This past Monday I ran my inaugural Boston Marathon. Being a participant in this event has been a goal of mine since 2004 when I completed my first marathon in Chicago. There is something unique about the energy, environment, and encouragement that runners (and spectators) experience on marathon day. The Boston Marathon takes this experience to an iconic level. Now that I am an official Boston Marathon finisher, I am slowly coming to the realization that I am actually a “marathon runner.”

For years I have struggled with classifying myself as a “marathon runner” since I take a rather non-traditional approach to training, racing, and preparing for each event. This approach is primarily motivated by a need for simplicity and a lack of energy, time, or resources to attend to the finer details of this sport. For starters, I do not log near the number of miles that many marathon runners do simply because my current stage of life doesn’t allow for it. You will not find me researching the exact route and elevation changes along the course. Many of my long runs leading up to race day are completed without water, and they are almost always completed without nutritional support. As of right now, I don’t even own a sports watch, let alone any of the other fancy devices that aid “actual” marathon runners in their training process.

I log less than 30 miles per week at the peak of my training, typically running two times per week. This bare-bones training schedule is supplemented by Beachbody programs, which I firmly believe is the reason I have been able to achieve race goals without logging upwards of 50-60 miles in a given week. I prefer to enter each race slightly uninformed of every single challenge that awaits me between the starting line and the 26.2 miles that lie ahead. A general overview of the course is sufficient enough. And although I don’t train with optimal fluid or nutrition support, I am more than content to simply drink whichever energy drink is provided on the course, and I am equally happy to consume whatever nutritional item is being featured along the course as well.

Other than a conscientious effort to incorporate a short tempo run in the weeks leading up to the race, I took this same simple, bare-bones approach to my training for the Boston Marathon. Overall, my race went very well. The Boston Athletic Association sent a pre-race email to prepare participants for the anticipated warm temperatures on Marathon Monday. This information prompted me to purchase a running hat at the Expo to protect my eyes and face from direct sunlight since there is little to no shade along the race route. I was informed enough about the course to not over-race the first 5K since it is primarily downhill. And I was equally aware that “heartbreak hill” was more so a sequence of four hills over a span of four miles with the culminating hill at mile 21 being the actual “heartbreaker.” The lemon-lime Gatorade and “wotta” (as the Bostonians pronounce it) at nearly every mile-marker worked great for optimal hydration. And CLIFF offered an array of energy gels at mile 12, 17, and 22. I personally chose the caffeine-free Razz at the first stop and a combination of the Razz and the caffeine-laced Citrus flavor at the subsequent two power stations. I also enjoyed the freedom of not carrying my cell phone, which invariably always feels like it weighs 18 lbs. by the time I reach the 18-mile mark. Furthermore, not having a sports watch wasn’t a factor since there was a timing clock at every mile marker. The absence of a stopwatch to keep track of my mile splits meant I could pass some time doing mental math to calculate my pace from mile to mile.

My experience above is rather similar to the other 17 marathons that I have raced in the past. But here is what I was not prepared for . . . the flood of emotions I experienced as I lived in the moment of this accomplished goal. The honor of being an athlete in this famed event was cherished from start to finish! From loading the buses at Boston Commons, to riding one of the hundreds of school buses efficiently transporting runners to the start in Hopkinton, to settling in at Runners’ Village, to awaiting the departure of wave 2 with 10,000 of my closest friends, to lining up in coral 6 with thousands of other runners who would be striving to keep the same race-pace as myself, to walking the .7 miles to the starting area, to pounding the pavement along the 26.2 route, to coming of the crest of “heartbreak hill,” to turning left onto Beacon Street to run through Kenmore Square, to turning right onto Hereford Street and then making the final left onto Boylston Street, to finishing near the John Hancock Tower in Copley Square . . . it was an experience that I will NEVER forget.

