RUNNING FOR THE BIGGER PICTURE

"If I give all I possess to the poor, and give my body over to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."  I Corinthians 13:3, NIV

I am fighting an unfamiliar feeling right now.

I have a half-marathon race on the docket a week from this morning, and I'm not giving much thought or concern to how fast I run it.

Now, anyone who knows me knows I have a ten-mile wide competitive streak. And that streak runs widest when I am competing with myself. So, to look toward a race and not have a concrete time focus is unusual to say the least.

This definitely does not mean I do not want to run the race well - I do.

But during the last few training runs, I have noticed I am not running with this race in mind.

I am, instead, focused squarely on a couple of bigger picture goals.

First, I am attempting to break the 2,000-mile mark this year for the first time since I started running 7 1/2 years ago. Even a year or two ago, the idea that such a mark would ever be possible seemed far-fetched at best. Now, with a little over 100 days left in 2017, the total is well within reach.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, I am targeting a race next April which for me is as significant as any race I have ever undertaken - the Blue Ridge Half Marathon in Roanoke, VA.

Why is this race so important to me? Because it will be the first opportunity I have had to run with other members of my race team, Care Runners, for an incredible local charity. And, by all accounts, it will easily be the most challenging half-marathon course I have ever undertaken. Suffice to say, the course will give new meaning to the term "uphill battle".

Because of the significance of the race, and the significant challenges posed by the course, my preparation focus has already turned toward that race, even though I know it's still seven months plus a few days away.

It's going to take great deal of work, both in the training department, and in the fundraising department. The trip will not come cheap, and a right now it feels like it will take a miracle to make it work. But I run excited, knowing God is in the miracle business.

But I digress slightly.

What does all of this have to do with the race next Sunday in Hutchinson?

With a bigger picture in mind, I just want to run the race to enjoy the course. Though it might change when I hit the starting line in a week, right now I am not even certain I am going to aim for a raceday pace. I will probably pace it faster than a training run, but likely I will not be actively pursuing any time goals in the process.

But are we not supposed to always give the Lord our best? Absolutely, and I believe Scripture is very clear on that. But I believe it is also clear we do so with the bigger picture, the true finish line in mind. 

In Hebrews 12, we are told to run the race marked out before us with perseverance. And for a runner, sometimes that "race" is bigger than one race. We aim, instead, to give the Lord our best in the larger task set before us. And for me, right now, as a runner, that task is Blue Ridge.

Besides, I look back on this summer, and the amazing things that the Lord has allowed me to accomplish as a runner, and as a man, and I realize now that I do not have to go into every race with something to prove - to myself, or to anyone else.

I have set three PR's this summer at three different distances, but in looking back on that, the times themselves are not even the important part. In the half-marathon in June, I ran a beautiful race with my twin sister, Diana, who has been, and still is, one of my greatest inspirations. In the 5k in July, I got to participate with my Dad, Jim, who has, more than anyone, taught me what it means to be the best I can be at whatever I undertake. More than anything, he taught me what it means to be a strong Christian husband and father, what it means to be dedicated to, and sacrifice for, my family.

And finally, in the 10k in August, I got to be at the finish line to see my best friend in the world, my wife Staci, accomplish more than she thought she could, and take the first steps of a bigger picture journey of her own as she supports her own family in their battles.

The moral of the story?

In each of these races, what I will remember is not what the clock said when I crossed the finish line, but that in each instance, I got to be there at the end to see three of the most important people in my life accomplish amazing things.

And this, ultimately, has been my greatest shift in perspective, not just as a runner, but as a man. For me, it's no longer about personal accomplishments, as it once was. Though I will always be competitive, and always seek to push myself, personal results are no longer what drives me.

I am blessed by God to be able to share my life with so many amazing people - countless friends, two amazing families, a beautiful wife and treasure of a daughter. The best memories of my life are ones shared with these people. Praise God, I never have to run the race of life alone.

So, I guess when I think about it, that truly is the bigger picture - love, and the people the Lord gives us to share His love with. Scripture is clear that nothing we do matters without love.

He's given me a grand opportunity to share His love with others with a pair of running shoes, and to share treasured time with the ones I love doing the same. In seven months, when I lace up my shoes in Virginia, I will get to do both of those things on a scale I never imagined possible, and only possible because of His love for me.

That, truly, is the bigger picture.