A few weeks ago I ran my very first 5K. I have walked in charity ones before but never raced in one.
I tried to run track in junior high. I'm pretty sure my coaches still remember me. And not because I am from a crazy small town, but because I spent more time complaining about running than actually running. I was terrible at everything. It was obvious that I couldn't sprint, so they had me try high jump and long jump. Nope, couldn't jump either. I eventually ended up with the 800m and relays of course, where other people who were fast could make up for my slowness.
I distinctly remember the time I actually got a ribbon in the 800m. It was the only individual ribbon I earned. There was a girl right behind me so I had to go all out at the end, but I squeaked by with a 6th place ribbon. I remember my coaches at the finish line cheering me on and giving me a hug as I collapsed into their arms after I had crossed the finish line. I didn't realize what great coaches they were until recently. They did not discard me and only pay attention to those athletes that they knew would succeed. They cared enough about the person inside to devote part of their time to someone they knew they would never reap any benefits from. That's what makes a great coach.
All that for you to see how pathetically bad I was at running. I said in an older post that I have devoted my running time to God. Well, it's amazing what God can do when you surrender a part of your life to him. Galatians 5:22-23 But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
In the 5k I placed 51st out of 504 people in my age group. I placed 478 out of over 4,000 people. My time was 26:39:1. I don't really know if that is good or bad, but I don't really care. I had so much fun and I don't want to obsess over my time. My friend, Erin, asked me what I want to do now. Am I going to work on running faster or farther? Neither. I plan on continuing to love running 3 miles a day however fast God leads me to run that day. Because running to me is about spending time with God, not about being the best or the fastest.
