“This is my daily reminder that I do, in fact, like to run.”
The other day, after a run with my good friend Destiny, I decided I was going to write something after every run I go on. What was good about the run? What was bad? How did I feel before I ran and how do I feel now that I’m finished? We were talking about how much better we feel when we decide to go out and run instead of stay in bed for another hour, and I wanted to make sure I remember those feelings when I start to hit a wall in my training.
I never liked running all that much, up until a distinct 4-mile run after returning home from Young Life camp in Colorado in the summer of 2018. I ran Cross Country in 6th through 8th grade, ran track in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, and ran all over WKU training for a 5k with Destiny our sophomore year of college (all in the same pair of shoes, probably). Destiny went with me to buy my Asics, the first pair of running shoes I actually saved up for and bought for myself and the shoes I fondly refer to as my ‘Cloud Shoes’ (because I love them and they make me feel like I’m on a cloud). I ran half a mile at a time with my friends Elle Jo and Mekole in Colorado with my lungs on fire all the way (I underestimated the altitude in a big way). But it was that 4-mile run on the Jasper Riverwalk, at a much more normal altitude, that I remember feeling joy while running for the first time. My lungs weren’t burning. My body didn’t hurt all over. I was at the Riverwalk in the first place because I wanted to run and not because I felt obligated or forced. I remember where I was on the path when I smiled just because I was running and, for the first time, I liked it.
That’s why I didn’t put up much of a fight when Destiny told me to sign up for a marathon with her.
Then I had foot problems. Then I flat out had no motivation to run. It got to a point where I said, “I need to start running today or there is no way I can run a marathon in April.” So I ran. And then I ran six miles that weekend. And then I ran ten a week after that. I’d never run more than 6 miles in my life up to that point, but I had Destiny with me and we just did it.
I spent the first two miles of that run, which started on a 40-degree morning at 7 AM, enjoying the quiet and talking to God. I was planning on running 8 miles, and I knew I wouldn’t even be able to do that much on my own. So I listened to the birds, thanked God for legs and feet that would carry me even a mile, and enjoyed the company of my best pal running next to me. We ran a route I’d never taken before and I was able to see more of the city I’ve lived in for nearly four years.
It was after that shorter run later in the week that I walked across campus with Destiny and we talked about how much we love the feeling after we run. That day I wanted to run and she didn’t (a rarity), but we both did and we both felt the same satisfaction. We felt the pain in the middle of it, but we also felt the joy when we’d completed it. I know it won’t always feel this good. I’ll probably hit that wall pretty soon, so I’m writing to remind myself of how beautiful it feels to run right now. To remind myself of the gratitude and joy I feel when an uphill run becomes a downhill run. To remind myself of how good God is that He lets me run 13 miles on a random Sunday afternoon (even though I had to miss seeing Hilltopper Baseball sweep the series with a 19-2 win over NKU).
You don’t need to train for a marathon to experience the beauty, joy, and gratitude I just described. You can read or write or lift or swim or act or make music. What brings you joy? How can you worship God through doing what you love?
Find your run and go!
Sign up for the Kentucky Derby Marathon/Mini-Marathon!
What I’m listening
What I’m watching: I got caught up on Grey’s Anatomy!
What I’m reading: ‘It’ by Stephen King, though I’ve made no progress since last week. I listened to an hour and a half of an audiobook of ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King, the book I finished a month or so ago, while I ran my 13 miler this weekend.
