A Story of Three Races

Our little hometown hosts an annual 10k.
This year was the 36th anniversary.
Oddly enough, come to think of it, I’m 36 years old!

I have enjoyed running since high school.  I never ran long distances, but it was a great time to get outside, enjoy some peace and quiet and just move!   I ran in college for pleasure, and then I met Matt , who ran a couple of marathons, and we used to run together a lot before we had the boys.

But I never ran our hometown 10k until 2014. Mostly, because I was too cheap to pay the entry fee…I’m not even kidding!

But Matt kept encouraging me to, so that first year I ran it and did pretty well.

But I felt HORRIBLE! I was tired, couldn’t breathe well, was very sluggish and just not at my best.  My cholesterol was HIGH. And I was tired of being on birth control just to manage my hormones.

That was the year I decided I was gonna HAVE to do something about those extra 10 lbs I had gained and invested in the 21 Day Fix and working out at home.

I joined my first challenge group, and you know the rest!

And oddly enough, this week, as I approached this 3 year anniversary of the date I decided to do something about my health, these thoughts of lasting change and making decisions for the long term in our health have been on my heart.

I don’t think I ate enough pre-race, because when Mile 4 hit, I got HUNGRY!  It slowed me down; I felt sick to my stomach, and I had to stop for a brief moment.

When I run I almost always listen to Pandora praise music, and that’s what I had playing yesterday. As you know, it randomly chooses songs to play, and JUST as I stopped running to catch my breathe for a minute, I paid more attention to what I was listening to.  Lincoln Brewster’s song –  Everlasting God – came on. Not only that, but JUST as I slowed down, the end of the song played. The part where they quote Isaiah 40: 31 at the end.

I often think of this while running.  What a race this life is.  The Christian life.  I love the promise God gives us that we will run and not grow weary.  It’s HARD some days to exist for Christ in a world that does not.

And I have often applied this same truth to my health journey and for my challengers.  It is never an easy journey, but it is essential to me if I am to live out the life God called me to.  To take care of this body. To always push myself to grow stronger. To get back on track when I fall of the wagon and eat a sleeve of Oreos, or enough french fries to feed a small country….yep, it happens to me too!

And as I walk alongside my challengers, I want it so badly for them as well. For them to commit to making healthy choices.  Not just for 30, 60 or 90 days but for a lifetime.  To choose life.  To choose to trust in God when it gets hard.  To not grow weary and quit.

But I did beat my time.  And it feels amazing to give GOD the glory for changing my life as He has.

I didn’t train a great deal for this race.  I ran 4-5 miles a week the past couple of months.  I did my 30 minute workouts in my home office. I watched my portions, ate clean 80% of the time and replaced a meal everyday with Shakeology.

Nothing extreme, but it is something I choose to do for me, my family, my team of challengers and coaches and because I KNOW I am stronger when I live this way.

I choose life.
I choose health.
I choose imperfect progress.

Life is a race as Paul says.
Your health is part of that.
You can choose to run it some days, slow down to a walk, or drop off.

But YOU choose!  No one else chooses for you.

I want to encourage you today to NOT give up on yourself!  Set your pace.  Don’t look behind you  at the times you started and stopped. Look ahead.  Try again. Invite God in to help you run and not grow weary. To walk and not faint.

He thinks you’re worth it. Do you?


I’m inviting you to step out on faith and join me!  


This race tells MY story. What is yours?