The Joy of Achievement

This past week I have run two races:

• the Bolder, Boulder 10K (on Memorial Day)


• the Steamboat 1/2 Marathon (on June 1st)

This was my second year running the Bolder Boulder (over 54,000 ran this year!). It was my goal to run it faster than last year. The weather was absolutely wonderful. It had rained earlier that morning and it was still cloudy. There was a slight breeze the entire time. I was able to start in an earlier wave which is a great advantage. The faster your time, the earlier the wave, the less people there are running. Less people means, less walkers, and it is much easier navigating through people to go faster. It was hard a times to push myself to keep running fast but all I could think of was David telling me to run under 55 minutes and to honor the Lord with trying my hardest. You see, I wasn't always able to run like I do now. A few years ago the Lord healed me of asthma so running is truly a gift.

My time last year: 55:46

This year: 53:36

My goal since January this year was to run a 1/2 marathon. When I discovered the Steamboat 1/2, I thought it sounded perfect. I started training at the end of March (if you need a good training program go to: http://www.runnersworld.com). I had never run more than 10 miles in all of my life and I put all my trust in this program. Sometimes I felt good running 8 miles and other times I felt like I could barely pick up my legs. All this to say that when race day came, I was COMPLETELY nervous about how things would go. My mom and niece made the trip to Steamboat with David and me (with Turbo of course). We rented a cozy condo for pretty cheap and made a small vacation out of it. The race was so beautiful. We ran along side of a river, cows and horses in their pasture, beautiful green fields. I even saw an old friend from nursing school. When 11 miles came along I couldn't believe how well I was doing. Even though I felt like I was going pretty slow, I was still able to move my legs. Then 12, 13 and the finish line. It was over, I had done it.

It was amazing all the little boosts of encouragement that I got along the way. The man at the aid station that called out my number and said "way to go 1394." My friend Elizabeth who ran with me for a bit (she did awesome). The lady in teal at the port-a-potty experiencing the same curse as I was (ask me later). All the bikers that helped keep us on track and offered words of encouragement along with running tips. The lady in red who ran by the end of the race, looked at me and said "you can do it, keep pushing hard." Then the most precious, my family who stood at the finish line for 2 hours waiting for me to finish. They rang their cow bells, screamed my name, took pictures, and hugged me.

It feels so good after such hard work to feel the joy of achievement. However, it isn't lasting joy...it usually fades over weeks and months and new, better goals arise. There is always a longer race or a faster time that I can achieve. Some people live for the high of running. I could say that do in some aspect because it is why I train and why I keep going even when my legs keep screaming "STOP!!!!" But, if that is the only joy I knew, it wouldn't satisfy me. Even now, just a few days after completing the race I can sense the emptiness. I need something else to train for, I need another goal.

Yet, I do know another joy--an everlasting joy.

Jesus.

It sounds so simple, so much like 1st grade Sunday School. That is why it is so true. Without the Lord, nothing would EVER fill me. Nothing would ever satisfy. Not my college degree, not my marriage, not my job, not my family, not my cute clothes :), not running a race, not...well you get it. When what I have done fades, all my good intentions and all my hard work, the only thing that remains is HIM. Everything else is a feeling but He is the source. He is the only one I can count on. He is the only one that I can run to. He is the only one to give me true joy.