Fall Review : Running

You must know something about me. 

I do not enjoy running 85% of the time. 

It is difficult. 

I look funny. 

I feel funny. 

Now swimming, swimming is a sport that feels natural to me and it's fun. It can be hard work and yet I still enjoy it. I do not believe I was naturally built to run an extended period of time and enjoy it. 

That being said, I do love playing soccer and ultimate frisbee.

This summer, I started to increase my running distance. It is much easier to pull on a pair of shoes and go for a run then it is to grab my swimsuit, find a pool long enough for lap swim, and then drive there to work out. 

Here are a few things that help motivate me to keep running other than the standard, "It's good for me physically and emotionally."

I love snapping pictures on my run. 

God's beauty, majesty, and power, is incredibly displayed through nature. 

Running after beautiful sunsets, along leaf-littered sidewalks, and into perfect idyllic scenes of sharp piercing colors of bright fall day or subtle mute shades of a dim quiet one, I am given time to rejoice in my Creator. There are moments on my runs when my heart overflows with praise and worship for Him. I thank Him for my body that moves and am amazed at how He coordinated each bone and muscle to work together. I thank Him for allowing me one more step and praise Him when I return to my apartment alive! :) 

Running in a group is not really my thing, but I love running with a friend. 

(Thanks for letting me run with you, Brit!)

Sherlynn and I have been on oh-so-many runs together. This fall on one of her visits to Emporia, we were able to go on a walk/run just like old times.  

Sometimes we get distracted...

This fall I ran my first (and maybe last) half-marathon. 

Despite quite a bit of pain in my foot a couple of weeks prior to the race, God helped me face my fear of running such a long distance and through His power and for His glory I finished under my goal time! 

(At this point, I had 4.1 miles left. Thanks, Steph and Angela for cheering me on and taking some pics!)

I was terrified, didn't want to sign up, came up with every excuse, but like my Uncle Bob once told me, "It's good to do something you're afraid of every once in a while." When you are forced out of your comfort zone you are forced to rely on Someone beyond yourself. I know it might sound silly, but signing up and then finishing that race was a great spiritual victory for me! 

Should I do it again?