Thought I'd give you a run down (pun intended) on the Marathon. I did finish the 26.2 miles. It took me just over six hours to finish. One of my highly supportive colleagues at APU heard my time and declared, "That's slow!"
It was kind of slow. I ran the first hour and half without much problem. That got me about eight miles in. Then I started walking for two minutes and running for eight minutes. That worked great for an hour and got me over half way home. Then I went to walking three and jogging seven. That didn't work quite as well. My legs got so tight and cramped that I had to walk the last seven miles.
The great news was that despite the predictions, it did not rain. The forecast was for showers all day. At the start I think 23,000 of the 24,000 runners were wearing ponchos. It became apparent quickly that it was going to be cold and windy but it wasn't going to rain. So much of the day was spent dodging 23,000 discarded ponchos.
I couldn't walk on Monday (or Tuesday) after the race. But I'm thankful to have finished and to have raised over $2,800 for Child SHARE.
A great deal of attention was paid to my blog about the anonymous letter I received a few days before the race. I had written and saved a draft of the blog a couple of days before I posted it so that I could sleep on it a couple of nights and make sure I wanted to post it. I had no idea that it would receive the response that it did. Within 24 hours after posting it Saturday morning it had received well over 1,000 hits.
I have received emails and comments from friends and pastors from quite literally all over the nation - most of them thanking me for being willing to be vulnerable and address the issues in the letter. The encouragement from people at PazNaz has been both humbling and overwhelming. The outpouring of support has been an amazing gift.
The most surprising gift was an unexpected one. In the unique providence of God through circumstances I can't reveal or explain, the person who wrote the letter and I connected. The opportunity to sit down and talk face to face was redemptive for both of us. This season reminds us that God's grace is always greater than our brokenness. And the meeting was a reminder that we really can be a community of reconciliation. I hope the situation has made us both better people.
Anyways, I'm walking much better this week. I'm looking forward to Holy Week and I am thankful for the grace of Christ and the community his grace is forming.
Beautiful, Scott! Thank you for the follow-up on both accounts. May God be praised!
Posted by: Dana Freeborn | March 28, 2012 at 11:40 PM