There is Something About Crossing the Finish Line

And no, it was not me that crossed the finish line. Hello people? I just had a baby 6 weeks ago. What do you expect from me? I can not run 26.2 miles in this season of my life. However, me and 4 of my friends did run the RELAY in the OKC Memorial Marathon today and I will post some pics at the bottom! But this blog post is focused on what I felt as I was there standing at the finish line waiting for Elizabeth to finish the last leg of our relay......

I do not know if it was because in 2007 I did run the full 26.2 miles in the OKC Memorial Marathon and I know how the people felt today as they crossed the finish line...

Or I do not know if it is because I just had a baby a few weeks ago and am highly hormonal that made me so emotional....

But there was something today that made me just want to sob.....

Was it the woman with one leg that ran the full marathon as she pushed a handicap girl (her daughter?) in a wheelchair?

Was it the man with down syndrome that crossed the finish line with the biggest smile I have EVER seen?

Was it the dad that carried his daughter that last mile and crossed the finish line with her?

Was it the man that held up his hands in the air and loudly thanked God for helping him finish all 26.2 miles and cross that finish line?

Was it the men that wheeled themselves in their wheelchair 26.2 miles? (I can not even imagine how their arms must have felt).

Was it the relay team of girls that were running to fight leukemia and they all 5 held hands as they crossed the finish line?

Was it the people that were running in memory or honor of someone? a family member? a friend? a neighbor? a co-worker?

I do not know what it was, but there was something I saw as they all crossed the finish line:
A huge accomplishment. A mindset that was not giving up. A goal that was reached.

Their faces said it all. It was HIGHLY EMOTIONAL (hormonal or not, okay?) I am so proud of everyone that ran in it. If you ran the full marathon, the half marathon, the relay, the walk, etc, CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a HUGE DEAL!

People ask me how did I run 26.2 miles? How long did I train for it? What made me do it? etc.... It is a rather long story but I will try to sum it up in a relative short way.... (however I am known for making a short story longer by adding details.... I will try to be brief).

I did it for one reason.
For the symbolism.

I ran 26.2 miles so I could learn more about what it means to be a Christian.

For instance, being a Christian is not easy. You do not just "commit your life to Christ" and everything is "hunky-dory" (is that even a word)? It takes work. You have got to "train," if you will, to be Christian. What does training consist of? Getting to know the Lord more. Reading His word. Praying. Talking to Him. Studying. Talking about Him to others, etc.

Same thing with a marathon. You do not just show up on race day, never running a mile in your life, and run 26.2 miles. You have to train. Start off slow. Run only 1 mile. Run only 1 miles a few times in a row. Slowly move it up. Eat right. Drink right. Wear the right clothes (for instance, I can NOT run in t-shirts to save my life... I HAVE to wear a tank top if I want to have a successful run. I know, it's weird. Don't judge). It takes months of training.

You CAN NOT GIVE UP. Do you know how hard it was for me to train for the marathon? You have NO IDEA (unless you have done it before, then you probably can relate). It was the hardest freakin' thing I have ever done. So is being Christian.

You can NOT GIVE UP being a Christian.

Will you have bad days? Yes.
Will you struggle? Yes.
Will you do things that do not make sense to other people and perhaps be judged for it by them or "persecuted" for your decisions? Yes.
Will you give up? No.

You have got to persevere when it gets hard. Period. You have got to trust the Lord that leads you. Period. (I say "you" but please know I am preaching to myself here, amen?) You have got to know that His ways are higher than our ways. Period. You have got to know that there is a purpose for what you are going through. Period.

I ran that day for the Lord.
I ran that day to be changed.
I ran that day as a symbol as my walk with the Lord.

I will train. I will not give up. I will persevere when it gets hard.

You want to get to know God better? Train for a marathon. I promise you, you will be changed. And it will be the most rewarding experience of your entire life. And it will be one of the biggest accomplishments you will ever have.

It will be hard.

But, oh, it will be so worth it!

(These are tiny pictures, but these are from 2007 when I ran the full marathon).

Crossing the finish line.... Can not even describe that feeling!!!!

Below, are the pictures from this morning at the OKC Memorial Marathon 2009.

TEAM ADDIE
Sara- ran 7.6 miles
Amanda- ran 3.1 miles
Tyler- ran 3.1 miles
Elizabeth- ran 6.2 miles
Deborah (missing)- ran 6.2 miles
TOTAL=26.2 miles
WAY TO GO TEAM ADDIE!!!The Finish Line....
19,000 people ran in the Marathon. Thousands of others were volunteers! It was all amazing!

Running for my sweet princess: Addie