The Foot Race

An interesting event happened today.

During gym, 1/3 of the hour is stretching and calesthenics, 1/3 is running and the other 1/3 is playing volleyball.  They do this to rotate groups.  We run outside around the MTC.  If I were to guess I would say that the circuit was close to 1/2 of a mile.  I usually run two laps around outside and then finish up inside the gym.  Normally I am pretty mellow when I run and I just try and keep a steady pace.  Today was rather unusual however.

It seems as though everything was going wrong today.  This morning I missed a few questions.  Once I thought I was telling her (the teacher) to talk slower and I really told her to talk faster.  Then in retention I learned about 40 lines and forgot them a lot faster than I had learned them.  Those plus other things had gotten me pretty irritable.

As I was running I was thinking negative split.  Not for my running but for my mission.  (Negative split is when the last half of a race is faster than the first half.)

I had just finished my first lap at a good rate and was about to slow down when I saw this elder ahead of me.  I don't know his name yet but I recognized him from our branch.  Well he was about 50 yards ahead of me.  I thought that I would use him for a pacer and try and finish the same distance behind (he was running pretty fast).  I picked up my pace a bit (not too much) and by the time we were half way around I was still in the same position.  The parking lot was slightly sloped uphill.  I don't know why but I decided that I would try to catch him.  He was still 50 yards ahead but I started gaining.  With about 200 yards to go I was about 20 yards behind.  Now it must be made known that this guy was fast and he started running faster.  (He must know what a negative split is too, or so it seemed).  I am a terrible runner and my ankle doesn't help.  Every time I step on it, it cracks.

I must have been using all those built up pressures for fuel because even though I was gasping for air and dead tired I was going to win that race!  I was dying.  I hadn't run that hard that forever.  We crossed a construction bridge with about 35-40 yards left and I was about 5-10 feet behind, I don't remember.  By this time I was scared.  What had started out as a simple challenge had become life or death for me.  I was about to give up.  With 5 yards left I gave my last surge.  He let up, I won!  I couldn't believe it.  I had set my mind to beat that guy and I did it.  I started to cry.  Not big tears but two small ones.  I was full of joy, not because I won the foot race.  That was only part of it.  I realized that I can do anything if I want it bad enough.  If I am willing to pay the price.

There was no crowd watching me today when I ran, but I believe that my Dad, my friends, my Heavenly Father would have been proud of me.  Not because I ran the race but because I set my goal high, always kept it in sight and using all my strength attained it.