"Don't give up! You've worked too hard..."

This past weekend was a memorable experience for me as I traveled with a group of friends to Chicago to run the Chicago Marathon. This was my third marathon so far and each one has seemed to bring unique challenges both during the training leading up to the race as well as race day...and this was no exception.

First of all, I was overwhelmed by the size of the city and its beloved marathon race. With over 45,000 participants and spectators lining the streets for most every bit of the 26.2 mile course...it is difficult to describe what it was like. I don't think there was ever a time during the race that I was not "heel to toe" with other poeple...dodging in and out of runner traffic...a sea of runners ahead of me, behind me, and all around me.

Just getting to the race itself presented some challenges...the weather was an unexpected 30 degrees at start (not bad though...certainly better than running in the heat), our hotel was 1.3 miles from the start and cabs could not get down there. Also, the starting line was so crowded by the time we arrived, we wound up climbing a fence just to stand shoulder to shoulder with a street packed full of runners in the starting corral.

Up until about 3 weeks before the race, I had been preparing myself well and quite frankly had several long training runs that went off without a hitch. I was poised for a strong marathon run ahead. Then, on my last long run before Chicago, I experience a foot injury. I went from being told by my doctor that I might be on crutches for 8 weeks to getting MRI results that led him to say I could "go try, but it was a longshot I would finish". I did have over 2 and half weeks to let it heal...the problem was NO RUNNING. I've not seen many marathon training plans that say COMPLETELY STOP RUNNING 3 weeks before the race (maybe I should write a book called "The Extreme Taper"). Anyway, I rode my bike a lot but my legs no doubt began to adjust to their new "no pounding" life.

I thought about a short run a few days before the race, but chickened out in the end...figuring I'd rather not find out until I was already up there and going.

I went into the race saying two things....1) just finishing would be an awesome privilege given my foot injury and 2) if I did finish...anything quicker than 4 hours would be great.

Well, for the first half of the race, things went great. I felt great...didnt run too hard but still had a good strong pace. I finished the first half (13.1 miles) in 1:52 minutes...on pace for a 3:40:00 or so marathon! No foot pain! As I kept going, I started going a bit faster...feeling good still. Then, around mile 20...it all just fell apart. I have no idea why, but for some reason, my legs simply locked up. I had cramps in my quads, calves, and basically everywhere. I tried for several miles to run through it, but things just kept getting worse. I stopped about 3 or 4 times trying to stretch, but couldnt even get my legs to stretch at all. One one of the last stretch stops, I walked over to the side and started looking around for the "assistance areas"...I was, in my mind, debating whether or not I would QUIT. It was about mile 23. As I'm standing there on the side, facing my moment of truth, one of the many spectators from the side comes up to me, looks me in the eye and she says..."don't give up...you've worked too hard". Now I have no idea why she would take the time to come over and say that to me...better yet, why she or any of those other people take the time to come out and cheer for people running through the streets. Needless to say, I limped back in...running very slow and hating how it felt, but overall finishing the race and accomplishing the two goals I stated above. My finish time was 3 hrs 48 min...12 min ahead of what I said I would be happy with. Yet, since I finished so poorly, I was anything but happy.

As I've spent the last few days learning to walk again (ha ha), I have also been reminded of Hebrews 12:1-2. I think about all those people lined on the streets of Chicago (not like they knew who I was or anything)...and I think about this one person who took the time to stop by and say those words of encouragement to me. I think about my group of friends that I went with and how we encouraged one another.

You see, I think we often forget that we have a "great cloud of witnesses" all around us. I think we often face struggles in our Christian walks where we, just like I did, start looking around for the "assistance areas"...that's right...maybe even to quit. The difference is...in our Christian lives, we may not always fully see or realize the great cloud of witnesses. We may not always even fully grasp who is encouraging us OR who we may be an encouragement to. You never know just who may be on the virge of quiting the race, until you offer encouragement to them..in ways that you might not even realize. I know, it's not easy running this race, and sometimes we feel tired, weary, and, to keep the analogy going, we hurt all over. But remember, no matter what you're faced with...no matter how you might feel...read Hebrews 12:2, reflect on the cloud of witnesses around you and DON'T GIVE UP! YOU'VE WORKED TOO HARD...