This week marks week 10 of 20 of our marathon training. My hubby and I have been fitness partners for many years, taking turns inspiring and encouraging one another to go for it in whatever that “next thing” we’re going to try to accomplish. I love that we share a love of fitness and exercise, and how that love of fitness has been transmitted to our kids, who are old enough to help us train by running or biking with us. We’ve completed at-home fitness programs like P90X , P90X3, and PiYO together, we’ve run 5K’s together, and earlier this year, we trained and ran a half-marathon together.
I remember distinctly during the last few miles of the half-marathon, the overwhelming thoughts of how there was NO way I’d EVER be able to finish a full marathon if I was feeling this exhausted at half the distance. After the race, I found out that my hubby was having the same thoughts.
So, why are we halfway through marathon training if we were convinced we wouldn’t be able to do it just a few short months ago?
A couple of things happened…mainly, we “stumbled” across two stories that impacted us greatly. The first was about a 91 year old marathoner who had started training and running marathons at the age of 76 – http://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/91-year-old-finishes-san-diego-marathon The second story was about a 39 year old from Venezuela with Muscular Dystrophy, who took 20 hours to complete the Boston Marathon – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3048840/Venezuelan-man-finish-Boston-Marathon-20-hours.html
That was the last little push we needed. In July of this year, we registered for the 2016 Miami Marathon. We started doing research on different training programs, and settled on a run/walk training program, which incorporated weekly short and long runs, as well as strength training. The second week of September marked day 1/week 1 of our training, and away we went!
Many people have “running a marathon” on their bucket list. It had been on our list for a while. There was just something about it, though, that seemed wrong about checking something off of that list being our motivating force. We wanted it to be more than just “something to cross of off our list of things to do before we die” kind of thing. Enter in God’s prompting and our “Mission-Minded Marathon” idea. Why not train and run on behalf of someone else? Most folks think we’re crazy anyway for doing this, why not add an extra dose of craziness to the mix – “You mean, you’re doing this for someone ELSE?!”
There are so many worthy causes to support, as there are so many people and organizations in need. We decided to raise funds for our friends on behalf of their son and the Ryan Abreu Memorial Scholarship fund. There’s a lot of pain involved in marathon training – mental, emotional, and physical. We wanted to use that pain to help us step in to someone else’s pain…the pain of loss. During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He chose to reach out and minister to the sick and hurting. He chose to have dinner with the undesirables, and with people that made others VERY uncomfortable. Suicide, mental health issues, and depression make people extremely uncomfortable. I’d venture to say that fear is what scares most people. Folks don’t know what to do with that, the awkwardness and discomfort of not being able to handle or process it. We don’t know what to say, or we say all the wrong things trying to fix or remedy the situation, either to ourselves or the families left behind. Christ’s model to us was simple, yet profoundly and excruciatingly difficult to carry out. So difficult, we need His Spirit to enable and empower us to do what He’s calling us to do. We are called to love others as He loved us. We are called to love others, and to push through awkwardness and loneliness and difficulties, and just love them as best as we can. This is what this race means to us.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13: 34-35
Please consider donating towards the Ryan Abreu Memorial Scholarship fund – no amount is too small! https://www.youcaring.com/ryan-abreu-memorial-scholarship-431830
CARPE DIEM FITNESS 