Dogwood Canyon 25k October 2013

I'm almost up to date on blog posts about the races I have run with the cross.

In October my wife and I ran the Dogwood 25k, her first official 25k and my first trail run with the cross. One of the best organized, most beautiful, challenging, and toughest trails runs I've ever done. Most of the hills you run up during this race are so steep that as you are going up them if you lean to far forward your nose will touch the hill, a slight exaggeration. I've only seen one runner who did not walk on a majority of these hills, and he was a beast. There are numerous creek crossings, the first couple you try your hardest to keep from getting your feet wet, but eventually you stop worrying and just plow right through.

I didn't get close enough to the start line because of the crowd so once the race started I had to carefully weave my way through the crowd to get into a good spot and pace. Now, all of the races up until this point I only had to worry about being in the way at the race start. But on a trail run, the path is much more narrow and I had to be very careful that I didn't smack anyone with the cross. No one came right out and expressed that I was in their way or that I shouldn't be there. However, some of the other runner's made a few comments in a joking manner, but you could tell they weren't the happiest that I was there. Someone made the comment that I need to put a neon flag on the end of the cross, several other runners made comments about how I need to be careful or else I might hit someone. The entire run if a path was too narrow and a runner was close behind me I would step off to the side to let them ahead or if possible I would run off the path to allow them plenty of room on the path. This got me to thinking. There are a lot of people who are grateful of the work of the cross, but there are a lot of people ashamed of the cross, or who think the cross gets in the way of their day to day life. This is an increasing issue in today's society, where anytime a Christian says something it is viewed as judgmental, hypocritical, etc. We have become afraid to express the teachings of the Bible because we don't want people to become angry with us. Or there are those who couldn't care less, and go about bashing people with their metaphorical cross, causing issues and negative impressions of Christians. It is not our place to judge others, there is one true judge and we will all stand before Him one day. With the little time we have on this earth we need to love all of those around us just like Jesus loved. Jesus didn't go around telling everyone what they are doing wrong and condemn them to hell, He loved them, and died for every single person. So why should we be ashamed to speak of the cross and about God!
 I have run this race before so I was somewhat familiar with how my legs would feel. But because of the extra weight of the cross, with each hill I went up my legs grew weaker and weaker from the added weight of the cross. The legs became heavier and heavier, making it harder and harder to get up each hill. As I walked up those hill, with my free hand I would push off of my thigh to try and keep myself going.

My wife ran the race with one of her best friends and they did an awesome job.

Almost a year behind posting.. Rock the Parkway 13.1 April 2013

The first part of this post is going to be me bragging on my wonderful wife! Right before I ran the half marathon I rode my bike alongside my wife as she ran her first official half marathon. We had a friend drive us 13.1 miles away from our house and drop us off. It was a hilly, hot, and windy day, and she suffered from some knee and foot problems. But she dominated her first official half marathon.

Rock The Parkway Half Marathon

My mom, my wife, my puppy, and I all drove up to Kansas City for me to run the half with the cross. The best part of this race was before the race. I had to rush down to packet pick up so I had my mom carry the cross down to the start line for me. My mom is one of the most supportive mothers that God ever blessed a kid with, but outgoing is something I would not categorize her as. So for my mom to carry the cross for me was a big deal. She said she could feel everyones eyes starring at her as she walked with it. I'm hoping for the book to get her to write something up for me ;)

The lesson I want you to learn from this race is the knowing when God will provide and when we must do things ourselves. It is hard to balance out trying to do everything yourself and not leaning on God or leaning so much and God that you don't do anything. I have a bad habit of not properly training for my races. Whether that's because I get too busy with work, the weather is too cold, or I'm just too lazy. When you see me standing at the start line of a race you can typically assume I haven't ran for a few weeks or that I barely trained for this event. Some people go through life expecting God to open all the doors and that what ever happens.. happens. Other's go through life controlling everything they possibly can because they feel helpless if they don't. God has blessed me with the gift of running and through training I have been able to run ultra events and because of my strength I am able to carry the cross. Now, God gave me this talent and with out Him I would not be here or be able to run. However, if I never trained would I be able to run 100 miles? I can try to do these things with out training but it makes me more susceptible to injury. In everything that I do I give God the glory, without God I could not run that many miles while carrying the cross. However, this does not mean that I am not supposed to train and do things myself. So, as we go through life we should not expect God to do everything for us and wait for doors to open, we should go through life working hard and listening closely to Him so that we know which door to go through when a door does open(Not every door that opens is of God). 

