A few weeks ago I experienced my first Chicago marathon – from the comfort of the sidewalk in front of my new home. I watched in amazement as people of all shapes and sizes ran by in the rain with smiles on their faces. Granted it was only mile 8 but still. I was watching for my friend Holley who was running in her first marathon. Although I missed her in the sea of runners, I couldn’t help but marvel at the incredible goal she and others had set out to accomplish. And don’t even get me started on the ones who can run 26.2 miles in under 2 1/2 hours. That is some epic shit!
The picture with this post is from 2014. Our shirts say “Suck it up Buttercup”. My girlfriends and I did this 5K obstacle course and we had a blast. Holley is the one on the far left. This was the year I turned 50 and I decided to run 50K over the course of the year. It was a great goal and one I am proud to have accomplished but my running days are over, just like that phase in my life where I decided to be a brunette. (I’m third from the right.)
Holley finished the marathon in under 6 hours despite twisting her ankle halfway through. I can’t imagine running for 6 hours, especially with the added pain of an injury. Our bodies are pretty amazing and my friend Holley is amazing for sure. What she did is EPIC.
For those of us that don’t run (or gave it up) it may be hard to understand why Holley and thousands like her would spend so much TYM training to pursue such an outrageous goal. I didn’t ask Holley why she did this but I imagine she would say the sense of accomplishment in reaching such an EPIC goal made all the hard work and sacrifice worth it. In my running days, I never experienced a “runner’s high” but I can imagine that crossing a finish line after running 26.2 miles would be a life altering experience.
Shortly after the marathon, I started a bible study. Our small group is reading the Circle Maker – Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson. Although I am only a few chapters in, I am learning a lot about prayer and becoming a better prayer warrior. I’ve learned that God wants us to pray boldly and with intensity. He wants us to take risks and to be specific and imagine the impossible.
God is answering my prayers and I’m learning to praise him for that even before the outcomes are revealed to me. (Stay tuned for a post on Dating 301 which I guarantee will be nothing like my Dating 101 and 201 woes.)
As I’ve practiced some new prayer skills, I have been listening to what God is calling me to do in this next chapter of my life. As this plan unfolds it is exciting to see how the seeds were planted many years ago, prior to Rick’s accident. Looking back, I can see how God has been revealing his plan to me over time and as I pray with boldness, the plan is becoming clearer…..and super exciting!
Although I am not ready to share the details, I will say that my future plan will honor Rick’s legacy to “MakeTym”. And boy oh boy will it be EPIC!