© 2012 David's Harp and Pen
Mood: Runny
DISCLAIMERS: This blog is based, in part, upon actual events and people. Certain actions and characters have been dramatized and fictionalized, but are inspired by true events and real people. Certain other characters, events, and names used herein are entirely fictitious. Any similarity of those fictional characters or events to the name, attributes, or background of any real person, living or dead, or to any actual events is coincidental and unintentional, so I don’t want to hear from any running clubs or athletic associations accusing me of slamming marathons and those who compete in them, because I am not. Even if I was, the reader could easily attribute it to jealousy on my part. The fact of the matter is, the only marathon I have successfully competed in is the “Twilight Zone” New Year’s marathon on the SyFy Channel.
Several months ago, Jedi(tor) told me he planned on running
in the Nissan Saint Jude Children’s Hospital Rock ‘n Roll Country Music City of
Angels Marathon and Half-marathon of God in Christ of the Latter Day Baptists
with Signs and Wonders Following.
Parts of the purpose of the race were to raise money for sick children
and the Japanese auto industry, and to give country musicians another venue to
play music. I asked if I could
watch him run because, number one, I have a cousin who regularly runs marathons
and I wanted to be able to bond with him and, number two, I wanted to cheer
Jedi(tor) on as he completed this completely insane and ridiculous noble
and worthwhile endeavor. As of
late, I have found that when I show support to my friends and loved ones as
they do things I don’t completely understand, I am giving to myself as well as
them. The half-marathon was no exception.
Before the race, the only things I knew about marathons were
they were 26.2 miles and that the first marathon runner finished dead. I was immediately concerned for
Jedi(tor)’s well being, but was assured that since he was running the half-marathon,
he was only in danger of finishing the race half-dead. Jedi(tor) is one of those incredibly
athletic and rugged outdoorsy types who can conquer any sports-related task he
sets his mind to. This is because
he is very determined and also because he is an alien, having crash-landed on
Earth as a baby after his parents sent him here in a space ship shortly before
his home planet Krypton exploded; of course, his Jedi powers also help, but
mostly it’s the super powers.
(This also explains why he can type 800 words a minute and lift semis
with his pinky toes.) Any who, he
told me about his training regimen, which, surprise, surprise, involved a lot of running. While on the surface, all of this
seemed crazy to me, to be honest, I was envious of his discipline and his focus
to run so many times a week without fail.
I secretly hoped that by watching a race live, some of that discipline
and focus for physical excellence might rub off on me.
I agreed to meet Jedi(tor) at two different points on the
racecourse as well as the finish line.
Part of my job as a marathon runner cheerer-on-er was to hand him a
packet of GU as he ran by. Because
this was my first venture as a marathon spectator, I wanted to do a good job to
ensure it wouldn’t be my only
venture as a marathon spectator.
Upon my arrival, I quickly discovered I had much to learn about what it
means to cheer one’s runner to victory.
The people around me had all sorts of stuff: custom-made tee shirts that said, “Team So-and-So” (whatever
the name of their runner was), pom-poms, water bottles, and even cowbells with
pictures of their runners on them.
Me? I had GU and a snake
backpack.
Anticipation mounted as the first wave of runners passed
by. What a cast of characters they
all were, too! Some of them were
extremely focused, not looking to the right or the left, gazes steely,
engrossed in the race. Others
hammed it up for the spectators, flexing their muscles or gesticulating to the
crowd to get them to cheer louder.
Still others were decked out in fanciful costumes. Some ran the race in three-piece
suits. Some were dressed in
drag. One man dressed up in what I
can only describe as Jack from Jack in the Box after some ritualistic animal
sacrifice. Then there was the
runner dressed up as a superhero.
What can I say? I am a
geeky fan girl to the core and am a sucker for a man with heat ray eyes, a
utility belt, and a cape.
I’m happy to report I didn’t miss Jedi(tor) at the first two
appointments. I handed off the GU
at the first one without incident.
At no point during or after the race did I see him stumble or break a
sweat. One might say I am
exaggerating, but I am not. After
all, he is a Kryptonian transplant who derives superpowers from the Earth’s
yellow sun. In fact, one of the
pictures of him on the racecourse shows he is completely airborne.
As I waited for him to pass by at our second agreed upon
spot on the course, I stood in the shoulder of the road. To my delight, several of the runners,
all men and all gorgeous, ran up to me and high-fived me as they ran by. Unfortunately, all of them were running
so fast that I couldn’t catch up with them in order to give them my phone
number. If any of them are reading
this now, my name is Sharon Lurie, I am single, I have a wonderful personality,
and I am on Facebook and Twitter.
Unfortunately, I missed the experience of watching Jedi(tor)
cross the finish line, thanks to a Nashville police officer who will at some
point in the future be receiving a strongly worded anonymous email sent by me
from a bogus Yahoo account. I did
eventually find Jedi(tor) amidst a slew of beer stands. (All the runners received a free beer
after the race because the beer somehow keeps the runner from dropping
dead. This would have been helpful
information for the first guy to run a marathon.) It was a joy and a privilege to see my editor and my friend
celebrate with his friends from his running club for a job well done. And for him, it was a job well done,
given that he finished at 3868 out of 22,277 other runners (in the top 17%).
So what did I learn?
Not much, at least not at the race itself. Well, that’s not totally true. I learned, first of all, when running a marathon in full
costume and makeup, pay the extra couple bucks for the waterproof makeup. Second, if running in a business suit,
avoid tweed and wool and shoot for the single-breasted. The big take home for me was a
Wikipedia search that afternoon.
Many stories I hear from runners (and athletes in general)
is that the race is something that symbolizes or helps them overcome emotional
obstacles they are facing in life.
I hear phrases such as “running for the win.” However, the first marathon was not so.
According to Greek legend, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier and
messenger, ran 26.2 miles without stopping from the Battle of Marathon to
Athens to let everyone know that the Greeks had successfully defeated the
Persians. Upon arriving at the
magistrate’s office, he said, “Hail, we are the winners!”, then collapsed and
died. (NOTE TO READER: When fighting major military battles,
followed by long-distance running, always carry beer.) I had thought Pheidippides’ trek was to
warn the Greeks of an oncoming attack or get reinforcements. That made the urgency of his journey
easy to understand. However, he
wasn’t running that day to help his Greek countrymen attain victory. He was running and was able to endure
to the end because of victory.
In the church circles I run in, I hear a lot of talk about
endurance in faith not because we are fighting for victory but because we have
already won. God told the
Israelites under Joshua to go in and possess the Promised Land, but God said
repeatedly that He had already given them victory over their enemies before a
single sword was drawn. It is hard
to persevere when we don’t know what the outcome of our physical, emotional,
and spiritual expenditures will be.
However, God assures us that in all things we are more than conquerors. Victory is certain. It’s just a matter of getting
there. In other words, we don’t
run the faith race for the win but from the win.
Part of my goal in attending the marathon was to support my
friend. However, Jedi(tor) letting
me watch him in the race gave me something very special: a reminder that no matter what, I
always have the view from the Winner’s Circle.
The End
MILK!!!!!!!
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