Lesson #8: Something Greater

On April 14th, Team World Vision had a special event with Josh Cox, the American record-holder in the 50k. Josh and several other people are running the Comrades marathon (56 miles) in South Africa on behalf of World Vision. Their goal is to get 1000 children sponsored through the race. He was sharing about his passion for running and how when he runs just for himself, only he benefits. He challenged us to use our passions for something greater then ourselves. He shared that it took him awhile to discover how, but he has finally found a way to use his passion of running for something greater than himself.

In college our team would shout "Run for Him" in our huddle before lining up at the start of a race. It took me 2 years to finally grasp that phrase and make it true; to truly be running as worship to my Savior. I've been able to run 3 marathons to raise money for World Vision-running for a greater purpose, a great good beyond myself. I'm now humbled to be in a season where God is allowing me to combine two passions, running and encouraging others, into a fitness ministry at church where women are gathering to be intentional in taking care of the physical bodies God has given them. This is so energizing to me-God is amazing!

I pray my ambition is to run with zeal and with eyes that look beyond myself. He must increase, I must decrease. John 3:30

Lesson #7: Thoughts from Boston

The Boston marathon is rich in history, known for its hills, requires a qualifying time, and is sought after by thousands of runners. There is much I could write about the marathon, but what stands out the most is the enjoyable people I met and/or observed. I've heard it said that people in the northeast are unfriendly, but I learned that is not the case during marathon Monday! Let me introduce some of these people to you:

-The numerous people on my flight from O'Hare to Boston who were wearing the Boston marathon jackets and the one guy reading the book How to Run Your Best Boston as he waited to board the plane!

-The Wampanoag Running Club from MA that welcomed me into their group for a pasta dinner and gave me a seat on their marathon bus because after all, I was Jack Bailey's sister.

-The guy who has done over 100 marathons.

-My old-man bus buddy with great stories who was running Boston after a 15 year break from marathons.

-My teammate who met up with me around mile 6, gave me a high five, and was on her way.

-The guy who started talking to me during the race b/c he saw my jersey that listed the Chicago-area towns of my running club. We shared our race goals, chatted, and finally split ways at a water station.

-The Wellesley girls at mile 13 who lined the street cheering, shouting, and holding up signs that said, "Kiss me, I'm Jewish" and "I want fast babies."

-The 3 very old men I found myself running next to for a mile. I was thinking, Surely I can beat them?

-The little kids lining the course who wanted high fives from the runners.

-The big kids who wanted high fives from the runners.

-The spectator Dad who cheered me on up the second big hill by saying "you look strong!"

-The college boys who only watch the race to see girls in spandex and make vulgar comments about their body parts. If I had more energy at mile 24, I would have slugged the jerk who spewed something inappropriate.

-The new friend I made at the finish as we congratulated each other and found out this was the first Boston and fourth marathon for both of us. We kept talking as we made our way through the heat blankets and snack bags and both had to turn around because we missed the medals!

-The friendly volunteers along the whole course. Thank you!

-The ladies with thick Boston accents who let me borrow their phone to find my brother.

-The nice man who helped me walk through the hotel after my shower because I was looking pretty pale and ready to pass out at any moment.

-The very helpful people from my brother's running club that took care of me when I was sick from dehydration. I had hands getting me a drink, a puke bucket, salt-tablets, and pretzels all at the same time.

-The lady in front of me at the restaurant who congratulated me on the race and asked if I was from the area. When I said I was from Chicago, she said, "I can tell."

-The other lady who said "great job on finishing the race. You deserve to eat whatever you want!"

-The very friendly airport security man who talked to me about the race.

-The fellow-runners I saw at the airport on the return trip home who were walking and limping slowly down the airport terminal. We shared the smile of mutual understanding. :-)

-And last but definitely not least...my brother Jack and sister Alicia who took very good care of me before, during, and after the race!!

Overall, the Boston marathon was a successful and fun trip. I've quickly forgotten the pain I was experiencing the last miles of the race and now can't wait to get back for a chance to run a better Boston! I do love that city.