The race was a sea of humanity from start to finish! There was never a moment where I wasn’t surrounded by fellow athletes – male and female, young and old, big and small, tall and short, pregnant and not pregnant, mobility impaired and unimpaired, injured and healthy, anatomical limbs and prosthetic limbs, seeing and visually impaired – the race did not discriminate against any one type of athlete. And this reality is true of every marathon. This universal inclusivity is one of the many aspects that keeps me striving toward my goal to run a marathon in every state. Each marathon is such a beautiful picture of a truly diverse community literally working and striving toward the same goal . . . to run the race well and to reach the finish.

Metaphorically speaking, that is also what my life goal is . . . to run well in the context of community. I believe that this is how we were designed to run at our best. There were several moments during the race when I felt as though if I had been on a typical course with the runners spread out, I would have been inclined to slow down, walk, or stop altogether. Instead, being surrounded by such a large crowd of runners, I was pulled along by the strength, determination, and commitment of those around me. This physical reality during my race so accurately mirrors my spiritual reality as I have grown in my faith over the years. God has faithfully surrounded me with a great cloud of witnesses who have been a means of His grace in my life. Through a specific family member, friend, or mentor, through our local church or our children’s school, or through a larger ministry or organization, God has continually placed people or persons or groups in my life to encourage me, support me, and pull me along when I am tired, weak, and weary.

And in case there was any confusion, every runner on a marathon course grows tired, weak, and weary. This fatigue is most likely both a physical and mental exhaustion, at least it is for this runner. Everyone on the course is working hard! Regardless of a runner’s gender, nationality, age, body habitus, weight, running mechanics, previous experience, or race pace, he or she is working hard. My mantra from start to finish was “His mercies are new every mile.” Repeating this spin on the Biblical truth that God’s mercies are new every morning helped me take my immediate attention off my circumstances and look to the horizon and see God’s goodness in that moment. My thoughts were continually being shifted from thinking about my circumstances (my sore left hip flexor, the increasing heat, the rolling hills, the impending “heartbreak hill,” the distance covered and the distance that remained, etc.) to instead looking ahead at the thousands of runners striving to do the exact same thing as me . . . work hard despite the pain and to find joy in the experience despite the momentary “suffering.”

The home stretch of the Boston Marathon is rather long. You can see the finish line as soon as you round the corner, but you still have 0.35 miles to go. This relatively short distance in the context of an entire marathon may seem insignificant, but given how tired I was, it seemed more like 3.5 miles. But the other “x” factor of the Boston Marathon made the difference. The crowd support! I tear up just thinking about the sheer volume of people who come out on Marathon Monday to celebrate, cheer, and congratulate runners. There is an estimated 500,000 people cheering along the race route every year!?! Not to mention the nearly 10,000 volunteers who spend their Patriots’ Day making this event run. And from start to finish this event functioned like a well-oiled machine. It was operated with such ease, confidence, and pride that it instantly instilled a sense of comfort in me as a participant. Were it not for the non-runners, the Boston Marathon would not be as iconic and beloved as it has been and will continue to be in the years to come.

So you can see why this hobby of running marathons is so near and dear to my heart . . . it accurately reflects my faith journey. Life is much more of a marathon than a sprint! There were so many moments throughout Marathon Monday that reminded me of the Gospel. This remembrance is natural since my faith is what provides the framework and foundation for my life. Jesus Christ and the Word of God are the lens through which I view everything in life. And the Boston Marathon was no different. I will not soon forget my immediate thought when I rounded the last corner to the finish line. The street is lined with three blue stripes, which I assume are intended to represent Adidas, a featured sponsor of the race and provider of the official Boston Marathon gear. However, I was immediately reminded of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our God exists in community! And we are called into community by Him, through Him, and for Him. So if you are one of many who can’t seem to fathom why anyone would want to run marathons, this is why this marathon runner does what she does!

*Note: Find out interesting facts about the Boston Marathon here: https://wallethub.com/blog/boston-marathon-facts/20499/