All of my life's journeys so far have taught me one thing: I am definitely not a sprinter. I am more of what you would call a "marathoner".
A marathon can be defined as:
1. a foot race over a course measuring 26 mi. 385 yd. (42 km 195 m).
2. any long-distance race.
3. any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance: a dance marathon; a sales marathon.1.
My desire to leave this world a better place than I found it=marathon
Yes, my life is already defined of events, greater than normal, that require exceptional endurance.
Exceptional endurance is what I saw in the faces of the marathoners who participated in the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday (10/10/10). As I looked into their faces, I saw not only endurance but also determination, pain, and hope for the finish line! They ran their hardest; some walked but all pressed forward and though I didn't know anyone running the race that day my heart beat wildly for all of them. As I watched them run down Franklin Street, just past the 20K mark, I searched their faces; looked at their shoes; scrutinized their gaits because I wanted to know just what it took to run a marathon and most importantly whether I could do it myself.
Tears welled up in my eyes because deep down inside I knew the answer: why yes, yes I can, and will run a marathon!
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian
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