Week 9, Run 3

Exactly 60 days ago today, I walked inside my house, cold, sweaty, tired, and defeated. I had to admit to the fact that I was completely out of shape. I could barely run for a minute straight, let alone do it eight times in one session! In those next few days, I would dread walking through the house, and cringe at the thought of walking up or down stairs. I wasn’t feeling very committed to this whole running thing yet, but I made myself push through the first couple of weeks, just to say that I tried.

However, once I reached the end of the first week, something strange happened. I felt like I had done something. I felt like I could do it for another week. So that’s exactly what I did that week. And the week after. And the week after. And so on.

The hardest part of those weeks was week 5. That was the week where my mind and my body decided that we were in this thing for good. Running had become a new part of my life, and I wasn’t about to let go of it. Right about now, this post might sound a bit too sentimental and cheesy. But that’s okay, because it’s the truth!

So, today I went for my run. Run #27 out of 27. I’ve looked ahead on my calendar the past few months, and thought how far away today seemed. But, just like other days, this one finally arrived, and I was ready for it! So, I got started on week 9, run 3: running for 30 minutes with no breaks.

During those 30 minutes, the strangest things happened. My iPod broke. It started snowing. It stopped snowing and rained a little. The sun came out and warmed me so much I had to take of my jacket. Claire stopped talking.

But I overcame all these things, because I’ve learned how to cope with obstacles during the past 60 days. I realize that persevering is more important than getting bogged down by your surroundings. You can’t choose what happens to you, but you choose how you respond to what happens. This might be one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life. Perseverance. I only hope that others will be impacted and choose to persevere no matter what happens. A Bible verse that has really helped me in the past few weeks is Hebrews 10:36:

”You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

So, these are my closing words for this part of my journey. Thanks for joining me as I’ve progressed, and I hope you’ll choose to join me when it’s time to take another big step. As for you, keep it up, and remember that your journey, no matter how large it may be, all Starts with 1 Step.