In Me

'Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind you shine Your light on me
'Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your Truth, and I'll fight with Your Strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

Casting Crowns - In Me

The Detroit FreePress/FlagStar Bank marathon was my 8th marathon/ultra of 2006. It was also my 4th marathon/ultra in the last 43 days. The Under Armour Baltimore marathon, just two weeks prior to Detroit, was a personal best with Detroit being my 3rd best. The 4 marathons/ultras in the last 6 weeks were run in 4 different states including Missouri, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Michigan. The 4 marathons/ultras ran in the spring were in Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia. I qualified for both silver and gold Marathon Maniac status. Not only was my personal best on a challenging course, but it was also the first and only marathon where I ran under 9 minutes every mile of the marathon ranging from 8:23 to 8:58 averaging 8:41. I also realize that these efforts still make me a quarter-pack to mid-pack runner. I am proud of the accomplishments but argue that they are nothing special.

In Detroit, I ran past a young man sitting in his wheel chair. As I casually glided by, I got tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. For that brief moment, his blank stare allowed me to permeate his mind and feel inside his heart. How nice it would be if he could be out there running like the rest of us. That image reappeared throughout the marathon. How lucky I was to be doing what I was doing.

I argue that my accomplishments are nothing special because of the stories of others who overcome tremendous challenges are more inspiring than anything that I could ever do: the people who overcame addictions of smoking, drugs and alcohol; people who participate in the physically challenged divisions; people who have lost 50, 100, 150 pounds and turned a sedentary lifestyle into something active; people who have suffered from abuse and intolerance; people who have fought diseases like cancer and have won or are winning; people who have felt premature loss of those close to them; people who have been depressed and suicidal; people who have felt depleted of life. The reasons for running, stories of those runners and the examples of success can go on forever. These are the people that are doing something special – not me. I would also argue that people in general, not just runners, who have overcome these challenges, are much more courageous and brave than I have ever been. Although I believe that running or an active lifestyle changes an outlook on life, I believe it is more important to have a passion for something. Passion is what drives life whether it is for the people in your life, the work that your do, the beliefs that you have, the hobbies that you pursue, whatever it is, find the passion.

I find myself running for the strength of others. With each run and especially challenging and taxing runs like marathons and ultras, I ask God to take the strength that I am expelling from my mind and body and give it to those in need. This was the purpose of my nine marathons/ultras in 2006. People are dealing with much more in life than trying to get through 3, 5, 10, 13, 26, 31, 50 or 100 miles. Obviously, I am not diminishing the challenges and accomplishments of those who do because many of those who do are doing it to overcome the external challenges in life. However, as existential as it sounds, I hope that my strength is shared among others – runners and non-runners alike – and that God does take the strength coming from my mind and body and gives it to those in need.