“But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength.” Isaiah 40:31
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| Post-race picture with Yvonne and Joshua |
After months of training and planning, October 13 finally
arrived! I was excited to
tackle my first marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. It was a beautiful morning and perfect
running weather.
I’m grateful for all my family and friends who have
supported and encouraged me throughout my training and on race day. I’m grateful that I was able to run to
raise support ($4,445… praise God!) for the children and youth of Bethesda
Church in Bolivia. These gifts are
going to go a long way in providing care and resources for young followers of Jesus in Bolivia!
My motto and prayer going into the race was “weak made
strong.” I knew that I
needed Christ’s strength and presence to endure and fight through the
challenge. Near the end, I reached a point of desperation where I knew I had
nothing left within me, and I started to pray Isaiah 40:31. God gave me new strength to carry me
through the final part of the race, and I give Him all thanks that I was able
to finish.
I came so close to my
goal of breaking the 4 hour barrier.
My official time was 4:00:49. I will walk you through the race and some of my thoughts at the
different points.
Miles 1 - 3
I knew the first few miles would be tough. I typically feel a little sluggish at
the beginning of a run, and the marathon was no exception. It also didn’t help that the pace group
I was running with started extremely fast (40 seconds faster than race pace on
a couple of the first miles). I was
looking at my watch in surprise. My body definitely felt the fast
start. I got to see Yvonne,
Joshua, and my parents around mile 3.
That was awesome! It
definitely gave me a boost, and I gave Joshua a high five as I ran past
them.
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| Getting ready to give Joshua a high five |
Mile 5
At mile 5, I finally started to get in a rhythm and was
feeling better about the run. I
stopped at every aid station to take Gatorade and walked for a few seconds to
make sure I could drink it all and stay hydrated. Honestly, throughout the race, every time I saw an aid station,
it was a tremendous blessing! My
body was thankful for the sugar and the energy boost.
Mile 12
I was hoping to see my family again around mile 11, but I
missed them since they were on the other side. At first, I was really bummed about it, but then God
reminded me of His presence and picked me up. I got ahead of the pace group at this point in the race and
was feeling really good running solo.
But I didn’t want to risk getting too far ahead of myself with 14 miles
to go. So I slowed down and
re-joined the pace group.
Mile 16
I had one of those defining moments at mile 16, when I asked
myself the question, “Why am I doing this?” It was a moment of doubt. But then, I started thinking about the kids at Bethesda
Church in Bolivia and began to pray for them. The song, “You’re Beautiful” by Phil Wickham
came on my playlist. As I listened
to this beautiful song reminding me who God is, I was running up a hill towards
Willis Tower in the distance reflecting on the greatness and awesomeness of our
God. It was one of the best
moments of the race for me.
Mile 21
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| Running through China Town |
I saw my family again around mile 21 in China Town. Again, it was a big boost, and I stopped
to give Yvonne a kiss and told her I love her. 5 more miles to go, and I was feeling okay.
Mile 22
Potential disaster almost struck around mile 22. I was trying to pass someone,
and my left foot hit the curb causing me to be in an awkward position. I felt like I got shot in the leg
as a cramp screamed up the back of my right leg. I have never experienced a
cramp like this. At this point in the race, I had already seen so many
people cramping up and having to stop and stretch. Feelings of fear started to creep in. Do I need to stop? Do I need to walk the rest of the
way? I kept going and after about
a half mile, the cramp went away.
Thank you, Lord.
Miles 23 - 26.2
At mile 23, I started to feel empty like I had
nothing left. I wasn’t sure
how I was going to finish the final 3 miles. It felt like such a long way to go. I started praying Isaiah 40:31 and asking God for new
strength. I waited on Him
and around mile 25, God gave me something extra to get through that final
mile.
For some reason though, that final 0.2 mile is no joke! You would think that after 26 miles,
0.2 miles would be easy. But it is
not... especially in Chicago because you turn and go up a hill. You make another turn and then
you eventually see the finish line. I pumped my fist when I saw the finish line. Finally!
When I was walking out of Grant Park to meet my family, that
is when I started to get emotional and felt what I had just accomplished. 26.2 miles… crazy!
I’m so thankful to God for this milestone and
experience. I know that God gave
me new strength to meet a challenge that was harder than I ever thought. I am a marathon finisher and am excited to continue running for God’s glory!
