This is a post about gratitude. It's about perseverance. It's about the beauty of God's creation. It's about living life to its fullest. It's about a 69-year old man and how he chases down his dreams. And, yeah, it's also about a race.
I know everyone is different, and while I am a procrastinator when it comes to taxes and house cleaning, I never not feel like running a race. Today's 10 miler was through the streets of one of the Southland's great cities, Lynchburg, VA. We ran it in perfect weather. It was a mere 45 degrees when I left the farm at 5:15 this morning. It was an optimum 55 degrees when the race started at 8:00. When I crossed the finish line the temp had crawled all the way up to 65. As I said, perfect. Here are pics along the course:
Here you're looking at a bunch of VERY happy runners who are so glad to be able to run the Virginia 10 Miler again after a hiatus last year.
And here is a picture of us nearing the starting line. Could it possibly be I deserve to be among such a dedicated group of people?
After the singing of the National Anthem, off we went.
Here I am finding my pace and then settling in for the long haul.
Mile 1.
Mile 2.
Mile 3.
I stopped for water at every other aid station -- where I was reminded of just how much we runners owe the 400 volunteers who staffed today's event. Thank you.
Mile 4.
The old train is still chugging along.
Mile 5.
Mile 6.
Mile 7.
Mile 7.5.
Mile 8.
Mile 9. The last mile is all uphill.
The home stretch (still uphill).
And the finish line.
And thus my ninth 10 Miler came to an end. But let me clarify something. A race is much more than a starting line and a finish line. There's something much richer about it. Howard Thurman once said, "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." In Christ, we are alive. But we also live when we face down the challenges he brings our way and overcome them through his grace. I am overwhelmingly grateful to God for the strength to get up out of bed this morning, let alone complete a 10 mile race.
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| Photo courtesy: Enmotive. |
I will always treasure the memories of this race as I shared the suffering and the glory with all my fellow runners. It was an honor to reach the finish line with these amazing people.
You know, life is all about attitude. Everyone has challenges. It's not about the adversity, it's about how you handle it. If I had to make up a scorecard of people who were facing adversities and handled them like a champion, my wife Becky would undoubtedly be at the top. Honey, I ran this race for you. Thank you for 37 years of faithfulness and inspiration.
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| 10 minute PR! |
I close with the words of Amelia Earhart: "The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity."