As I type the title to this blog post, I am still in a slight state of shock that those words could actually come from this body. Last August I hesitantly signed up for a running program called
Run for God that was sponsored by some amazing people that are part of my church family. The idea of training with a group a fellow Christians appealed to me because I knew there would be an atmosphere of patience, love and encouragement. I could not say enough nice things about Bill and Jeanne who head up the Run for God program at RHBC. They are very experienced runners who have a passion for the sport and an amazing love for God. Bill handled the Sunday devotional lessons each week, and Jeanne was the communication and details person. We started in late August with our training every Tuesday and Saturday in the church parking lot. At first we ran very short 1-3 minute runs with rest periods in between. As the runs and times grew long, I found that I needed a change of pace. Running laps around the church parking lot was getting very old. My wonderful friend, Joni, was also part of the training group. We met at the Lake Murray dam 2-3 times each week and continued our training together. It was hard, but it was so rewarding. When I went for occasional walks on the dam over the summer, I would be exhausted from just walking end to end (3.4 miles). As the weeks went on, I was amazed to see how much farther I was able to run. This past Wednesday evening I made it all the way to the end and back without stopping. My legs were shaking, and tears were coming, but I did it! This was just the confidence boost that I needed to be ready for the Runway Race 5K on Saturday. My whole family joined me at the event, and it was an energy-filled good time. As the runners were lining up at the starting line, I had a moment of...I am really doing this... Me...Jessica Jones...the non-runner...the I don't run because I can't...the running is not my thing person. I stood there with many experienced runners in front of me, a group of army people behind me, Joni beside me and God above me. At the start of the race I had a hard time getting into my groove because I felt like I was being pushed along by the group. I could not get my breath under control, and the wind was brutal. About a mile into the race, I finally felt like I was hitting my stride and getting my body under control. Joni is such a good encourager, and she kept checking on me. I can't talk when I run, so I must have looked pretty intense. Forty minutes later I crossed the finish line, and I was so proud that I ran that ENTIRE time. I went from being out of breath running 3-5 minute intervals to running for 40 straight minutes! It was incredible. I fell into Justin's arms crying. He told me that he even cried a little bit too when he saw me coming to the finish line. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I will never forget the feeling of crossing that line. Joni and I have already started looking at our next race date, and I am so excited to share this accomplishment with her!
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| This is the Run for God team from my Sunday School class. |
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| Jessica and Joni |
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| This is the most amazing and supportive man on the planet. |
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| These boos were cheering their mama on right until the finish line! |
