6 days to Marathon

6 days and counting until the start of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon. I made plans to sign up for this race over a year ago when I first decided that I wanted to run one of the big marathons and that I wanted to make my wife's dream of visiting DC come true. The MCM opened registration on May 9. At that point I was just days away from completing my second marathon. I had to be among the first who completed the online registration for the 2007 MCM.

So it's been another season of getting ready for a marathon. I have logged over 1,000 miles so far this year (which looks like a lot, but it averages out to 25 miles per week--light by most marathon training standards). I have trained in such a way as to be able to use the same pair of shoes for the MCM that I used in May for the CellCom Green Bay Marathon.

This week I will obsess over every little detail (I am embarrassed to admit that I clipped my toenails for the last pre-race time 4 days ago, I have been refusing to play basketball with a bunch of high school kids because of injury risk, and I am sure that my carry-on will be full of running gear that will be packed "just in case"). Yes, I have checked www.weather.gov's forecast for the DC area (they say 50 and clear at the race starting line). The race doesn't have CliffShot's until mile 13, so (of course) I'll have to bring several of my own to get me through mile 13.

And now, the goal. My marathon PR is 3:34:48. I hope to run the MCM in 3:30. I really don't care if I go slower, though.

I will be starting at the Pentagon--the world headquarters of the greatest military in the world. If the Capitol is the US's "brain" (insert joke here), the Pentagon is its heart. I will run past the neat white dominoes of Arlington Cemetery and the 250,000 men and women buried there. You name the monument, I'm running past it--including a finish at Iwo Jima, the Marine Corps monument. My real goal: to soak all these monuments in, reflecting on God's grace to this country with every step. I am brought near tears just reflecting on this now (I will also run past a reflecting pool . . .).

I can't wait to experience each of those monuments in greater detail with my amazing wife and children (and my wife's amazing parents--my father-in-law is running the MCM with me!). This little trip has become less about the marathon and more about sharing life as a family and being together. Our hearts are tied together, and I can't wait to learn more about God's grace with each step we take together.

In six days the marathon will be history. Just another website with my name and splits on it. The significance of it will be simply how it fits into the story of God's grace in my life. I hate to be so cliche, but as running becomes history, it has significance only as it aids me in telling "His story" with mine. Nothing else.

So what have I learned? That my goal has absolutely nothing to do with running. I want to be a Christ-follower in a way that leads my wife and kids to Him. I want to be healthy as long as possible. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. For me to go on living means ministry to the people around me as I follow Christ.

I'd love to keep experiencing marathons around the country (world?) as a part of my family vacations. The truth is, I already feel incredibly selfish in thinking this way.

Is there another marathon in my future? I hope so. I'm not going to say "next year I'll go to this city or that" and run their marathon. But I will say, if it is the Lord's will I will do such and such.

But what if I could take my next vacation to a place that is all about my wife's dreams? Now that is a goal to shoot for!

More on Marathon

You can read that title two ways, can't you?

I am 4-and-a-half weeks away from my third marathon. The mileage is going up. The longs runs are not necessarily getting any longer, but they are getting a little bit faster.

I am running one of the largest marathons in the world on October 28, "The Marine Corps Marathon." I cannot imagine what it is going to be like to line up with 30,000 runners to complete a race like this. Unbelievable.

The best part: it's a family adventure. We will spend a week and a half out in DC and see all the sights. I have never been to DC before, so it is as exciting for me as for my kids (though my amazing wife may be more excited than all of us!).

I can't wait!

Marathon

I finished my second marathon on Sunday, May 20. I think I'll just tell the story today and then try to pull a couple lessons learned out of it some other day.

I planned and trained to run 3:35. I had run 3:53 last year at the same course, and I know that I made tactical errors that killed me on that run. In other words, I should have run faster last year.

So this year I actually corrected what I thought I did wrong last year and trained a lot smarter with some decent results. I finished the run in 3:34:47 (I had to kick it in on the last half mile a bit in order to reach my goal!). I list the highlights:

• CellCom Green Bay is a well organized race! They text message anyone you want with updates as you run. Nikki got little messages that told her where I was on the course. VERY cool. Nik has pictures of this event on her blog.
  
• Somehow it's ALWAYS freezing in Green Bay on this May race day. It was 38F and extremely windy (especially from miles 17-22--that was brutal). I'll take that over hot any day (see my little "I got tagged" list below).
  
• There were 6,700 participants in the three races (5K, Half- and Full Marathon). Of the 6,700, about 1,400 were marathoners. I finished #321.
  
• I won't forget the feeling at about mile 11 when all the Half-ers turned to finish and the rest of us kept going. It was like moving from a sea to a trickling brook. You felt somewhat alone out there.
• My three boys, Nik and her mom were there rooting me and Nik's dad (ya, he ran it, too) on. I saw them at mile 6 and again at 17. I knew I would see them at 17, so I took a 30 second walk break about 600 yards before I thought I'd see them so I would look strong. I think it worked.
• I was averaging sub-8:00 minute miles until 23. Twenty Three!!!
  
• I had to pee from mile 3 through 23 (when I finally found an open porta-john). Those were 20 interesting miles. I kept arguing with myself about where and when to stop. Jessica Lynds story (Vienna City Marathon) inspired me (though I did not go in the woods, Jess).
• I already lovingly communicated this to the Marathon people: the finishers medal was very cool and the t-shirt was weak.
• My favorite parts:
• My whole family was there and really had a great time. Nikki is SO supportive. I love her and my boys!!!!!! It is amazing to share these memories with my family!
  
• I love being able to share the experience with may father-in-law. I have about 5-6 people who inspire my life, and/or running--he does both. He shaved 8-9 minutes off his time from last year as well.
  
• I got to lead a pre-race prayer rally for maybe 65 people (most of whom were waiting for the post-prayer "course lecture"). Anyways, I pray that the name of Jesus Christ was uplifted and that anxious marathoners were comforted.
  
• The rest of the insights would be for rabid marathoners, and would begin to bore.
  

So that is pretty much the story. I felt recovered as of Tuesday, but after a run today I realize that my legs are still a bit heavy. I cannot wait for the next marathon. You know how it is! If you like to knit, to drink Diet Coke or to read ESPN The Magazine--it's a hobby you look forward to.

I close with one statement that is more for me than for you. Who cares about running? Life is not about a run. Life is about giving God glory with every relationship you have, every note you sing and every minute you live. Remember Eric Liddel (Chariots of Fire)? "I feel God's pleasure when I run" (that is probably a paraphrase). Okay. So life is about following Christ with my footsteps. So if I never run another step I praise God!! Life is his! I am his and he is mine! I hope you have a hobby that you like to give your all to once in a while. I hope we all keep it in perspective.

The phrase I repeated to myself 4 million times from miles 15-26.2: "It's only a marathon."