Happy Wednesday, friends!
Can you believe we are in our last week of September?! The month has flown by, and we hope that you have made this your best month yet and challenged yourself in our September squat challenge! Today, I am excited to share some stories that will inspire you to run or walk .... not just physically but run the race of life- well. "Why would you ever want to do that to your body" many people have asked these past few weeks as we talk about a marathon. On September 19- Lisa, Allison, Sara & I finished a marathon in Chicago. Yes I emphasized finished because there were a few times where I wanted to stop and give up. However, reflecting back on the marathon trip I realized we are all running marathons- daily - the marathon of LIFE! You have an easy pace one day, a race pace another, a natural high and a rock bottom low. We all have those feeling some days that we can't take another stop forward but with help from God, friends, and family yes we can! That is why I love a marathon!!! To have to fully rely on Christ to get me through seemingly impossible situations when I physically can not stand on my own. Exercise is worship! No matter how much you train in this marathon of life we will all be tested but when you trust in Him, you CAN and you WILL finish the race.
I am excited for you to read these stories below.
Love and blessings, C
Sara Swann, Allison Cass, Lisa Patton, Caroline Ward
In Lisa's words: I trained for a marathon, but the Lord had a bigger plan for me. To prepare for the marathon, I carefully planned workouts, journaled food, added more water and was well hydrated for all workouts. I spent time focusing on scripture and positive thoughts in preparation for the mental challenge of the race. I felt confident and ready. I planned, prepared, and then performed, however my outcome was not what I had envisioned. A stomach virus had crept in and I was febrile and nauseated during the race and for the next few days. If I didn’t accomplish what I had set out to do, where was this peace and fullness coming from? As I reflect on the weekend, God presses on my heart the true race we are running. Our training plan is set for eternity. We are all running a marathon. Sometimes the outcome is exactly what we planned for and sometimes it takes a turn we never expected; even one we were careful to avoid. One of my favorite things about marathon training was the fellowship and accountability with my TransFit running partners. Yes, sweet friends, we need the accountability for physical fitness and wellness, but oh, how much more precious are these relationships that we are building for our marathon of life.
Sara's marathon story: I started running and still do, because I love being outdoors, feeling the breeze in my face and the feeling of joy it brings when I finish a run! Sometimes it's hard to get started; its cold or hot, I'm tired, or it's really early when the alarm goes off, but the feeling of pure joy and the fellowship of the wonderful women inspire me to "do it anyway". I love challenging myself to new goals and the feeling of accomplishment when I reach them, and the accountability partners that help me get there! Nothing like the feeling of finishing a race whether it's a 10k, half or full marathon. I think running is a lot mental for me- a good way to have some personal time alone with God, enjoying His beauty or the time to get to talk with other friends to encourage one another! It sets the tone for a great day to go out and sweat, release energy, spend time in prayer and surround yourself with encouraging women! This marathon was really special because I was able to enjoy it with some amazing women. The training is time consuming and difficult to work into your busy life but the reward is so much more than any sacrifices made!! I had to battle some obstacles going into the marathon with a foot injury and an upper respiratory infection the week before however the good Lord taught me some lessons in this and helped get me through the race- a feet I could not have done without His strength!! Because of that, the beautiful scenery, amazing friends and the strength of my God, I have never felt more close to God or had quite a feeling of elation after finishing this marathon! It was life changing and I would encourage everyone to do a 5K, 10k, half or full marathon so they can also experience this! Unbelievable!
Allison's marathon story: If anyone had asked me this time a year ago if I had any interest in running a marathon, my response would’ve definitely been a huge NO , accompanied by bellowing laughter! That seemed like a goal so unattainable that I wouldn’t have even considered it possible. I have always loved running…but definitely short distances, usually 4-5 miles a few times a week. It wasn’t until after I ran my first half marathon in April that I truly realized how passionate I really was about running. After the half, Sara and I continued to run with a running group on the weekends and it became something that I looked forward to each week! I got to know some of the most precious ladies and established friendships that I will be forever grateful for. Many, many problems were solved and deep questions were answered on those early Saturday morning runs. As our mileage crept up, it briefly entered my mind that I might could TRY…but it wasn’t until my husband gave me the little nudge of support I needed to really set the goal and say…YES, I can!! I did, however, tell Caroline and Lisa that I felt like I’d probably lost my mind ;) ! But from that point on, I’d committed so I chose to not look back. It was a journey in itself just to get to that weekend of Sept 17th. So many miles logged, so many days checked off our training plan, so many questions and fears. I just can’t express how instrumental Caroline and Lisa were in keeping us accountable and guiding us through the training process—soooo grateful for the instruction and support they provided through all of it. The weekend itself was incredible!! We saw God’s hand in so many things throughout the whole weekend. We had such an AMAZING support group of both family and friends back home and we truly felt all the prayers lifting us up throughout our time in Illinois. We had such a sweet, special time, enjoyed fellowship with one another and were able to focus on not only our physical health and readiness for the race but more importantly on our spiritual health and our relationships with the Lord. It became so clearly evident the correlation between running this actual race and the race of life. Race day was amazing! Those last 6 miles were TOUGH!! But we powered through and to finally see the finish line was so wonderful!! While that day was the culmination of all the many weeks of training and hard work…I realized it was the time spent those couple days before that I am most grateful for. The whole thing was such an empowering, spiritual experience that I will always treasure. I learned so much, I grew so much…I’m just so thankful.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
~Hebrews 12:1-2
We each have a race set before us! May we look to the Lord for guidance while running the race marked before us! We would love for you to join us Friday at 12:30 at the TransFit studio for our Walking and Running Lunch and Learn! Please sign up on our app here! We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com.
Blessings,
Team TransFit
