I now have 29 days left to train for the Kansas City marathon. There is a part of me that is quietly excited about it, but the rest of me is finding the training to be an intrusion of sorts. Just now it seems a bit paradoxical; I love to run, but when I analyze the way I feel most of the time - I'm really not "longing" to get out the door to actually get about the business of running.
Thoughts of turning 59 in November creep into my thoughts. I don't feel young and "vibrant", or particularly excited about it. I've had chronic back pain since I was about 19 after taking a hard fall on my "tail-bone" on a slippery walk-way in a electro-plating factory in Connecticut.
Often before I run, I'll hang on a chin-up bar for a minute to take the pressure off the pinched nerves between my L4 and 5. Interestingly, I've found that while running, my back seems to allign itself so I'm not as crooked as normal and I'm not experiencing near as much pain. In the mornings after I run it can be a different story. I will wake up with no pain... until my feet hit the floor and I stand up.
All this to say, even though there are still enjoyable aspects to running, it is tempered by the realities of physical pain and discomfort. What I've always enjoyed about running is the alone time with the Lord. Not that I always have the sense of connectedness that I would like or imagine, but there are always those moments when praying as I'm running along that I know His nearness and am very aware of His presence.
I've never been able to be accused of being an organized person. I really don't organize my time (therefore my life) well. I'm pretty random about planning if I plan at all, and easily distracted from the few plans I have some sense of resolve to work toward. Therefore, aside from my drive to and from work each day (about 25 min each way), I don't set aside a specific time to spend with the Lord, though I am always aware that i should.
It is for this very reason that I very much look forward to running. See what I mean? Paradoxical.
There are many things about the kingdom of God that are that way and that parallel with running long distances that involve the sacrifice of one thing for the gaining of another.
Am I willing to sacrifice the time I'd normally spend on other pursuits in order to spend time with the Lord to find out what He might want to say about my life, my character, leadership of my wife? How about the stewardship of my time?
All these things are aspects of running , but the real driving objective that is motivating me to train and ultimately to run 26.2 miles, is the mission, World Vision.
I ran my first marathon in 2010 because I believed the Lord was wanting me to learn something about endurance.
This time, one of the strongest motivating factors is to run to raise awareness and support for the thousands of African kids (and adults) who simply don't have any clean drinking water. It's a crisis.
(To be continued...)