Running the Race

Running 13.1 miles is a lot. Running up-hill for 6 of those miles is also a lot. My goal was to run the whole thing, to keep the movement of my feet going even if it was slower than my walking. I wanted to push my body to go. Mind over matter, my mind is the master my body is the slave.

It was hard. The mile leading up to the top and turn around point was hard. I had already been passed by the other girls running with me and by the beautiful Kenyans who were championing out the race in record time and it was exhausting. I found myself slowing way down once I got to the bottom of the mountain; the last few miles were slow and hard. Towards the end, I found myself running with different people, pacing myself off of them. One lady who I was keeping in time with slowed down and I turned to her and said, “You can do it, let’s go, you’re my pacer”. And she did, we talked a little and she kept going. She ended up passing me and going beyond my pace. There where other people who I ran with, we would see each other off and on because they would run then walk, run and pass me, then walk and I’d pass them.

The best was when I didn’t think I could keep going anymore. I found myself running next to a tall Tanzanian. We were going the same pace and both on the end of our energy level. We didn’t need to talk, we knew. The breaths would come in the exhausted sound every now and then or one of us would make the tired sigh sound. I would slow down and he would encourage me just by being there, by running with me. Then he would slow down and I would encourage him by talking to him. We dodged cars on the road, grumbled at the traffic that was slowing us down and at the end of the race, we ran. As we turned the corner toward the stadium we knew we were close, and we shared the excitement and exhaustion. The best part was when we turned in the stadium, last stretch of the race I yelled (as best I could), “Twende!”, “Let’s go!” and we pushed, we sprinted, we ran, we pulled each other to the end. Even when I ran out of steam a few steps from the line we pulled together and ran it to the end as a team. It was moving and beautiful.

Isn’t that how life is supposed to be? Aren’t we all running a race together? Who is with you pacing you, has God sent you to be there for someone else? Push through to the end, encourage and run the race.

One day I hope to wake up and realize that there is someone, like the tall Tanzanian, pacing with me and that we’ll finish the race together.

“A good friend builds us up so that we want to become and to accomplish all that our friend believes we can be and do . . . .

A good friend can help you become more productive, have a higher energy level, and have more enthusiasm for life. A good friend gives you the confidence to take godly risks, embrace new challenges, and move to the next level in your work or hobby. When you know that someone loves you and is standing with you and believes in you . . . you are far more willing to step out in faith and develop your full potential physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A good friendship gives you an abiding confidence.” -C.F. Stanley