The half marathon was tough, you would think that after I had ran a marathon with the cross, running half the distance would be easier... but that is not the case, especially if you don't train properly. Around six miles into the race I started struggling with some muscle cramps. I talked with lots of different people and listened to their stories and I shared mine. One guy passing me said, "I don't think the Bible meant it literally", referring to the scripture where Jesus says take up your cross and follow me.  

Overall, it was a great race, and when I was finished we drove all the way to arizona for our cousin's wedding.

Over a year behind posting... Bass Pro Marathon November 2012

Hello!
I feel foolish forgetting to post about several of my runs with the cross, especially considering I am planning on writing a book about them.

BASS PRO MARATHON 2012

Only two weeks after running my 100 miler I had scheduled my first marathon with the cross. My feet were great, muscles fresh, and I was excited to take on the marathon! My dad, best friend, and wife were all there to support me, or maybe they just wanted to wander around Bass Pro and eat fudge ;)

As usual I arrived supper early and slowly sipped on some energy gels and water as the world outside the car buzzed with excitement. When the race director called out for the 5 minute warning I lined up in the front ready to tackle the challenge. My plan was to not go out too fast, reserve my energy and just finish the marathon... always easier said then done. With the excitement, adrenaline, and freshness of your muscles you feel like you can win the race when the gun goes off. But, those first couple miles quickly fade away and you still have 24 mile left and you start to feel the adrenaline and excitement wear off. I typically blow right by the aid stations because I feel so good that I don't see the point in stopping for any fuel.

This is a great life lesson. As Christians, new or old, there are times where we feel like we can take on every problem there is in the world and accomplish every goal! This could be when you first dedicate your life to God, maybe it's after an amazing conference, retreat, or camp, or maybe it's after a really good Sunday morning sermon. When ever it is, you feel on top of the world and you are filled with the Holy Spirit. So, just like a race, you start out in a dead sprint, going way too fast. Why not? You feel great! You see an aid station and think to yourself, I feel great I don't need any help or fuel. Or because you feel so good and you don't want to stop you grab a cup on the go and try to take a drink while still running. Splashing the water all over the place and hardly any of it actually goes into your mouth. A couple miles down the road you start to feel tired and that finish line you thought you could reach so quickly gets farther and farther away. You have to learn to pace yourself and take help when you need it. God may have given me the ability to cure cancer, but if I start out too quick I can burn out. I can end up with a cramp, pull a muscle, or faint, and I may never reach that finish line God has put in my life, and then I never get to cure cancer. Not all goals and calls in your life are like a sprint where they are accomplished so quickly, most things take time, like a marathon. You have to pace yourself and keep fueled with the Holy Spirit, Word, and Christian friends.

A couple miles into the race the Lay Ministries Leader of the UM Conference ran with me for a while. He asked to carry the cross for awhile and so I gladly passed it off. Immediately my tired legs felt fresh again and I felt great. Your burdens are not meant to be carried alone! We are called to help each other and provide spiritual support, not hiding any sin. When we try and take our burdens and sin on our own you end up much like me when I finish a race with the cross. My muscles are way more sore than they could have been. My shoulders are raw and I am just exhausted. It is harder to walk because of how tired and sore. Someone in a loving way may pat my shoulder and I would cry out in pain or lash out in anger because they touched a "raw" spot. First and foremost our sins are forgiven by Jesus blood on the cross, but we still struggle with things event though we are forgiven. If we can learn how to surround ourselves with Christian friends and family who can help us through these burdensome times those raw spots will be much smaller, muscles won't be as sore, and we will not be as tired!

The rest of the race went just about the same as every other race I run with the cross. My shoulders started to get sore and my muscles started to cramp around mile 20. I talked with lots of different runners as they passed me or I passed them. Near the end of the race I started to pass runners from the half marathon race as their route joined back with mine. The amazing part about running this race was not my personal accomplishments of finishing the marathon, but of the lives it impacted! I probably had 6 or more people come up to me after the race to take a picture with me and thank me for my testimony. One girl came up to me crying. She said she didn't think she was going to be able to finish the race, it was just too much for her. But when I passed her with the cross it gave her the motivation she needed to finish what she started. Children were curious why I carried the cross and their parents had them come up and ask me. The biggest story that touched my heart is one that was shared with me several months after the event. I have to seek permission to tell the details about their story. But what it comes down to, was the picture they took of me with the cross got them through a very very rough patch in their life.