Lessons Learned from My First 10-Miler

I ran my first 10-mile race on Friday and it was a phenomenally exhilarating experience.  There were almost three thousand people who raced, and the atmosphere was both festive and electric.  Many runners were there with family and friends; I actually went by myself, but was so impressed by the kindness of the runners.  I easily entered into conversation with several of them.  I guess when you’re with a group of people who have the same thing in common, it’s easy to relate to one another.  What inspired me the most were all the people who were cheering us on and encouraging us on the route.  At times, it was pouring rain, but the people were still out there encouraging us.  I was truly moved by their support.

So here are a few spiritual lessons I learned from my first 10-miler.

Slow and steady…to the finish
My goal for the race was simple: I wanted to run the whole race (no walking breaks), and cross the finish line.  To accomplish this, my plan was to go slow and steady.  I don’t run fast, and I don’t care.  I wasn’t out to win; just to finish strong.  The first mile I was caught up in the excitement and realized that I was running about 30 seconds faster than I wanted to be.  So, I consciously slowed down and reminded myself that I just wanted to finsih.  Slow and steady; that was my plan.  I finished the race in 1 hour and 47 minutes (a 10:42 pace).  I was very happy with that.

Spiritual lesson: it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of life and the frantic pace of those around us.  But life is so much more peaceful when we go slow and steady, doing our best to live in the moment.  I don’t think the Lord wants us to rush all the time.

We’re in this together
Admittedly, I was a little nervous going into the race.  I felt a little undertrained, and, truthfully, didn’t want to feel embarrassed telling people that I couldn’t finish because I was too tired or because I cramped up along the way.  As I anxiously waited to begin the race, I realized that many people were in the same boat.  I was with a bunch of people who simply enjoy running and wanted to finish the race.  I saw several people who had to take walking breaks; I even saw one young lady who needed to stop because her leg was cramping.  As I ran, I realized that we were a bunch of people, together, pacing ourselves to the finish line.  We were supporting one another.

Spiritual lesson: we all have doubts, fears, and weaknesses; but, ultimately, we’re all in this together and we all need to support one another.

Help is available
As I said, I was inspired by all those who came out to support us.  In the Book of Hebrews we read, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us, and persevere in running the race the lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith” (12:1-2).  I thought of this scripture verse as I saw all the people cheering us on.  The runners in the race on Friday were surrounded by a crowd of witnesses encouraging us.  Don’t the saints in Heaven do the same for us?

Spiritual lesson: As we run the race to Heaven, keeping our eyes fixed on the Eternal Finish Line, the saints pray for us and encourage us to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.  We should take advantage of the help they want to offer us.

So there you have it.  Lessons learned from my first 10-miler.  Next goal: the Hartford half marathon on October 9!

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