I ran for me, too!

Yesterday I did something I've never done before. 

I ran 10 miles on a Saturday for a lady named Meg, that I've never met before.

First of all I don't run on Saturday. It's my Sabbath and I don't work or do things for me on Sabbath. Sabbath is a time spent with God, family, friends, and for helping others. As a family, we don't work, do chores, go shopping, or do anything that we would normally do during the week. This is so we can focus on God and others without the normal daily distractions. Since I run several times each week, I don't feel comfortable running on the Sabbath.

But on Thursday a friend sent a facebook invite to a run that was happening all over the world. The story was sad. A young women was killed on Monday morning while out running. A drunk driver hit and killed a mom out on her training run. She was a marathoner and belonged to the local running club. So her friends and family put together a race of sorts. Each person who signed up was to print out the racing bib and run on Saturday. When finished we would log in our miles so we could help Meg "finish" her miles. Several people also mentioned raising awareness for runners.

My usual long run is on Friday. So I planned to do that as normal and just run a few miles on Saturday so I could run for Meg. But Friday morning was freezing (literally), high winds, overcast, and snow coming down a bit sideways. Just getting gas in the car froze me almost solid. But Saturday morning was supposed to be sunny with no wind. I can handle the cold if the sun is shining. 

So Saturday morning I woke up way earlier than normal and bundled up. It was 15F, but I needed to do this. I'm a mom and a runner and I just couldn't get this lady off my mind. I needed to run!

I headed out as the sun was just beginning to poke it's head over the horizon. It was a beautiful sunrise. Tiny piles of snow and ice were all along the road and my breath hung in the air and fogged up my sun glasses. It was so cold, but so calm and beautiful.

And this run was so different than any other. I started out by praying for Meg's family. I added other victims of drunk driving and other runners to my list. 

But on Friday night I read a blog that really spoke to me. The author wrote it in response to Meg's death and the race on Saturday. Clink here to read the whole blog post. I believe that Meg is sleeping in Jesus. And the next thing she'll see when she opens her eyes is Jesus. So while sad, she wasn't the one I felt so burdened for. I couldn't get her precious children out of my mind. And clearly the blog writer was thinking along the same lines. I detected a bit of humor in the post and it also brought me to tears. But mostly it made me think. What type of legacy do I want to leave behind? Where would my family be and what would comfort their hearts? So I prayed for my family.

I ran for Meg, but I also ran for me. I needed that time of prayer and reflection to get my focus back on what was important in my life. So while I probably won't run again on a Saturday, I'm so glad I did yesterday. I returned chilled to the bone and red and puffy in spots from the cold. 

But I also returned with a clearer sense of my purpose as a wife, mom, and friend; my purpose as a Christian in today's world.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Meg Menzies as they deal with the loss of their wife and mom.