life is a marathon...

i have used this analogy before, but i feel that life is like a marathon race. about 2 years ago, i ran in the country music full marathon---yes, 26.2 miles. i subjected myself to that intense suffering because running a marathon was one of my goals in life...it was on my "list" of things to do and it was something i wanted to accomplish. thankfully, my dad is a runner and "trained", and actually ended up finishing before i did. i guess my dad was also sortof my inspiration to do the marathon. i can tell you that before my freshman year of college, i absolutely HATED running. i mean, i despised it. the pain and agony i felt when my feet hit the pavement was something that took alot of time for me to get past. i maybe could run 2 miles back in high school (without passing out). although, every time i finished 2 miles, i felt like i was going to die! one time, i remember starting on a run with my dad (who is an avid runner and runs about 4 miles a day), and i just started breathing really hard and started slowing down. of course my dad was still continuing on...and instead of admitting my out-of-shapeness, i started crying and said, "my knee hurts, i'm turning around and going home!" when really, my knee didn't hurt. i just felt so out of breath and didn't think i could keep up with my dad. and i hate running behind people. even though it is a good motivator, i hate being behind someone who doesn't have the same pace as me. it is not comfortable for me. anyway, around sophomore year of college is when i started to love running. and i wanted to train for a half marathon. so in 2007, i ran my first half in nashville...the next year i wanted to try for the full! so i trained, and trained....and trained. which seemed neverending. there were days where i could get in the zone after getting 6 miles into the run---nothing could touch me, nothing phased me, i could just run and run and run. then there were days where i felt "ok", but i had to depend on my music or a sermon to get me through the run. and then there were days devoted to long runs...where i would have to run up to 15-17 miles in training. oh my word, i can't describe to you the regret and pain i felt during those runs. WHY am i training for this? am i out of my mind? there is no way i will be able to run 26.2 miles! sometimes, my friends would meet me at different points of my long-run training routes and run with me, which was fun! but i am not a talker during runs...i listen to my music or sermons and focus on breathing and not passing out. training was maybe the hardest part of that entire experience. then, the day of the race. a little rainy, cold, and early in the a.m. my dad and i made the trek from our hotel to the race...while my mom stayed behind with her umbrella and rain jacket in hand to meet us at the finish line. can words even express how i felt during different points of the 26.2 miles (if i could even "feel" anything?) 2 of my friends from auburn were running it also, and i ended up finding them on the course...i remember getting chills and feeling so encouraged to see familiar faces! there is something about the "community" feel of running in a huge crowd of people...it's sort of like those intense volleyball practices in high school. you sure disliked them, but the fact that you were suffering with others made it so much better, and you bonded with those people! i remember around mile 17 or 18, i just felt my body shutdown. i had hit the wall and i remember praying, "Lord, bring me across the finish line! give me strength!" i could hear the people on the side lines all along the course yelling for everyone and cheering us on! and the bands were encouraging! and the weather was slowly getting better---sunnier, warmer! and around mile 20-24 i was thinking---i can do this! only 2-4 more miles! and i heard people cheering (through the muffling of my music on my ipod), "almost there! a few more miles!" one of my pet peeves is when people yell that during the race, but you still have MILES left...it's so misleading. so finally, tears filled my eyes as i saw MILE 26. i can't remember clearly, but i think i heard my parents and my friend brandon cheer me on as i approached the finish line of 26.2 miles. as i crossed the finish line, i slowed down, my knees buckled and felt like they were in some kind of electric shock. i felt like i had cramps all down my legs. but...i had FINISHED. i had persevered through the anguish and torment that i put my body and mind through! all of the training paid off, my determination and strong-will that i was going to finish a full marathon race. the rest of the day is a blur now. i'm pretty sure i slept that afternoon in the hotel room, but my body was the sorest it has ever been. every single muscle and joint and bone just ached. but it felt so good.
this is the part where i make the analogy- how life is like a full marathon race. i guess you could say daily we are training. in my case, i am "training" for school and to be a dental hygienist, and i am "training" in my walk with Christ...these 2 things are my focus and goal. and the "race" is also school and passing boards and graduating. and although the training may be the hardest experience and the most intense, painful thing i have done, it will be worth it at the finish line. the trials i face in school and in my faith are part of my training for the actual RACE---for LIFE---and for when i cross the finish line...if i am determined and persevere in those little trials and bigger situations, the Lord is faithful to His promises and His Word to bring me through. wow, what a relief. i can wipe the sweat off and can leave behind all anxieties i have about "finishing" and know that the Lord will fill me with His joy and strength to cross that finish line and be victorious! and although every muscle, joint, and bone may be sore---my heart may ache, my mind and brain may be fried, etc., it will feel so good...oh to follow HIM, trust HIM, give HIM my griefs and anxieties, tears, and pains, and let Him carry me. what a relief in this marathon called life.