. . . For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed . . . nothing will be impossible for you.”–Matthew 17:20 (NRSVCE)
Apple seed hopes 🍏
Recently, apples have been in season, and as I cut them up and deseed them, I can’t help but take notice of those small seeds–seeds full of possibility and hope. And, while the seeds from those apples will no longer yield trees and fruit, the apple itself fuels my body as well as a hopeful attitude.
In fact, by the time you read this, Dear Reader, I can say with feelings of great joy that I completed the Marshall University Half-Marathon. Albeit, that finish line was not quickly crossed, but because of seeds of hope, faith, and belief, it was nonetheless completed. Besides, 13.1 miles is still the same distance, no matter the speed it takes to get there.
For the record, I didn’t tell many people about my seed of hope outside of my husband and daughter because it was my own private manifestation of recovery. In April, it seemed highly improbable. However, as the months passed and my stamina improved, that seed of hope grew into a seedling and sprouted leaves of possibility.
Fostering such a dream has taught me a thing, or five, as the case may be, and because running is really a metaphor for life, I thought I’d share those lessons with you.
Five Life Lessons from running 🏃♀️
Lesson 1: Small beginnings can engender bigger accomplishments. At the beginning of April, immediately following spinal surgery on my neck, I was told to walk every hour as part of my recovery. Even “trips around the dining room table” added up, the nurses told me. The first few days were not easy, but I followed their advice, walking every waking hour, 5-10 minutes. Eventually, I worked up to 15, 20, and 30 minutes, a few times per day. Even then, I was dreaming of one day recovering enough to complete another half-marathon, but I didn’t know if it would ever be possible. Nonetheless, I tucked the dream into the pocket of my heart.
Lesson 2: Savor the good moments, but don’t let the not-so-great ones trip you up.
During recovery there were some pretty rough days. I tried not to let on, or even name them, lest I give them power over me. Instead, I kept thinking of Dory, in Finding Nemo, who taught all of us to “just keep swimming.” And, that is what I did. I kept swimming, even on the days it felt I was going against the current. When Dr. Saulle and his staff gave me the green light to slowly, but gradually, add in bouts of running to my walking, I was cautiously optimistic. Nevertheless, since I had not been running for over three months, it was painfully slow going, but I held fast to the dream tucked into the pocket of my heart.
Lesson 3: Race your own race; set your own pace. Throughout the late summer, early fall months, I kept plodding-on, alternating bouts of walking with running. Gradually, the time spent running increased while the time spent walking decreased. Nonetheless, some days I just didn’t have it in me to run, so I just kept walking.
By mid-October, only a few weeks before the actual event, I registered for the MU Half-marathon with my fingers crossed. I continued my own plan of walking and running. In fact, on the morning of the event, as my husband, John, and I crossed the bridge into town, a strategy came to mind: “Run your own race, Steph, and set your own pace.” While I did plan to run with a pacing group, I also decided to listen to my body and not force anything once I hit the streets running as I held fast to the dream tucked into the pocket of my heart.
Lesson 4: Allow yourself to be supported. Our daughter, Maddie, met John and me at MU stadium. They offered to be my team of support early on. John carried my special hydration mix–my stomach is super sensitive–and Maddie took charge of keeping up with where I was on the course, and ultimately ran mile nine and mile 13 with me.
Additionally, I ran with pacers Chad Fischer and Aubrey Netzel (names from MU Marathon site) for the first three miles, but I found that I kept moving slightly ahead of them. Therefore, I decided to take a leap of faith and continue to run on my own at a slightly faster pace. For several miles, I ran with a woman named Angie who was running the full marathon, but eventually, we separated. Therefore, I soaked up all the good energy surrounding the runners, allowing me to always feel supported as I held fast to the dream tucked into the pocket of my heart.
Lesson 5: Feel and share your gratitude. Throughout these past months, whenever I felt down or frustrated, I reminded myself to feel grateful. This was especially true when running the actual event. There were scores of volunteers along the route, and I tried to verbally thank each one I encountered, although I am sure I missed some. Many of those volunteers would cheer and clap for the runners, even though they had other jobs to do as well. There was an impressive police presence, keeping the runners safe. Plus, there were numerous organizations and clubs providing drink stations along the course. Additionally, there were some really fun signs to read, such as, “You’re running better than our government,” and “Run like someone just called you a jogger.”
By the last mile, running side-by-side with Maddie, my heart overflowed with gratitude. In April, I was walking 5-10 minutes at a time. Seven months and two days after the surgery, I ran a half-marathon with only one walk break. There are so many people for whom I feel grateful who made my recovery and ultimately the half-marathon possible–family, friends, and co-workers. Most of all, I am eternally grateful for John and Maddie who never once doubted the dream tucked in the pocket of my heart.
In the end, Dear Reader, if we plant seeds of hope, regularly water them with faith in our True Source, put in the effort and work, and, of course, “just keep swimming” with strokes of belief–even on the hardest of days, we can set our own pace for running our own race, however we define it, and watch as our those seeds of hope blossom into possibilities.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”–2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Steph Simply 