On choosing to do "Hard"...

"Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory"
-William Barclay

Never in 30 years of competitive racing have I been late to the start of a race. I can’t explain why, but knowing the Tsali Frosty Foot Trail races had staggered starts (9, 10, 11 AM) and thinking my 50K race started at 10, I pulled into the parking lot and started walking to the registration tent to pick up my chip. I asked a fellow participant which race he was doing (30K) and I told him I was doing the 50K – he replied, “Your race started 22 minutes ago”. Within a matter of seconds I had to make a choice – do I turn around and go home recognizing I didn’t stand a chance at doing well, feeling sorry for myself the entire way home, or do I change as quickly as possible and start running?

I immediately made peace with my circumstance. I was already over 2 miles behind the last competitor, with 31 miles to run, over some nasty up and down terrain on an overcast, wet, and cool January morning. As I took off I intentionally decided that I’d banish any negative thoughts (like how could I be so stupid to think the race started at 10!) and focus on two things – chasing down the people in front of me, and the finish line. I realized that negative thoughts and self-flagellation would only serve to deplete needed energy stores, and that the race was long enough to recover some time on those who had gone out too fast. I also knew that unfortunately, I’d be running for nearly five hours all by myself. Those who would be running my pace would remain 22 minutes ahead of me the whole day.

I don’t know how to explain it but the race was one of the most difficult yet enjoyable I have ever done. I passed the first competitor 37 minutes into my run. I passed my 44th competitor 4 hrs and 45 minutes in, at the 30 mile mark. I have no idea how many people finished ahead of me. It didn’t matter. I ran every mile with increasing pace, despite the mud and muck (made worse by the rains which arrived mid-race), fueled by the knowledge that I had chosen to run when I could have packed it in. I had strength enough to sprint the last mile, despite the deep pain I was feeling, knowing that I had run not under my own power but under His – and that He has always seen me through “hard.”

This race was, for me, a wonderful metaphor for life and adversity. Things won’t always go as planned or designed. We'll make mistakes. But we’ll always have a choice. We can give up or we can go on. When we do choose to press on, “hard” will happen. Conditions will get messy, things will get painful, and we will grow weary. But we must never lose faith. We must keep our focus on the finish line that God has promised is awaiting our arrival, and along the way we’ll gain both the wisdom and the strength to persevere - while bringing glory to the One who has made it all possible. BELIEVE!