty much every day while my girls have nap time and down time in the afternoons.  I decided to download some messages on iTunes and listen to it while I ran.  And holy iTunes Batman, I loved it!  It made me feel like the run was shorter, and I was able to listen to messages that filled me, encouraged me, grew me.  Not to sound weird, but I didn't feel like I was running alone.  It was almost as if God was running right alongside with me, encouraging me, teaching me truths, and giving me the strength to keep going on.  Granted, it's really hard to run when you're all choked up by the message and trying not to cry.  It messes with your breathing!  But honestly, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was running because I was so focused on listening to the message (I would drive by my running route and would notice things that I didn't notice when I was running!). 

All this said, I am glad that I chose to run the Half.  Again, God in His infinite wisdom knew that while I chose to run to raise funds for the children's program in Bolivia, God chose to bless me at the same time during my training as I listened to His word being preached.   I know that I've grown closer to Him, and have a hunger for His word in a way that I haven't had in a very long time.  And all this is because of running.

Running has become Jared's passion, and I can see why.  His desire is to be able to grow spiritually through his running, and to run for God's glory.  While I may not run another half marathon (and I'm not intending to run the Full!), I can attribute running to helping me grow closer to God.  I won't admit to this when I'm up at 5:30am, but when I'm out there in the crisp cool morning, and it's just me and God, and I'm listening to His truths, something holy takes place.  It's as if I'm in a shroud of holiness and every stride I take is just a humming of my heart enjoying the presence of my Jesus.  And at the end of my training run, I feel full, alive, and anticipate my next run when I can listen to Him again.  I don't think it's the runner's high that people talk about, because I still dread the long runs.  But it is a spiritual high that is driving me.

I didn't intend for this to be so long, but I hope you can celebrate along with me because I completed the Half Marathon today! 

Here's my account of the day:
The atmosphere was amazing.  The energy was palpitating.  I couldn't believe how many people were there!  Even though I didn't get to see my family or friends before the race, I knew that they would be cheering me on at Mile 2, 5, 12, and 13.  So, I had those mile markers to look forward to.  The beginning of the race was a little chaotic.  I felt like we were a pack of sardines being squished and had to move together like lemmings.  It was difficult to find any personal space...as you can tell, I'm a novice runner.  However, it was so fun to see Jared and the kids and my in laws at Mile 2, with their big signs!

Once I hit Lake Shore Drive and was running north, my wonderful friends, Amy and Ruth, were there to cheer me on too!  Soon after that, I was really having a hard time maintaining my pace.  The winds were pretty strong, and was going against us.  And I wasn't used to the madness at every water station (no wonder people carry their own water).  When I hit Mile 10, my knees and ankles started to hurt.  I thought, oh no, how am I going to run 3 more miles with this pain?  Being the strong-willed person that I am, I did NOT want to start walking.  If anything, a medic would have to lay me on a stretcher to get me to stop running.  It was the last 3 miles that really challenged me and tested me.  My feet and legs were screaming in pain, and every part of my body wanted to stop running.  But then, I kept thinking about all the words of encouragement that people had given to me or wrote on my Facebook wall.  I had commented on Facebook that "(their) words will fuel me".  And indeed they did.  And when I saw Amy and Ruth again at Mile 12, Ruth held a sign she had made for me.  It said "When your feet hurt, run with your heart."  It was exactly what I needed to hear!  So, I picked up my pace during Mile 13 and literally sprinted the last 0.1 mile to the finishing line.  I wanted to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes.  I did 2:20.  Praise God!

My beautiful friends, Ruth and Amy!

I learned so many lessons about perseverance today.  But the big take-aways are the importance of encouragement, of finding people who believe in you, who will stand by you, and will cheer you on even when you want to give up.  Even though I may never do another half marathon again, I've experienced tangible analogies of the importance of community, of being a cheerleader, of the power of belief...even if just one person believed in you, and the power of words.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband who never stopped believing in me, and "trained" me these past few months.  I'm so blessed with awesome friends who took time out of their day to cheer me on even if it meant only seeing me for a few seconds.  And I'm eternally grateful to the many friends and family who have blessed me with their words of encouragement.  Thank you all for helping me get through this and for helping me fulfill a crazy whim to complete a half marathon!