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| Hubby and I on Race Night |
As my husband and I began discussing our 20th
wedding anniversary earlier this year, and what we might want to do or where we
might want to go, to celebrate, he brought up running the Disney Epcot Food and
Wine Half-Marathon. He is an avid, long-term runner, and was skeptical when I
made an offhand comment that we could run it together. He scoffed, all but
daring me to toss my hat…er…running shoes in! Thus began my training for the
half-marathon.
For a nonrunner, getting started running, much less
targeting a half-marathon, is just a tad bit intimidating. I decided I would prefer a respectable finish time--not quite dragging myself across
the finish line, and certainly not being swept up by the pace car! If you aren’t
aware, there are many miles to go in a training program, allowing me to
ruminate on the many comparisons that could be made between running and living
life. So (in honor of the half-marathon), here are several of the insights I
had while pounding the pavement….13.1 of them:
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| Early Morning Run |
1. Start. It
may sound simple, but in reality, finding that starting point can be
challenging. The start doesn’t have to be as definitive as a line, but the
beginning of moving forward. Ready….set…GO!
2. Motivate. There
should be a purpose that motivates you to get going. For my purpose, it was a
race goal, and essentially not embarrassing myself while doing it. Find that
motivation within you to get going.
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| Equipment at Start of Training |
3. Equip. Many
runners will tell you that you need this gear, that clothing, etc. Equip
yourself with the essentials: shoes, clothing, some tunes in your ear. As with
life, you need to equip yourself with the proper tools: frame of mind, education,
character.
4. Measure. I
quickly learned I wanted to be able to see progress. Learning how I did
throughout the run helped me to gauge how much harder I needed to work to
improve. Measure your successes, and maybe more importantly, your failures. Use
that information to gauge how much harder you need to push yourself.
5. Strive. Well,
no one said it was going to be easy. It takes hard work. You have to keep
working, as hard as you can, to get to where you desire to be.
6. Persevere. While
striving to make that goal you have set for yourself, some days you just want
to crawl back under the covers, right? While some days you just need to give
yourself a break, you have to keep pushing yourself, through the times of
self-doubt, weakness, and NOT give up or give in to inactivity. You MUST
persevere.
7. Own. You
must own your own race. No one will run the same race as you. While there are
plenty who will run much faster than me, and likely as many that finish after
me, nobody has the same unique run as I do. Be determined to be unique.
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| Along the Training Route |
8. Share. While
your race is your own challenge, there is a community with which to share the
experience. There will be those along the sidelines, not running the particular
path you are on, but cheering you along anyway, encouraging you to run your
best.
9. Encourage. Just
as there are those around who encourage you along the way, be an encourager as
well. You may share some experiences with others, and can encourage them
through a tough spot. Be willing to boost someone along on their own race.
10. Enjoy. You
have chosen to run, selected the race, started towards the goal….now, enjoy!
Notice what’s around you: the people, the scenery. Enjoy the experience, even
(and maybe especially) the tough parts of the race. Your confidence will grow
through the tough spots, so you’ll know you can make it through another one.
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| The Finish Line |
11. Appreciate. Be
grateful that you are able to run, to live. Appreciate those around you,
running the race, too. Be kind and courteous to others along the route.
12. Finish. Don’t
quit. Keep pushing yourself towards that end goal, to finish and complete what
you started. Follow through with your training and commitment to success.
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| Been there...done that... got the shirt! |
13. Celebrate.
Recognize your accomplishment and success in meeting your goal!! Pat yourself
on the back. While you’re at it, pat the back of someone around you who just
met their own goal and accomplished something they set out to do, too!
“…and
let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,…” Hebrews 12:1
