I never imagined I'd want to run 26.2 miles, but as of the beginning of this year, I decided to take the crazy leap and go for it. And training was going amazingly and I felt like I was making really good progress. But then my wife's flare ups got worse. They lasted longer and life slapped us in the face with the realization that if we were going to sell our house, we had to do it now, while the market was hot. Thanks life...your timing is impeccable.
So, with all this swinging in motion, it put my long runs on hold and for almost two weeks before the big run, I had not had any practice runs in AT ALL. So, I decided since I had ran a half marathon before and did pretty well, I could definitely pull it off again. But that thought was depressing. As I picked up my packet the night before race day, I had to go to the admissions booth and let them know that I was switching from the full to the half. I received a new number, new shirt, and a bad attitude. Well, I guess I didn't receive the bad attitude. I gifted it to anyone who asked me how I was feeling about the marathon. Having to explain to them that I was not running the full was like salt to an open wound.
I decided to turn my frown upside down. To reframe my mind. The reason I couldn't run a full was because I was too busy taking care of my family to put in the training necessary. There is no shame in that. There is merit in the pursuit of raising a family. Growing five rugrats is a marathon in and of itself. Anyone who wants to say differently can babysit for a couple days. I triple dog dare you!
Anyway, so race day came along and I woke up with the new attitude. I got dressed and headed out the door. I spent my time at the new YMCA in downtown Des Moines, (Beautiful, by the way) and set up my mind for the race ahead. As I headed to the starting line, my grandfather's voice echoed in my head, "you are not running to win, you are running to finish." Thanks Pa, I needed that! The bell rang and I headed onward and upward. I ran through the heart of Des Moines, through the beautiful Water Works Park, around the stunning Gray's Lake and back downtown. I finished 13.1 miles in 1hr 54 minutes and 50 seconds. This wasn't a PR for me, but it was what I had aimed for and with the little training I had put in, I was pleased with the result.
I write all this because this time has taught me something. When you make a goal and you don't acheive it, it's easy to see it as a failure. But it's not. It's improvement, and that's something that shouldn't be ignored. I ran 13.1 miles with very little training and did it in under 2 hours. I'm proud of that. And now that I've accomplished that, I have reset my Full Marathon goal for next year. Here is what I've learned through all of this. We hope for the best but we must also anticipate life because it happens whether we want it to or not. I could have easily destroyed myself over not completing my goal this year, but I chose not to. Instead I'm choosing to celebrate what I have accomplished through life's crazy turns and topples and I choose to live in the knowledge that I gave it everything I had, whether in my training or in my role as a husband and father. I am leaving this year and taking nothing with me. I left it all out on the road. I plan to do the same next year.
So, I guess I'll end with this benediction. May you see that goals are made to better you, not define you. May you know that God views you as perfect and whole regardless of your short comings. May you see that life is not a sprint, but a marathon and you are running, not to win, but to finish. May you finish well.
