Yesterday, Carrie and I completed our first marathon ever! We ran the whole thing together; it was a miracle! On Saturday, April 30, Carrie could not even run around the block. On Saturday, May 14 –just two weeks later -- Carrie ran the entire marathon!God gave us faith to believe that Carrie would be healed, and she was. As I look back on the whole thing, I am so amazed at what God has done. When God does amazing things, I just want to tell the whole world that they may know Him too. I hope that reading about the journey God took us on for the marathon will increase your faith and bring you closer to Him as well.
Beginning in January, we started training for the marathon. Since we had been running quite a bit already, it wasn’t much of a change to our schedule. As the length of the runs started to increase, the mental and physical difficulty rose right with it, as well as our time commitment. It was an awesome way for Carrie and I to spend time together as well as be in prayer together too. From running 6 miles at 6 a.m. in February at below zero temperatures to running 20 sunny miles in April, we made some great memories along the way.
By Easter, we had completed the upward climb of our training schedule and began to taper in preparation for the race. The Tuesday after Easter weekend, Carrie and I left for a short 6 mile run. Halfway through the run, Carrie said her knee was hurting and we needed to stop for her to stretch. By the end of the run, she was limping so badly that I seriously doubted our judgement to finish it out. Carrie brushed off the pain and figured it was something she could stretch out of.
However, the pain did not go away. Carrie now also limped while she was walking. She called her sister, Laura, who is an athletic trainer, and Laura said it was her IT band. Carrie followed up on Wednesday by seeing someone on campus, and they confirmed that she had strained her IT band. (For more information on what the IT band actually is and does, here is a helpful article: RunningTimes.)
The trainer Carrie saw on campus said typical recovery programs are 6 weeks long. The first 3 weeks are pure rest followed by slowly increasing amounts of activity. With the marathon in 2 weeks, this type of recovery program just would not do. Carrie decided that she would take a few days off from running, in which she would stretch, ice, and massage with a foam roller.
That Saturday, Carrie and I had a 12 mile run on the training schedule. We decided to do it separate in case Carrie wouldn’t be able to finish it. I headed out that morning for a run in the bluffs. I prayed that God would heal Carrie and that we’d be able to race together. Carrie and I had mentioned “what if’s” like what if she couldn’t race, what if she couldn’t keep pace, what if she wasn’t healed? These things ran through my mind as I made my way through the trails. All this training we had done together and commitment we had to racing together. Would it all be a waste now? Would I forgo the commitment to do it together in order to truly see the training pay off on race day? Would Carrie even lace up on race day?
As I took my worries, fears, and doubts to God through prayer, I felt Him confirming that I needed to have faith in Him that Carrie would be healed. God was asking me to have faith. By the end of my run, I was convinced that Carrie would be healed, and we would race together no matter how slow we ran. Even if it were 10 minute miles, we would do it together. Up until this point, I had hoped that God would heal Carrie, but now there was a difference. I truly believed and had faith that He would.
I was so excited to tell Carrie when I got home and was joyful conversing with Katie about the run while we waited for Carrie. The look on Carrie’s face when she came into the room sent a shock of fear into my heart. Through tears Carrie told us that when she went out for her run that morning she could not even make it around the block.
I didn’t mention anything about my run to Carrie. I waited. I questioned. Was it just my hopes that God would heal Carrie? Was I being too unrealistic? What if I believed He would heal her, and then He didn’t? Where would that disappointment lead me? How would it all affect Carrie? I waited some more.
Despite the questioning and fears, I could not ignore what God had put on my heart. I had to believe she would be healed. I told her I had faith that she would be healed and we needed to believe it. I told her my process and how maybe the devil was trying to take away that faith and feed me lies with her disappointing run, but we had victory over that. God would heal her.
Over the next 2 weeks, we spent time in prayer and constantly encouraged each other, continuing to believe that God would heal her. It wasn’t easy as everything logical and the wisdom of the world would tell us it wouldn’t happen. It was undoubtedly much more difficult for Carrie. She had to spend time on the elliptical - inside - at the REC - yuck. Not only that, but she also had to spend extra time stretching, icing, and massaging - on top of finals and moving out.
Then on May 10, just 4 days before the marathon, Carrie ran for the first time in two weeks. We completed 4 miles together! It was painful for her, but she did it. Our confidence in what God was doing increased all the more, and we were positive God would heal her. We continued in prayer and had faith that come race day, she would be well.
May 14, 2011 came. It was hard to believe that we had been training for so long and race day was finally here. Carrie and I were committed to completing the marathon together. We took the 6:45 a.m. bus to the start of the race. We stretched and prayed before the race started at 8:00 a.m. Our family was there t
o support us and give us GU along the way. Excitement and nerves raced through our veins as we stood at the start line. 26.2 miles between us and the finish line.
Throughout the enduring 26.2 miles, Carrie hurt. Her IT band stung the first ½ mile and close to the finish. We prayed throughout the race thanking God that He had healed her thus far, that we could run 6 miles of the race together, 13 miles together, 20 miles together, 24 miles together. We prayed for strength to make it up each hill and thanked Him for the downhills. Our muscles ached and it took constant focus for both of us to conquer mind over matter. It was so much more painful than any of our long runs before and so much more than we were expecting. Racing together was an incredible experience to be a team together, to constantly rely on God’s strength and power to get us to the finish, and to see God’s healing hands at work.
