I've been trying to run faster.

So, I tie my shoes with a little more purpose.

And tie my hair back knowing this run might hurt.

And find myself saying, “you can do it” under the wheezing.

Because... I'm slow.

Yes.

I really really am.

My snail's pace has never stirred up much bother in my jogger's soul.

But, I've been pretending to run/trot long enough that I now want to be faster and stronger.

Distance has dropped, but my speed is getting better. There are good days and bad days, but I know my muscles will learn.

I’m in a women’s mentoring “class” taught by this woman. She wrote this about running on her blog today. I like it very much.
What she said... I couldn’t have said it better myself. Take a gander.

Remember me?

The non-runner?

The girl who couldn't run more than a couple minutes without wanting to die?

Well...

I ran 6.2 miles last Sunday night.

6.2 miles.

6.2 MILES!

I RAN for one hour and one minute.

It was Easter.

I felt alive.

I felt powerful.

I ran 6.2 miles and Hudson said "mama" for the first time, looking at me, through the back door.

I'll never forget this Easter.

Tomorrow morning, I'll get to celebrate all that God has done, all that He has taught me with a group of women who God has also taught so much and brought so far.

We've learned together what it means to step out in faith.

We've learned together what it means to allow God to grow the fruits of self-control and discipline.

We've felt the sting of pressing on, through the pain.

We've learned to endure, to fix our eyes on the prize.

We've been discouraged.

We've tasted victory.

We've learned the value of one another.

What a journey this race has been and will continue to be.

When we started training, we had only a couple goals...

To learn better what God is talking about in scripture when He uses words like training, press on, endurance, patience, suffering and self-control.

And

To see God do what we thought was once impossible.

I ran 6.2 miles. Who am I? I never in a hundred years saw that coming.

A year ago, if you had approached me and said, "One day, very soon, you will run 6.2 miles," I would have said, "You're so dumb. I don't even own tennis shoes." Then I would have shouted, to everyone standing around, "Someone commit this person. They are insane."

I've seen the impossible become possible.

A few weeks ago, if you had approached most of these women running this race tomorrow and said, "One day, very soon, you will run a 5K," they would have said, "You're so dumb. I HATE running. I will NEVER run. I can't run. I can't."

They have seen the impossible become possible.

Not all the women will be able to run the entire distance.

That's NEVER what this has been about.

But each woman, who has been in training will run further than they EVER thought they could.

Miraculous.

A testimony to God's faithfulness. There IS a reward waiting for every runner.

I have saved one song on my Ipod that will play as I cross the finish line tomorrow...

A Grateful People, by Watermark.

God has done GREAT things.

And my prayer tomorrow, as I watch the power of God displayed in these beautiful women crossing that finish line is this....

God show us what OTHER impossible things you want to make possible in our lives.

I love you ladies!

You're runners!

You are runners!

I'm so thankful to be running this race with YOU...the race we're running tomorrow...and the one we'll be running until the black, dull, hard asphalt turns to beautiful, shimmering gold.