we went to the black hills of south dakota this weekend so steve could run the last 50 miles of the black hills 100 with a friend of his. i thought a lot about the vacation time we were using and the money we spent going as a pacer, as steve wasn't racing.
steve has had pacers at some of his ultras and some he has run solo.
i have seen many runners pace others over the relatively short time steve has been running ultras. it's an unusal thing. people who love to run and who love the runner volunteer to run portions of the race with them. i've shared about steve's phenomenal (boy I had a hard time spelling this word) pacers over time. when I run an ultra i'm hoping for a pacer. steve has volunteered to be my crew, but I may ask whitney and denae and madeline to come out and be my crew so steve can run with me, or they can take turns pacing. heeheeheehee.
i love the solitude of running. i have run two trail marathons all alone. and enjoyed it.
two weeks ago i ran a half marathon and steve stayed with me every step of the way, he was my pacer because i set the pace. he pushed me to keep running, he only let me walk up hills and walk through sheila's loop, he helped me finish better than i would've on my own. and he knows how much i enjoy the scenery and stopping for pictures.
in the black hills, steve ended up pacing someone he didn't know. in the dark through the forest. and since one guy ran into two mountain lions, (not literally, they were 10 yards away from him) i can imagine that running in the night by yourself could've been scary. i love that we can help and encourage those we love, but we can also come alongside someone we've just met and be an encouragement to them too. just a good one time memory in a person's life.
i think sometimes it's okay to go it alone. but sometimes you need help.
this goes for life too.
i'm guilty of not wanting anyone to know i'm in a bad spot and that i need help. i'm getting better about it. i told a friend last week who said she'd been in a bit of a funk that i like to feel funky. i do enjoy my funk. which is sad, but i get down and i sometimes choose to stay there.
but after a conversation with her about how low we were, we both ended up in a better mood that night. i ran mine off and she scrubbed her house. but it started with the conversation and with admitting we were down.
sometimes you need someone to come along side you and help you get where you want/need to be.
I thessalonians 5:11 "therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
how can I encourage you today?
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