Godspeed, Lisa
I met Lisa a few weeks ago at the Redbud Classic in Oklahoma
City. We each lined up somewhere along the 10k starting line with the sun
beating down on us. At 2 p.m., we were off. This was my first-ever 10k, and I
had been training for it off and on since August. I knew I could complete it
because I had run this distance several times on the streets of Stillwater.
Running has become part of my routine and every Saturday, Oliver and I head out
on a miles-long journey. But this race was different than all those mornings.
It was an afternoon, which happened to be the warmest day in a while. Lucky us!
I could tell it would be a challenge when I stopped to walk around the 2-mile
mark.
I am not a fast runner, but I try to remind myself that slow
and steady finishes the race. So mentally, all the stopping and going left me feeling a little defeated. But I kept
going, running when I could and walking when I needed to. The Redbud Classic is
fun because it winds through neighborhoods. People sit out on their lawns to
cheer on and encourage the runners. And some very nice homeowners go the extra
mile. They drag out their water hoses and provide a cool shower to those
passing by. I kept an eye out for these special people and ran toward the water
every chance I got. Before I got there, I would imagine the cool sprinkles
hitting my burning skin to relieve the heat - if only for a short moment. And
every single time, when I actually got to the water, it was cooler than I’d
expected, taking my breath away in a wonderful way.
So I went on like this for a few miles. Somewhere along
the way, I got a little too close to the water hose and ended up drenching my
right side. Water covered my glasses and I could feel it in my ear, so I took
out my right headphone to let it dry. A few blocks later, Lisa walked up to me
and asked why on earth they make us run in the afternoon. We laughed and
started talking. For about a mile or so, we talked about training, our jobs and
her family. I was convinced that God had put me in her path for a
reason, so we ran/walked together. Around 5 ½ miles I asked her if she had any
children and she told me about them. She also shared that she had struggled to
get pregnant with her second, enduring multiple miscarriages. It was about this
point that I realized God her put her in my path, too, to speak life and
encouragement to me.
We couldn’t see the finish line until we were about 2 tenths
of a mile in front of it, but we didn’t let that stop us. We both kept going.
Although we had prepared and trained for a better race, we were where we were,
and we weren’t going to let that stop us from finishing. It took us longer than
the huge crowd that had passed the race before us, but had my sole focus been
on achieving the best time possible, I wouldn’t know Lisa. I wouldn’t have had
the opportunity to learn from her example.
Running has been a healing thing for me since we had our
miscarriage in July. It’s given me little goals to strive for when the rest of
my life has felt like it’s on pause. It has taught me that with enough focus
and effort, I can do things that I at one time saw as impossible. But most
importantly, this race in particular, taught me that God’s agenda is so much
better than my own.
Lisa and I ended up finishing the race only a few minutes
behind my trail runs. How, I’m not exactly sure, but those minutes were worth
it, and I’m thankful for the way God worked in my life on that day.
So, as Lisa faces the half tomorrow morning, I am thinking of
her and praying that her race brings her closer to Him.
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