Saturday, October 22, 2016

26 Things

7 more days!  This thought hit me like a punch in the chest this morning.  7 days from today I will be in DC running 26.2 miles.  This both excites me and scares me at the same time.   I have to be honest, it is an intense high.  I love it!  I am really excited because this will be my first major race.  The MCM is one that thousands of people are dying to do.  I was picked to attempt it out of thousands.  I can’t wait to feel that excitement, the energy in the air is going to be awesome!   Don’t get me wrong, I still have the same anxieties and fears about this race.  I think that is normal.  Earlier this week I almost let that steal this excitement that I feel, but a thought creeped in during one of these moment stealing events. I have been given a gift:  I CAN run, There is NOTHING preventing me from running.  
Running is a gift.  Think about that for a second…  there are so many things in life we take for granted.  There are people in this world, who would run 50 marathons, if only they could.   The thing that I take for granted is something they can’t do.  It is not about having the endurance or the mental strength, they physically can’t.  All of the runners out there, imagine that you woke up tomorrow and your legs couldn’t run anymore.  I often think about the people whose ability to run was stolen from them that day in Boston.  They were approaching the finish of a marathon and suddenly their lives changed.  
I have people in my life who can’t run and never will be able to.  I feel like an ass when I talk about how slow I am or if I can beat some bridge.  I take running for granted.  There is a little boy, who has my heart.  He is just starting his life and he will never be able to run like I do.  As much as I hate this fact, there is nothing I can do to change this.  All I can do is pray that HE finds his own passion and doesn’t ever take it for granted.  I promise this little guy that I will do everything in my power to never again take running for granted.  I wear his name on my shoe when I run and I will have his name under my running tattoo next Sunday.
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There are a lot of things that we all take for granted: a roof over our head, food in our refrigerator, cars, jobs, education, family etc…  I can only speak for me, but I don’t want to lose something before I realize how important it is or was to me.  I especially don’t want my wonderful life to end and not to have thanked God for everything I have.  I want to live a life where I don’t spend anymore time taking things for granted.  I want to explore what life has to offer, the things I have never had the courage to try.  What do I have to lose by trying?  The real question is what do I lose if I don’t try?
I find myself worrying about things and becoming consumed with what ifs.  I really don’t want to waste anymore time on that.  I am a realist though.  This a habit that I have to break.  I want to be grateful for every breath that I take.  There is only one way to do that, PRACTICE.  I am going to take this marathon and use it to help change the way I think.  I am going to spend this week realizing 26 things that I am grateful for.  I will spend each corresponding mile focusing on how grateful I am for that blessing.  I want God and everyone to know what I am grateful for.  Before I leave for DC on Friday I will post those 26 things.  If you want to do the same I will run those 26 miles for you too, so you can be grateful and realize how blessed you are as well.  

Life (running) is amazing and we all need to break through fears and conquer fear before it is all gone.  I am realizing that the true way to happiness and fulfillment is to thank God everyday for all of your life.  Let’s not wait until it is all gone.  We need to embrace our lives!

2 comments:

  1. This post brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful truth. I am so proud of you, and I can't wait to follow your run next weekend. I'm grateful for you in my life.

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  2. Beautifully said, Kris! I miss the feeling of running. I still remember the sound of the air as I ran and the freedom it brought. I am so proud of you for wanting to run and for challenging yourself to reach a goal.

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