5K's and Other Things I Hate

I hate running.  Detest it.  Loathe it.  Abhor it.  This picture sums up my opinion on the matter:

I am a fit person.  I'm at the gym 3-5 days a week.  I (quasi) watch what I eat.  Exercise doesn't bother me.

But I HATE running.  Up until this point in my life, the farthest I had run without stopping had been 1.5 miles.  And even then, I thought my life would end.

Now, I am very aware that some of you reading this post are chuckling with distain right about now because you could run a 5K for breakfast.  You're serious athletes.  Triathaloners, marathoners, iron men and women.  I get it.  I'm happy for you.  Losers.

So when a group of us decided to run a 5K in support of a friend's New Years' resolution, it promised to be more of a "walking/talking" social hour, NOT something that I actually cared about.

Until that dang whistle blew.

My thought process was as follows:  "This shouldn't be that hard.  I exercise.  I work out.  I should be able to run 3.2 miles with no problem.  Yes.  That's what I'm gonna do.  I'm gonna run the whole thing.  No walking.  Oh, look.  There's mile marker 1.  That was easy.  I can do that 2 more times.  Wait, we're running up hill?  How are there HILLS in Flower Mound?  Another hill?  In the name of all that is sacred, where is mile marker 2????  We should've passed it an hour ago!  Another hill?  I'm going to die.  Oh, there's mile marker 2.  Thanks for gracing us with your presence, jerk.  My, how I love all of this sweat pouring into my eyes.  I love running.  This is so much fun.  I hate my life.  I hate my friends.  I hate Texas.  Death, come quickly.  Oh, look.  My legs just fell off.  My butt is currently dragging on the pavement.  How neat.  What's that?  There's only 400 meters to go, you say?  HOW LONG IS 400 METERS??!!  HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PEOPLE I'M NOT A RUNNER???!!!  FOR THE LOVE!!!  It's equivalent to only one lap around the track?  Okay.  I'm gonna make it.  I can do this."

And that's when it happened.

My running partner, Missy Phipps (who was running her second 5K of the day), laid it on me.

"We're gonna sprint the last 100 meters."

Say what?

"As soon as we cross that street, we're sprinting to the finish line."

You are out of your ever-lovin' mind, Missy.

But I did it.  I sprinted across the finish line.

I may or may not have wet myself during these last few seconds of physical exertion.  (HEY!  All of you young 20-somethings who haven't birthed 3 children, you WILL wet yourself, too!  The day will come when you won't be able to sneeze, cough, laugh, or jump on a trampoline without something leaking out. So just prepare yourselves and DON'T JUDGE ME.)

Here is a picture of us Mighty Warriors after we all crossed the finish line:

During my 34 minutes of pure torture, there was not a whole lot of conversation going on.  I was mostly concentrating on breathing and not dying.  Shockingly, it was during these moments that the Lord spoke to me.  He encouraged me by bringing several scriptures to my mind.

For example, there were family members and friends spread along the course cheering on all of us runners.  In particular, there were many children there cheering for their mommies.  While my sweet family were unable to make it to the race, I couldn't help but think about my children standing on the sidelines, cheering me on.  And Hebrews 12:1-2 immediately came to mind.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."


I'm aware that in this passage, the "cloud of witnesses" is referring to the previous section of scripture, Hebrews 11, lovingly known as the "Hall of Saints".  All of these giants of our faith are standing in heaven, watching us live out this thing called Christianity, routing us on.  They know the glory that is waiting for us on the other side of the finish line.  But I think the people that I influence on a daily basis are also in my "cloud of witnesses".  My husband, my children, my family, my friends.  They are cheering me on.  They're begging me to finish strong, to endure to the end.  I want to run my race with endurance, if for no other reason than the fact that my children are watching me and cheering for me.

Another verse that kept coming to mind was Romans 8:18.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."


Now, just bear with me for a minute.  I am extremely aware that running a 5K hardly warrants the term "suffering", especially when there is so much REAL suffering going on in the world.  But during my half-hour torture session, I was in pain.  I needed to know that the pain of "this present time" was not going to be my pain of "all time".  I needed to know that it would end.  I needed to know that it would be worth it.

It did end.  And it was worth it.

I've never felt such a sense of accomplishment.  I kept thinking to myself, "I can't believe I just did that."  I was proud.  But that's how life is, isn't it?  We need to know that our difficult times and our struggles will eventually end.  We need to know that they will be worth something.  And they always are.  God redeems everything.  He uses everything.  He can't wait to reveal His glory to us.

One last passage that now has new meaning is 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."


Hand on the Bible, there is no way I would've run that whole race without Missy by my side, encouraging me to keep going.  Whenever I wanted to give up, she wouldn't let me.  I don't know how many times she told me "You can do it.  You can do it."  And I believed her.  She is a much more experienced runner than I am.  (Heck.  That's not that hard to accomplish, since I'm NOT A RUNNER.  But she's totes legit, as the kids say.)  I needed someone more experienced than I am pushing me to finish strong, encouraging me to not give up, making me SPRINT to the finish line.  I needed that.

We all need that.  Every day.

When we're stuck, ready to give up, fatigued, worn out, or just plain OVER IT, we need friends who love us enough to encourage us and help us stay focused.  Someone who won't let us give up.  Someone who has been there, done that, and knows what is waiting for us on the other side:  Victory.

2 Timothy 2:7-8 MSG
"This is the only race worth running.  I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way.  All that's left now is the shouting - God's applause!..."


Run your race, Sweet Friend.  God is cheering you on.