Before It’s the day before my race, and I've been riding a roller coaster of emotions. On Tuesday, I had a fantastic speed workout that left me on a high! I laced up my "super shoes"—carbon-plated shoes designed to give a spring to your step and help you run faster. The pros use them, and they’ve only come out of my closet for 5Ks in the past. I debated whether to use them for this half marathon but decided to take them for a test run during my speed workout.
Let me tell you, they should be called super-fast shoes! Maybe it was the taper—this period of decreased mileage before race day—or maybe it was the placebo effect, but I was flying without even trying! On Tuesday, I felt invincible, and that confidence carried me through to Thursday morning. But by midday, doubts started creeping in. Would I really be able to hit my goal pace? Were these shoes the right choice? They're not as comfortable as my regular running shoes, and I wondered if I was overthinking everything.
That's when wise friends stepped in and reminded me to trust my training.
Isn’t life a lot like this? I know I've made the analogy before, but it’s still true. In running, we spend weeks, sometimes months, preparing for race day. We endure the highs of successful workouts and the lows of doubt when things don't go as planned. But all of that is part of the process. We train hard because we know that race day is coming, and when it does, we'll have to put that training to the test.
Similarly, God prepares us for the trials in life. He doesn’t promise us an easy path, but He does promise to equip us. Just as I’ve been preparing for my race, God gives us seasons of preparation—moments where we grow, develop endurance, and learn to rely on Him. Then, He gives us the opportunity to use that training, often through challenges or trials.
A race is a bit like a trial. It’s scary, tough, and full of unknowns. But without trials, how would we ever discover what we are truly capable of? Without the race, I wouldn’t know how far my training had taken me. And without the challenges in life, we wouldn’t see how deeply our faith has grown.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
I’m nervous, no doubt. But I’m also excited to see what tomorrow brings. Whether I hit my goal or not, I know that I’ve put in the work, and this race will reveal what I’m made of. And in life, God is constantly revealing to us what He’s prepared us for through every high and every low.
Race Day
To say I was nervous this morning would be an understatement. I forced myself to eat a bowl of oatmeal, though I was so nauseous with nerves I could barely get it down. As I drove to the race, the rain started to fall—and I hadn’t packed any rain gear. A friend texted me to pray, "God, stop the rain please," and when I arrived at packet pickup, the rain had slowed to a mist. It felt like an answered prayer.
At the start line, I met my co-worker, who was calm and collected, the opposite of how I felt. Seeing familiar faces eased my nerves a bit, but I lined up next to the pacer (a person who runs a set pace throughout the race) holding my goal time, feeling scared. Just for context—my goal for this half marathon was to run faster than I had in a hot humid 5K earlier this year, and that race had felt brutal. This time, I needed to sustain a faster pace for 13.1 miles.
The Race
Super shoes laced up, I took off with the pace group. The first mile felt easy, but that feeling didn’t last. By mile 4, I was already questioning whether I should slow down and run on my own. I had decided not to look at my watch and turned off the pace notifications in my AirPods—I didn’t want to know my pace. Usually, I spend my miles praying for others, but today, I needed to pray for myself. Life has been stressful lately, and I needed strength not just for the race but for everything I’ve been carrying.
By mile 10, the pacer, another runner, and I were the only ones left from our group. Everyone else had either slowed down or pulled ahead—mostly slowed down. When we made a sharp turn, the pacer backed off, telling me to push forward and reel in the runner ahead. I quickened my pace, holding on as tight as I could in those final miles. As I rounded the last corner, I saw the clock: 1:44:00. My goal was to run under 1:45 with a sub-8-minute pace. I dug deep, picked up my turnover, and crossed the finish line with a new personal record: 1:44:29, and an average pace of 7:59.
I had met my goal.
Post-Race Reflections
After the race, I reunited with my co-worker, who told me she had been praying for me at each of the mile markers. She had kept my pink shirt in sight as a reminder. In that moment, I realized how much those prayers and encouragements had carried me through.
This race was a test, not just of my physical training but of my faith. I had prayed, prepared, and trusted God to guide me through the ups and downs, and He delivered. As I reflect on this race, I can’t help but think of how God walks with us through every trial. We may not always know how things will turn out, but if we trust the preparation He’s done in us, we’ll be ready when the test comes.
So as we step into this new week, let’s face our challenges head-on, knowing that God has been preparing us for this moment. Just as He helped me meet my race goals, He will help you meet the challenges you face.
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