Day 123 Three Days to Go!

I tied on my running shoes this morning and ran a short circuit through the cold, windy, gray morning.  First of all, I am thankful that the marathon is in Memphis, because anything HAS to be warmer than it was in Chicago today.  Secondly, it was the last time that I will run before the marathon.  All that is left now of training is eating and sleeping and getting to the starting line.  Sounds like an easy few days, but the physical game is yet to come.  The next few days are an exercise in “what not to wear.”  While I have learned from painful experience NEVER to wear anything new in a marathon, I have also learned in life not to carry along those things which drag you down.  Do not carry anxiety.  Do not let fear grip your heart.  Do not “freak out,” as my good friend Beth says.  This is nothing new.  The Bible is FULL of “fear not.”  And indeed, when she was five, one of our daughters recited the Ten Commandments and added:  “Do not… be afraid.” 

I confess that last night, I was a bit anxious.  My phone rang in the middle of the evening.  It was my daughter Kat who is also running the race (albeit WAY faster than me).  “Mom,” she said, “you are going to have SO much fun.”  I needed to hear that.  And I remembered in my first two marathons at mile 16 when I was dragging my feet and losing heart rapidly, my daughter Beth came alongside to cheer me on, something I will always cherish.  And my husband Bill who has supported me every step through this craziness.  Snickers, anyone?  In rain and shine, literally.

This is kind of like three days before taking the SAT’s.  There is not anything you can do at this point.  But trust.

 

Our help is in the name of the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

                         Psalm 124.8

Day 117 The Race is Not Always to the Swift

I woke this morning to 37 degrees and and a light drizzle outside.  But a mile away from our house, a crowd of about 250 runners was drawing together for the annual Turkey Predicto Race in my town.  Just about every race I know costs money, supports a cause, and rewards the fastest runners.  This race costs absolutely nothing.   It is just an opportunity to get together and run.  The twist is that the winners are not necessarily those who are first across the line.  Before this race begins, runners sign in their names and their predicted finish time, down to the second.  The two runners who most accurately predict their finish times win a turkey and a pumpkin pie.  No watches are allowed.  We gathered in the local boat house on this shivery morning.  A park employee directed us outside, and before most people had even reached the street, she calmly said, “go.”  Five miles of people chatting, kids riding bikes, and even two runners decked out in aprons and chef hats.  Laughter prevailed as the group made its way through the streets of Glen Ellyn.  At the finish line, I heard one girl shrieking that she missed her time by two seconds, and a gentleman boasting that he was only six seconds off his.

This morning proved that running does not have to be so serious or so competitive.  Just fun.  Sometimes we forget that.

Nine days until the marathon, down to the single digits and counting. 

Day 114 Glorious Taper

You would think that the last few weeks of marathon training would be the hardest, the longest, and the most grueling.  But as you move your way through the training schedule and get closer to the race, the mileage and workouts actually taper off for the final three weeks.  Indeed, the last week before the marathon, one is barely breaking a sweat.  This phase of training is great -- “the taper” as it is called in the running world.  The whole idea is to build up one’s strength by giving the body the time to rest, repair and rejuvenate itself.   It is a good idea for all of us.  (God called it the Sabbath).  Hardcore obsessive runners have a hard time with this idea, often pushing the mileage even when they are not supposed to.  Me?  Well, I am enjoying every last non-running minute.

Today, I ran in a pair of shorts and a tank top.  Yes, in Chicago on November 22.  And I didn’t get frostbite.  It was 60 degrees.  Above zero.  Even the pessimistic natives around here were astonished by the unusually mild air this fall, but ALWAYS seemed to follow up with “the cold weather is coming.”    And indeed, the rest of the week is supposed to have a high in the 30s.  But I delighted in every warm day while it lasted.

God in Every Detail

Just read this excerpt this morning from one of my favorite books My Utmost for His Highest.  It is a book of great spiritual wisdom, compiled by the widow of Oswald Chambers who transcribed his lessons and talks into a daily devotional.  Hope that it is an encouragement to you., a reminder of what Biblical worldview is all about.

From yesterday's entry (November 14):

We can all see God in exceptional things,
but it requires the culture of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail.
Never allow that the haphazard is anything less than God's appointed order,
and be ready to discover the Divine designs everywhere.

Day 107 What’s in YOUR forecast?

Over the weekend, I fulfilled my last LONG training run.  I awoke to cloudy skies and checked the hourly forecast.  At the time, there was a 55 percent chance of rain, but not a drop to be seen.  I waited until the chance of rain had dropped to 35 percent (still no rain) with the chance of precipitation dropping sharply in the next hour to only 10 percent.  It was 52 degrees, and for most of my run, the forecast was 60 degrees, partly sunny with only a 10 percent chance of rain.  I started my run wearing a tank top and long-sleeve dry-weave shirt, a little overkill for the temperature, but I could always take off the outer layer, if necessary.

Within the first mile, there were a few raindrops here and there, but nothing threatening.  By the time I reached the main part of the trail where there were stretches of marshland on both sides, I was far enough away from home that I was committed to putting this long run to rest.  About that time, the zero hour when rain was virtually out of the forecast, it began to rain.  Bill was with me, patiently riding his bike alongside, providing me with water, snickers, and laughter about the forecast.  Bless his heart.  I may be crazy to run in the rain, but it is a faithful man who rides along and encourages me.

Needless to say, those few raindrops turned into a steady rain for the duration of my three and a half hour run.  The weatherman missed this one for sure.  The temperature plummeted into the 40s, winds increased to 20 miles per hour, and puddles formed on the trail. 

There are times in life like that when we are quite simply caught in the rain, nothing in the forecast, and certainly not in our plans for sure.  But we can be assured that even in the rainy times God is working in ways that we cannot see and sometimes, I think, especially in ways we cannot see.  We can always be assured of His love, mercy and righteousness.  No matter the forecast, no matter the “weather” around us.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD,

plans for welfare and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope.

                     Jeremiah 29.11