No act of god needed, thank you very much.

Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon.  My husband ran his first full.  He decided to sign up about six months ago when I was still pregnant with baby #2.  He knows I really don’t desire to do a full marathon, so he thought he’d check it off his bucket list during a year that I was busy with other things.  Well, about a month after I had my baby (at the end of May), I started saying things like, “I would like to do a half marathon someday, maybe.  I think I could do that.”  A month later, I signed up—at the suggestion of my sister—for a sprint triathlon in mid-August.  I figured, hey, since I’m doing a sprint tri, I should just go ahead and sign up for the half-marathon 2 weeks later.  So, I did.  There’s a little insight into how my brain works.

Anyway, the event was a huge affirmation to my belief system.  Personally, I was happy with my performance.  I completed the distance, ran the whole way, and didn’t come in last.  That was 3 out of 4 of my goals.  The 4^th goal was a time goal, which I missed by a few minutes, mostly due to some cramping in my legs and a bum ankle.  But, I did it!  Four months after having a baby, I ran my first half marathon.  My performance was a reflection of my level of training.  I’m not a competitive runner, but I’m fairly fit and I was able to squeeze in some long runs in preparation.

For me to complete the full 26.2 miles of a full marathon…now that would’ve taken an act of god, which is exactly why I DIDN’T DO IT!  And this comes to my main point: I get annoyed when athletes/coaches/presidents/entertainers/etc. give credit for their performance/award/win to god.  Thank your parents, thank your role models, thank your teammates and training buddies, but don’t thank god.  First of all, it diminishes your accomplishment.  Be proud of yourself!  Take credit for the time and effort and superior genes and sweat it took to reach your goal.  Secondly, it begs the question: What about the losers?   Is any god so petty that he will choose a favorite football team?  Does god even humor prayers for a good race?  If so, why is he answering those prayers and not the prayers of victims of oppression and disease?  Why help somebody earn a Grammy, but not help someone else live to see another birthday?

Yesterday morning in Denver, CO was cold.  The race started at 7 am, so the first few miles were run on streets not yet warmed by the sun.  Near mile 5, I rounded a corner to see a bright blue sky with sun reflecting off the windows of the downtown buildings.  The breakthrough of the sun came at just the right moment for me.  My ankle was just starting to bother me, and I knew I was not yet halfway there.  The sun, along with a well-timed song on my I-Pod, motivated me.  It reminded me to pick up my feet and move forward.  I looked around at the other runners, some clearly up for the challenge of the run and others noticeably struggling, and I smiled.  I can do this, I thought.  I’ve put in the time, and here is the pay off.  No act of god needed.  I can do this all on my own.