Stay Strong - Run Long

Running can hurt. Running can be repetitive. Some times running can be boring. Sometimes you get stuck in a rut in running and can't seem to get out. I have been there probably hundreds of times. But sometimes one run can change your entire outlook on why you continue to put one foot in front of the other. I took nearly a week off from the run (we were team leads at our awesome Vacation Bible School) and decided that I was going to get out for a run on Saturday. The missus and the kiddies were going to be out of town and I had planned on hanging out with a friend later that evening, so I decided that this may be my chance to get out to hit the trails. I have been in a little bit of a funk lately because I have been running the same routes or spending too much time on the treadmill because of our crazy schedule. I love running on the trails and I didn't care how much it had rained that morning, I was going to do it and nothing was going to stop me. When it comes to running, I am

I’m not famous. Probably will never be. Most people don’t know me, but if you ask the people that have ever met me most refer to me as “that crazy running guy”. I love running more than most people love their pets. 90% of my favorite websites or books have something to do with running. I have read Dean Karnazes’ “ Ultra-Marathon Man ” book 5 times. My internet history browser looks like I am doing research projects for the editor of Runner’s World . I keep every magazine that I have ever bought just because “there’s this one article that I may use sometime”. I have the elevation maps of Leadville, HardRock and Western States hanging on my cube wall. Running is where I can get out of my head and relax. I look forward to my 20 mile runs as a way to get outside and enjoy the world that God has created. But if you met me today you wouldn’t know that my story isn’t much different from most other people when they go off to college and that’s where the pursuit of my purpose began. When we