Real Runners

I listened to real runners tell their stories this past Saturday morning. Nearly all of them said they were "late onset runners"--coming to the sport later in life. This was the first morning of the Fleet Feet Half-Marathon Training. I'm surprised how often I question the decision to do this event. I've been training since the end of May, and I've run the distance that was set for this morning's run many times. Still, pulling into the parking lot early Saturday morning, I found myself asking again, "What were you thinking?" And once more, when the training schedule was handed out, "Really, what are you thinking?"

One of the things I like about running is the other people who run. Generally speaking, runners are friendly--encouraging--struggling with their own challenges and not particularly worried about yours. The judging voice is my own. Too old--too fat--too slow. I'm the one saying those things. The people I meet on the road and trails have other things on their mind.

One of the songs I listen to while running includes the line, "One day I'll be perfect. I'll be so extraordinary. I will shine. I will radiate." It's a love song--but it reminds me of my faith--that God invites us to keep moving toward perfection. Of course, there's a difference between physical and spiritual perfection, but I hear the connection in the words: to keep trying; to stay strong when possible and recover when you must; to listen to the wisdom of others along the way; to encourage others along the way; to prepare for the challenges and to know that something wonderful awaits just a little further down the road.

There's a point in my runs when the judging voice is finally quiet and I can just run--I actually find a rhythm and the trail holds nothing but promise. It's a good place to be. I still struggle to think of myself as a "real runner." They're the people with the long legs and the fast times. But I'm getting there.