Lesson #6 Swift is the Booty

So, this post is dedicated to my good friend Ru. A while back, one of us came across a verse that made us chuckle, yes, I just said chuckle. Now, we took it completely out of context, but how could we not? It just too good to ignore and irresistibly appropriate for running. Here it is...

Isaiah 6:1b "Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey."

A runner's goal is to have a swift booty, obviously. So, in order to show her support, Ru made a sign with this catchy phrase and held it proudly and enthusiastically at the 2008 Chicago marathon. It made me smile. You can look up the real meaning of that phrase, but you'll find it is not as fun as our interpretation. Maybe a new team verse for the Harvest women's club? ha!

Lesson #5: Where's my Identity?

So, with the Boston marathon looming just 4 days away, I thought I would reflect on the LESSON I learned in the fall at the Chicago marathon. Yes, it was a big lesson and so it deserves all caps! I had been training hard, putting more miles in than my other two marathons, and was feeling strong. I was eager to get my chance at finally qualifying for Boston. I had to run a 3:40 in order to qualify...keep that time in mind b/c it becomes humorously amazing at the end of this story. :-) Well, 5 weeks before the race, something went wrong with my IT band, and I was having intense pain on the outside of the knee. For those 5 weeks leading up to the marathon, I couldn't run more than 6 miles at one time...not promising for 26.2 mile race. I was told I could get a cortizone shot, but other than that, I didn't really have enough time for therapy. So, instead of joining my World Vision teammates on the long runs, I became a water girl, helping provide the water for their 20 miler, the one that I should have also been doing. (But, now I am ever more appreciative of people who volunteer their time to give us runners water!) I also became an avid pool runner...receiving lots of weird looks from the old men during their morning lap swims.

Well, here it is...I was devastated. How could this be happening again? I was mad, angry, confused, discouraged. Thinking, "what am I going to do if I can't run this race?" "What will people think about me?" Here we find the major lesson I needed to learn. RUNNING CANNOT BE MY IDENTITY. The sad news is that running had become my identity. People know me as the 'runner girl.' I couldn't let them down. Really? I was actually only letting myself down, no one else. Well, after that finally hit me on the head and I realized how spiritually ugly and injured I had become, I was finally on the uphill out of my valley.

After doing all I could do for 5 weeks which included pool running, icing, ibruprofen, and ultra-sound, I decided to at least start the race and see what happened. I pulled out all the 'stops' I could think of; pain-killer, heat, ben-gay, IT-strap, and ipod! The ipod was only for an emergency situation, b/c personally, it seems like cheating to race with music. Remember, this is a personal opinion. :-)

Now, let me tell you about my awesome God! I ran the first 13 miles with my training buddy. Along the way, I was praying and saying verses out loud to encourage the both of us. Can I just tell you the power I experienced after quoting scripture and praying? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. The pain would come, I would pray or say a verse, the pain would go away. I am not making that up or trying to be super-spiritual. I've never experienced the strength of the Lord in this mighty way before. This happened several times. Well, at mile 13, I was feeling increasingly strong. My training buddy decided to keep her steady pace, but I was ready to keep pushing and actually picked up my pace! Remember that I hadn't run more than 6 miles at a time for the previous four weeks. I was now at mile 18, still feeling good and now with no pain at all. I decided 18 miles deserved some music and so Israel Houghton and other worship pushed me on. I couldn't explain why I was STILL feeling strong at mile 20, mile 21, mile 22....it had nothing to do with my own strength. A wise friend told me during my injury, Don't pray to God to give you strength; pray for Him to become your strength. Exactly.

Before the race, I told family and friends that I had no idea what to expect and was ready to embrace the fact of dropping out. I had completely let go of my goal of finishing in 3:40. Well, after mile 20, I kind of thought I might be within reach, but forced myself NOT to look at my watch! The last 6 miles were surprisingly enjoyable; I wasn't cramping or questioning my sanity. I was going to make it! I rounded the corner for the finish and as I crossed the line, I looked down at my watch. 3:39:29. Remember my goal time of 3:40? Yup, only 31 seconds to spare. I found it unbelievable, humbling, and actually humorous. Did I deserve it? No. Was I able to go and boast in myself that I qualified for Boston? No way. I could only boast in the Lord. And I think He wanted it that way all along. :-)

Lesson #4: Encouragement

During my college XC days, we picked Romans 15:5-6 to be our team verse one season.

Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One GREAT thing I've loved about running on a team is the great encouragement you get from teammates. Everyone on the team knows what it takes to get through a race or hard workout and this brings a special bond. I was reminded of this tonight at a track workout. I joined a running group only about 4 months ago, but they are so encouraging to all. The people in the fastest group are cheering on the people in the last group-it doesn't matter. My pace group started with the fast group for one of the repeats and as they were all whizzing by, they were encouraging me to keep up with them. Wow.

Lately, I've been thinking about how I need to open my eyes to really see people around me. If I claim to be a follower of Christ, then shouldn't I be encouraging others, like He so evidently did while on earth? On the way home from my workout, I was making a mental list of people I pass daily...all people who need encouragement, just like I did tonight on the track. I listed roommates, family, small group girls, students, co-workers. But then, what about people I don't really know? The cashier at the grocery store, the unfamiliar face I pass in the hallway or at church, my neighbor, etc. I can bring glory to my Father by offering a smile, a simple hello, or truly asking someone how they are doing...because after all, I'm pretty sure that is the least that He would do.

Lesson #3: Gotta Go!

If you are a runner, you do not reject the porta-potty, but rather embrace it. We've all had the eyes bulge, the chills come, and the immediate discomfort when you realize I gotta go NOW! Sometimes, the porta-potty is just not an option and we runners cannot be afraid to make an 'environmental bathroom stop.' Today was one such day where I had to go to the trees and thorny bushes in order to find relief. I could not care if the kayakers saw more than they anticipated on their afternoon ride because I had a run to finish. But my mind was writing this letter as I frantically searched for a bathroom...

Dear Busse Woods,

Why do you have bathroom facilities but never unlock them? And where have all your porta-potties gone? If you are going to only use your bathrooms as decoration and never as a functional part of your park, at least provide some porta-potties.

Sincerely,

Runner

Lesson #2: Go behind the Fishermen

I recently spent a week in Florida and loved every minute of my beach runs, well, almost every minute. I enjoyed the waves crashing, the cool breeze, the sun rising over the water, the feel of the sand, the fishing line at my throat...what?? So, every day I passed a group of 8-10 old men who gathered at sunrise to catch some fish. One morning as I approached the fishermen, I realized they were camped out pretty far back from the water. I decided to run in front of them and their poles. Foolish choice. I definitely got clotheslined, right at the neck, by one of the fishing lines! Didn't even see it. Very startled and now embarassed, I made my way around all the poles stuck in the sand and continued running. I KNOW the old men saw me, I heard one say "there goes another one", one say "Morning", and thought to myself, I bet they get joy out of seeing idiots like me run into their lines. No warning given, thanks old men.

As my savvy, east coast, experienced beach running brother said, "You always go BEHIND the fishermen!"

Lesson #1: Hills

Today I went out for my last solid long run before the Boston marathon which is only 2 weeks away! I had two tough and encouraging teammates to run with for the first part of my run. We ran some good hills in preparation for Boston. The presence of my teammates helped to push me up those hills. I said goodbye to them at mile 11 and continued on for the last 10 miles alone, and found my attack on the hills was extremely lacking. Would I have pushed harder if my teammates were with me? Yes, most likely. Why did the hills seem so much more challenging? Because I was alone. This made me think about the trials in life that come my way. I was not created to battle hard times alone. Sure, I can attempt it, but I will be weak and want to give up. God has surrounded me with fellowship and encouragement in the body of Christ. I need people to walk with me through trials b/c their presence will help me to keep pushing. When I battle life's problems alone, I lose my zeal and perseverance, just like on today's hills. I joked with my teammate, Mark, that I want to record his voice cheering me on for when I hit those Boston hills. Sometimes we just need someone to say, "Come on, Sarah-you can get through this!" How about you? Are you attacking any 'hills' alone?