I ran my first 20 mile training run ever, a couple of weeks ago. It was brutal. Because I was tired from the week of getting up super early to get the other weekday runs in, I totally failed to get up Sunday morning. Alas I could not get up. I turned off my alarm after way too many snoozes, and thought, "I can run tonight. " Next thing I know, it is 10am, and I realize, "I have plans tonight. Stink, I'm gonna have to run in the middle of the day in the heat."
So with my wonderful husbands help and assurances that I could do it, I made it out the door. "Crap my ipod's not working." Okay, new plan, hubby, "will you charge it for an hour and I'll come back and get it?" "Sure, of course." Okay, I can do this. Three miles in, Garmin freezes up on me. "Really today. Today you're going to freeze up of all days. So glad this isn't marathon day." Okay get it together. It will be okay. You'll make it back home soon and you'll have your ipod and it will be great.
Not to be. Apparently this was my goggles in the face moment (See Michael Phelps Beijing 2008 Olympics.) Made it back home and my ipod wasn't working either. How in the world am I going to make this. God please help. I can't finish on my own.
There was lots of stopping to pour water over my head, there were bathroom breaks, there was walking and there were the tears. Needless to say, it was an ugly run. Probably the ugliest run I've had and it took forever. It probably took longer total time than it will take me to run the actual marathon.
Made it back home with 4 miles to go. Changed clothes cause I was sopping wet from sweat and water. Gave my husband a look like I'm going to die. He lovingly said, "You can do this, you can do it." Okay, just pretend that you haven't run 16 miles, and you're just going out for a 4 mile run.
And then, I made it. I finished it! Wow, I didn't quit. Thanks God for helping me. This was no pretty run. This run had lots of "bumps" in the road. Like my walk with the Lord, I expected this run to be perfect and it to not be hard. Hard meaning I'm about to give up and quit. Then it dawns on me, my walk with God isn't always about how "pretty" it looks, it's about overcoming. I overcame. I didn't quit this run and I'm definitely not quiting believing in my Lord and Savior, Jesus. It gave me so much faith to keep running my race with God because through the "bumps" in the road, I will overcome and see my Saviour face to face. I will overcome!
