Running

Last year, around this time, I decided to begin training for a half marathon. I have always ran cross country, at least since middle school through high school. But, to be honest, I never really cared for it. I just did it to stay in shape for my other sports (basketball, soccer, tennis). Well training started and let me tell you I never thought that I would be able to run 13.1 miles but I just trusted that one day I would get there. Each week I added more miles and harder runs. Before long I was runnign 8 or 9 miles and it actually wasn't hard and I enjoyed it. I say it wasn't hard, what I mean is it wasn't as hard as you would think. I had registered for the half marathon in Nashville, TN called the Music City Marathon. It is a huge deal in Nashville. Well late March, early April, I got injured. I went ahead to the doctor who thought maybe it was just a pulled muscle. I then took some steroids and had some r&r. Well, you guessed it, it wasn't just a pulled muscle but a common problem found in women called patella femoral syndrome. Long story short, I couldn't run my half marathon. I went the day before and picked up my packet and my number. Talk about a depressing day! I worked for almost an entire year training hard and putting in hundreds of hours and yet I didn't even get to race. I ended up having surgery this October after about six months of failed physical therapy. I have just got back into running and I have to start from the ground up. I look forward to my next race but am taking it slow, careful to do anything I can not to get injured again.
The funny thing about this story is that it relates a lot to life. Sometimes you work so hard for something and never get to be in the race. But I finally realized that sometimes that is alright because to be honest most of the time the training and the work you put in to get to the race are actually more important than the race. And even though I missed one race, this doesn't mean I will miss the ones in front of me. I have to get back you! I have to train more! But one day it will be worth it. One day I want to look up and say not only did I run the race the way I wanted to but I ran my life the way I was called to.
Hebrew 12:1 says "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 perserverance the race marked out for us,".
RUN! Don't WALK!!! :)
So glad to be running again even though it's hard!