A few years ago I ran and finished the St. George Marathon in just under 4 hours. The course which was overall a downhill course, was really a hilly course. The race started out in a small town just outside of St. George called Central, UT. It was 4:30 am and 32 degrees that October Saturday in 2002. All the runners huddled up by the various bonfires that were lit to keep warm before the race started. People were stretching and running around to try to loosen up and keep warm.
At 6:45 am, the race started. My goal was just to finish the race as this was my first marathon. Mile after mile I ran, keeping about an 9 min.mile pace. Starting at mile 3 and thereafter every 2 miles there were aide stations, were a runner could get water, powerade, stretch out and then keep running. At mile 7, in Veyo, UT, there was an aide station right before a 1 mile accent up an extinct volcano and then after a gradual accent for 3 miles to Dammoron Valley (The highest elevation on the course). I remember thinking," Is this hill ever going to end?". The gradual incline finally ended at an aide station at mile 11. As it started to get light out, the beauty of Southern Utah started to show herself. Running through Snow Canyon was the highlight of the race. People from Snow Canyon, UT lined the course giving the runners high-fives and cheering us on. From there on out to the finish line in St. George was a gradual descent. At about this time (mile 20) , I started to get really fatigued. Pure will power and mental stamina would get me to the fish line.
At mile 23, the unthinkable happened. I started to get cramps in my right hamstring. I could not run anymore. I tried to stretch it out, but the cramps got worse. I thought," I have 3 miles to go, I have run hundreds of miles to get ready for this race and I am not going to make it." I decided to walk for about 10 minutes to rest it up a little. My competitiveness and my will to finish the race was overwhelming. I started to run again, but at a much slower pace, trying not to make any sudden jerky moves for fear of cramping up again. I turned down a street and could see the finish line about a mile in the distance. It was the longest mile of my life as the the finish line never seemed top get any closer. As I ran across the finish line, my eyes teared up and I started to cry. "I finished the marathon, I finished the marathon", I thought. I received my finishers medal and cried even more.
As I have reflected on this experience 6 years ago, I often relate running a Marathon to our mortal journey here on earth. Just like the aide stations in the marathon, the Lord provides us with aide stations to aide us through this earthly life we call mortality. Luckily these aide stations are not every 2 miles on the journey, but daily, weekly and monthly on our journey. The course is hilly and often we stumble and are temporarily stopped in our tracks. We might say, " I can't do this anymore, I am too tired." We might get the cramps of mortality or in other words trials and tribulations and say " I can't go on".
So what are these aide stations of mortality that the Lord has provided for us to make it through this life? May I suggest a few that have helped me along the way:
1) Sincere Personal Prayer
2) Personal Scripture Study
3) Partaking of the Sacrament each week and renewing our baptismal covenants
4) Daily repentance of our sins
5) Regular Temple attendance
6) Doing Home Teaching faithfully
7) Reading & pondering our Patriarchal Blessing
7) Medicine & therapy
Whether we have physical ailments, going through a divorce, or in my case have mental illness (OCD and severe anxiety), the Lord will never leave our side in the hilly times of our lives. One of my favorite scriptures and one that has helped me in difficult times is D&C 122:7-9. The Lord tells the Prophet Joseph Smith, " And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience , and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore,hold on thy way..."
At 6:45 am, the race started. My goal was just to finish the race as this was my first marathon. Mile after mile I ran, keeping about an 9 min.mile pace. Starting at mile 3 and thereafter every 2 miles there were aide stations, were a runner could get water, powerade, stretch out and then keep running. At mile 7, in Veyo, UT, there was an aide station right before a 1 mile accent up an extinct volcano and then after a gradual accent for 3 miles to Dammoron Valley (The highest elevation on the course). I remember thinking," Is this hill ever going to end?". The gradual incline finally ended at an aide station at mile 11. As it started to get light out, the beauty of Southern Utah started to show herself. Running through Snow Canyon was the highlight of the race. People from Snow Canyon, UT lined the course giving the runners high-fives and cheering us on. From there on out to the finish line in St. George was a gradual descent. At about this time (mile 20) , I started to get really fatigued. Pure will power and mental stamina would get me to the fish line.
At mile 23, the unthinkable happened. I started to get cramps in my right hamstring. I could not run anymore. I tried to stretch it out, but the cramps got worse. I thought," I have 3 miles to go, I have run hundreds of miles to get ready for this race and I am not going to make it." I decided to walk for about 10 minutes to rest it up a little. My competitiveness and my will to finish the race was overwhelming. I started to run again, but at a much slower pace, trying not to make any sudden jerky moves for fear of cramping up again. I turned down a street and could see the finish line about a mile in the distance. It was the longest mile of my life as the the finish line never seemed top get any closer. As I ran across the finish line, my eyes teared up and I started to cry. "I finished the marathon, I finished the marathon", I thought. I received my finishers medal and cried even more.
As I have reflected on this experience 6 years ago, I often relate running a Marathon to our mortal journey here on earth. Just like the aide stations in the marathon, the Lord provides us with aide stations to aide us through this earthly life we call mortality. Luckily these aide stations are not every 2 miles on the journey, but daily, weekly and monthly on our journey. The course is hilly and often we stumble and are temporarily stopped in our tracks. We might say, " I can't do this anymore, I am too tired." We might get the cramps of mortality or in other words trials and tribulations and say " I can't go on".
So what are these aide stations of mortality that the Lord has provided for us to make it through this life? May I suggest a few that have helped me along the way:
1) Sincere Personal Prayer
2) Personal Scripture Study
3) Partaking of the Sacrament each week and renewing our baptismal covenants
4) Daily repentance of our sins
5) Regular Temple attendance
6) Doing Home Teaching faithfully
7) Reading & pondering our Patriarchal Blessing
7) Medicine & therapy
Whether we have physical ailments, going through a divorce, or in my case have mental illness (OCD and severe anxiety), the Lord will never leave our side in the hilly times of our lives. One of my favorite scriptures and one that has helped me in difficult times is D&C 122:7-9. The Lord tells the Prophet Joseph Smith, " And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience , and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore,hold on thy way..."
Just a thought......
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3 comments:
So deep....:)
Thank you.
ya man!
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