Today I'm feeling surprisingly good for just having raced 10 miles at (what for me was) a pretty quick pace. Over the past year I've been working on what is called phase 4 of the running cycle and snapping my foot back as I land to reduce the pounding. I've already noticed the reduced amount of shock my body endures. Each stride just feels so much smoother when you have a full back swing.
It's been quite a journey since I began running 6 years ago. Progress is slow but it's definitely there. I have noticed that all the fastest runners out there are way younger than me so I have been working on reducing my age. I need an age transplant! 😇 In the meantime, I'm social distancing from wheelchairs and walkers. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference" LOL!
It's been a year of twists and turns, transition and renewal. A little bit of disequilibrium and disorganization as well. You too? As long as you cling to the Lord, as long as you have courage, as long as you embrace each moment of life, good or bad, everything will come together. That's why I spend every morning in the Word. As I go through my day it's a tap on the shoulder by God at every step. Just be true to yourself. Nobody wants to see Usain Bolt run a marathon. We want to see him thrive at 100 meters.
Nobody wants to see Courtney Dauwalter run a 10K. We want to see her succeed at 100 and 200 miles. Eudemonia is an ancient Greek concept of thriving by you being you. You thrive how you thrive. Having turned 69 in June the goal now is to just keep active for the Lord as long as he allows. Patience and consistency both sit well with me these days. As you start new adventures, new chapters in your life, it's important to stay consistent and to not let excuses or laziness get you down. I am so excited for what the future might hold. I have the vision and I have the desire. Anything worth doing takes time, planning, and execution. Moreover, upward progression does not mean that we have to constantly climb. The valleys and plateaus are a necessary part of growth as well. Overall, I'm ecstatic to finally get back into a routine of life. It's definitely part of my personality to reduce stress by decluttering life and getting organized.
Now is the time to take your next step, seize it if you will without hesitation. Yesterday's 10-miler was a little shot in the arm for future goals on the horizon. I pose to all of you the same question I pose to myself: Are you done growing? Are you done getting better and stronger? Are you done growing deeper in Christ? Let us run on toward our lofty goals, all of us, one day at a time, one step at a time. No, we are not done here on this earth.