The Road Ahead: Can You Go the Distance?
September 30, 2025
Why do I run?
No, I’m not going to do a blog on my latest race. There is one coming up, though, in Lawrence, Kansas, the Kansas Half-Marathon, and I’m sure there will be a story. I see many links between running a race and our Christian life—and I take that analogy from none other than the Apostle Paul.
So here is my short list:
1. Encouragement makes a difference! I think of the word “marathon” as something that applies to whatever your challenge may be. I participated in a video for Valeo Behavioral Healthcare about our family group that Rebecca and I participated in. Jeff Carson and his company, Gizmo, filmed it, and I very much appreciate his expertise. He is the one who picked up on my analogy and brought out this idea through the film. I used marathon to describe the challenges of someone with mental illness. Our family group was all about encouragement—through our problem solving, watching films, and having snacks—and getting hand-outs with valuable information each time we met.
I have a friend, a former co-worker, who was training for her first marathon, and she was doing it as a fundraiser. It was tough going for her. One Saturday I was driving down Fairlawn Avenue and I saw my friend ahead, running. I turned onto a side street and made a loop around to where she would be coming. I parked my car, got out, and as she was coming toward me, I clapped and shouted congratulations on her run. She was so surprised to see me. The next Monday at work she gave me a book with notes about how much my encouragement meant to her.
The same is true of our encouragement to others on their journey. A little encouragement makes all the difference. A friend told me recently that she phoned a wrong number and apologized, but the lady said not to worry. She said her phone call was the first phone call she had gotten in a week. So they had a conversation!
2. Being outside in nature brings joy and has healing effects! I remember very well a tough time as a new college student at William Jewell College. I was anxious. Some friends in my dorm knocked on my door late on a Sunday afternoon in the fall and asked me go on a walk. It sounds like a simple thing. But to this day I remember how much better I felt from being out in nature that beautiful fall afternoon. My problems didn’t seem so burdensome when I returned to my dorm.
A friend with Alzheimer’s and I spent an afternoon working in the dirt, digging, getting dirty, planting flowers. Her thoughtful husband suggested we do it. She and I had a therapeutic experience! We felt so much more peaceful afterwards.
I will be honest. There are times when the weather is not runner-friendly. Tony Estes had a running group and organized weekly runs. One of the races he took us to was in the spring in Manhattan, Kansas. It turned out to be VERY humid and warm. I believe there was some rain in the experience also. It was miserable. Tony said: “Anybody that enjoyed this race, there’s something wrong with you!” We got a good laugh. Another coach in the past, Clark Ensz from Wichita, gave such an experience a positive twist—“It’s a downpayment on your upcoming marathon.”
3. Who doesn’t love the “runner’s high?” Yes, there is such a thing! And we can equate that to times when we make the effort, perhaps we don’t feel like making, and we break through some barrier and we get that feeling of power, that we could tackle most anything! I ran in memory of my dad at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon in April, 2008. He had died suddenly of a heart attack three weeks before and I had missed some valuable training. I decided to run it anyway and do it in memory of him. I struggled! About five miles from the finish line, I got leg cramps that almost stopped me. I was feeding my mind all the positive thoughts I could. I thought of my dad and these words came to me: “It’s okay. I’m going to make it.” I began to say those words over and over, even saying them to spectators along the course. It kept me going and you will see the ecstasy I felt. The picture is coming up in my next point!
4. There’s a finish line! Laura gave me this framed picture for Mother’s Day following my run in memory of my dad.
I love having my dad’s Bible.
Recently, I was given this diagram of our life with God. It’s called “The 3 Circles,” and Jimmy Scroggins, who created it, has given permission for anyone’s use of it. This is a beautiful way to describe the finish line.
The first circle is God’s Original Design in the Garden of Eden—then sin entered—then brokenness in the second circle. Though we are trying every way possible to find that life we want to lead, we can’t. Enter Christ as a man in the third circle—as a sacrifice for our sins. When we receive Him, we are on the road (race) with His power! He has a purpose—fellowship with the Almighty—and transformation. He is on this race with us and is changing us as we move closer to His “original design.” He didn’t leave us to figure things out on our own. Our race ends with a great finish line—our life in heaven with God and transformation for real!
When I ran my first marathon at Disney World, a memorable mile marker was mile 18. There was a huge poster of an athlete and “THE SONG” from Hercules!
“I Can Go the Distance!”
That song played in my mind to mile 26.2!
Click the link—and GODSPEED!