The Marathon of Life

“I dare you to train for a marathon, and not have it change your life.” – Susan Sidoriak
I came across this quote after I ran my marathon and immediately connected with it. My marathon truly changed me because of the lessons about life that I learned in the process. Our bodies and our spirits are so connected. You, me, every person that you have ever met and ever will- we are all running a great race. There will be moments in your race when you feel on top of the world, because you’re accomplishing something great and you feel confident and strong, and there will be contrasting moments where you wonder why you ever even signed up for something so challenging and so miserable at times. But we all signed up for this, in fact, we fought for the opportunity to run. If we are going to be changed in the marathon of our lives, we have to put in the miles and we have to give. My hope is that some of the lessons that running has taught me might encourage you in the race you’re running.

Inspired by the End Goal
How did I get out of bed to run before work or set out on a run in 95 degrees when I got off? How did I get up at 6 on Saturdays to go run for hours? The answer is simple: I had the end goal in mind. I didn’t allow myself to lose track of the why. I knew that at the end of all of it I was going to be running 26.2 miles and that every day mattered. I knew that if I slacked off one day, the next day would be harder. So my vision, my end goal, gave me inspiration each day. What if we lived each day of our lives like this? What if we woke up each day with a vision of our end goal, a vision of Eternal Life with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ? How would that impact our daily scripture study and our daily prayers?

Consistency & The Ripple Effect
It is incredible the difference that consistency makes in our lives and how strong we can become because of it. One neat thing that I’ve discovered about running is that it creates a ripple effect in my life. As I get on a running schedule, my body not only becomes stronger as I run, but I want to eat better, and stay hydrated, and sleep more, because all of these things add to my strength and my stamina. I’ve noticed the same thing with consistent efforts to become closer to God. For example, starting the day with a solid scripture study inspires me to have more patience, to serve others more, and to think of Christ more often throughout the day. These efforts will take care and preparation, but don’t get overwhelmed with all that you want to do and want to become. Focus on one or two good things and do them consistently and then other areas will naturally follow. As you are constant in your efforts, you will reach levels you never thought you could and you will be amazed at the progress you’ve made.

The Orchard
Sometimes when I run, lessons come in unexpected ways. I ran past an orchard one day. I noticed that in the orchard there were trees in different stages. The large, fruit bearing trees caught my eye and I found myself thinking, “I want to be one of those big, strong, fruit bearing trees,” but in my heart I knew that I was one of the smaller trees next to the larger ones. And then came the thought, “I know you want to be one of those big, fruitful trees, but it is impossible for you to become that without the trials that you are currently going through.”

Cheering for Others, Even Strangers
On another occasion I needed to run 8 miles. I wasn’t feeling well and had waited until after work to do my run. I really did not want to go. I felt tired and worn down and like I was coming down with a cold, but I knew I needed to run, so I went. A few miles into the run, a young girl yelled out the back window of a suburban, “Keep going!”. It was a miracle that I heard it over my headphones and an even bigger miracle that she yelled that out to me that day. A total stranger’s shout of encouragement gave me the motivation to keep going and to believe that I could do it. It was distinct evidence to me that God was aware of me and was proud that I was trying so hard despite my difficult circumstances in not just my run that day, but in my life. That girl had no idea how badly I needed that. We have no idea what people are facing or how just two words can change a person’s day.

As I ran the marathon there were countless people shouting out to me from the sidelines – one girl yelled, “I like your shorts!”, and others read my name off my number and yelled for me by name. I was so grateful to see my family yelling for me and cheering for me as I crossed the finish line. There is so much power when we cheer for people. So let’s be bigger cheerleaders for the people in our lives. There’s a song by Hilary Weeks that says, “There’s a shortage in this world of ‘I believe in yous’”. I think that’s true and that we should all speak out and encourage others more, even strangers. I believe that it will make a big difference.

There is Beauty in Change
I ran through the streets and then up Logan canyon the last weekend of September, my last Saturday run before race day. It was rainy and a little cold, but I was determined to get my run in between the two sessions of conference that day. I had driven up there a hundred times, but never ran, and I wasn’t sure what the trails were like. I connected to a dirt trail and just ran. The further I got into the canyon the more the leaves changed, and it was beautiful. The thought echoed through my mind, “There is beauty in change”. I had recently moved to a new apartment with new roommates and this phrase was particularly important to the new chapter I was in. So whatever new circumstances or stages that you may be in, remember that there is so much beauty in change.

Power Phrases
Before the race, a girl came and offered us some Cliff Bars and tattoos. I had her put the tattoo on my hand. It said simply, “Just Keep Running”. I can’t tell you how many times I looked down at that during the race and how much the small boosts of motivation it gave me helped me along the way. It was a simple power phrase that helped me to push forward. What power phrases keep you going in your daily life? What phrases from talks, scriptures, hymns, your mission, and revelation from the Holy Spirit have given you a boost of motivation and encouragement in times of need? Here are a few of mine, “Do the right thing at the right time without delay”, “I love you and I love your future”, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding”, “There are no curve balls to the Lord”, “Make an appointment with the Lord and then keep it”. If you don’t have any that come to mind, find a couple and commit them to memory. They can be lifesavers in moments of pain or decision.

Someone Has Already Run Your Race
As we rode up to the start line, a friend that I had made at my half marathon the year before warned me that mile 8 was going to be straight uphill and that the couple miles following it would be gradually uphill. I can’t express how grateful I was to know that before I got there. It gave me so much comfort to know that someone else, my friend, had already run the course and loved it despite the hard parts. It gave me courage to run the hills without stopping. She kept encouraging me that I would run a great race.

The amazing thing is, we all have a friend who has already run our race. He hasn’t just ran the course, but He has run it at our pace with our pains and triumphs, with our emotions and our battles. Christ has already run YOUR EXACT RACE. He has felt the moments your head was aching, the moment you were running out of fuel, the last couple miles where it was all you could do to put one foot in front of the other, and the moments that you felt brave and strong and determined, the moments you felt like nothing could bring you down, because you were succeeding in something hard. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, paid the price for us to run, to have this experience and to successfully finish the race. And the most beautiful part is that, because of Him, we never have to run it alone.