He did IMMESURABLY more than I could even Imagine or DREAM OF....
So you might be wondering why am I Training with a group that raises money and awareness for Cancer and Leukemia and not Heart Disease. Because they, like you, came along side me and helped me when I needed it most. They helped me when I did not even know I needed help. They helped me BEFORE I even ask and - they offered it freely...
Five months ago I was determined to make a LIFE DREAM come true. I was in one of those dark days of what if I do not live another year... and I signed up to run The White Rock Marathon. I had been exercising 6 days a week for at least an hour a day doing water aerobics, feeling stronger and healthier everyday. Unfortunately, however I was not running.
The moments of the marathon day will forever be in my memory like those of the day a child is born or you get married. I was scared; yep! and cold, yep! and nervous, oh yes and supported... Praise God, my husband and daughter went with me and God gave me peace in the storm of the DREAM and He provided HELP too...
As I stepped over the starting line... There were over 15,000 runners that day and I held back until they all took off - I had no dream of winning just finishing. As God gave me strength to step over the starting line He sent what I like to call a "Purple Angle" to me. A lady in a Team in Training Purple jersey fell into step beside me. She asked me if this was my first marathon and I said, "Yes!" She talked with me for over 5 miles no stop. She said she was a past Team in Training Coach and if I wanted her to she would help me. Tears began to flow from my eyes as they do now while typing this and she said, "Honey are you o.k.?" I answered, "Yes these are happy tears of thankfulness to God for answering my prayer that He would bring people along side of me when I needed them today."
She smiled and said, "God is good all the time!" :) She taught me a book full of information in 5 miles that day, too much to write here but I will give you a feel for what she taught. As I continued to speed up and run faster, she continued to say, "Susan, ride the waves of energy from the crowd, don't waste your own energy, hold yourself back you will need your energy for the last few miles!" WOW! Looking back those were words of PURE GOLD! When I would drift over to the side of the street she would gently remind me , " Susan come run in the middle of the street with me - it is smooth here and your ankles will thank you latter." Another Gold nugget. When I tried to run through the water stations she calmly said, "Research proves you only save between 5 and 10 min running through water stations - walk, rest and drink. Don't water the freeway, it doesn't need it but your body needs every drop." and "Susan, drink at least one cup of water and at least half a cup of Gatorade at each station." I had planned to skip - not sip but SKIP - the Gatorade because I remembered in high school I thought it made me sick to my stomach. I reluctantly obeyed and I will be forever be thankful I did as I am sure it helped my legs from cramping. "When she noticed I was caring a water bottle she said NEVER let it get less than half full- fill it up at the next water station EVERY TIME." This bit of amazing insight proved lifesaving because I finished the marathon in LESS than record time and the last 4 water stations had been cleaned up and left when I went through them. One of the stations left bottle waters and let me tell you they were like candy to a baby when seen. She asked if I brought gu( energy bars ) or any other food and I said a sheepish, "No - I was not sure about that stuff because I had only run one mile before signing up and so I obviously had not trained using it and I did not want to get sick on it." She talked and talked and as she ran she continue to yell "GO TEAM!" as we ran past people or they ran past us! At mile five she said, "I'm stopping here to wait on some friends and she put three packs of gu in my hand and she said, "Susan, promise me you will take one of these at mile 10, 15 and 20." I said, "Sure, o.k., are you sure?" She gave me alllllll her food. I thanked her and gave her a hug. I never saw her again.
Only I do STILL see her in my MIND - every time I see a Purple shirt and I praise God for bringing her along side of me when I needed it most. I have a feeling she dropped out of the race after giving me her food and I have no doubt she prayed for me over and over that day, along with many of you, because it was ONLY by the grace of God that I finished that race. Along the way God sent another purple angle to run beside me. I actually have a photo with this purple angle! She was a teenager running for the TEAM! She encouraged me and I encouraged her and we ran together for many miles.
At mile 15 I almost gave up but I learned a lesson that day... God in us is STRONGER than we know! I prayed for Him to give me someone to help or someone to help me and he sent both! I noticed a lady on the path ahead of me limping. I asked if she wanted some company and she said, "Yes and smiled!" Her name I will never forget - it was Melissa. Melissa had pulled her hamstring and could not walk without a limp. She was going to have her forthiest birthday in three days and as a teenager, like me, she had promised herself she would run a marathon before she turned 40! She was so determined that as I jogged-shuffled beside her, she was walking so fast with her pulled hamstring I could hardly keep up. Well I'm 7 years older than her I rationalized :)
By mile 17 we would pass water stations as they were cleaning them up and I felt like the trash they were sweeping up - forgotten and left behind. I got a bit depressed and I asked Melissa, "So when are we going to quit?" and she said, "Never! I have the map in my pocket and if EVERYONE goes home I AM going to FINISH as long as my legs will MOVE!" That was allllll I needed to hear and it gave me the IF THEN statement... You know IF my legs do not move THEN I will quit.
I continued to compare the pain to childbirth. I was having contractions but no baby. In my mind, if the pain got as bad as it did before the epidural, I was going to quit. It never did. God is amazing. He made our bodies in such an AMAZING way . My feet and legs went sort of numb but they never stopped moving. At mile 22 I felt the blood ooze out of my blood blisters on my feet but NO PAIN - they were numb. I did feel sharp stabbing pains in my quads when I stepped on or off the curb. After the marathon the pain in my quads was so bad I could hardly even sit on the toilet and had to hold the wall to pull myself off of it but it never hurt as bad a childbirth and I had no mid-night breast feedings to worry about! :)
My husband and daughter walked to meet me at mile 25 and walked me in. Melissa was in better shape than I so when my husband and daughter caught up to me she pushed on to finish faster! I had no hope of being an official finisher that day but you know God is in control and when you don't give up He helps those that help themselves and He was there at that finish line. There were no crowds only the people who clean up and haul the barricades away and three more angels. A man who manually put my time into a machine and two ladies who clapped for me and put the tinfoil blanket around me. There were no more medals but the medal of courage I received that day can never be lost, stolen or burnt; it is in my heart. God also sent two angles in a police car that followed me to the finish line and helped us cross every major intersection. I am NOT proud of running without road training. I am proud of how God in me made a DREAM come true and He helped me finishing what I started that day and.... He sent people along side of me to help me when I needed it most! I want to give back and help others now.
"One step at a time, one mile at a time, one doctors appointment at a time!" This is what I repeat to myself as I run now - this is the team in training motto....
Today I TRAIN with Team in Training: Today I run, Today I swim, Today I ride a bike, and I push past my fear to help raise money for others who are going to the doctor today and pushing past their fear.
God willing I will complete the Toyota / Lifetime Fitness U.S. OPEN TRIATHLON in a few months. This time, I will be trained, and ready for the challenge.
And when I think I can't and I want to give up I still repeat - "I CAN do allllllllllllllll things through Christ who strengthens me!"
YOU can tooooo...
I don't know what fear you are personally pushing past today but I know you have one and I will be praying for you and I thank you for praying for all those who are fighting cancer and Leukemia
and If God leads you... go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training (TNT)web site and donate $20.00
( My goal is to have $1,000 raised by Memorial day. All things are possible with God.)
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