Comparisons can be dangerous!

Tonight I went and worked out with the All Amador Marathone League. First we did a mile run. Ok, the mile has NEVER been my strong point. So why I want to run marathons are beyond me! Perhaps I have lost my mind? That would be more realistic! I barely made it through the mile and was last in line. My calves were wrenched in knots and felt as if the muscles were tearing. Nice huh? Well as I was at the end of the line, coming in at last place I started to compare myself to the other runners and people participating in the group tonight. I started to think that perhaps I wasn't cut out for this group. Perhaps this was just too much? Should I go back to my walking until I got more strength? I started to think about how these people were so much further then I was and let me tell you, those are some dangerous thoughts. I mean if everyone did that we would all just quit on the spot. My mind was not in the right place during that mile. Again, the mile was never my strong point. HOWEVER, I am going to make that change. The mile WILL be my strongest point yet.

As I was lagging back at the end of the line I realized that I was there. That was my accomplishment. I was there and I was doing my best to change my life. That is my accomplishment for the day. I'm changing my life now! As we speak I am changing my life. So what if I come in last. So what if people have to wait for me to finish the mile. I WILL FINISH THAT MILE! The fact that I was even there, was awesome!

This reminded me of an specific event in my high school track and field career. I was running the 300hurdles. It was about 1/4 mile I think. Not sure on that. I could be completely off. However, I was at the top of my game. This should have been MY RACE. I should have come in top 3. Although God did not have that planed for me. I ate it hard on the first hurdle. Coming right out of the gate I tripped and ate it into the gravel track. I can't tell you how badly this hurt my entire innner soul and ego. It hurt bad. The bloody scrapes not so much. I couldn't even feel those. So people started to run to my side to check on me. When I realized what had happened, I got up, pushed through the people that came to my aid, and started to jog along. I could barely get over the hurdles, but I did it. I didn't stop, nothing could have stopped me. I pulled very ounce of strength out of my body to finish that race. As I heard clapping from the stadiums, I looked forward to see who had won, it was then that I realized they weren't clapping for the winner, they were clapping for me! I kept going.... pulling from the inner most core of my soul and finished that race. I received a standing ovation that day. I got more clapping then the winner did.

It was that day, and last night that it wasn't about who won, but it was about finishing the race you started out on. So I finished tonights mile. I will also finish many more. This life is a journey and I plan to finish every race I set out on.