We crossed the finish line holding hands and together God brought us through the Journey Marathon.
As I look back on the mighty work of God throughout the training and racing journey, I am in awe. Knowing that 2 weeks before the marathon Carrie could not even run around the block, I am confident that it is only because of God that we were able to finish the race together. I am so thankful that God gave us faith to believe He would heal Carrie, and by His power, we finished the Journey Marathon together.
For all of us, it is my prayer that the next time it seems as though all odds are against us, we may have faith that God can and will do it.
“Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23
By Easter, we had completed the upward climb of our training schedule and began to taper in preparation for the race. The Tuesday after Easter weekend, Carrie and I left for a short 6 mile run. Halfway through the run, Carrie said her knee was hurting and we needed to stop for her to stretch. By the end of the run, she was limping so badly that I seriously doubted our judgement to finish it out. Carrie brushed off the pain and figured it was something she could stretch out of.
However, the pain did not go away. Carrie now also limped while she was walking. She called her sister, Laura, who is an athletic trainer, and Laura said it was her IT band. Carrie followed up on Wednesday by seeing someone on campus, and they confirmed that she had strained her IT band. (For more information on what the IT band actually is and does, here is a helpful article: RunningTimes.)
The trainer Carrie saw on campus said typical recovery programs are 6 weeks long. The first 3 weeks are pure rest followed by slowly increasing amounts of activity. With the marathon in 2 weeks, this type of recovery program just would not do. Carrie decided that she would take a few days off from running, in which she would stretch, ice, and massage with a foam roller.
That Saturday, Carrie and I had a 12 mile run on the training schedule. We decided to do it separate in case Carrie wouldn’t be able to finish it. I headed out that morning for a run in the bluffs. I prayed that God would heal Carrie and that we’d be able to race together. Carrie and I had mentioned “what if’s” like what if she couldn’t race, what if she couldn’t keep pace, what if she wasn’t healed? These things ran through my mind as I made my way through the trails. All this training we had done together and commitment we had to racing together. Would it all be a waste now? Would I forgo the commitment to do it together in order to truly see the training pay off on race day? Would Carrie even lace up on race day?
As I took my worries, fears, and doubts to God through prayer, I felt Him confirming that I needed to have faith in Him that Carrie would be healed. God was asking me to have faith. By the end of my run, I was convinced that Carrie would be healed, and we would race together no matter how slow we ran. Even if it were 10 minute miles, we would do it together. Up until this point, I had hoped that God would heal Carrie, but now there was a difference. I truly believed and had faith that He would.
I was so excited to tell Carrie when I got home and was joyful conversing with Katie about the run while we waited for Carrie. The look on Carrie’s face when she came into the room sent a shock of fear into my heart. Through tears Carrie told us that when she went out for her run that morning she could not even make it around the block.
I didn’t mention anything about my run to Carrie. I waited. I questioned. Was it just my hopes that God would heal Carrie? Was I being too unrealistic? What if I believed He would heal her, and then He didn’t? Where would that disappointment lead me? How would it all affect Carrie? I waited some more.
Despite the questioning and fears, I could not ignore what God had put on my heart. I had to believe she would be healed. I told her I had faith that she would be healed and we needed to believe it. I told her my process and how maybe the devil was trying to take away that faith and feed me lies with her disappointing run, but we had victory over that. God would heal her.
Over the next 2 weeks, we spent time in prayer and constantly encouraged each other, continuing to believe that God would heal her. It wasn’t easy as everything logical and the wisdom of the world would tell us it wouldn’t happen. It was undoubtedly much more difficult for Carrie. She had to spend time on the elliptical - inside - at the REC - yuck. Not only that, but she also had to spend extra time stretching, icing, and massaging - on top of finals and moving out.
Then on May 10, just 4 days before the marathon, Carrie ran for the first time in two weeks. We completed 4 miles together! It was painful for her, but she did it. Our confidence in what God was doing increased all the more, and we were positive God would heal her. We continued in prayer and had faith that come race day, she would be well.
May 14, 2011 came. It was hard to believe that we had been training for so long and race day was finally here. Carrie and I were committed to completing the marathon together. We took the 6:45 a.m. bus to the start of the race. We stretched and prayed before the race started at 8:00 a.m. Our family was there t
o support us and give us GU along the way. Excitement and nerves raced through our veins as we stood at the start line. 26.2 miles between us and the finish line.Throughout the enduring 26.2 miles, Carrie hurt. Her IT band stung the first ½ mile and close to the finish. We prayed throughout the race thanking God that He had healed her thus far, that we could run 6 miles of the race together, 13 miles together, 20 miles together, 24 miles together. We prayed for strength to make it up each hill and thanked Him for the downhills. Our muscles ached and it took constant focus for both of us to conquer mind over matter. It was so much more painful than any of our long runs before and so much more than we were expecting. Racing together was an incredible experience to be a team together, to constantly rely on God’s strength and power to get us to the finish, and to see God’s healing hands at work.
We crossed the finish line holding hands and together God brought us through the Journey Marathon.
As I look back on the mighty work of God throughout the training and racing journey, I am in awe. Knowing that 2 weeks before the marathon Carrie could not even run around the block, I am confident that it is only because of God that we were able to finish the race together. I am so thankful that God gave us faith to believe He would heal Carrie, and by His power, we finished the Journey Marathon together.
For all of us, it is my prayer that the next time it seems as though all odds are against us, we may have faith that God can and will do it.
“Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23
