Race For the Cure 5K

Hey, y'all! Today was the Race for the Cure in Greenville, SC. Approximately 6,000 folks participated in the run or walk. Years ago, when it first began, there might have been 500. I was just amazed at the number of people there this morning--and the amount of the traffic trying to park!!

It was extremely humid this morning--at 95% humidity! Once my hair got wet from the sweat, it never did dry out! Gotta love this weather!

I ran with part of our Team Dirty Feet. We did NOT have dirty feet today since we didn't run this on trails--only roads.

That's me, Scott, and Robin. And, no, Robin and I did not call each other last night to coordinate the matching running ensembles! Today is also Scott and Robin's 5th wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary you two!!

As the 3.1 mile race began, I realized how long it had been since I had done a race of this distance. The further along I got into the race, the more it reminded me that I truly do not like this short distance! It is a sprint....that's all! How hard can you run for 3 miles? Yuck! There is no beautiful scenery to take in, no mountains to climb, no snakes to look out far. Oh, we did have hills--mile 2 was nothing but an uphill! So, while I was having a pity party about how much I disliked this and that, I glanced over to the other side of the median (we were running in an enclosed business park loop)where I saw the noncompetitive runners and walkers. They were smiling, laughing, encouraging each other, and having fun--the way I usually do on a trail. I saw a precious friend of mine, Laurie, who is a cancer survivor walking with a group of friends that I had not seen in ages. We exchanged "hello's!" and "love you's" from a short distance. (Here we are! She looks great!)

Then, I saw another runner, a young girl with a prosthetic leg. She was smiling and running with her friends as well. What an inspiration. I realized that I knew who she was and remembered her story. She and some friends had been at the lake a couple of years ago swimming when she somehow got her leg caught in the motor of the boat. Her friend's dad saved her life, but her high school running days were over. Today, I watched her run with an awkward gait but with a huge smile on her face!

I then thought to myself .... I had no right to have a "pity party" with all of the beautiful moments going on around me. This race was not about me. It was about the wonderful moms, daughters, aunts, friends and grandma's who had struggled with this monster called cancer. Some had beaten it; others had not. I ran with two pieces of pink paper on my back. One listed girlfriends that I ran in honor of, and the other, ones I ran in memory of. That was what this celebration was all about.

Romans 12:12 says for us to "be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." God tells us that there will be pain in this broken world. We know the story of Adam and Eve, and the choices that were made in the garden of Eden. But, we are encouraged to be patient in that affliction. Those who endured chemo and radiation learned quickly what patience is all about. Sitting in a carpool line--or even the long unending line for parking this morning--is nothing compared to what they had to go through. Patience...patience...patience.

I'm sure that these survivors and their families prayed fervently along with prayer chains from churches all over. We should be faithful with our prayers in the good times as well...not just the emergencies. We must keep an open communication with our Lord. If we read His Word daily and pray throughout the day, we are being faithful in prayer.

Finally, the joy on the faces of the women and their families was contagious. A family from our church was there to run in honor of wife, mom, and grandmom, Linda, who had beaten the disease. It was so good to see her family and fellowship with them.

These realizations changed my attitude from " I am not having fun... I am so ready to be done... I hate to sprint up a hill." to "Thank you , Lord, for these precious women and their loved ones." and "Father, please comfort those whose loved ones are now with You."

I'll leave you with this thought today...How has your attitude been lately?

Enjoy this wonderful weekend! I need to take a shower!!!