Today is a big day.  I’ve recounted these over the last couple of years, but today I stepped on the track at Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, VA and ran/walked a mile or 4 laps. It wasn’t too back, except that it was hot.  The next day I went out and did the same thing.  Since I had just had a birthday, I wasn’t so sure that I was going to make it to my next birthday.  But every other day I would go out and run/walk some more miles – till about eight weeks later, I ran an entire 4 miles and by November I ran in my first 5K (3.1 miles) and didn’t finish last.  I finished that race in 36:59.  I was so proud that I finished in under 37 minutes.  That was a serious accomplishment, especially for someone who was still over 250 pounds.  We had a tough winter that year in Staunton, so over the winter it was tough to stay consistent…but I tried and had a good accountability partner.  I wasn’t really serious about running for another year, but I stayed consistent.  It wasn’t until I wanted to start running some longer races that I got serious.

Running is simple, but it isn’t easy.  I am a testimony to that.  Our senior pastor at the time had tried to help several others run, but it never took.  By myself, I had tried to lose weight several times, but it never took.  But with some gentle encouragement and much patience and a willingness to be out of breath and to work hard, I was able to accomplish what others have not done.  Over the last year or two I have struggled with injuries…that has made the last two years difficult, but I am thankful that for some reason, my natural running form has come back and over the last month, I am running better and slowly – as I take the weight back off – I am getting faster.

Seven year of pressing on and counting!