Woohoo! We ran 8 miles today. We were supposed to run tomorrow, but we have some other commitments and ran the long run today. Honestly, I'm amazed that I ran 8 miles without stopping; except when I dropped my water bottle and had to stop, bend over, and pick it up at mile 6. That hurt a little bit. Next week, we get to run 10 miles for our long run. Double digits. That will definitely be a new hurdle to climb over.
As a pastor, I can't help but see spiritual metaphors with just about anything I do. I say that to mention an article I read yesterday. The article talked about how they were going to make rule changes to the Tour de France because last year people would stand in the road and take selfies. The photo would have the cyclists speeding towards them in the background. Sounds cool. But it wasn't cool when a biker collided with a spectator and both were injured. Then, the article described a marathon race in Hong Kong. Several runners, at different points in the race, decided to stop in the middle of the race to take a selfie with runners in the background. Again, that sounds cool at first glance, but several of the runners finished bruised and bloodied because they ran into the individuals who stopped to take the selfies. You are not thinking in a race that someone will just stop on a dime, whip out a phone, and start a photo session.
So, what's the point? It's true that we want our pics to have an amazing background. Kind of like our family photos at the beach this summer. We wanted the sunset with the ocean behind us. Here is the problem. Often, we are so wrapped up in what's behind us that it prevents us from living today and moving forward. For some, this might be a mistake or something we wish we could do over. I know I have moments I regret, and wish I could have a second chance to get a "do over." Our past weighs us down and hinders us from moving forward. So, we just stop and don't go anywhere. Stuck in the past.
For others, we allow wonderful moments to keep us from moving forward. For example, how many people do you know, or maybe you are one of these people, that their greatest moments in life were from high school? Don't get me wrong. I have some wonderful memories from high school, but as I draw closer to 40, I realize that I have spent more time out of school than in school. So, we allow those great moments to keep us from creating new ones. Maybe we should turn the camera around and start looking at what's in front and not what is behind us? This reminds me of Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus."
Shannon:
I think the next post, I will be typing first...I've got nothing compared to what my hubby just posted. Thanks Dear.
This week our long run came a day early. I am leaving this evening to take our oldest, Caleb, to a baseball showcase at Ole Miss for the weekend, so I needed to get my 8 miles in today. Mark decided to go with me...you know, him being my mighty protector and all. He wasn't too thrilled about me running 8 miles before daylight by myself...I married a good one for sure ;-) I am so thrilled to share that before we left the house at 5:25 this morning, he said to me, "I am so glad we are doing this. I am really enjoying running!" I'm excited/relieved for that statement for two reasons: First of all, if you remember, one of my goals in this marathon training was for Mark to come to enjoy running like I do. We don't have many activities outside of our kids' sports that we do together, so I'm glad to have an enjoyment of running that we can share. Second, I started feeling a bit guilty this week for having
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