Skinny Turkey

I ran my first half-marathon today.

(Never thought I'd type that sentence!)

I've always enjoyed running, but not enough to consider myself an official runner or anything. I've gone through seasons where I run a lot, and others where I don't run at all.

This spring, I started running early in the mornings with my neighbors Hollie and Catherine. I'd be lying if I said it was easy to get up and go at 5:15am when it's dark (and in this season, cold) but the days I do I feel so much better afterwards.

I'd had a long season of not running, and was a few weeks into the C25K running program when I started going with them. Catherine had run a half back in the spring, and was signed up for one in Raleigh in November. I thought about it off and on, as it was something I thought I might like to do someday, just to see if I could! It didn't work out for me to do that particular race, but at the end of the summer, Hollie found a local race in Wakefield that was on Thanksgiving morning. Bingo!

So, today I ran my first half-marathon.

It was hard.

Thankfully, it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day.

And I had a great running partner!

I had two goals going in: 1)to finish, and 2)to not finish last.

Both were accomplished, although about halfway through I really thought I was not going to make it through the whole race. I had to stop and walk a few times, and at mile 3 had to take a potty-break (such is life after having 4 children).

But we did it, finishing in 2:19! I know Hollie could have gotten a better time by herself, but I am so thankful she stuck it out with me! She was amazing encouragement.

And seeing these smiling faces cheering for me

at the finish line made it all worthwhile.

I've been meditating on a portion of Hebrews 12 over the last couple weeks, where it speaks of running the race marked out before us with endurance. Running this race today was such a rich and tangible picture of this passage. I need the same endurance and perseverance to run 13.1 miles as I do to live this life as a follower of Christ. It's not promised to be easy. But worth it? Absolutely.