Lent Day 35

A race?  I have only participated in one 5K in my life.  That one was the same one I am going to do this Saturday, except back in 1995 when I was young.  I didn’t even train for that one.  I literally just decided that morning that I was going to run in it.  I think the Mrs. Wheeler talked me into it that morning.  I remember saying it was really difficult, and I will never do that again.  Well, I guess I should never say that again.

I had no idea that running a 5K meant actually running a race.  I honestly thought (from all of my prior experience) the goal of running a 5K was to do just that, run a 5K.  A good friend told me today that people will run super hard and finish these in as little as 15 minutes.  What is wrong with people?  The goal is to finish so that I can say I ran a 5K . . . and get the T-shirt that cost me $15.  Well, let me think about this . . . my wife and best friends are running in this “race” with me.  Do I get to talk smack?  I like talking smack to my buddy.  All in friendly Christian love of course.

I truly had not thought about a competitive aspect of this running.  Up to now my only competition was Monte and Molly.  Molly doesn’t count so much because she runs out of steam to quickly.  Though, she is not my fat beagle any more.  She is much leaner, but that could just be summer time.  Monte has really developed a new level of endurance.  He always had speed, but now he has the longevity.  If he ever runs away from home, he’ll be back in Mexico sipping a margarita on the beach before we notice him missing.  There were a couple of times that I outran Monte at the end of the run.  Of course, the best I could do with a leash was to be out in front of him by a few feet.  This is usually a good idea at the half mile mark as well due to his propensity toward expelling waste in the beginning of the run.

What if life was not about the time spent or meeting goals, but rather a competition?  Oh boy, we had all better wake up and get some real running shoes on.  Sure, for some people it is about beating everyone else at their “expertise” or game, but for most people, life is mere survival.  People give up too quickly and simply succumb to their own complacency.  The less they struggle, the less they will fail.  Life does have a way of repeatedly knocking us down.  For me, I know my biggest competitor is . . . myself.  Well, that makes sense; I do try to outdo myself each day.  This is not because I am in a race trying to get to the finish line, but rather because I want to feel success and accomplishment in my life.  I want to constantly improve in every possible way I can. 

I pushed harder tonight than every before.  (I wish I could say that every day.)  I ran a 5K tonight in 29:21 with a band aid on my big toe!  Zechariah 4:6 says “not by might nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord”.  This is true especially when doing something physical.  Every time I wanted to slow down and walk tonight, I had to ask myself, is this a physical or mental desire?  Every time it was a mental desire to walk.  I had to ask God for that strength and endurance to help me push a little further.  He heard my prayers.  I would push on farther and farther with that steady jog.  Since I held a rapid pace, Monte never even had to do that country two-step dance.