Run Where The Brave Dare Not Go

I still distinctly remember approaching the finish line of my first ever full marathon 10 years ago in Big Sur in California. Just about a hundred yards to go I was running and giving it everything I have, digging deep physically; then hearing the crowd cheer, I got overcome by my emotions of achieving such a feat.  I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t know whether I wanted to burst into tears or throw up in fatigue.

To run a marathon (26.2 miles or 42 kilometers) is an uncommon goal for any individual. Only about half of 1% of the U.S. population has run a marathon.  When I first set my goal to run one, I couldn’t tell if my friends were impressed or thought that I was crazy.

 

So why did I run a marathon? To me, it was a unique opportunity to challenge my physical strength and mental toughness.  It was a test of my spirit and determination to rise above and beyond my abilities. If I could do it in running, perhaps I could also do the same in anything if I put forth all my effort and willpower, ready for all struggles and challenges, then I will always come out victorious in my attempts to better myself and my world around me.

My last statement is almost quixotic.  But don’t we have all have some kind of idealistic dream?  So why not go for them. Don Quixote, the Man of La Mancha himself suggests a reason why.  When asked by Aldonza, the simple peasant woman rough on the edges who Don Quixote adores, why he does all the chivalrous things to her, Don Quixote replied, “I hope to add some measure of grace to the world.”

I think we are all called to contribute something to better the world. Idealistic it may seem, you hold fast to your dreams for a better world and don’t ever let it go. In the face of trials and defeat, don’t give up. In the midst of pain and grief, you keep going. You run where the brave dare not go.

Photo courtesy from pixabay.com

The title of my blog post and last line is from the song “The Impossible Dream” in the 1965 Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha” and was also featured in a movie of the same title in 1972. Take the time to listen and be inspired, not so much to set a running goal like a marathon, as to remember to always seek to be better today than you are yesterday.

How can I pray for you today? Post on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/prayingrunner or email me at prayingrunner@gmail.com. You can also post your prayer request on the comments page on this blog.

"The Impossible Dream" 

Version by Andy Williams 1971

(my late father's favorite singer)

Hills

Most runners dread the hills. Who doesn't?

I've ran some races with famous hills like the Hayes Street Hills of the 12K Bay to Breakers in San Francisco and the Hurricane Point Hills in the Big Sur Marathon; and I can tell you those fearsome hills were true to form. But why is running uphill so difficult?

Running uphill causes you to shorten your strides. Shorter strides mean more steps to cover the same distance.You also push off more to raise your leg higher off the ground.  Hence, your leg muscles work harder in a much shorter range than you're normally used to - which is running on the flats. A lot of runners choose flat races simply because even though they're in good shape to run, they're not prepared for the hills to climb.

How relevant is this in our own lives, too? We're comfortably cruising along life's road until we meet an uphill challenge. If you're not prepared, climbing a hill in life will fatigue you fast and discourage you easily.

Recently, as you know, I've been facing a tough hill in my life grieving over the loss of my wife to breast cancer. Even though I knew her death would come, I could never be totally prepared for my life without her. I was very helpless and weak after her death that I couldn't do my job properly or attend to my son's needs appropriately. But one thing I turned to to regain my strength was prayer.

Runners, though they dread the hills, prepare for hills. They work hill running into their training to condition their bodies to run the hills successfully. Like hill training, incorporate prayer in your daily life even in the most ordinary of things. Pray as you cook; pray as you drive; pray as you play; pray as you run.  And when you run those hills, pray to God to strengthen you even more when you face the hills of life.