Well, I ran my first full marathon this past weekend at the Mississippi River Marathon.....Actually, I ran, walked and thought about crawling the last few miles. It was TOUGH! We met at 5:45 in the morning to board school buses in Greenville. They then bused us over to Chicot County state park in Lake Village, AR. It was about 34 degrees at that point. Thankfully they had a few bonfires and plenty of port-a-potties. The gun went off at 8:00 a.m. out in the middle of nowhere in Lake Village. About 440 folks took off all around the oxbow lake. It was a beautiful start. The people of Lake Village were so nice and happy to co-host the event. The highlight was the mayor and City Council dancing and cheering everyone on around mile 6. The first 10 miles went quickly. At the halfway mark we reached the new Highway 82 bridge. I welcomed the incline after all of the flat running, but I did not welcome the concrete or the wind in my face. That lasted until the end of the race! I kept saying if I could make it 20 miles, then I knew I could make it to the finish. There were times that I couldn't even feel my legs and I prayed......ALOT! I met so many nice people along the way who encouraged me and made me laugh. It was a perfect day and I was so happy to see John Bret, John Parker and Avery at the finish line. I started my running journey during Lent 2 years ago. I never thought I would EVER run a marathon--but I am really glad that I did. One of my bosses said, "I guess you can do anything that you set your mind to." I guess he's right. That's why I like running. It's time for me to be alone with my thoughts--to pray, think through things and plan for the future. (5 hours and 40 minutes gave me alot of time!!) It also makes me feel confident and strong. One of my friends sent me the picture above with Psalm 26:2 a few days before the race. I love it. As we prepare for the upcoming Lenten season, I am reminded that nothing we go through remotely compares to what Jesus went through. I hope we all enjoy our Lenten journey and remember His ultimate sacrifice.
