I was smoked by a leprechaun, an 8 year old boy, and a Stormtrooper *pulling an inflated Deathstar!*

This past Saturday, my wife and I ran the Monument Avenue 10K. I was supposed to run it two years ago and conveniently broke my leg a month prior, so got out of it. I have never been a runner and don't claim to be one now. My wife on-the-other-hand has run nearly everyday for the past 10+ years. She has always told me that runners thrive on the endorphins and it simply make the worst of days tolerable when she has run. Again, I don't claim to be a runner and during the race I couldn't shake the word "Poser" from my mind. I'll explain.

I'm not a runner. It hurts. It's hard. YET, two weeks out from the Monument 10k (which hosted over 37,000 people this year) I decided I should maybe train a little. So I ran on a Sunday afternoon and with all my exertion I managed 2.0 miles and hated life. The next day I decided I would not ponder on the thought of running; I simply would just do it because I knew if I didn't run in consecutive days, I wouldn't do it the next day either. I think I ran 2.25 miles. It hurt and I hated life. The next time I ran, I pounded out 4 miles and began to experience that runner's high...good stuff...A few days out from the race I had set a goal of under 50 minutes for 6.2 miles which is ludicrous for a non-runner...and I knew it.

Our wave started at 8:38am and it was 34 degrees. The titanium rod in my leg was icy cold and hurt. My bare legs felt like solidifying concrete in the cold. My hands throbbed. But I managed to have a faster pace than those around me. That was the first 3.1 miles. When I turned the half-way mark I was warmed up and felt good, so I decided I would pick up my pace for a mile or so and to give myself a cushion. I started to role past people...and the faint hints of a cramp in my ribs started to annoy me. I tried breathing it out but to no avail. By mile 4 I was dogging along what seemed to me like I was basically running in place. My wife (the runner) came up behind me and was like "what are you doing" and all I could manage was a glare. That required some explanation after the race that I wasn't glaring cause she was smokin' me but that a cramp was ruining my pride for all my devotion to running. "Poser" is all I could think as I didn't pass another runner the entire rest of the race, YET was passed by a leprechaun, and 8 year old boy, and a Stormtrooper *pulling behind him a freaking 6 foot inflated Deathstar!!!*

"Poser." Who was I kidding that I was now part of the running world after 2 weeks of running. Nursing my cramp and my hurt pride, I decided I would do my best to be happy for my wife. And that was so easy cause she had an amazing time of 47:55, her new personal record that was 4 minutes less than her goal for the race! Way to go babe! I managed 50:55 which surprised the heck out of me. I still don't consider myself a runner, but it's odd because when on a day where I don't run, I now feel like I'm a little less than what I could and should be.

Paul says to Timothy, "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." Believe it or not, some people use this verse as an excuse to not workout. I'm learning that the two complement each other.