Mission Accomplished

I woke up at 4.30 this morning and set off tentatively into the drizzly dark morning to take my place with the thousands of others at the start of the Two Oceans Marathon this morning.

The race was a wonderful experience. The vibe and atmosphere of the start continued throughout the race with the horbes of spectators lining the roads as we ran. (I think some of them will be more whacked than the runners tonight judging by the effort they put into their screaming and encouragement!) Their infectious spirit literally carried us all the way to the end.

It was a picture of life really - and it just reminded me how important those special people who walk alongside you in this life are. The encouragers who stand on the sidelines supporting you and holding you up in prayer literally give you the strength to continue along the course that lies ahead. They are essential, they are gifts and I so appreciate each and every one!

I finished the race in 1 hour 54 minutes (my goal was under 2 hours so that was good).

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement. As promised, I dedicated every step to my sweet Nix and asked our Father that with every step I took, the enemy's plans would be defeated and that her hands and limbs would be strengthened. Because of this goal, I saw much of the race as quite a simple parallel to life. So as I ran, there was another little incident / life lesson which God really spoke to me through (don't laugh OK :-) It's a typical "Eve move")...

As the roads were immensely congested for the first half of the run, I decided to try to get ahead by doing some of the off road trail running I am more used to and took to running along the road shoulder to up my pace a little. It was still dark (around 6.30 am) when I found myself at the foot of Southern Cross Drive, I didnt see a cable sticking out of the ground and I managed to trip and take a spectacular tumble along the road, causing a bit of commotion amongst the runners and spectators and grazing my arms a bit (lovely!). But this little incident really spoke to me and I beleive it was a wonderful illustration of how the enemy comes along in life with the intention of tripping you up and taking you out of the race. He places obstacles in our path and there are hiccups and questions along the road of life. The amazing thing is that this little incident gave me such an adrenaline boost, I literally shot up Southern Cross Drive (3km uphill) after that (no Powerade needed!), so what the enemy intended for harm, God used for good. I accomplished my goal and I beleive there was a heavenly victory for my sister today too. Dont look at the obstacles but keep your eyes firmly set on the goal that lies ahead.

Phillipians 3:13:

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."