the marathon

Isn't it crazy that a single word can bring feelings of joy, peace, and excitement... or feelings of fear, anxiety, and sheer panic?  There is no other race that exudes so much emotion for me.

I've been thinking recently after watching this video (see Stage 4 - Isolation) ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ItnxJLAOeY

...to run a marathon "successfully" you must be comfortable with yourself.  You must like your own company.

I, a single woman of 30 with no kids (this means I have a lot of alone time), have never felt so alone than around mile 22 of a marathon.  Yes, there are people all around.  Volunteers.  Other runners.  Spectators.  Walkers.  But at this point in the race it doesn't matter.  I am always inside my own head, and heart, for that matter.  Sure, you can talk to others but there is still this feeling of "I'm all alone."  It's not a bad feeling.

For me, it's...

"I did this am doing this."

"I put in this work."

"My legs and feet have gotten me this far even though they hurt like they were run over by a Mack truck."

You have to love you and you have to be proud of yourself and your accomplishment to carry yourself all the way to the end.

Heck, I am even supremely proud of my friends when they complete marathons!  I actually started writing this post when I found out that a new dear friend, Beth from Running In The Word had just completed her 2nd marathon when her first was a mere 3 weeks earlier!  I was shocked, amazed, proud, and humbled.

But I knew one thing.

I knew how Beth kept going because I know it had to be painful.  You see, Beth's body and mind are full of the Spirit.  She was praying, praising, and probably sometimes crying out to Jesus because in all reality, we couldn't do any of this without Him.  (As I do on my runs - short or long)

So what I'm saying is, I like to take credit but in the end all the glory goes to the One who has saved us from ourselves.  The One who cares for us unlike anything we could fathom.  The One who loves us unconditionally.  Therefore, I'm going to take the motto of totally awesome CrossFitter, Rich Froning - Galatians 6:14