On Saturday, April 4, 2009, I ran my very first 5k. Okay, so I jogged my first 5k. Alright, I completed my first 5k. I digress.

For those who know me, the simply fact that I agreed to walk/run/jog/climb/crawl/exert physical effort of any kind for 3.1 miles is a miracle of miracles, but something bigger happened that day and I want to share it with you. Both of you.

I didn’t have great expectations for finishing the race at anything other than a walker’s pace. I rather expected to start strong and burn out - convinced that I would cross the finish line and collapse.

On race day, my friend, Erin, met me in Columbia and was her usual excited, happy-to-be-alive self. When my inner Eeyore flared, she smiled and gently assured me that not only would I finish but that she (a ½ marathon runner) would be there with me the entire way. Even though she was capable of finishing the race in ½ the time, she stayed with me and patted me on the back, kept my motivation 3.1 minded, and encouraged me to the finish. She cheered for me, laughed with and at me, talked about spit (a subject for another blog), and was generally excited about being in the same time and place as me. She was, in other words, a tremendous companion and the best cheerleader I’ve ever known. Especially while jogging.

Later, I was reminded of a verse that has never made more sense than it did in the light of Saturday, April 4, 2009:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let
us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. —Hebrews 12:1

Erin showed me what is possible when someone comes along side you and says, “I’ve been where you are and I know you can do this. I’m right here with you all the way. I’ll never let the distance or the obstacles prevent me from cheering you to the finish of your, no, our race." Thanks, Erin.