My second 5k race went to the dogs…literally. Last Saturday was the Dog Jog downtown, where two and four-legged runners turned out to pound the pavement and support the local animal shelter. For the dog-less among us (guess who) , you could “rent-a-dog” from the shelter, and I was handed the lease to a friendly pooch named Libby. She dragged me around to sniff everything possible before the race and jogged along quite happily once we got going, before tuckering out halfway through.

This was the first time my dad and I have ever run together….and he totally showed me up! (So not fair when I’m the one making all those trips to the gym.) We finished in 39:24 (3 min. under my last race – woot!) and he could’ve easily outrun me. Which he won’t let me forget, either. As it was he got second place in his age group while I was still gasping for breath!

I see a rematch in our future…

:: View Photos ::

Running has always been one of those things I wanted to do. I can’t count the times I’ve seen someone jogging down the sidewalk and thought “Man, I wish I could do that!”. Within the past year, I have slowly been working to turn that dream into reality.

There is something very personal about running that I love. God has let the process help me see some things about life. I’ve had some physical ups and downs that almost discouraged me altogether and sent me back to “start”. But thanks to some prodding encouragement and more patience and hard work, I have made steady progress the last 3 months. It may seem tiny to others, but to me it is huge. So, I decided it was time to celebrate with a race!

My first 5k – 3.1 miles. The big day arrived at 8:30am this Saturday. I pinned on my race bib, strapped a timing chip around my ankle, and took off from the start line with over 200 other runners and walkers. It was GREAT!!

Of course there were way more people ahead of me than behind me, but the game plan was just to have fun and enjoy the experience! And I did, keeping a steady pace on my merry little running/walking way through the pleasant neighborhood. I was amazed and inspired to see the lead runner come pounding past on his way back to the finish while I was checking off mile 1. *smile*

Approximately 43 minutes later (I am unsure of my final time until the results are posted) – surprisingly under my “wishful” time of 45 and expected time of 50, I had the exhilarating feeling of crossing THE FINISH LINE!! What a thrill. *grin*

I’m already planning my next one…

Above and below: my support team! my brother & dad

The race staging grounds

Ready to go

And we’re off!

The blur is because I was going soooo fast…haha

And 40+ minutes later… I call this the “return of the lone runner” haha

Crossing the finish!

Tired and hot – but happy

I’m claiming this one!

With the weather outside something frightful, or at least too chilly for my taste, the dawn of January found me checking into a local gym. (Ah…..let me savor the moment of how impressive that sounded. Okay, got it. Sorry.)

I’d never been to a gym before and to be quite honest, all the weird looking machines and people and general bustle was rather intimidating. I felt a little apprehensive that first Monday as I trotted up the stairs in my blue & green Nikies to the main floor. I started my warm-up walk around the track, which circled the perimeter of the respective workout areas. This gave me some time to take in the environment, notice where everything was located, and observe the general activity.

With each step my apprehension gave way to confidence and a sense of belonging…and strangely enough, inspiration. I started to notice the diversity of people present. White-haired ladies to middle-aged men to college students, some trim, some not so trim, from all walks of life and professions. And they were all there for the same basic reason of strengthening their body for a healthier lifestyle.

Some were lifting weights, some were pounding the treadmill; others biked away while reading their paper, or walked circles like I was. And I cheered each of them on in my heart. Because they were there, They were changing something. To quote runner John Bingham, “The miracle is not that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” And to me, that is really worth something.

After hopping on the treadmill for what one could say was a moving experience (sorry, bad pun), I cooled down on the track again and then procured myself one of the bright blue mats for an extended dose of stretching. Staring up at the purple-pink ceiling with the whir of ellipticals and treadmills and the clank of weights echoing through the open air, I realized what a wonderfully stimulating environment this place called the gym was. Just being there, surrounded by all those people made me more excited about what I was doing; it made me want to keep coming back.

That experience got me thinking about the family of God. And how being part of that family bears resemblance to being part of a gym community.

As Christians, we’re all on an individual journey – a specific “work-out plan”. We’re at different places learning different things. Some of us are just walking, some of us are running, some of us are lifting weights, and some of us are doing a whole lot of stretching. But the point is, we all have the same goal and the same pursuit – serving Jesus Christ. And that fact alone makes it inspiring to be with each other. That fact alone should make us cheer one another on.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13

I am so grateful for the beautiful gift God has given me as part of His family – built in workout partners! Whether we share and train closely together, give a smile and word of encouragement as we’re jogging by, or just observe the workings of God in lives from afar – well, it’s plain motivating.

So lace on those shoes and look around – you’re not alone!